"Everyone Should Enjoy Jesus"

The last two weeks the majority of my time and attention have been devoted to several projects I've been working on for WWU's Campus Ministries.  Last year, as the Prayer Ministry Coordinator, I enjoyed many opportunities to brainstorm and implement creative plans and events to encourage relationships between students and God through prayer (and a few artistic projects on the side).  This summer the campus chaplain asked if I might have any illuminating ideas to "Bring Jesus to Life" during a certain worship service.  After spending a few weeks thinking, praying, and talking some possibilities over with my creative son, we came up with the thought of painting a piece of Plexiglas to look like Jesus.  I devoted a bit of time to research online and talked with a patient employee from Home Depot's paint department and a paint store owner in town, among others, to learn what kind of paint to use on Plexiglas.  (Anything oil-based will melt it!)  I began by drawing a life-size picture of Jesus on a 4x6 sheet of paper with thick lines.  After sanding one side of the Plexiglas to encourage the paint to adhere, I put it down over the drawing of Jesus and painted around the lines using thick black acrylic paint.  The Plexiglas will be mounted in a wooden frame and illuminated from behind.

At one point, as many painters experience, my right shoulder was feeling as though it were on fire and my attitude wasn't quite as joyful as one would hope during such a project.  At the time I was also text/chatting with a friend and told her this.  She replied, "That's not good.  Everyone should enjoy Jesus" in a teasing kind of manner.  You know, once she said that I realized how frankly sucky my thought process had been and immediately turned my attitude into one of praise and worship.

This morning during my devotions in Zechariah I was reminded of the WHY we should do the things we do, whether it be work, art, music, blogging, eating or drinking.  What is the WHY I do things?  Verses 6-8 of chapter 7 say this in The Message Bible; 

"God-of-the-Angel-Armies gave me this Message for them, for all the people and for the priests: "When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for Me? And when you held feasts, was that for Me? Hardly. You're interested in religion, I'm interested in people."

God is interested in people. In relationship. Relationship with you and me.  He wants us to enjoy Him and to encourage others to know Him that they may also enjoy Him. That's the WHY.  He's the WHY. I hope you make time to enjoy Jesus today. :)