And the winner is ….

The people have spoken.  I saw the most comments (and more compelling reasons) to choose image #4 (see previous post), so that’s what I printed.  I received the print 2 days ago, and I’m thrilled with it.  It really does look so much better in person than it does on andrewandlisa.org.  So if you’re in the area and able to make it to the reception Monday evening at 7 p.m. at Fresh Start cafe, I’d love to share the print with you!

Thank you all for your love and support (and opinions).

– Andrew

Help! Your vote counts!

Okay, Shinnfans. I have a dillemma, and I want your input. I made four versions of the same photo, and I want to know which one I should print for an artist’s reception at which I’ll be showing soon. Please leave your vote in the comments. I have about two days to decide. Also, enjoy the photos!

Best,

Andrew

Artist Reception

Fresh Start Cafe in Reedley has invited me to display a few prints and offered to host an artist reception on Monday, June 25 at 7 p.m.  Y’all are invited and welcome to come!  Knowing Fresh Start, there will be some tasty morsels available for consumption, and a good time will be had by all.

See you there,

Andrew

New Look

Tallyho, Shinnfans!  I’ve changed the look of Good Ol’ AndrewandLisa.org.   What do you think?  Did you notice?  Does this design make the blog easier to read?  Harder to miss?  Less and/or more difficult to visually apprehend?  Careful readers will notice subtle changes on the About Us page, and REALLY careful readers may notice that I’ve added a new author, at least in the header graphic.  I saw his first blog entry today, and it’s a doozy!  I’ll post it up here sometime soon.

Cheers,

Andrew

Dorothy

I met Dorothy this morning when she walked into my studio. She wanted pictures of her hands because she says she fell on them while holding a phone. Dorothy says a lot of things. I wonder if some of them are only true in her head. She has a real eye for details, but not always the important ones. She’s hard to talk to but very easy to listen to. She was born in 1924 in Oklahoma, and all her time in California (including the 60’s in San Fransisco, from what I gather) hasn’t totally removed the twang from her voice. She’s a beautiful woman, and Jesus has a special place in his arms for her.

Salvation and Parenthood

Salvation has always been a mystery to me.  Not all of it, mind you.  I’ve long stood in awe of the poignancy of God’s provision for us.  I’ve explored the options in the avenue of my mind and can only see one way for redemption to work out: for God to sacrifice some part of himself to satisfy the wrath that his perfect holiness and justice demand.  Bt the ‘why’ part of salvation has always been a black box to me.  I can see it from the outside; rotate it around and see that it works.  But exactly why it works has been beyond my comprehension.  I can see man’s fallen-nes and God’s holiness.  I can see God’s provision in the sacrifice of Jesus.  But as I look at what God has to gain from this whole deal, I’ve been stumped.  It’s always seemed like He has a lot to lose and nothing to gain; like he sacrificed with no end or reward.

Today all of that changed.  As I sat in church and ached to hold my baby son in my arms, I finally understood.  Sometimes I hold him and he’ll look around.  In those moments, the thing I want most in the world is for him to pay attention to me.  But I understand when he doesn’t, because that’s the same way I treat God.  He holds me and provides for me, but I don’t always take time to look in his face.

We were singing a song that has the line, “You tore the veil; you made a way,” when it hit me.  God’s provision wasn’t a cold, austere one.  God was on a rescue mission; he was desperate.  He would do anything to reach out and grab his children, whom he loves so much more than I can love my own.  In fact, he DID do anything and everything when he sacrificed his own life in a desperate, half-failing 11th hour run at salvation.  And he did it all to see the look on my face.  You know the look I mean: the one that a baby has when he looks into his daddy’s face with utter ecstatic joy simply because they have a relationship.  I think I’d do about anything for that look.  God’s love isn’t a mystery to me anymore.  Now it’s real and it’s precious.  I need to make sure to take time to look into my heavenly daddy’s face for the simple joy that it will bring him.