Friday, May 30, 2008

PC 154 Doodle

This weeks PotterCast doodle was of the Bat Bogey Hex.



Poor Draco.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Foresaking Provision



What may seem like frustration on the surface can often times be the bud of a blessing. And given the proper obedience and a little self control it can blossom not only into a blessing but so much of a blessing that it becomes as necessary as breath. Today after sitting in front of my computer all day working on an illustration, I started going stir crazy. I called some friends, but having lives of their own were not free at the moment. So I still had an hour to kill. In my boredom and frustration that I had yet another hour to spend with myself I decided to read. I can be so foolish sometimes, why must it take these extreme emotions and feelings to get me to sit down and listen to what the Lord has to say to me. While driving to a coffee shop I was convicted, the Lord whispered to me that I did not have to spend another hour wallowing in my own mind, but I am blessed and privileged to spend a moment with Him. Then I got to thinking, how I have actually been busy these past few weeks. I had a semi regular work week subbing at lest 4 out of the 5 day week. I asked myself what have I been doing with my free time? I have been self-indulgent; I have been hanging out with friends and avoiding alone time, the alone time that I usually give back to the Lord in prayer and reading. Realizing that I have been allowing myself to be seduced into letting a blessing become a burden I began to apologize for my selfishness. The devil was trying to use wonderful and powerful friendships the Lord has blessed me with for
its purposes. I was disgusted with myself when I realized I was letting a blessing wither into a burden. I asked the Lord to forgive me and help me make the right decisions. I figured the best place to start is to spend time with Him. So I got my cup of coffee and scone and walked over to a park bench by the fountain in middle of the Orange Circle and got out one of my favorite devotionals, Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. And to my joy and contentment the Lord confirmed my concerns with a passage from the morning section of May 25th’s devotions. The quote that just drove it home was this, “Forsake me not in my joys, lest they absorb my heart.” It was speaking of the importance of never forsaking the Lord, weather in blessing or wanting, in sorrow or joy. How in forsaking my quiet time with Him, I was allowing a blessing from the Lord to absorb so much of my time and attention that it edged Him out.

And what really trips me out, is the Lords timing. How Spurgeon in obedience was pressed and lead to write on this topic so many years ago not know the profound effect that one sentence would have on me. It’s the crazy stuff like this that brings a smile to my face. The Lords timing is so incredibly perfect.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

A Silly Story with some Friends

Today I had brunch with some really good friends. Three of them, Beebe, Grace, and Diana, I haven’t seen in quite some time and one, Chris, who I nearly see on a daily basis :P After brunch at the Filling Station we parted from Chris to go and draw, as he has some chores to tend to. As we sat at the Starbucks in the lobby of the Wels Fargo bank in the Orange Circle we found ourselves at a loss as to what to draw. That was soon remedied when a wonderful suggestion surfaced. A popcorn paragraph, we each had to write one sentence of the same small paragraph and then draw the results. Here is what the four of us came up with.
“The magical cat went to the park. Where there were one legged Gnomes and squires on unicycles. It’s a funny thing that made her laughs so hard all the people in the restaurant turned their heads. But to their chagrin they disappeared through the dark forest.”
Here is my rendition. Diana and I took a literal stab at it making it into one solitary illustration. While Grace drew and series of sketches to tell the story, and Beebe showed us all up with adding her own awesome narrative to it.



Thanks again guys for an awesome sketch session. ☺

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Graffiti Artist

Facebook has a Graffiti application. Over the last few weeks I have been having a little too much fun with it. Some of theses are really old, others are not. See if you can catch any themes?





























Friday, May 16, 2008

I Think I Lack Today.


Recently I have been living too much in the future, finding ease and peace of mind in what the Lord wants to do with me. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be very negative, especially if in focusing on the future I lose sight of today. I need to look for my daily bread, my mana, and see what He wants to do with me today. To be faithful in the small things ready to go when he sends me out. While praying during worship on Sunday evening I realized how rich I am, how incredibly rich I am! This past week has been a peaceful blue sky with gentle breezes. But every sky has its clouds, today while getting ready for the day I was feeling a little stressed and drained, and I realized that despite my blessed week I have not spent much time in prayer or in reading. That really scares me, I need to abide in the Lord when I am doing well and when I am in need. My angst should not spur me onto the Lord, but drive and thirst for Him. Lord Help me to find that balance and to abide in You when I abound and when I am abased.


Art House: The Sketchbook Project | Post Three

The Owl continues her encouraging rant.

















I have been subbing, had a few meetings, and had Bible Study which all allow me to draw. So It hasn't even been a week, it's been 4 days actually, and I am more than halfway done with this fellow. It's quite exciting :D

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Church Notes | Sex Love & God: week five

This study was on the restorative power we have from the cross through Christ.



