Painting: My Fortress

God is Our Refuge Meditation and Worship Service

Based on six Hebrew words for “refuge,” the 10 paintings, scripture and meditations reflect on our relationship with God as our refuge.
There is a power point, music, scripture readings, and meditations for the 50 min worship service. The paintings and prints are displayed with meditations.

I was fascinated as I began to dig into the word “refuge”. I discovered seven Hebrew words which can translate into refuge. Six of them refer to our relationship with God

One or two paintings depict each of the six Hebrew words. Each painting has a meditation, a story and scripture which make up the meditation display.

Also available is a corporate worship experience using 7 of the paintings in a power point with meditations and scripture and songs of worship. The service is about 50 minutes long.

Cost:

a free-will donation and travel expenses outside of Edmonton. Some Originals, Prints and cards will be available for purchase afterwards.

Paintings in this series that would be displayed.

Comments about the “God is my
Refuge” meditation and worship series:

This is Great! Appreciate the way you make your art display a worship experience by sharing your spiritual journey! - I.S.

Beautiful power point presentation. Your artwork is truly inspiring.

Long have we needed the bold strokes that could connect a spledidly made world with the truth of Logos held up against the light of our own anguish (and delight) of soul. Bless you in your calling to daw those lines. - Neil White

Julie had an amazing impact on our congregation with her unique style of worship and art. Many individuals are visual, so to be part of a service that offered so much visual art connected to scripture was inspiring. - M. Bevan

Thanks for inviting me today. God truly does meet us where we are. I believe He was speaking to me today through this series. Praise be to Him for your talent and the way He works through you. - Deb Cautley

Steadfast, immovable, rock solid, secure, my refuge. This is my God. Now put this together with the mountains playing hide and seek in the clouds and mist. Those mountains are still there, whether I can see them or not, just like God. Steadfast, immovable, rock solid, secure, my refuge. This image of “Steadfast” is one of the metaphors God showed me when I was working on my God is My Refuge series about ten or so years ago.

Whenever I see the mountains this way I am reminded of this metaphor of who God is and where I can run to when my soul and heart ache and when I am at peace and filled with joy and contentment. The state of peace and contentment was what I felt as we drove through the mountains on our way home from Kimberly, BC and our May long weekend holiday, taking scads of photos of the mountains playing hide-n-seek in the clouds.

I don’t have to be in distress to run to God. (Read an excerpt of my God is My Refuge devotional book on this chapter here.)

He wants to just “be” with me, to fill me up to overflowing with his love and presence. I don’t have to wait until I am so stressed and upset that I run dragging myself to his presence. In fact, he isn’t so far away. I am learning to find contentment in just "being" with God, but it isn't easy. I get caught up in productivity, and my long list of "to do's."

(This "being" is for me a new perspective, just like The Three Sisters Mountain photo to the right here is - Three Sisters mountain in Banff different angle of the same mountain in the painting above.) Are the clouds just my own busyness, my own distractions, my own fears and doubts that keep me from seeing His steadfast presence right here and right now? With me?

What clouds are obstructing your view of God and his rock solid presence in your life?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Art has helped me process my feelings over the years and I need to let it help me again this month.

The art has come through as "Trust the process" paintings, poetry, songs or paintings and sometimes the ones I already did speak back into me life.

As I think about processing my feelings, this image came to mind. It is a contemplative/ process painting I did a few years ago during an  Art Vocabulary for the Soul Retreat and sits on my studio wall as a reminder of learning to be present through life's twists and turns and walk through whatever is going on today or this month. 

As I flipped through the Bible one morning for my quiet time, text I had previously underlined caught my eye - Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. 

It goes on to describe a tumultuous scene of nature with turbulent waters and quaking mountains.

This led me back to a couple paintings I did for the God is my refuge series.

When looking at mountains in the fog and clouds like this one of the Three Sisters, Canmore, AB (Steadfast III, watercolor, 11 in x 15 in), the mountains are still there, steadfast. This is how God is: steadfast. This Steadfast Presence is what I can hold on to when facing uncertainty, things out of my control, or just walking into the unknown.

When I sat at the seashore one summer, I reflected on the ceaseless motion of the waves, like God's love. (Never Ceasing Love, watercolor, 15 in x 22 in, $895) 

I am holding on to these images of God’s steadfast presence and his never ceasing love. 

There are two items with our family. The first is a joyful anticipation: we are expecting another grandchild any time now. And our prayers are with Nathaniel and Taylor as they wait and for a safe delivery and healthy baby. 

For the second one, our daughter, Natalia, will have a dangerous brain surgery this month on the 13th to remove a tumor.

I can already see God’s hand in my schedule. I had two classes on Fridays that were canceled due to low enrollment. The surgery is on a Friday and the appointment for prep consultation was also on a Friday. And as the surgery is on the Friday before a long weekend, I am not teaching then either. I will be able to spend the time needed to be with her.

I trust that God will be with the doctors, with Natalia and with us as we wait and walk with her through this. 

This morning, I did two process paintings, as we do on the Friday night of the Art Vocabulary for the Soul Retreat. (tempera paints, sponge, plastic card, and gloves for fingerpainting)

This is  a picture of my anxiety this morning: