Timothy Whitt

Daily Drawing #225, Cool Late Summer Thoughts

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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

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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 #222, The Dog Days of Summer

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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

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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 #219, Your Presence is the Best Present

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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

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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.

Daily Drawing #217, Taking On Your Giants

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One of my favorite historical events in the Bible is the story of David and Goliath. Here is a young man taking on someone who towers over him. My drawing “Looking Up,” is a modern take on the Biblical story. It is a representation of what happens when someone gets the courage to take on a bully. The simple pencil drawing offers a look at how daunting our giants can appear. In school I was bullied quite a few times and was reluctant to take a stand. I was like the rest of the Israelite army standing back leery of what was to come next.

This message is the unplanned third in a series on dealing with the giants of all kinds in our lives. David showed how easily it is to stand up against giants. His giant was a physical specimen our giants can be a disease, a bully, financial and much. No matter what the giant is the key to defeating giants is to do what David did, put your whole faith and trust in the God and like He did for David, He will deliver you from your giant orgiants.

Daily Drawing #216, The Monster Under the Bed

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When I was a child I used to worry about the monster under my bed. Not that there was ever anything under there but in the minds eye the monster was there just waiting for me to dangle my feet over the edge of my bed. Yesterday’s message was about having one of those days. Today is kind of a follow up to that message. I n life we have many monsters under our beds they include health worries, financial concern, family matters and the list goes on and on. These monsters are just waiting for us to dangle our feet over the edge of the bed so they can gobble us up. The key to not letting the monsters under the bed get to you is the say as if you are having a bad day and once again it comes in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Here’s to slaying your monsters.

Daily Drawing #214, Try To Be A Windmill

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I know what you’re thinking. The title of today’s drawing sounds a little odd, “Try to be a Windmill.” The drawing was inspired by the prompt word, “wood,” combined with this definition of a windmill as found on Wikipedia, “A windmill is a mill that converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. I think we as followers of Jesus are like windmills. Each days God, through the Holy Spirit breathes into our sails, His breathe which gives us the energy not only to get through the day but also so we can be a blessing to others.

In 1 Thessalonians 1:5 Paul has this to say about the power of the Gospel and the power God gives to us, “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” So if you feel like your not being the windmill you should pray to God to breathe more on your sails to give you a burst of energy. He will come through, He is always faithful.