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I find constant inspiration for painting from Instagram, where I discover some very fine compositions by friends and family. When I am working on a large painting or feel uninspired, I go to my collection of Instagram finds and work on a small piece or study. Recently, my friend Jonah posted a self-portrait of himself that was wispy and mysterious. I began by painting his portrait in color, as I imagined him without filters, and then glazed over it until I achieved the effect I wanted. Here is an example of the first stage along with the finished vignette.

I heard a sermon a while back on Acts 4:32-5:11, the account of Ananias and Sapphira:

There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

I was reflecting on my dad, who passed away in 1996. I think about him often — probably every day. He was a memorable man and I’m reminded of him every time I look at my arms and hands. Back before the entire world owned smartphones, taking and developing photos was a bit of a pain. So, I don’t have many pictures of my father. This is how I remember him.

As a kid growing up in Whittier, CA, some of my friends absolutely hated their parents and, from what I could tell, usually for no good reason, if it’s reasonable to hate someone at all.… Read the rest

Nine of ten churches are either declining or growing so slowly they are not keeping up with the growth of the community. Many churches are just a few years away from dying and closing. Revitalization is an urgent need. Thom Rainer

“set in order what remains” (Titus 1:5 NASB)

We were part of a church plant back in 1988, which experienced the highs and lows common to Evangelical churches moving through the widely acknowledged lifecycle of a church. There are various labels or descriptions of the stages a church passes through on the way to revitalization or oblivion and it’s helpful to recognize where your church is in the process; especially if you have the sense your fellowship is declining numerically and/or spiritually.… Read the rest

I received my first commission and began with a full portrait from the waist up, but it wouldn’t work out in acrylic. So, I painted this portrait of Jesse in acrylic on canvas. I still have the original acrylic on a panel and hope to finish it in oil paint or pastel sometime in the future.

… Read the rest

Over the last fourteen months Alex Lewis went from being the owner of a pub, to quickly becoming critically ill and a quadruple amputee. Yet he still describes the past year as the best he’s ever had.

Read the article: ‘The year I lost my limbs was the most brilliant of my life’ – BBC News… Read the rest

An Alabama father of two young girls is now battling a rare, flesh-eating bacteria after skinning his leg at a softball game.

Source: Ala. dad gets flesh-eating bacteria after ball game scrape – NY Daily News… Read the rest

Things are coming together much quicker, thanks to some wonderful improvements in WordPress, plugins, themes, and CMS.1  Good Mr. Baxter, my short, online  biography of that famous pastor, should be completed this week and I can get to the business of blogging and introducing some fresh, new work. Because my interests and experiences are so varied and seemingly unrelated, the plan right now is to devote a week or so to one subject at a time. So, if something comes up that interests you, just tune in for a while and check out when I’m blogging about boring stuff like Twelver Shi’ism in 19th century Iran.… Read the rest

Welcome to bosalisbury.com. Today, I’m launching my new site and, so, I did what just about every failed writer or blogger out there does: I reorganized my office and physical files, went through my inspiration files in Evernote, searched my pockets for hastily scribbled notes and quotes, embarked on an archaeological dig through my inbox, took a nap and, finally, checked my email and social media accounts for any breaking news or urgent correspondence that came in over the past couple of hours. In short, I did whatever I could to avoid actually working on content for the site!… Read the rest

If you can answer in the affirmative to all four of these questions, it is a good possibility you have found your next church.

Source: 4 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Church… Read the rest