It’s never boring, I can tell you that!
Up to this point, it’s something different every time. God has never had me paint something I was comfortable with, and I don’t think I’ve ever painted the same thing twice. The first time I painted, I was absolutely terrified! I remember getting on my knees a lot, during worship, begging the Lord to show up and paint through me. It had been years since I felt comfortable painting and I never dreamed I would be painting in front of over 500 people not to mention being live-streamed.
In 2018 Holy Spirit moved our family to worship with the Upper Room Dallas. It was through their Thursday night artist gathering that I met my friend and mentor, Camille Riggs. Camille introduced me to the concept of painting the heart of the Father. During those gatherings, I fell more in love with
Jesus, and He began to heal old performance wounds centered around producing art.
Eventually, I became a Resident Artist at the Dallas Upper Room Campus. My paintings are displayed in our “bathroom gallery”, I’ve been a part of Kid’s Camp and I sometimes get to facilitate the artist gathering on Thursday nights. But, my favorite is when I get to express His heart at worship events. I think it’s my favorite because I get to express His love to His kids. I don’t think a meeting goes by that I don’t get to tell someone how much Jesus loves them! Because art transcends language, age, race, and economics, it has a direct point of entry to the heart. Other art forms possess similar qualities, but our gift is unique in that it carries lasting bold images straight to the windows of the soul. The very same windows our Jesus told us to guard, and for good reason, our eyes have such a tremendous influence over our perceptions of ourselves, our world, and our Savior. Our gift isn’t better – it’s just different. It’s an equally important part of God’s design to reach the hearts of His people and communicate His love for them. I have such a cool job!
The role of a prophetic painter can be that of a scribe. We listen for and hear the voice of God. Then we record what we hear to give room for others to interact with it. We’re called to paint in such a way to move the hearts of men toward their Heavenly Father. Our function in the body can be just as important as that of a musician, dancer, or dare I say, pastor. Some won’t be in a place to hear the words, tune someone is offering, or understand the meaning of the dance. Maybe they’re not ready to hear it or it’s just not their style. Through art, God transcends all that and speaks directly to their hearts.
My Mentor always says, Prophetic Art isn’t about the Art. It’s about communicating the Father’s heart in a way that lets others interact with it. Culture will judge art and artist alike by how closely their images resemble real-life things or by what colleges they attended or degrees they hold. Prophetic art is more about how effectively we can translate conversations we have with the Holy Spirit. It’s about the love the Father wants to express to His children. When I paint, my goal is to give others a chance to connect more deeply with His love for them.
Hearing the Father’s heart has also given me compassion for those who don’t know Him or have walked away. Doors were opened in 2020 through a local retail outlet for me to encourage these folks by giving away small prophetic paintings containing encouragement from Him. I never meet these people, but through my art, they receive a small glimpse of God’s heart for them.
In a nutshell, this is my passion, this is the burden I carry for the Kingdom. This is why I do what I do. Partnering with God, I bring His heart to His people as a form of worship.