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I believe this painting was created by the hand of God through His Creativity flowing through me, a surrendered vessel. You see, last year I had a repeated dream, while I slept. I saw Jesus walking toward a sheep, standing alone, in a green pasture. I was up above looking down at the back of Jesus as he approached the sheep. Jesus squatted down, placing his arms under the sheep. I heard my own voice say "Oh, He's going to pick him up and carry him. Oh, He's undergirding him", but then my view from above, zoomed in to see that Jesus was laying His ear against the sheep. Again I heard my own voice say "Ahh, He's listening to the sheep's heartbeat, Ahh! He's listening to the sheep's heart. We're the sheep and He's listening to our heart!"
I immediately woke my husband to tell him as this was so profound. Within the next 3 weeks this dream was repeated several times
Then one day about 3 months later, I dozed off in my recliner while taking a break from illustrating NOSY, a childrens book about the first Passover. As I dozed off, I went into a dream. It was as if I was looking through a video camera lens, walking into a Christian book store. I saw the counter and cash register on the left. Behind the counter, on the wall was a painting of my dream! It was Jesus listening to a sheep's heart! All framed and matted with a placard that read "He hears your heart's cry" by Debra Hoskins. I immediately woke up, in awe and wonder of what I saw. I was so taken back, as I have never done anything quite like this before. I have been an artist all my life, bearing childhood memories of my parents sneaking in my room to get my drawings to show their friends while they thought I was sleeping. I had also owned and operated my own sign business for almost 20 years, painting windows, murals in restaurants, billboards, banners, autos and more, before going into full time ministry.
Illustrating the childrens book was a new endeavor, but to create a painting worth hanging in a store or in someone's home was off the charts in my mind. Well God had other plans.
I continued to have vision's of my dreams, flashes, like snapshots of my dream! I began to work on the painting but became overwhelmed. But soon, another vision came in which I saw the close up of a mans hair, long and exactly like that of Jesus in my dream. I knew God was showing me that an actual man was going to pose for me. Not knowing anyone who fit that description, I felt God was going to surprise me. Months went by and through the busyness of life I forgot about it.
I tell you what, God's timing is always perfect. When a person has God dreams and visions, I always say that they are yet for an appointed time. Well one day, out of the blue, I was invited by the Christian TV Station manager of Washington's, Trinity Broadcasting Network, to accompany her to Orlando, Florida for a managers meeting at The Holy Land Experience. I didn't think I could go because I was under contract with a deadline to finish the illustration for Karen Pettingell, author of Nosy. The contract was extended and I was off to step into a divine appointment.
Only the station managers were allowed to attend the meetings so I went sight seeing.On the third day, while driving back from a church service, I had an open vision of the security gate opening at the Holy Land Experience, and heard a mans voice say CLEARANCE. I knew God was calling me there but I didn't know what for, and of all things the park was closed to the public that day. I knew if I actually got clearance then it was really God talking to me. I arrived at the gate and the Security man comes to my car window with his clipboard asking me my name. I assured him I was not on the list but had accompanied the Seattle station manager to Florida. I stated I would like to just sit in the parking lot and pray. He got on his walkie talkie, paced back and forth and returned to my window,startling me as he yelled out CLEARANCE, and the gate opened!
After pointing the way to the empty employees parking lot, I chose my spot to sit and pray.
Sitting in the car, glancing out my side mirror, I see what looks to be Jesus, a couple of disciples and two men in suits, briskly walking up the sidewalk and eating candy bars. What a trip! Here comes Jesus with his hair blowing back in the wind, like in a movie. I thought, what a picture that would be. I jumped out of my car to take a picture. The man who looks like Jesus told one of the disciples to get my camera and take a picture of him and I. It hadn't even crossed my mind to have my picture taken with him but instantly I remembered my dream and vision of a man who would pose for me. So needless to say I shared my dream and vision with Les Cheveldayoff, who portrays Jesus there at the Holy Land Experience. He agreed to pose. I snapped a half dozen pictures and then just laid back in my car seat amazed at how God orchestrated everything. Wow, He never ceases to amaze me.When we take our hands off the controller and give Him permission to operate, we don't get in the way of His plans.
Well, Nosy was finally completed and I slowly began on the painting. But as the season changed from winter to spring, my plate became full with prayer cabin clean up and preparation for retreats and conferences. The time and thoughts of the painting soon faded away.
Now and then I would pick it back up and work for a while but was never satisfied with the results. I felt overwhelmed.....until one day the Lord reminded me that He would complete the painting through me and that I was forgetting to receive the most important attribute of His character. You see, every morning as I pray to start my day, I tell the Lord that I receive His love and His compassion so I can give it out. His strength, His guidance, His wisdom, His council, His peace, and His joy. One particular morning while praying, God told me that I was forgetting to receive His creativity. He said that it was His creativity that started everything. His creativity is how the world began, it's how I began. WOW!
So from that moment on I made it part of my daily prayer. I put my trust in Him as it was His project.
In December, nearly a year later, I was invited for a conference in Tampa. The timing was perfect and the opportunity to drive over to Orlando came up in my spirit so I began to press in on the painting. It was completed at 3:00 a.m., less than 2 days before flying out. I got it copyrighted while in Florida and had the first 50 were printed, signed and released at the conference for a donation. The painting was presented to Les Cheveldayoff and TBN Wednesday, Jan.21,2009 where Les offered to pose for any future paintings. Praise God!
It is awesome to see the way God touches each persons heart as they look at Jesus listening to the sheep's heart. He knows the core of your heart and your innermost being like no other.
I'd like to thank everyone who has recieved a print, for your all testimonies of how it touched you. This was truly created by the hand of God and through His heart to yours.
Now, 2 years later over 1248 full size copies are out, along with over 150,000 wallet size prints that have been distributed around the world. The first ten thousand were passed out in Haiti after the earthquake, in hospitals, orphanages, on the street and at our healing crusade. Followed by Africa, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, Mauritias and more. These small prints don't have my name or ministry name on them anywhere and have been printed at JC Ministries expense for the sole purpose of touching and forever changing the lives of those hurting and lost, for those who just need to know that God hears their hearts cry. If you are headed out on a mission trip and would like to take the wallet size prints in any particular language to be used as an Evangelistic outreach tool, please email with a request and the correct spelling. I will create a JPG that will print out a sheet of 15 wallet size prints for you. Lets reel in the harvest together, from see to shining sea for the glory of God.
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