We haven’t shared a Sketch in a while. This is a digital one using Penultimate. We normally work in Artrage. It’s called “The Professor”.
The Flop: Break In
“You fly very well.” Was that a compliment? She must be tired, of course, almost dying can change anyone. “Thank you ma’am, it’s a passion of mine.” “Where to now?” “Honestly, this wasn’t supposed to happen. I have three other sites, but they may be compromised. Up here, we’re too easy to track. I got us here to buy a little time to think. Any suggestions?”
“Antartica.” She was starting to act more like herself. “Not a bad idea, but we wouldn’t have enough fuel. How about Vancouver?” I looked at her. “Next.” I have to admit, I was no longer polite. It came out before I realized it. She laughed. “So you’re finally going to treat me like a person and not a politician, that’s good. Look, we’re not safe here or in Canada, I’m not a runner. I’d rather have the odds stacked against me in my own backyard.”
So we touched down, picked up a vehicle, and crossed back in to Canada. We were in an American television news van. My sister runs a tv station. I figured that would be the easiest way to hide the Prime Minister of the country, by changing her nationality. She hated the blonde wig and colored contact lenses. Jean Luc hated being smuggled in a camera case, but liked being free to roam the van once we crossed the border.
Augustus set up straight in his seat. “Of course. I know who is behind this. I know why, and I know what to do.” I pulled over at a small cafe and we talked. “It’s about time. You’ve been quiet for three days. I knew you were thinking. Who is it?”
He frowned when he looked at us. “This entire time, something has seemed off. It didn’t make sense that this was political, yet you share no enemies with your Uncle. From every angle, it was an attack of vengeance. The question was, who hated you that much.”
“No one. I was always very careful not to make personal enemies. Political enemies do sweeps, if you’re clean, they stop.” She looked at me and continued. “Personal enemies don’t stop in finding out you’re innocent, they find out every thread of your life. They don’t search out crimes, they search out ways to hurt you. Family connections, old boyfriends, …” She stopped talking.
Augustus cleared his throat. “It has to be someone connected to him.” She stifled the physical signs of emotion, but her voice was filled with it. “Maybe, but it can’t be him, he’s dead. I saw him.” Augustus nodded. “I remember, I watched Harris shoot him.” I never pushed, when something is this sensitive, you let them tell you.
Augustus finally did. “His name was Leo Rhames, they were in college. He surprised her when she went home for the summer. He proposed to her, and then supposedly left to visit his family. We all had gathered for her Grandmother’s birthday. It was at Harris’ estate, supposedly secure. That night there was a break in. Harris shot in self defense. The burglar was wearing a mask. I removed it, the face was Leo Rhames.”
Visiting Venice iPainting
We hope you enjoy our newest iPainting, “Visiting Venice.”
The One And Only
I recently discovered an English king that I was unfamiliar with, known as Alfred The Great. He is the only English king to have that term applied to him. Think of it, the Henry’s, Queen Victoria, and the two Elizabeth’s don’t have it. Yet, a king from the year 899 has it.
History says that he was a good king. Those who toil through the pages of the past, uncovering mysteries in the dust, tell us of his improvements that countries, including ours, still benefit from today. I am a history buff, I love to read of long ago battles. I am excited at the thoughts of great kings, and noble knights. This king was kind, strong, and courageous.
The problem is, to me, this king is only a name on a list in Wikipedia. I’ve never met Alfred, I don’t know what he was like. The same goes with any other earthly monarch termed “The Great”. Or any earthly royal for that matter. I wouldn’t know what to say to them if I met them, and that’s okay.
1 Timothy 6:14-16
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see:to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
There is a select group who can attach “The Great” to their name. They can talk of battles won, conquered lands, and triumphs that few have known. Yet all have admitted defeat when death drew it’s sword. From Caesar to Charlemagne, they cannot overcome its cry.
However, when our eyes lift skyward, from Earth’s meager offerings to Heaven’s Perfect Gift, it’s a different story. You see, their is one king that I’m privileged to know that is so much more than what the words “The Great” could describe.
