Come Further In

This composite image was inspired by C.S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". If you've read it, you'll be reminded of the lamppost, the 100-year-winter brought about by the illegitimate "reign" of the White Witch, and Aslan's coming, which brought about a quick reversal of it all. Here I have depicted the breakthrough of Spring. We are standing at the lamppost, just at the edge of Narnia, as if we had just walked through the wardrobe and entered another world! Aslan is calling us to come further in, as the Beavers called the Pevensies, before they had met Aslan.

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I love compositing (although I get very impatient sometimes with the finishing off of all the edges! if I do a picture the way I want, it has soooo many edges to clean up. It's good for my character.). This media gives me a full range of expression in a surrealistic genre, which allows me to express the spiritual reality I am trying to convey. I am only limited to my vision/imagination and the images I can find. For a list of credits, please see the Flickr post: http://flickr.com/photos/9014943@N06/3095793249/

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My use of lion imagery in my artwork is limited to one meaning: Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah. I don't use the other biblical identification, that is, the devil prowling around as a roaring lion. I was happy to find a lion photo so perfect for this "painting", as he seems to be smiling, and not threatening. C.S. Lewis, as well, used the lion imagery to create a character in Aslan that is so expressive of the character of Christ that I seek to emulate him. It is quite evident to me that he knew the Lord personally.

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Controversial it may be, but C.S. Lewis's use of "magic" and beings from classical mythology in his fictional works conveys spiritual things in a way that can be understood by anyone. He speaks into the imaginative capacity and the longing for spiritual things which typify so much of what we see in fantasy genres today. Yet his motives remain completely different and pure. He also employs the archetypal teaching methods of the ancient fairytales, an understanding that has mostly been lost. It is still a viable teaching and training tool.

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I hope to be worthy to wear the mantle that Lewis left behind for those who would carry a message of Kingdom reality to those who seek to know the truth, especially the young. This generation is hungry for spiritual things, with a need for a strong identity and a desire for power to deal with the evil they see. Satan is working overtime to give them what they desire, but they don't know they're being trapped into the evil they wish to combat. It is up to the citizens of the Kingdom of God to reach the young with the truth of the good news, and it's going to take great imagination and power-packed expression to do so. It's a visual generation, and so I want to use visual imagery, along with writing, to speak to the heart.

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So, what am I saying with this artwork? That Aslan, although a fictional character, stands for Jesus Christ the true King of all Who is calling us to know Him personally, and to follow Him into His Kingdom. Narnia stands for the true realm of the spirit and godly imagination, where we can discover who we are and what we are meant to do. Here is a place where we can picture the purposes of Heaven being worked out in the physical world. It is a place where Heaven and Earth connect, and the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve are taught to reign. We learn to fight the enemies of God with truth and to take down the evil works of such enemies, in our own minds as well as in the world around us, for the good of others. We learn to serve one another and be obedient to the voice of the Spirit, and to step out in faith. In this story, the coldness of the heart is being melted and the heart renewed by real encounters with the King.

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In this artwork, the lamppost also signifies those who are called to be "lightbearers", to guide others along the Way, into the Kingdom of God. As the lamppost was planted in Narnia, and its light was a perpetual one, so our light will be if we are rooted in the Word of God and stay in our appointed places. Staying filled with the oil of the Spirit is a concern as we pour out what we have been given, but if we're connected into the Vine, we will always be alive and full of oil.

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The blossoming branches I have placed here are almond trees. This has a great deal of significance. First, it's a prophetic picture of Christ's anointing and authority in Aaron's rod that budded (Numbers 17:8-10; Hebrews 9:4). It also reminds of the golden lampstand in the Mosaic temple, which was shaped like a blossoming almond tree (Exodus 25:33), giving us the spiritual picture of one who lives in the presence of God and stays lit. There is also a verse in Jeremiah: Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree." Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word." (Jeremiah 1:12-13 NKJV). The almond tree is the first to blossom in Spring. This speaks to me of the need for us to be hearing from the Lord about the times and seasons and to be ready to speak and demonstrate these things in an early and timely fashion, for "concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you." (I Thess. 5:1 NKJV), meaning it was considered normal to know what's going on. Jesus promised that we could know things in advance: "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. "(John 16:13 NKJV)

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I may "paint" in parables, but this blog is for those who desire to know the meanings in them. Jesus told the meanings of His parables to His disciples. If you're reading this, Jesus words pertain to you: And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.'(Luke 8:10 NKJV) If you're His disciple, He will guide you into all truth.