"Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'" Matthew 14:31
Unfinished paintings. They’re everywhere. And they scream to me that I’m easily distracted from His face and His direction. This week was hectic. And as I neared the end of it, I realized that I hadn’t just taken a moment to be still with God. Sure I had prayed, but I hadn’t taken one minute to sit down with Him and JUST BE IN HIS PRESENCE. I had been focused on moving, on church, on kids, and on work. But I hadn’t slowed down long enough to focus on the maker and perfecter of it all. In that moment of realization, it hit me - that’s where all the worrying and stress had been able to creep in. It was my responsibility to own. I had created the cracks in my armor by focusing on the waves rather than on Jesus. Just like Peter. It’s my favorite Bible story - Peter walking on water. And it’s my favorite because I relate so much to it. There he is, walking on water towards Jesus; Jesus literally helping him to do the impossible. It’s such a beautiful moment between the two of them as Peter chooses to trust Jesus, and Jesus beckons Peter closer to Him. But then Peter notices the storm. He sees the size of the waves, and he starts to sink in panic. Jesus lovingly corrects him, and he ends up safely back in the boat, that much closer to his savior. But it’s the perfect display of being focused on the world rather than on His eyes and on His Kingdom. My confession is that I mimic Peter way too often. I’m ‘walking on water’, He’s leading me to paint things I know I could never paint without Him, my focus is obedience. Then the enemy distracts me with busy, he distracts me with the storm. I let him! And before I know it, I have nothing but unfinished paintings in my studio. Good news is - I HAVE A CHOICE. We all do! See, we don’t need to be focused on the storm because WE AREN’T BATTLING IT ALONE! We have Him. And He gave us the perfect book, full of His words, that can set our focus back where it belongs. Every moment of every day we can meet Him there. We can renew our minds (Romans 12:2). And we can ‘walk on water’ with certainty that He is who He says He is, and that His every promise is true. So obey anyway. Don’t sink. And go find Him. He's patiently waiting.
Don't quit now!
March 8, 2021 • Charlie Warren
The Power of His Grace!
May 11, 2021 • Charlene Warren
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:1-8 God has been teaching me so much about His grace. These lessons don’t always come easy, but if we can really look at what He’s doing in those tough moments, we can see how much love is behind them. I started this painting years ago. A http://fortress...which was meant to represent the strongholds that the enemy gets a kick out of helping us build in our hearts. And the sun rays meant to represent God's love...hitting those hardened walls, and making them crumble. I haven’t thought about this painting in years, and in fact it still remains unfinished. But as I went through some of the hardest events of my life these past two http://weeks...and as God helped me to deal with them through His grace, compassion, and http://love...he drew me to this painting as a representation of what God's grace can do to our hardened or even numbed out hearts. It’s an amazing thing, God's grace. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that it’s depth is unfathomable. And this is why so many of us struggle to actually accept it. It’s a gift that instinctually we know we don’t deserve, and the kind of love that it represents can’t easily be grasped by the human heart. But that my friends, is what makes it so incredibly powerful! He knew when He was on that cross every mistake we would make. He saw our faces, personal and individual, and He died for us anyway. Our job as we choose to follow Him, is to accept and acknowledge the power of that http://gift...the power of His grace. To really let it sit on our hearts how much He loves us despite our http://flaws...and to LET IT CHANGE US! Once we really do http://that...once we really accept His grace and His love, those sturdy fortress walls around our hearts can come tumbling down, and we can be free to live the life He wants for us. Have you accepted His grace? Or are you still fighting it because you don’t think you deserve it? Whether you are new to a relationship with Him or seasoned in your walk, today is the day. Open your heart, let in His love, and let His amazing grace change you.
Faithful Completion
April 26, 2021 • Charlie Warren
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6 I started this painting two years ago. That’s right http://folks...two years! I worked on the sky tirelessly, until one day, I retired it unfinished, and swore I would never touch it again. That was final! I was finished (and frustrated) with it. But God had other plans. This week I was asked to paint something for a fundraiser and I had about a day to do it. So once again he pulled me towards this painting, and we partnered to bring glory to his creation. To think that this canvas sat unfinished; waiting for its masterpiece for two years is crazy. But He had a purpose for it happening just the way it did. This week, I also celebrated a dear friend of mine who lost her battle with breast cancer in November. And the thing that I kept thinking as I sat at her service was how God was just absolutely shining through her more than ever. Her life, and the way that she fought her battle, pointed straight to Jesus. That’s exactly how I remember her, and she inspires me literally every day. Her body may not be with us any longer, but boy was she giving a testimony http://yesterday...to a TON of people who were there to celebrate her. So often we think that something is finished. So often we think that something is http://complete...but God has other plans. He showed me this last week, through this painting, and through my friend, that He will use what we think is http://final...what we think is the most broken http://circumstance...and He will make beauty from it. Yesterday, my friend was alive! She was alive in the words that were spoken about Jesus; she was alive in the hearts of every one of those people who heard those words, and I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of how her life and her story of dedication to God’s faithfulness is going to reach people. God’s faithfulness doesn’t always start out looking like what we think it http://should...but HE IS FAITHFUL. He wasn’t done with this http://painting...he’s surely not done with my friend and the impact her life will make, and He isn’t done with you. His plans are greater, His plans are beautiful, and when He reveals them, man are they magnificent!
Sweet Surrender
April 21, 2021 • Charlie Warren
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 God has been teaching me a lot about surrender. He’s been teaching me a lot about what real faith looks like. But it definitely hasn’t been in the midst of the easiest circumstances. In pure transparency, I’ve been feeling like a hot mess lately. Life has been challenging to say the least. I feel like I’ve been chasing my own tail, literally clawing out little moments with God in the middle of raising kids and making a living. This painting is small, and it’s literally the fruits of those little tiny moments this week. It’s not a lot. But it reveals a glimpse of who He is. AND THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS. You see, surrender isn’t about perfection. We are human; we aren’t always going to be good at it. But that’s the point. Surrender isn’t about us at all. ITS ABOUT WHO WE ARE SURRENDERING TO. It’s about kneeling at the feet of a God WHO IS TRULY WORTHY OF IT. It’s about trusting in the promises of a MIGHTY AND FAITHFUL GOD, even when the world around us doesn’t make any sense, even when it hurts. It’s about knowing in our hearts who God is. A powerful, loving, beyond-capable, never-changing, fully-sacrificing, all-knowing God. The maker of the Heavens and the Earth; the one who has hung and named every star in the sky. HE IS WORTHY! This message isn’t what I originally intended for this week. It’s late by two days, it’s not perfectly written, but it was placed on my heart by Him…in His timing. Which means it is meant for someone. I’m not sure what you’re going through this week or in this season of life, but I do know who holds you in His hands. I don’t know what God has asked you to take on right now, but I do know that He hasn’t left you to deal with it alone. Whatever it is, its time to take it in your hands and lift it up to Him. SURRENDER IT COMPLETELY. Life might not make sense right now, you might have a broken heart, and maybe you’d even go as far to say that you’re a hot mess like I was this week. But whatever the case, full surrender to the God who loves you more than you can imagine is the only answer. Because He is worthy. And it’s because He is worthy that you can rest. Stop striving! Remember that you are loved. And just be His.