Sunday Sermon Series: Colossians 1:15-23

Good morning everyone, I hope you are well. Today I have an illustration for you from a sermon by Pastor Shaun Hart two weeks ago(to listen to that sermon click here). This illustration became so complicated that it took me longer than usual to assemble all the pieces.

The main point I took from this sermon and scripture is: Jesus in all things is first and foremost. Through Him all things were created. He is one with the Father, and through Jesus I am saved. Keeping my focus on Him both helps me through times of trouble, and keeps me from other troubles.

One illustration Shaun used to drive this point home was the story of Odysseus and the sirens from Greek mythology. The sirens if you recall were half bird, half fish creatures who would beguile or lure the sailors who were passing by. The sirens sang a song that was so beautiful the sailors would either sail right into the rocks, be shipwrecked and die, or they would jump overboard and try to swim to the rocks and be killed that way. When Odysseus heard of this he decided he could fix this problem. So he stopped up his ears with wax and tied himself to the mast so that he could not be seduced. In the Argonauts Orpheus tells Jason he has a different plan. Orpheus played on his harp a greater song, so great that the sailors never even heard the sirens.

A greater song. Such is the song that Jesus sings. His song is so much better on so many different levels that the songs we hear in this world. So much so that when we listen to Jesus, the songs of this world have no appeal to us. When Jesus is at the helm, the wind at my sails, and the very ship I sail only then can I manage this world.

As I worked on this illustration (which I would dearly love to have time to animate!) I listened as I often do to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg. Through no coincidence I am sure, I was surprised to hear Alistair relating the same story to illustrate the exact same message. Here is the link to that sermon: Truth for Life. I had to go through quite a bit to find that link for you, apparently the archives for listening through your phone are completely different than those on the web here. Thankfully on the mobile app you can share a link to a sermon, so I shared it with myself and got you the link. Ovey. The whole sermon is great, the part I reference specifically is about 17 minutes in. You should give it a listen.

This pencil sketch was done with a Pentel .7mm P207 mechanical pencil in a Pentalic Sketchbook on 70lb paper. It was scanned and then colorized in PhotoShop. I hope you enjoyed this post, and that it encouraged you or challenged you. God bless, and have a great day! --Ryan

Sunday Sermon Series March 5th, 2017

Hello everyone! Last Sunday I listened to Pastor Dennis Fuqua preach on Jesus' last big prayer(John 17). While the main topic of the sermon was how Jesus prayed, the concept I focused on is visualized in the illustration below. I think a lot of us spend too much time thinking of what we can ask God for (myself included here), and not enough time recognizing God's grace, and God's glory. God's glory is revealed in His creation. What does that have to do with a giraffe you ask? Well, let's see.

We all know giraffes are tall. Did you know that the giraffe's heart is approximately 18 inches long? It has to be huge in order to supply the pressure needed to push blood all the way up that long neck to the giraffe's brain. If that pressure was kept the same for a giraffe who is standing upright as it is for when it bends over (to say drink some water) the giraffe's head would explode.

So God designed the giraffe with a system of blood vessels like sponges and tiny spigots in the arteries which close when the head is lowered to keep the giraffe from suffering from a hemorrhagic aneurysm (yes, I had to look that up to spell it right), or as I call it: Explosive Head Syndrome. Then, when the giraffe stands back up the blood is released back into the system at pressure so that the giraffe doesn't pass out from lack of blood to the brain.

The giraffe is an amazing example of the beauty in God's design, and God's glory is revealed in the creation of the giraffe.

This pencil sketch was done with a Pentel .7mm P207 mechanical pencil in a Pentalic Sketchbook on 70lbs. paper. It was scanned and then colorized in PhotoShop. I use the brushes created by Kyle T. Webster, and highly recommend them. I hope you are encouraged by this post. God bless, and have a great day! --Ryan

Darkest Hour

UPDATE:

Hello again, this evening I'm posting the animated gif version of this illustration I created. This animation is meant to illustrate how in Jesus darkest hour, he shined brightest. I don't mean to imply it literally of course, but figuratively. He calls us to let our light shine too, not to hide it, so that others may see it, and give glory to God in Heaven. That doesn't mean you advertise every little thing you do to make yourself look good. It means do good, and give God the glory, do it because you love God. Why we do good things is just as important as doing good things. Attitude is very important to God.

For the animation I painted several frames of white and yellow light, streaks emanating outward, and rings emanating outward. Then I turned them on and off on different frames, and viola! I like the way it came out, and the hand drawn look it has, rather than a processed uniform software look. As always, thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed this piece. Below begins my original post, take care, and God bless!

Good morning everybody. Today's drawing is the latest in my Sunday Sermon Series. This week Pastor Mike talked about the crucifixion. It was a dark hour, but in that darkness Jesus shined.

Jesus prayed for another way, but accepted his father's will. Since the beginning of time he was meant to be the great rescue plan for us, and he did it. For me, and for you. He wants a relationship with me, and with you.

Here are some verses that Mike used: 1 Corinthians 4:6-9 In dark places God reveals His Son in and through us. John 12:23-28 When the hour turns dark stay focused on the goal. John 12:32-36 When our hearts harden we stumble in unbelief. John 13:23-28 Serving those who misunderstand or even betray us. John 13:12-17 Serving with a right heart dispels darkness in my heart.

The text at the bottom of the illustration is something new I learned from the sermon. I had always thought that when Jesus said "It is finished." he just meant that he was dying, that the crucifixion was over. Before this sermon I had never heard about the "Paid in Full" phrase/definition from Jesus' time. It's always important to keep in mind the culture of the times you are reading/studying about. Otherwise you can completely miss an important point. I am so thankful that my debt is paid in full.

As always this drawing was done with pencil in my sketchbook, then I scanned it, and used several layers in PhotoShop to paint the color, and lighting effect. As always I used muted colors, a very ingrained part of my style. This drawing has little detail though, because I wanted to focus on the light in the darkness. None of us like to go through hard times, times that test our faith. But it is in those times that we mature in our faith. Those times show the people around you who Jesus is. Who he can be to them.

I hope you enjoyed this drawing, feel free to leave a comment, or ask me a question. Thank you again for stopping by. Have a great day, and God bless. --Ryan

Doodle

Yesterday I was sitting at the back of the church listening to the girls choir and sketching. My buddy Riley came in, and wanted to see what I was working on. So I showed him the drawings I'd done yesterday for the new book project. He asked me about shading, and so I was showing him how to do it. I drew this little guy as an example and he took on a life of his own. Not content to stay on the 2D page, Doodle Man is trying to lift himself off the page. I realized it had been ages since I just drew something for the fun of it, not to meet a deadline. I wasn't really bummed out about it though, because I love what I do, and I am thankful for that every day.

Scheming Monk

Here's another pencil sketch. This monk is plotting how he can get out of KP duty tonight.