Timothy J. Pruitt's Blog, page 161
May 14, 2021
iPainting Prussian Blue
This is an iPainting of a Prussian Blue Cat from Russia. The Prussian Blue is not only my favorite blue in painting, this shade of gray is my favorite color of a cat. Isn’t it funny how different it is from the blue hue we know? Yet, how synonymous the name is with one or the other, depending on whether you are an artist or a cat lover?
May 13, 2021
1648
Three hundred years before the Israeli Declaration Of Independence, in 1648, Ferdinand III gave the Jewish community of Prague a flag for helping fight off Swedish attackers during the Thirty Years War. While not exactly the same as today’s, it bore the Star Of David.
Others would contribute to it, but three hundred years before Israel returned to their homeland, they had the symbol of their flag. What could you and I do today, that might expect someone hundreds of years later? We do not know, and neither did the Jews of Prague.
What they did know was this, there was a need. When you act to meet the needs of others, God will never forget your sacrifice. What you and I do today, may impact our grandchildren, and their grandchildren.
I would encourage you today, find a need and pour into it. Fill this need, not so someone will meet yours, but because there is a need. Raise a standard for the hurting, and God will unfurl blessings that can be seen across history itself.
iPainting The Ox
Luke 14:5 (ESV)
5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”
The word ox here in Greek means to graze. They named it apparently after what it did, it’s nature was to graze. That was not all it could do, it had great strength, but they didn’t name it after it’s strength. They named the ox after what it did to stay alive. What do you do when you
It’s interesting to me that Jesus tells this parable after healing the man with the withered hand. Verse one in Luke fourteen says the man sat before Jesus. The Lord used the comparison of the person with the need coming to Him, and the ox falling in the well.
The man was before a well too. Like the ox, Jesus healed the man so the man could live, and work, and fulfill what He could not do on his own. The man’s strength was not enough to heal him, his need was greater than anything he had. Like the ox, he was helpless, but like the ox, He came to One Who was not limited by our strength and ability.
In Verse five, Jesus says which of you having a son or an ox fall into the pit? We know that The Lord says everything for a purpose. In this Verse He mentions both a son and an ox. The Pharisees tended to view people like cattle, as something to manage. Jesus looked at them as children to save.
Aren’t you glad He looked beyond our fallen condition? Aren’t you glad He came to adopt us into His family? Aren’t you glad that He didn’t look at us the way others did? By the way, the way you view people will determine where you take them too.
An ox you take to the barn, a son you take home. Jesus didn’t just want to heal the man’s hand so He could go back to his work. He wanted to quench the man’s thirst so He could experience what was beyond His abilities, and take those who believed on Him to a place far greater than their own nature ever could.
Jesus would later turn over the tables of the money changers, who John said sold oxen, sheep, and pigeons, the money changers. He wasn’t against the animals of course, but the reason behind those were selling them. The difference, Jesus came to take the place of the animals that were sacrificed, to die for the man for who’s sins they were sacrificed, and by paying a debt that none of us could pay.
He doesn’t turn over things to anger us, but to get our attention. Like the ox, Jesus knew money wouldn’t change the money changers future. Their actions would not save them, nor could their own strength cause them to escape where we were all destined to go, until God’s Grace stepped in. When you come to Jesus, your whole future is changed, and God turns the tables on our past failures, pulling us out of our sins.
Just like the man with the withered hand, God healed both our sins and our infirmities. He bore the burden of our sicknesses and sins. You might say that the Pharisees in the parable, got their ox out of the ditch to work for them, while Jesus saved sons from their fall to bear their burdens for them.
May 12, 2021
Joy And The Frog
It is older than the instrument it plays, and yet it would stand silent without it. Long before what we know as the violin existed, the bow played other instruments. This duet has each transitioned from their origin, but have married their future to each other.
The mechanism on the end part of the bow responsible for tightening and holding the bow hair ribbon, is called a frog. This is appropriate, as the bow and it’s instrument have hopped all over the world. Every nationality has heard the pair’s union.
Together, this partnership has given hope to those who endured the horrors of the Holocaust. It has inspired patriots to fight against tyranny. Nobility and peasant alike has found solace in their song.
The bow is described as a tension stick, and the violin’s basic root means joyful. Music relieves tension, brings joy, and inspires others to write their own stories of hope. What can we learn from the violin and it’s silent partner?
That it’s not about who’s voice is heard, as long as they are in rhythm. Uniting with someone to spread joy and encouragement is more important than recognition. Like the violin and bow, when working together is the primary goal, a harmony is produced that will touch generations across the world.
May 10, 2021
iPainting Shiloh
Genesis 49:10 (KJV)
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
I love this verse because Israel, on his death bed, tells his son Judah, Peace is coming. Israel has long sought Peace. Summits, Presidents, and world leaders have sought to bring Peace to the Middle East. The real Peace that Jacob saw, wasn’t an agreement between leaders, but The One leader Who already brought Peace, His Name is Jesus, and He can bring Peace to you today.
John 14:27 (KJV)
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
May 9, 2021
Mom An Expert In Unusual Things
A Mother’s smile can mend sorrow
An steal a smile away from tears
Their joy is their child’s to borrow
Helping them forget their fears
Mom can listen to my sigh
Knowing what is just irritation
An what is an important why
Making sense of my frustrations
A Mother is an expert in unusual things
Capes, baseballs, and building blocks
School, business, and even diamond rings
Mom’s love and wisdom a treasure box.
May 7, 2021
iPainting Eye Of The Eagle
“When you see what others do not see, you will soar higher because of your vision”
When you think of an eagle, my guess is that their eyes are not the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, as majestic as their wing span, it is their eyesight that allows them to fly so high in the direction of the sun to escape an enemy. There eyes are designed to be able to see what others cannot see. When you see what others do not see, you will soar higher because of your vision!
May 6, 2021
iPainting Keep Practicing
This is an iPainting of a great musician, not playing a symphony, but practicing his scales. Some days you play a symphony, some days you play scales. Your concerto will not be played in front of a crowded hall every day, some days there will be just you and your calling in the house, but keep practicing. The way you play the symphony to the hall, is dependent on how faithfully you practice your scales in the house!
May 5, 2021
National Cartoonist Day 2021
Solomon said “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…” Simple things can bring a smile to your face. I grew up loving Batman, Garfield, Snoopy, and Dick Tracy. Even as an adult, some days they would bring humor, even on some days that weren’t the greatest.
God gave us the ability to draw, just as He gave us the ability to laugh. Some may not find any joy in these little drawings and that’s okay, but all of us find something small that brings a smile to our face. What we don’t realize is that, even the smallest thing, can be a wonderful gift Of God!
May 4, 2021
iPainting Kentucky Derby 2021
These amazing animals always fascinate me, how they can run so fiercely. This year’s Kentucky Derby winner is Medina Spirit, in the Procreate Painting above.