This afternoon while driving to a meeting I gave this study a second listen. What especially spoke to me this time around was the aspect of community. So often we put on our best faces at church, when in reality church is a time and place in our lives where we should be as raw and real as possible. It is simply and issue of honestly, we need to be honest about sin, joy, happiness, sadness, passion, etc. What better place to do it than at church? Our "best faces" only hinder our growth and show our fear and lack of trust in the Lord. What is the worst that can happen, a sideways glance from a pew-neighbor? There is no need to be afraid of judgment, we all have sinned and received grace. Just as we received we all need to return that grace to others in our lives. Be bold, be honest. I say that because this study challenged me. It made me ask, "Can I be more open and vulnerable?" If I can get over my ego and let go of myself I may inspire others to be just as candid. And in turn find other brothers and sisters to come along side me in this long journey we call life.

Lord help me to trust You. Help me to be brazenly honest.

Art House: The Sketchbook Project | Post Two

PAs I mentioned before I got a little excited and started drawing with out doing the theme. I am now addressing the theme. The owl will be your guide. Here are the first 4 theme-related pages.









I realize now that "save" is too aggressive of a word, it should have read "change". My apologies.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Church Notes | Sex Love & God: week four

I am a few weeks behind in posting these. My apologies, but I have gotten caught up in coloring them that I don't wanna post them until I can play with them on the computer. My being busy with other projects, and my obsession with having to color them have lead to this horrible lag.



Week Four of the this series was on the power of sex. Explaining that the rules and guidelines placed on this union are there to protect us and help us get the most out of it. The pastor uses electricity to illustrate the power and care sex is and needs. I prefer the analogy of fire, its just a bit more romantic and a much rawer example, but I tend to nerd out on these word plays. None the less the principals apply. Sex is something like a fire, when used and expressed in the proper context it is a beautiful and powerful thing. When used in the wrong way it is no less powerful, and without the safeguards outlined for us it can be just as destructive as it is powerful. Like a flame when it grow out of control it will burn and consume. Don't let the world's (aka Hollywood/tabloids/TV/foolish friends/etc,) degrading and denigrate view of what sex should be turn something that is alluring and beautiful into a source of shame and pain. Sex is a very beautiful and sacred thing that deserves much more respect than the world is giving it now.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Art House: The Sketchbook Project | Post One

I am taking place in a sketchbook project. It is actually called The Sketchbook Project (go figure) put on by Art House. Basically they sent out 500 of theses little guys, we are all to fill them up and send them back by August 1, 2008. I signed up a few months ago and I finally got my sketchbook today! I had some fun drawing in it while recording PotterCast today, and I got like four pages done during my meeting tonight. I plan on scanning my progress as I go, so hopefully there will be more updates as I trek along. The theme is "how to change the world", these first few pages are just warm ups for me and don't really reflect the theme too directly. But I do plan on doing a little comic in the middle somewhere that will tie a little more into the theme.













Hope you enjoy!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mothers Day!


Happy Mothers Day to the best Mom in the world!

Thursday, May 08, 2008

An Uncharted Sea

This past week and a half has been busy. I apologize for the lack of posts, I shall make up for it soon.


(I drew this nearly a month ago during bible study, I finally had the time to color it today)

Over this past week I have been thinking a lot. I have been dealing with a lot of personal stuff. I don't think I have been this emotionally unstable in a very long time. And the crazy thing is that nothing too jarring has happened. The Lord is really just going in and giving my heart an overhaul. A huge comfort for me is that whenever I get in the thick of it I turn to the Lord in prayer and His word. It calms my heart and soothes my mind. I had a starling realization the other day while praying. I say startling because even though I have been praying for years that I would find my solace and peace in Christ, that He would be my contentment, I never really understood what that meant. I realized that some of the little things in life have lost their luster, I felt maybe that that was a sign of me being depressed or something. Why were the little things not getting me excited anymore? It was through this question that the Lord spoke so clearly to me. He reminded me that I have been praying for this for a while now. He whispered to me that He is and will be my source and my fountain. He asked me if I was willing to give up the smaller smiles in life for the deeper joys of a calling, my calling. And to be honest I was scared, and I am still scared. But I am also very willing, as long as the Lord journeys with me, because I have no idea what I am doing.


Lord let not my condition be my source of peace.
Let that rest in You.
This will allow Us to to sail the uncharted seas of my calling,
not to wander on the secure docks of other mens achievements.
I will risk for You.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

The Younger Fraks

I copied Heather aka buttfacemakani again.
She did the 'draw yourself as a teenager' meme and so did I.




This was fun.

P.S. I had asked what some people what "meme" means, but I could not find anyone who could tell me, so I looked it up. I had thought it was internet-slang that was essentially a self defining "onomatopoeia-ish" word that literally meant "Me! Me!", but I was wrong, way wrong. It actually has a proper definition that is some-what suited to these self indulgent surveys and drawings.

Meme (mēm) -n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.