Normally I can create and write a single idea for a painting.  Loved Beyond Measure is a testament to the fact that I am willing to break any and all of my own rules to attempt to speak eloquently about why I created a particular painting.  Here are the five stories I wrote for this painting.

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We have always been sinners in the hands of a loving God.

No matter how many millions of souls reach out to Jesus, there will be no true revival nor permanent transformations when they repent in fear of an angry god.

It is no more practical or spiritual to "win" souls using fear as leverage than it is to throw water on a drowning man or to shout at the deaf.

Jesus made it clear by word and deed that we are called into the loving and unselfish service of others regardless of  race, religion, economic status, age, or gender.  Jesus horrified the status quo by befriending prostitutes, criminals, drug addicts, and deviants.  And it was this simple friendship with God which allowed them to release their chains of bondage not His fictitious wrath.   

Finding salvation in the arms of Jesus comes through loving and forgiving those who need Him most.  

Jesus is for all nations, all people, and all religions. 

It seems only the Americanized version of Christianity repels so many other religions...certainly not the life and teachings of the Son of Man.

If we insist on wrapping Jesus in an American flag his mantle will eventually be passed on to another.  It happened two thousand years ago.  It can happen again.

God is a respecter of no person.

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Jesus taught us that faith is not a compensation for a difficult life but sublime tranquility in the face of just such trials, sorrows and despair. His unquestioned trust in a loving God presented to the world an unmatched demonstration of living faith.

It was never Jesus’ ability to recite scripture that brought peace and hope to the human heart.  It was His living  example of loving and serving others fearlessly that captivated mankind’s flickering flame of faith in a good God and turned it into an all consuming blaze.  

Throughout the centuries that fire has been cloaked, controlled, altered, and even belittled; but nothing can destroy the presence of God in His children.

Within the lives of those who dare to live beyond the limitations various religions place upon a living God, the truth will someday, like a butterfly held in a temporary cocoon, emerge.

This is the challenge that awaits each of us: will you transcend the small joys acquired in selfish pursuits or will you invest in eternity by serving others.

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Except for the constant laws of a loving and

intelligent universe nothing would exist.  

Even as astronomers chart our location,relative to the stars in our infinite

 sky, we are still completely lost in uncharted space.

The beauty of the unknown has been largely maligned by those whose lives are ruled by fear.

Rejection and humiliation are not the enemy of life.  Avoiding the privilege of a life of loving service to others is.  How much joy is there to only love and serve those who love us?

Becoming God-like in our relationships with others was never intended to be easy.  We must daily make choices which enhance or retard the presence of God which ever dwells within us. 

Did Jesus ever shrink in fear from the difficulties of life?  Did hate keep Him from loving or His brutal death keep Him from forgiving? 

We have a real hero whom we can follow and trust with the divine confidence now and for all eternity.

Do not fear what God will do in your life if you ask Him into your heart.

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The life and teachings of Jesus have survived the modifications of superstition, paganism, materialism, secularism, and western socialization because eternal truth resides within it.

Mankind invariably institutionalizes any religion whose source is a power beyond its mortal control.  Hungry men and women famish when the religions of their forefathers are handed down, obscuring the divine privileges and birthright we are to remember and embrace as children of a living God.

And as those same children, following Jesus becomes, more correctly, a spiritual practice of loving and unselfish service to others which forever transcends any religious tradition.

The brotherhood of man will always be an illusion without the Fatherhood of God.  No league of nations and no armed forces will ever bring about lasting peace without the universal recognition of the living God.  

No material possessions will bring lasting joy without God.

We are on the brink of one of the greatest triumphs in human history.

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We are loved beyond measure and the struggles of this short life are not in vain.  Just beyond our vision and understanding awaits and eternal vista of adventure, service, and joy.

The breathtaking beauty of this vast universe and the eternal purposes of which we are a part are impossible to fathom when we are limited by our mortal vision, thoughts, and abilities.

And yet we feel growing within us the flower of hope which is so often overshadowed by the thorns of adversity.

The same divine spirit which clothes the lilies and forms the planets only awaits us to be cheerful and willing partners in faith and trust.

Even as God condescends to become flesh it is done knowing that as He returns to the right hand of the father our way has been made clear for the journey to our true home.

The Spirit of God never compels us to follow but lovingly offers to lead us with the still small voice, during every crossroad and struggle saying, "This is the Way."

All double matted prints will fit into frames of their listed size.
More Detailed Information and Descriptions of our Prints 
Stephen will sign and personalize any of prints which are offered in the double matted sizes for an additional $15.

All other giclee prints, canvas or paper, are always signed.