creative design & decorating

..and every willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every kind of service...  (1 Chronicles 28: 21 NKJV)

Anyone with the creative ability to work with their hands is a craftsperson.  Examples of these gifted crafts people are builders, painters and plumbers, florists, seamstresses, hairstylists, decorators, artists, etc.  The Lord uses their handiwork to speak through the beauty of design and remind us of His creativity.  Often the things fashioned are allegories of something He wants to say to and through the craftsperson’s personal life. 

I know a gal who has this creative Gift of craft and art.  First she decorated her church with huge wall mountings made of beautiful color and satin like material.  My favorite is the banner of a life size lion saying, “The Lion of Judah.”  She later made shimmering flag like banners on poles that she began to use in worshipping the Lord, like David did in dance.  Then she created worship instruments called glory rings that are similar to cheerleaders’ pom poms, only these are shimmering and a different shape.  People began to use these in joyful dance and expression of their praise to the Lord.  Next, she made some long, twirling type instruments that people twirl over their heads in beautiful motions of glimmer and color.  Later, with her color laser printer, she began making prophetic crests for people of scriptures and symbols of the gifts in their lives.  The list goes on. 

There are many untapped ways we have yet to imagine to worship the Lord as well as  many ways of sharing His message.  This gal’s gifts are just a small rain drop of  this amazing creativity the Lord is pouring out upon His people. 

Here is a testimony from a member of our QW Class:

“One of the gifts God has given me is craftsmanship. When I started doing art for ministry, I so wanted to please Him. I started praying, "If You bless the works of my hands, I will tell everyone that You did it."

Several years ago, the ministry I was with, was given an Ark. There was an awesome anointing on it, but the craftsmanship was very simple with 2 dimensional cherubim made from a simple 2 x 8. I was asked to illuminate it. I was in fear! I so wanted to get this right.  I fasted & prayed for some time. I desired the anointing of Bezalel & Oholiab.

Ex 36:1 "The LORD has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the LORD has commanded."

I wasn't sure I knew how to hear Him at that level. There was to be NO mixture!  While working on the Ark, the Lord showed me so many places that I had wrong thoughts... The Light was so bright & the Fire so hot while working on it. 

We think we have a gift to bless Him with, which eventually we do. But in the process of learning how to use these gifts, we are conformed to His image! He is Faithful!  I have received so much more from Him than I have ever given!

Enclosed is a photo of the Ark the Lord fashioned through my quickened hands. At the time of this photo, the Lord was emphasizing His shed Blood, so we draped it with the red fabric. This was set up at a hotel for a worship event. The anointing was so strong, it comes through in the photo! Holy Holy Holy!”

Here is an amazing Word from a QW Class Member:

“I was a flower designer for years. God spoke many times to use certain flowers in a wreath for a funeral.  Each type of flower represented an aspect of the deceased life. I always wrote it down so the family could enjoy the Lord’s message as well.

One time I had an order for 2 large wreaths for the church we attended. They were to hang on either side of the altar on very large walls.  The Lord directed me in the types of flowers to use and the message that the flower contained for the church. At one point, I was to make a large bundle of wheat and add a few stems of Foxtail grass to it. I cut the grass from the yard and added it to the wheat bundles, and attached them to the wreaths. The green of the foxtail really stood out, but several days later as we hung the wreaths.....the foxtail had dried and had disappeared into the wheat bundles.....the exact same color as the wheat. We could not find the foxtail at all in the bundles......just as the wheat and the tares stand together in the church.  Not for us to judge, but to be revealed one day. It still amazes me how the wheat (representing the church) and the foxtail (representing the tares) blended together as one.

Matt 13:27-30 NKJV

So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'" 

Jesus Sculpted From Sand

THE GIFT OF Sculpture

1 Kings 6:31-36 NKJV

For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were one-fifth of the wall.  The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. So for the door of the sanctuary he also made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall.  And the two doors were of cypress wood; two panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding door. Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work.  And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams.

The Gift of Sculpture is a wonderful way to communicate God’s message.  Sculpturing is the gift to carve scenes.  Any material that can be carved can communicate a message.  Butter, clay, iron, wood, cake frosting, ivory, even frozen snow!  The creative list is endless as to what means can be used to share God’s Words.   The above ice sculpture. 

THE GIFT OF Graphic Design

Ps 19:1 NKJV

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork .

I used to work as a typesetter for many years and I loved balancing graphics with words, color, fonts and sizes... all working together to create ads and logos.  From those hours spent, now I use the training for the Lord in doing design for the ministry. 

I so deeply enjoy being creative.  Due to my health, I am no longer able to oil paint, but the Lord has given me a new way to enjoy the same things through my computer.  The Gift of Graphic Design is putting the use of blending colors, the enjoyment of fonts (which are the alphabet in different scripts) and scenes and putting them together to communicate a message.

I enjoy creating photo montages from various parts of photography I find on the internet and then blending them in to make a brand new photo.  The following photomontages are examples of painting a brand new scene from portions of different photos.  It is so much fun to do this and it is not messy like oil paints!

When my photographer goes on his photo trips, I tell him not to worry if the sky is bad, because I can add any sky I want.  If there is a fence he doesn’t like, I take it out.  It is all creative and I enjoy the process.  One of my favorite things is to use his nature photography and enhance the colors and lighting and then add scriptures to them.  It is so good to be able to read scripture verses in such beautiful surroundings. 

The Gift of Graphic Arts is a powerful background for scripture.  Reading scripture in creative ways refreshes us and gives us moments of pause.