Obedient Heart
A little while back, my husband & I got to attend KensingtonChurch's incredible "Move Out Gathering" & one of the speakers that just blew us away was Brian Peterson of Faces of Santa Ana.
Faces of Santa Ana is a passion project where they befriend & paint portraits of the homeless community in Santa Ana, CA. The artwork is then sold & the proceeds go to help in rehabilitating the homeless. This is just a snippet of what they do & I can't encourage you enough to spend some time checking them out & if possible, hearing Brian speak! His story & heart are SO inspiring.
One of the pieces that he painted however is not of a homeless newfound friend, but of the Lion of Judah. This piece was at the center of the stage when he spoke & at least 6 feet tall. I could not get my eyes off of it & knew I had to have it. Luckily, they sell these prints in poster size.
Here's a bit about it in Brian's words :
"As I reflect on this piece & how much has happened through this painting, the word obedience leaps from my heart. The Lord asked me to paint this piece for about six months, gently reminding me week after week, waiting patiently for my obedient heart. He’s so patient with us. I had no idea why, what, or for whom, he had me paint this Lion for. I knew nothing about the end goal, only that he had a plan for the painting. As a result of simple obedience, we’ve seen the Lord touch so many lives already with a simple painting. There’s more to this piece than paint on canvas and HE is continually speaking to the hearts of those influenced by the color & subject matter. Everyone encounters him in a different revelatory way when they look into the eyes of the lion. Lord we invite you to have your way with YOUR painting."
The lion symbol has been known to represent blessing, majesty & even divine protection... which is powerful in & of itself. But the OBEDIENCE part is what I want to be reminded of most. What if we all became more obedient to the whispers placed on our heart, where would that lead us? If it's anything like this moving painting, all I know is that I'd rather take a chance then not know at all.
Faces of Santa Ana is a passion project where they befriend & paint portraits of the homeless community in Santa Ana, CA. The artwork is then sold & the proceeds go to help in rehabilitating the homeless. This is just a snippet of what they do & I can't encourage you enough to spend some time checking them out & if possible, hearing Brian speak! His story & heart are SO inspiring.
One of the pieces that he painted however is not of a homeless newfound friend, but of the Lion of Judah. This piece was at the center of the stage when he spoke & at least 6 feet tall. I could not get my eyes off of it & knew I had to have it. Luckily, they sell these prints in poster size.
Here's a bit about it in Brian's words :
"As I reflect on this piece & how much has happened through this painting, the word obedience leaps from my heart. The Lord asked me to paint this piece for about six months, gently reminding me week after week, waiting patiently for my obedient heart. He’s so patient with us. I had no idea why, what, or for whom, he had me paint this Lion for. I knew nothing about the end goal, only that he had a plan for the painting. As a result of simple obedience, we’ve seen the Lord touch so many lives already with a simple painting. There’s more to this piece than paint on canvas and HE is continually speaking to the hearts of those influenced by the color & subject matter. Everyone encounters him in a different revelatory way when they look into the eyes of the lion. Lord we invite you to have your way with YOUR painting."
The lion symbol has been known to represent blessing, majesty & even divine protection... which is powerful in & of itself. But the OBEDIENCE part is what I want to be reminded of most. What if we all became more obedient to the whispers placed on our heart, where would that lead us? If it's anything like this moving painting, all I know is that I'd rather take a chance then not know at all.
