In the story of the Good Shepherd, Jesus compares a shepherd and a hireling. He explains that a hireling is a person merely hired to watch the sheep. He cares little for the sheep and subsequently the sheep do not recognize his voice. When danger comes, the hireling cares more for his own safety and quickly flees leaving the sheep to fend for themselves. By contrast, the shepherd loves the sheep and knows each one individually. They, in turn, know his voice and follow him when he calls. When danger comes, the shepherd stays to protect the sheep, even laying down his own life if necessary to save them.

This painting was inspired by a story of one Christ-like shepherd whose love and devotion to the sheep saved a young boy. In his own words:

“I became involved in surfing competitions on Sunday mornings and stopped going to my Church meetings. One Sunday morning Brother Marques knocked on my door and asked my mother if he could talk to me. When she told him I was sleeping, he asked permission to wake me. He said to me, ‘Fernando, you are late for church!’ Not listening to my excuses, he took me to church. The next Sunday the same thing happened, so on the third Sunday I decided to leave early to avoid him. As I opened the gate I found him sitting on his car, reading the scriptures. When he saw me he said, ‘Good! You are up early. Today we will go and find another young man!’ After eight Sundays I could not get rid of him, so I decided to sleep at a friend’s house. I was at the beach the next morning when I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie walking towards me. When I saw that it was Brother Marques, I ran into the water. All of a sudden, I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, ‘You are late! Let’s go.’ When I argued that I didn’t have any clothes to wear, he replied, ‘They are in the car.’ That day as we walked out of the ocean, I was touched by Brother Marques’s sincere love and worry for me. He truly understood the Savior’s words: ‘I will seek that which was lost.’”

Two thousand years ago the Savior stood on the shores of Galilee teaching the crowds. As night fell, He perceived the people were hungry and asked His disciples to gather what food they could. He then took their "five loaves and two fishes" and fed the five thousand.

A few days later the crowds again returned to the shores of Galilee, but this time the Savior met them saying, "Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled... from that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." - John 6: 26, 67

Are we like the crowds who follow the Savior when life is easy and our bellies full, only to abandon Him when things grow hard? It is my witness that hardship is the cement of discipleship and that only in the midst of our failing health, our wayward children, and tough economic times can we truly understand the peace that comes from heeding His words, "Come Follow Me."

In the parable of the lost sheep, a shepherd has an hundred sheep. One of the lambs wanders off and it lost from the fold. Perhaps this lamb was distracted by something that looked interesting. Perhaps he laid down to rest while the rest of the flock moved on. Whatever the reason, this lost sheep became lost and could not find his way back. When the shepherd discovers that the lamb is lost, he immediately goes in search of it. Once found, he places the lamb on his shoulders and brings it home rejoicing.

Jesus explained that He was the Shepherd and that we are the sheep. It would follow that the lambs would be our young men and young woman who are constantly bombarded by messages that call them away from the fold (or church). They live in a world where lying, cheating, drugs, and pornography are accepted as "normal." They are confronted daily by messages and friends that believe wealth and power are the only things that matter. In our high-tech, low-spirituality world it can become easy to stray from the fold. Always intending to catch up later, only to find the darkness closing in and the fold nowhere in sight.

Sometimes when we wander off we mistakenly think the shepherd has forgotten us. We feel alone and scared and believe that there is no way back. The longer we wander in the wilderness the harder it becomes to believe that anyone knows we are missing or that anyone is looking for us. As leaders we are bound by covenant to go to the homes of those who are lost. To pick them up and put them on our shoulders and bring them back to the fold. The shepherd in the parable was not worried about what the sheep might think of him showing up so late. He was only concerned that he find the lost lamb and bring it home.

Water is an elemental force in much of artist Steve Hanks’ work whether it be ocean-based landscapes, or figures in lakes, rivers, and yes, even bathwater. We are, after all, largely made from water. Its movement and fluidity reflect and inspire our lives. Hanks paintings of children offer beautiful surface stories layered with potent meaning. He stays connected to both the loneliness and the magic of childhood. Time of Wonder conveys the unknown possibilities in the future of a single young life as he faces the seemingly infinite ocean. “What I like most about this painting is the way the overcast, misty sky affects the light and colors, like the clarity of the waves breaking behind the boy and the fog sitting on the mountains in the background,” says the artist. “It’s a very solitary, magical place and this youngster is not standing still in this vast landscape. He’s moving forward.”

The difference between a magnificent work of art and an illustration lies in the artist’s passion for the subject at hand. Such is the case with the power of Morgan Weistling’s Christian art.



We are excited to offer, along with Kissing the Face of God, three more faith-based paintings by Weistling for the first time as Fine Art Open Edition Canvases. These affordably priced editions can hang separately or together in a series that will provide encouragement, motivation, reflection and faith in any location in your home.



“Colossians 1:15-20 speaks of Christ’s supremacy and of his being the image of the invisible God. Studying this passage brought the scene of Jesus’ baptism to my mind,” says artist Morgan Weistling.



“I chose to depict a quiet moment while Jesus was in the Jordan River to be baptized by John. I wanted to focus on Christ alone, looking to his Father in heaven, as he fulfilled God’s promise to send a Savior. His reflection in the water extends forward, reaching out to us, the viewers, as does Christ himself with his immeasurable gift of salvation. My prayer is that this painting will not only proclaim the deity of Christ but will encourage the viewer to answer the question that Jesus asks all of us: ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Matt. 16:15).”

Artist Morgan Weistling’s penchant for extensive historical research is the collector’s windfall and The Campers provides a fascinating glimpse into how this modern master comes upon inspiration. “Often when I am researching for a big painting I find other ideas emerge,” says Weistling. “While working on my painting Oregon Trail Family, 1848, I was inspired to paint this other idea focusing on the simple tents the frontier settlers often used. Set in the late 1800s , these two little pioneers have made themselves at home in their temporary shelter. As the sun is setting and it gets darker, the candle is lit and the beans are served. Cherished items brought on the adventure lay strewn on the quilt with the carefree abandon of childhood.”