18x24 Acrylic on Canvas

A lot of people ask me how I get my inspiration or what is my painting process. Everything I do begins in prayer. From there, God leads the way. To God be the glory!

God created all of us to seek Him, worship Him, and serve Him. We all do this differently and for me it is through my gift of art. Therefore, I crave time with my Heavenly Father and I need time to paint as an outlet for those things. For the folks who know me I hope and pray it is inevitable that they all come together.

Heather and I were recently in Israel at the Sea of Galilee. Our tour stopped at the site where Jesus gave a sermon to many people while on the grassy slopes side of the mountain which over looked the waters of the Sea of Galilee. As I walked through the gardens then around the chapel taking in the beautiful grounds and the view of the lake, I looked up to find the most beautiful view. The oversized date palms were extraordinary.  Sure the dome of the church was grand, and the sky was beautiful and blue. Yet the very thing that caught my attention was the squawking sounds coming from the sky. That’s when my eyes started following the electric green birds that were chasing each other. I loved the unexpected contrast of colors and took as many photos as I could before we left. I haven’t thought much about it since then.

Fast forward to this week.  The image of that moment popped in my mind. I knew it was ready to paint but I did not have a title nor a story yet. So I pray, paint, and wait. While painting, I make alternate and vibrant color choices.  I am a huge fan of the gift God has given to all of us in the beautiful colors of the sky that start and end our days. I try to remember to thank Him as often as possible. His colors are a violet or sometimes coral so I decided to change my typical sky from blue to the coral color. With as many colors as possible I painted the palm and kept the color of the vibrant green parakeets the way I remember seeing them on that day.

With the painting finished the title had still not come to me. Like times before I continue to pray and wait. I never want to rush ahead of what God is teaching me. Later that night we went to bed listening to a sermon by Ken Hamm. The gentleman who started the creation museum as well as the ark encounter.  He talked about how there are basically two views that are at the route of all our social conversations and beliefs. A Biblical Godly world view where we can gather so much from Genesis 1-11 or the world’s view. A view that says I have my own thoughts. It is a view that is very boxed in and gives everyone their own set of standards. It is a world of blurred lines and uncertainty. Much like the days are today as well as the past days when Jesus was teaching the Beatitudes to all people, not just the Jews.

The painting is of the birds that flew around the church where the sermon on the mount was preached and Jesus taught the Beatitudes. Most everyone thought Jesus was teaching about the law. He wasn’t teaching law. He was speaking love. He was saying to those that live in there own box that they had created - If you are a Hebrew the law doesn’t save you.  A broken person does. Maybe to us in the western world we have done the same thing and revolved our Christian life around devotions, going to church, serving our community, doing and being good. But that won’t save any of us. Blessed are those that are broken in need of God’s grace and mercy. Jesus goes on to hit home at the prideful heart which should convict us all. He spoke truth about sin and then invites us to repent so that we can fellowship with him. This is the beauty of the beatitudes. He invites us into a righteousness that is not of ourselves.

As I think back on it for some reason I didn’t paint the scene of the hillside with the beautiful chapel that was created by man. Instead, I chose to focus upward toward the birds racing around in the sky. A different view. A view that sees a broader perspective.

So what did I learn from my time of seeking, worshipping, and serving God as I painted this painting. I create a box a lot of times.  A box that has a horizontal perspective. A box that I stuff my own ideals, my own self importance, my own way of life inside of it and before you know it I have regressed in my walk with Jesus. My pursuit of a righteousness that is not my own.

Have we fallen into a world view or do we see things from a Godly view in our daily walk with Him. Jesus wrapped up the beatitudes by saying. “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” Matthew‬ ‭5:10‬ ‭NLT‬

He wants us to hold steadfast to a heavenly perspective where we follow Him.

As I take my eyes off the sky it reminds me of the hope that is to come. I remember the  beautiful little church and it’s foundation that the church was built on. The last teaching in this sermon was about the foundation we build our lives upon.  Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew‬ ‭7:24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So this is a small glimpse into the process of me, Glenn Lamp, painting a painting. For me it is much more than the art. It keeps me forever close to seeking His kingdom first and His righteousness, not my own.