Sandi Hester

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever.  Isaiah 40:8

I was tempted not to put the scripture that goes with this painting, because by now you should have this scripture memorized if you look at my blog often 🙂 – it’s the scripture I put on all my flower paintings.  I need to find some other flower scriptures – if you have any suggestions please let me know.

I haven’t posted lastly because I haven’t painted lately.  This is an old painting.  I haven’t had much time to paint lately and the time I have had to paint I really haven’t been inspired to paint anything.  It seems the longer I don’t pick the paint brush up the harder it is to paint.  I stopped going to my painting class because I wanted to take a break for the holidays, but my class kept me painting weekly.  I’m going to try and find some classes on this side of town.  I’m afraid if I don’t I’ll stop painting all together!

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.  Luke 10:2

If you have ever been on the mission field, you know the overwhelming truth of this verse – the harvest is so great and the workers so few.  Jesus tells us to pray that workers would be sent out into His harvest fields.  Hmmm, is this a regular one on our prayer list?  It should be.  For some of us we don’t pray about this because it’s the last thing on our minds.  For others of us, we don’t pray for it because we’re afraid we’ll be one of the ‘called’ to go work.  Neither of these are acceptable to the Lord of the harvest.

I have to remind myself often that it’s His harvest and His work – if called, I just have to be faithful in going.  I always look forward to going on mission trips, but it never fails that my flesh raises it’s head every time and I get scared.  I’m not sure what I get scared about – maybe the unknown.  I know a large part of the fear is spiritual warfare.  The enemy hates mission work, he hates the gospel being preached in the nations, and he hates people helping the poor and oppressed – so I’m never surprised when fear over going into the nations arises.  Grady and I are in the process now of praying about where the Lord would have us go next year.  It’s always amazing to see how the Lord works and where He’ll call us to go.  After being on several mission trips now, I have more than the unknown to fear – I have an idea now of what to fear – spiritual warfare, sickness, etc.  Even though these fears arise, they are not enough to keep me from going – as long as the Lord calls me to go, I will be obedient for the glory of His Name.  Please pray for workers to be sent – the need is great and yes, the harvest is plentiful!

How many are Your works, O Lord!  In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.  Psalm 104:24

From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.  Proverbs 12:14

Do you think much about what comes out of your lips?  Do you pray very much about the words of your mouth or the meditation of your heart?  The Word of God is clear that what is in our heart will come out of our lips.  One thing that burdens my heart as a woman, is how sinful we are as women in-regards to our mouth.  We, oftentimes, take such pleasure from the sin that comes from our own mouths or the mouths of others.  We delight in it – we seek it – we find pleasure in the sins of our lips.  Oh ladies, may our hearts break over the sin that is birthed in our hearts and then is allowed to pour-forth from our lips.  Just the other day, to be more specific – the Lords day of all days, I sinned by telling something to Grady that was shared with me in confidence.  You may think that sharing something in confidence with my spouse if fine, but I know what the root of it was in my heart.  My only reason in sharing it with him was to share it.  I went before the Lord and confessed the sin of my heart and mouth.  Forgiveness was found in Him.  May I turn from my sinful ways.  Oh how I want to walk in His ways and not my own.  Yesterday I was also wounded from the results of the mouth – not my own this time, but another’s.  Oh the power that is in the lips – how it can sting and wound.  May our lips be filled with good things – with fruit that is sweet, healthy, good for others, pleasant, wholesome, and filled with the Spirit.  Lord, help us in this area as women.  We are desperate for Your guidance, for Your rebuke, and for Your sanctification (making us into His image).  We need You – please come and do these things in my life!

He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses.  Psalm 135:7

I love scriptures that talk about God’s storehouses – He has a lot of them! 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever.  Is 40:8

I painted these two yesterday in my watercolor class.  I thought they turned out fun.  My instructor said it made her think of God’s pallet.  I aged a piece of paper that looks like it’s been torn out of a bible and placed it on the painting.  I’d like to hear some feedback on the torn scripture part – do you like that or should I just keep it simple and put the ‘address’ in the painting (if you look closely in the bottom right corner you’ll see the address is there).  I love comments, so let me know if you like the torn scripture look or not.

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:13-16

My Mom’s birthday was last Saturday, but I didn’t give her her present until last night, so I couldn’t post it until now.  I painted one of her favorite things – her grandson Aidan.  She was a little disappointed that I didn’t have a painting of her other favorite thing – her granddaughter Hannah… I’ll have to work on that :).  I almost didn’t give this painting to her because I wasn’t pleased at all with how it turned out, but my sister (the mother of Aidan and Hannah) loved the painting and thought I should give it to her. 

My Mom is very special to me and a GREAT mother!  She is so special to all of us.  She has a servant’s heart like Christ – she will out serve you any day and I mean that!  I wish I had more of that servanthood (is that a word?) in me.  I love you Mom – you are beautiful inside and out!

“…and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”  Isaiah 55:12

My nephew LOVES this verse.  It’s one I’ve been teaching him.  We’ll be looking outside or playing outside and the trees will be swaying back and forth and he’ll SCREAM “trees clapping their hands!!!!” (he’s only 2 years old) and I’ll say, “that’s right Aidan, and who are they clapping their hands for?”  His reply has got to be sweetness to the ears of my Savior, because Aidan will scream at the top of his lungs “JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (he kind of shrieks at the end).  Yes, Aidan – they are clapping and praising the name of my sweet sweet Jesus.  Aidan doesn’t even realize that he has just joined in with their praise.  How precious to hear the name of Jesus come so joyfully off the lips of a 2 year old.  May that Name always come off Aidan’s lips in praise.  May he take that Name to the nations one day and make His Name famous.

Here is a strange painting of some trees.  It’s a different technique I was playing around with one day.  I love how the colors turned out.  I have another one like it I’ll post soon.