Only One pinned death after He allowed the grave to cradle His body for three days. He turned death into a servant and not a jailer. For He alone is Life Eternal, Immortal God, Power Incarnate. Unlike those ancient monarchs, “He is”, not He was!
The only “was” in His life occurs when you refer to the fact that He was dead, but is alive! He was sleeping in a borrowed tomb, but only used it for three days and nights. He is alive for ever and ever, and because He is, we can be also.
Hebrews 13:20-21
20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
No matter how “Great” those rulers were, neither they nor us could reach Him, so He came to us! Our Great God became Our Wonderful Counselor! Our Righteous Judge became Our Merciful Savior! I rejoice that we know this. I take comfort in God Our Redeemer for so many reasons.
The chiefest of which is this, He that is strong enough to save us, is powerful enough to keep us! If you are struggling today, remember, His hands wrestled death, and won. His eyes closed for the time that He allotted, and not one second more. He sets the end from the beginning, and hath already declared the ending of your battle. “It is finished” was followed by “Woman, why weepest thou?”
The Lord has conquered my biggest fears, why spend time worrying about the smaller ones? Today, I take hope, He who will finish what He started. God will complete the work in you and I. One day, very very soon, we who look for Him will see Him, and will be part of that great multitude in Heaven with our Jesus Christ The One And Only!
Revelation 7:9
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
“En Route To Never Land” iPainting
We hope you enjoy our newest iPainting, “En Route To Neverland”
Cambridge’s: Black Eyes Are Better Than Roses
Ashley didn’t see what happened next. She was dazed from the door, plus the somewhat overly hefty lady landing on top of her. When she came too, Winston was sprinkling water in her face. It took her a minute to realize that what she was seeing was accurate. Winston had two black eyes.
“What happened?” “Nothing much, you ok?” She heard a voice from behind her. “Nothing much indeed! Ashley looked to see the woman that landed on her standing over her.
“Your young man is a hero. Two young, arrogant men had decided they were going to rob us. They grabbed me, threw me out the front door. Hit my husband, and were running for the door. Your gentlemen tried to stop them. He wasn’t successful, but he slowed them down until the police came. They picked them up a few meters away.”
“This is Mavis Lane. Her and her husband Neal own this cafe.” It was instinct, Ashley put her hand on his cheek. “Are you ok?” He smiled. “Except for not figuring out how to have a date that doesn’t result in repairs of some kind, I’m ok.” She laughed.
The rest of the night was uneventful. They had a good meal, and he walked her to her car. “I had a good time tonight.” She smiled back. “I did too, although, are you sure it was worth your injuries?”
He smiled back. “Yes I’m sure. I just feel bad that I couldn’t have fixed a proper date for you, candy, flowers, etc. She laughed. “In some cases, black eyes are better than roses.” A kiss later, they said good night.
Check back in June for the next installment of Cambridge’s.
Returning To The Sheep
1 Samuel 17:15
15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
1 Samuel 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
In all the years that I’ve read of David and Goliath, I never remembered making the connection between these two verses. It was like a laser zeroing in on this the other day. Is it possible that the attack of the lion and the bear occurred after David returned from Saul? I had always assumed that these events were unrelated to the other. I do not know the answer to that, but, what if they weren’t?
David had been anointed. He had also been appointed to play for Saul. Now he returned to Bethlehem to feed the sheep. We don’t know for sure why he was sent back. Could Saul have sent him back for protection from the war that was on the horizon? Perhaps he had been recalled by his Father. Maybe for an unknown reason, he had felt the need to voluntarily return home. No matter what the reason for the journey, it was where God intended for him to be.
I have wondered why in the past, but if it was for the case of these two animals, now I understand. They were preparation for a much larger foe. When your life is on the verge of a breakthrough, and you have finally arrived where you want to be; please don’t misunderstand a battle that may pull you back to your roots. It can be the perfect launching point for your next level.
David was able to fight two fierce foes, in the confines of a familiar setting. We know that from his older brother’s jibe, the sheep were in the wilderness. Years later, while running from Saul, David would need to know every crevice of the wildernesses to survive.
If he had been with Saul already, he may not have had the opportunity to fight Goliath. If King Saul had left him at the palace, he couldn’t have faced him either. The only perfect location for David to receive the opportunity to face Goliath, lay at home.
