It was only a matter of time before I began to create images that celebrate the curviness, sassiness, spiciness and exotic beauty of Mexican, Puerto-Rican, and Latino women. As I painted this image, words like fire, fearlessness, and boldness came to mind. I was reminded of the time that I watched a small Mexican woman overpowering a man twice her size, beating him over the head with her handbag. She perceived that the safety of her children was being threatened, so she courageously stood up to this man with no regard to her own safety. Naturally, I started thinking about how this world would be if more Christians stood up for Christ with that same kind of passion, commitment, and self-sacrifce.
So many Christians put on their "religious" faces to go to church services, but then almost immediately take them off after leaving the building. Then, as they trudge their way through yet another week, the zeal, dedication, allegiance, and worship that they lifted up to the Lord on Sunday, fizzles down until it is virtually non-existent. They become "under-cover Christians " again. They listen to co-workers use the Lord's name as a substitute for a curse word and laugh. They sit around at the breakroom table and not only listen to endless gossip and filthy talk, but also freely engage in it themselves. They're embarassed to carry their Bibles or to pray openly over their lunches. What would happen if we all decided, "I don't care what anyone else says or does, I LOVE THE LORD, AND I WILL HONOR AND SERVE HIM LORD BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE FOUR WALLS OF THE CHURCH BUILDING!"
What if we got BOLD enough to show everyone we meet who we belong to by demonstrating Christ's love and light to them without fear? What if we exhibited a little non-violent, righteous anger and intolerance toward behavior that is in conflict with and therefore, against the word of God? What if we decided to stand up and walk in agreement with God's laws in the face of those who would persecute us for what we believe instead of cowering in a corner? Without subjecting ourselves to any feelings of guilt or condemnation, let's ponder this question: "What will it take for us who have been asleep at the wheel to finally wake up and get fired up again about the things of Christ ?" I believe that it will start first with the awareness (which the Holy Spirit brings), that we have been "sleepwalking" rather than fully walking in the spirit. This is followed by a decision to change. It's a new day, a new year, a new decade and a new season in the Lord. Now is the time to get on FIRE for Christ!!!
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