The Full Story Behind the Painting

The canvas I used for this painting had been given to me by the then-pastor of Refuge Church which I was actively attending at that time. I had planned to use it to paint a particular idea I had envisioned and had even prepped the canvas with the texture and black paint to execute that vision. Life happened and this canvas ended up sitting for years. Later I ran into the new pastor’s wife of The Refuge at Target and she mentioned an art event they were hosting and asked me if I would be interested in painting for it. I shelved the idea. A couple of weeks later I had a good friend of mine, who I had been inviting to church for years, call me to ask to go to church with me. He wanted to go to Water of Life in Rancho Cucamonga when we lived in Redlands, about 26 miles from us. On our way to meet and just as we were getting off the freeway my friend text me that he was not coming. So we decided to attend another service since we were in the area, at the Refuge in Rancho Cu, where I formerly attended and was given the canvas. At the end of that service, the pastor gave an announcement that Alveda King would be attending the next weeks service and they were featuring an art exhibition amongst other things as a part of the hosting. He then looked straight at me and said, “And Adam, we would love it if you painted something to contribute to the event.” I went home that day feeling the stir in my heart that only the voice of God can produce. I had been asked twice now to paint something for this event. I paced my art studio asking God what I should paint since I felt this was his voice in my heart and I noticed the large 48 x 60” canvas sticking out from behind everything else. I felt in my heart that this canvas was given to me for the particular purpose, of painting something for Alveda King, and it was to be presented to her as a gift to represent her work for social justice. I argued with my heart telling God that I had to work all week and would not be able to produce something of that size in less than 7 days, much less that it would be something I would be proud to present to such a person in front of a congregation of so many people. I felt the persistent tug all that day and night and felt like I was told to just do it without my mind in it, to just go in and paint and His Spirit would do the rest. So I did just that and over the next 6 days, after coming home from working more than full-time hours, I went into my art room and this painting literally came to life before my eyes. The ideas sprang forth with no effort and it was all I could do to keep up with the flow of creativity I felt coming out of me. At the completion, I was compelled to write a word that I felt was from the heart of God to Alveda which I gave her with the painting the following morning at that service. It was later shipped to her business residence and due to some changes in her traveling schedule and agendas, she later shipped it back to the church with a plaque she created and wanted it to stay at the church. At this point, I was a little discouraged feeling it was a relatively uneventful event of things and I wondered whether or not I had heard God’s voice in my heart or if it was just a bad burrito I had eaten the day before. Later one day she contacted me by phone and told me about how a book idea she had shelved for quite some time had suddenly been brought back to life when she re-read the word I had given her with the painting. Originally she had wanted to name it 21 Keys of Justice and that for the first time, she noticed all the keys hidden in the painting, which just so happened to add up to 21. She asked my permission to include the word I gave her and our picture together in the book preface which of course I was more than happy to agree to. Once finished with the book she sent me a copy before its publication. Where in I found the portion of the word that God used to inspire the finish of the book and our picture together with the painting. The words that spoke to her were, “You have accessed by your faith keys to the Kingdom that have unlocked doors and places that have been kept blocked for generations.” What’s funny is that I don’t even remember at all writing that. Just another confirmation that I was hearing correctly and had done my part. God is good.

The scripture listed on the base of the stand was created and put there by my wife: Isaiah 58:11 “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”