Jesse was his launcher. The Father that had, for whatever reason, been reluctant to introduce his youngest to Samuel, now sent him to his brothers. He sent The Chosen to the un-chosen to save them all. It is a wonderful type and shadow of The Gospel. Aren’t you glad that one day, The Chosen found you and I? We who, could never have faced a giant called sin, now were rescued by The One that could.
I’ve faced setbacks in my own life at times. Perhaps your setting or circumstance has recently changed. Your triumph appears to now be, if not a tragedy, anticlimactic. You were hoping for fireworks, instead, you just survived to fight another day. Fireworks are wonderful, survival is a necessity.
We cannot allow yourself to become infatuated with the fireworks. Instead, let us fall in love with The Fire. Our God is a consuming fire. He will work through us to enable our survival. Moses went from seeing a burning bush to having a glowing countenance. God will complete what He starts in us.
God has taught us not to despise the day of small things. Why? Because small things grow! The tree you planted isn’t big enough to produce fruit yet, but it is growing. God wasn’t interested in only positioning David. He was planning use the giant’s defeat as a way to plant him into the hearts of Israel.
Never give up just because you are facing a setback. Pray to The Father, and ask Him to strengthen you to fight what you are facing. He will not only give you the victory, He will set you up for the next victory. A harp couldn’t defeat a giant, a slingshot could. If only to send David back with the right weapon, returning home was worth the delay.
David comes from the sheep with a slingshot, a shepherd’s bag, and a staff. There are certain tools we can only get from time with The Shepherd and His Sheep. What have you left behind that you might need? Don’t be so quick to go forward that you leave some necessary things behind. Take a moment, and return to the sheep. The Shepherd will send you to the palace, even if it is by a round trip to the wilderness.
The Second In Our Western Series iPaintings, “Chief”
I’m very proud of my Cherokee heritage, and I wanted to attempt to honor it with a simple iPainting. We call it “Chief”.
140 Mile Stretch: Strutting Pigeon
Cameron wasn’t phased. He was positioned defensively, slumped against the seat. “Drive, now!” The cab driver was stunned, but obedient. “Listen Mister, I don’t know what you’re into, but I’m not interested in getting shot. I’ll drop you off downtown, in the heart of traffic, but I’m not getting involved.” “Exactly what I was hoping. The more people see, the better.”
A few minutes later, Cameron was getting out of the cab. Two seconds later, he was entering a bank. Five minutes after that, he was coming out of another building several years earlier. His holographic clothes emitter was working well. It gave him the uniform of a Union Colonel. His companion was dressed less technical.
“Colonel, what is the news from the front?” “Mr. President, it’s going well. I feel I can say, with confidence, that the Union will win.” President Lincoln laughed as they were now out of ear shot of the guards. “I’m sure you do, Colonel, considering it’s history for you. Why did we have to head for the stables? To extract something for this mission that you told me about?”
“No sir, another operative is doing that. My job was to bury something here. You see, the stables won’t always remain here. The ground though, it’s secure. I’m not a historian, so I don’t know if you’ve heard the term sitting duck, either way, my job’s a little different. You might say I’m meant as a strutting pigeon.”
President Lincoln smiled. “In other words, you think you were followed. You want them to think that this meeting is more important than it is?” Cameron nodded. “Yes sir, and how better to keep someone busy than to meet with one of America’s greatest leaders?”
“You flatter me sir, but tell me, how will I know that if this mission is successful?” Cameron pointed to the special watch he gave the President. “If we survive this, that pocket knife will disappear in a week’s time. If it doesn’t, push the button on the side, and prepare for an unusual vacation.” The two of them shook hands, and the President left Cameron to bury his bundle.
Meanwhile, a very less obvious operative was having a meeting in another time period. It also included a member of the Executive Branch, although a less famous one. The result of that meeting would determine the survival of the country. When it was over, a telegram was sent that contained three words. “Column Safe Moscow.”
Yellow Sailboat Acrylic
We hope you enjoy our latest Acrylic, “Yellow Sailboat”.
