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Mark Keathley
Welcome Spring is available in the following sizes:
12x16, 18x24 and 25.5x24
The Welcome series is straight from my heart. I love life in
the country. The first day we moved from the city to the country we finished
moving in and then stepped out onto the back porch that evening and felt
totally different - like we were our own people - we weren't following
others any more. It took some adjustments for sure, the conveniences of town
were missed for the first couple of months. I think we went into town at
least once every day, but soon we learned how to manage that part of this
new life and we set out to build our dream. Now don't get me wrong, life in
the country isn't a dream, it was just our dream. The work load of the
demands of animals and land weighs a bit, but it offered me something to do
with my boys that we needed and it served us well. We found out, though,
that all our friends (who had come by our city home daily) didn't want to
make the trip out to our new place in the country and we missed the folks
that would often drop by to visit. So much so, did I miss it, that I invited
the UPS guy in for coffee on occasion. So with this idyllic setting in the
Smoky Mountains, I did a "no no" and left the gate open so you would feel
the longing of your presence and the invitation for your company. I hope
this open gate expresses your hearts desire for others to "enter in". The
company of accepting friends and neighbors is the richest of blessings, Hope
- I sincerely hope you have this wealth.
Welcome Spring - A time for Renewal
The seasons of life ebb and flow in a way that teaches us to be patient and
wait. Sometimes we have lean - dry times and other times we have vibrant
growing times. It doesn't mean that something is wrong or that we have been
forgotten, or that we are doing it all right and are the "blessed" ones. For
the Lord rains down on the just and the unjust alike. He cares for everyone
alike and he longs to see them find fullness and renewal in their lives. In
Welcome Spring, I've depicted the exciting time of life when the fragrance
of life is wonderful, too much to contain, and the beauty spills over for
all to see. The excitement of new birth and buds awaken the senses and make
us feel alive, and give us the promise that the cold winters of our lives
will not always be. There is such hope and expectation in the spring and I
hope this painting stirs up that longing in your heart to see things grow
and blossom. Go ahead and plant the seeds of acceptance with your estranged
son, or wayward daughter; dig up the weeds of resentment and jealousy with
someone you have grown to dislike and replace them with the fragrant flowers
of forgiveness and love. It is a time for renewal.
~ Mark Keathley
Summary Points
- Our longing for a renewal of our spirit can be
satisfied in the newness of spring. It is a time for old things to be
forgotten and new things to be anticipated.
- Welcome Spring inspires us to look around at all
the beauty, color, and magnificence God has given us and continues to
bless us with.
- As the baby deer and little chick-a-dees start to
enjoy a new season, we are to start the renewal of our souls as well.
As they are protected by God’s love, so then are we and can bask in the
freshness of a new beginning.
- It is written in 2 Cor. 9:6 that "he who sows
bountifully shall also reap bountifully" so as the new spring arrives,
be sure to sow seeds of good in all areas of your life and receive the
harvest God intends you to have.
- It is time to “enter in” to His grace and
abundance. Won’t you “welcome Spring” into your life?
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