What’s the secret of growth for a grape? It’s pretty simple: remain connected to the vine.

I’ve never heard the sound of grunts or groans from the grapes in a vineyard. Have you?

In His last moments with His disciples, Jesus made His way across Jerusalem, moving from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here’s a little piece of what He told them…

John 15:4  Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

As we focus on intentional abiding in Christ- remaining in Him, thinking of Him, looking to Him- growth will come. Guaranteed.

I hope this painting will serve as a visual reminder to remain in Him. 🙂

Blessings,

PS Love grapes? or purple? or both? Prints of Fruitful Legacy are available on paper or canvas in my ImageKind gallery.

For your “artistic inspiration,” here’s a short story about a special art project that was commissioned for a church choir room. I had a great time creating this and hope you enjoy learning about the back story. . . and the importance of both vocals and visuals for worship leaders.

What fun it was to create “Christmas Joy” for the 2015 Christmas Day cover of Amarillo Globe News.

Packaged in a squirmy little soft skinned baby, hope was born in Bethlehem.

Joy reverberated through the skies as peace became present in a person. Scared shepherds were told, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

The great joy of Christmas is that’s the time the Rescuer showed up!

I’m so grateful Jesus Christ came in to the world, but I’ve got to say, I’m especially grateful that He came into my heart.

You see, I grew up as a “church chick,” familiar with the world of stained glass, piano/organ duets, church choir, potlucks in the fellowship hall, and sermons. (To this day, I absolutely love a good sermon.)

Those are all wonderful, valuable things, but somewhere along the way I mistakenly thought my church activity was what made me right with God, kind of like I was earning points in a frequent flier program.

That’s when the LORD stepped in.

As a sophomore in college, I was plopped down among some girls who had a real relationship with Jesus, not just a calendar full of religious activities. When adversity came along, instead of having a melt down like I would, they responded to tough situations with joy and peace.

How could they do that? Because the Prince of Peace was present inside of them.

Like light against dark, the stark contrast between their faith and mine let me know there was something wrong with the picture of my life: something was missing.

As my pastor, Dr. Howard Batson, once said, “You can’t clean a fish before you catch it.” God “caught” me just as I was and called me to something more than the life of a superficial church activity queen I’d been settling for for so long. He brought joy into my world. From that day, I’ve been undergoing His “clean up” phase (where I expect to remain for the rest of my life).

Jesus came to love people right where they were. That’s what He did for me. All He asked me to do was believe in Him as the starting point.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

He loves you right where you are at this moment, as well. The question is: Will you believe in Him? I hope so. It’s a Christmas decision that can make all the difference in your world.

If you’re already a believer, take time today to thank Christ for coming into the world and into your life.

I, for one, am so very grateful He came. Joy To The World! Merry Christmas!     ~Debbie

PS  Visit my ImageKind gallery for information about “Christmas Joy” prints.

Here’s a tiny little peek at a tiny little portion of my mixed media art piece commissioned by the Amarillo Globe News for the Christmas Day edition of the newspaper.

I’m so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to share the blessed message of Christmas with the wonderful people of the Texas Panhandle.

My prayer is that this image will bring joy to those who see it!