When I was old enough to drive my friends and I would go to our local mall to play arcade games at the Space Port. During our game downtime we would get a soda and a dog at the Pampered Pup and sit down to watch the people stroll on by. I would be respite if I didn’t mention we made comments to each other about the way people were dressed or their hairstyles or any number of other things. I think watching the people was more fun than playing the video games. Even to this day, as an artist I love to go to a park, a mall and other public places just to sit and just watch people walk around. There are a lot of interesting people out there to sketch. So grab a pencil, an art pad and get on out there. After all plein air sketching is all the rage these days.
Daily Drawing #225, Cool Late Summer Thoughts
I am a big fan of polar bears. I don’t know why but I think because on a hot day they’re a reminder of coolness. Polar bears live in the Arctic, which at times can be one of the coldest most inhospitable places on earth. God created the North and South Poles as a balance for our planet. They are there not only to regulate the tilt of the world but also to provide a balance in the hydro-static ecosystem on the world. As the planet heats up the poles start to decrease which is what is happening right now. I am going to get into a discussion on global warming but of personal warming.
God gave us His Word, the Bible, in order to provide a balance to our lives. If we let our personal warming lessen our reliance on God’s Word we will start to loose some of our Christian witness. That is why it is important to get into the Bible everyday in order to stop our personal warming.
Daily Drawing #224, We’re Not All Cat People
Growing up I had a good many cats. One of my favorites was a from the breed known as Manx. I don’t remember the cat’s name but it was one of my favorites. Still even with all those cats I had quite a few dogs. Two of my favorite dogs was one I called Hobo named after the dog in the show of the same name. I named the dog Hobo because he looked like the dog in the show.
The other dog was a Shetland Sheep Dog or miniature collie. I loved the dog. In fact we were inseparable up until the day the dog disappeared. I had no idea what happened to the dog until years later when my mother told me the dog followed me the bus stop and was run over by the bus. She didn’t have the heart to tell me. The whole point of this reflection is the fact we are all different. Some of us like both dogs and cats but their are others who like either dogs or cats. We are all different and need to learn to look past our differences and learn to live each other for who we are not who we want the other person to become.
Daily Drawing #223, Seeking Out Your Neighbor
We always think of our neighbors as the people who live in proximity to where we live. However Jesus , when asked by a lawyer about the identity of our neighbors launches into the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The whole purpose of the parable is to show the lawyer and others including us that our neighbors are anybody we see who needs our help. In other words anybody we come in contact with, because the world needs to know love. So the next time you run into a neighbor show them Jesus’ love and take the time to help them to the best of your abilities.
Daily Drawing #222, The Dog Days of Summer
What are the dog days of summer? The answer comes from Dictionary.Com, “the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: now often reckoned from July 3 to August 11. a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence.” The reason for the lethargy and inactivity is the heat. When it is hot it is hard to be moving around. I was in Las Vegas this year and the temp out there when I went averaged out to 115 degrees. I know it is a dry heat but to me it was still hot. My wife and I managed to push through the heat and have a great time. In life there are going to be times when the heat is turned up. The key to getting through these times and not become inactive or lethargic is to pray and seek God’s strength to help you remain sure footed. The dog days will always come but they don’t have to last.
Daily Drawing #221, Looking Out Over the Landscape
I sometimes pick up a pencil and just draw. This is one of those times. I started out with a simple landscape drawing and then added a face in the mountains. The piece is entitled “Looking Out Over the Landscape.” Like the lady in the mountain there are times in life we sometimes need to step back and survey the landscape instead of rushing ahead without all the details of what lies ahead. I have experience in this area, believe me. In my life there were so many times I failed down to look down from the mountain to see what was ahead so I stumbled along the way.
An example of this be buying the first car you see instead of taking the time to check to see what was out there. In the end you may have a good car but not the one which may have suited your needs better. God wants us to be patient in everything we do and most importantly to seek his wisdom in making important decisions.
Daily Drawing #220, Kicking Back With A Cup Of Joe
I don’t know about you but I love my coffee. Kicking back in the morning with a good cup of coffee is one of my favorite things of the day. A cup of java seems to clear the fog from my mind and give me a little boost to get my body moving. I know it’s probably the caffeine but to me that is just an added bonus. Some I know don’t like the taste of coffee just like there are those who don’t like the taste of the Gospel. Still the Gospel of God like a cup of coffee takes the fog out of your life and gets your body moving in the right direction.
Daily Drawing #219, Your Presence is the Best Present
Love is a funny thing. Many of us seek to express love by offering up big and little presents or gifts to show someone how much we love them. Then we spend the rest of the time doing our own thing. Many people who say they love each other spend many of their free hours not together but doing separate activities. While I don’t think you have to spend every second together. Even couples need some apart time. What I talking about is the fact that the best present or gift you can give someone is the gift of your presence, to talk to each other, to grow as couples, to do fun things together and much more. Take the time now because as sad as it is to say someday the person will not be here and the only presence you will have will be in your mind or photos.
Daily Drawing #218, A Chip Off The Old Block
I love those commercials where one member of married couple is starting to exhibit traits of there parents. I don’t what the commercial is for but it got me to thinking. We are more like our parents then we think. Like my drawing entitled, “Mini Me,” we carry our parents genes so we are going to be like them in some ways. Don’t panic yet. It is not a bad thing to be like your parents as long as you don’t repeat the same mistakes they did and you listen to the all the wisdom they impart.
Like everyone else our parents made mistakes, many of which we have seen as we grew older. So when you see yourself starting to exhibit some of those undesirable traits stop yourself and switch gears. You are your parents child but you are also an individual who can make your own decisions. The time is now.








