A group of artists came together to participate in a very unusual art project. Phase one, the artists were tasked with creating their best “Crown of Thorns” piece. Phase two, which was kept secret, became a very unusual, powerful experience for all those involved. The paintings themselves were done on a 2′x2′ piece of plywood in the medium and style of the artists choice.

Every good and perfect gift is from our father, but lets not make idols of them. Remember the golden calf? The gold was plunder from Egypt which the Lord gave them, yet they crafted idols from God’s gifts & blessings.

We are reconcilers, reformers, co-laborers, ambassadors for Christ that means we are re-presenting Christ and His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven.

Our time, talent and affections are to be his, and is agenda is knowing Him and making Him known; seeking and saving that which is lost.

Above: Artist Susan Gromala Crary

Above: Artist Jim McMahel

Above: Artist Jerryl Kain

Above: Artist Jeanne Smith

Above: Artist Antonio Santos

Above: Artist Keelan

Above: Artist Scott Howe

Above: Artist Cody Duncan

Above: Artist Neysa Millan Santiago

PHASE TWO

After presenting their finished paintings to the group, the artists are challenged to their surprise, to offer on the altar as a sacrifice, the very paintings they just created, as a representation of giving Jesus Christ full lordship of their creative abilities.

God promises Abraham a son, (Gen 17:15-21) and  that nations and Kings will come through him. After Isaac is born, God tests Abraham (Gen 22:1-18, asking him to surrender Isaac back to Him, by sacrificing him on the altar. God asks Abraham to release back to him the very thing he has blessed him with; that which he holds most dear, that for which he has hopes & dreams and even a word from the Lord! We believe God is asking us to place ultimate trust into His hands; to release what we hold most dear and personal, our creative ability, for His purposes alone – to make His name known in the earth not our own.

Pastor Larry Ramirez was the one-man wrecking crew who volunteered to smash the paintings. As he starts the dirty work he begins sharing about the sacrifice of Jesus and the atoning work that took place on the cross of Calvary. Almost immediately we feel the breath & presence of God. We began to get just a slight understanding of God’s love and the cost of Christ’s blood to buy us back.

Almost all of us are moved to tears as we experience God’s love for us, the sacrifice of His son and the ongoing furious pursuit for the souls of all men and women.

We gathered together on the altar and offered ourselves as LIVING SACRIFICES to our Lord and King. Our creativity, our hopes and dreams, our very lives offered to Him for His purposes!

Something significant happened in our lives that day. Something shifted in our perspective that will drive us in a greater way to do all things for the glory of God and no longer to the glory of ourselves.

The strategic favor of our time slot, right before the mayor’s throwing of the switch and tree lighting ceremony, provided maximum impact of the clear proclamation that JESUS IS THE REASON not only for the season but absolutely everything! The Pop Shop’s classy production included many traditional Christmas songs celebrating the birth of our savior, while Evoke artists Jerryl Kain & Neysa Millan Santiago did live paintings of Jesus and the nativity.

Above: The Pop Shop hypes the crowd!

Evoke artist Jerryl Kain live painting abstract Jesus.

Evoke artist Neysa Millan Santiago painting her vibrant nativity during one of the Pop Shop numbers.

Above: The crowd numbered in a few thousand. Our prayer was many backslidden and stray hearts would once again return to the heavenly father as the true Christmas story is retold.

Below: One of the Pop Shop numbers included a skit of a troubled man receiving the infant savior as his hope and strength.

As the fireworks lit up the sky and mega watts illuminated trees and decorations I was reminded of Jesus, our true light who reminded us; that WE are the light of the world! There is no such thing as darkness. You cannot turn up or down the darkness in a room. Darkness is merely the absence of light. The darkness in our neighborhoods, cities and regions is due to the fact that the church is just not shining. Lets commit ourselves a fresh to being bold witnesses of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and brightening our region with His love this coming year. The world is waiting.

]]> http://www.evokeministries.org/light-up-the-holidays/feed/ 1 http://www.evokeministries.org/love-of-jesus-on-campus/ http://www.evokeministries.org/love-of-jesus-on-campus/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:27:46 +0000 administrator http://www.evokeministries.org/?p=2625

Evoke Ministries continued pounding the UCF campus with the proclamation of Jesus’ great love for his people, on October 11th, 2011. We continue our partnership with CHI Alpha student ministries in reaching this massive campus for Jesus. As usual, we took command of the student union patio, sharing testimonies, preaching, dancing, praying one on one, using poetry, art & DJs to assist in this love assault!

ABOVE: Natanael “Swiper” gets down on the floor showing off his skills for Jesus. Many students took note when he stopped dancing and shared his testimony about his previous violent lifestyle that landed him in prison on a life sentence. But after giving his life to Jesus a miraculous intervention occurred and he was released and now lives a righteous lifestyle unto the Lord.

BELOW: Madie of Chi Alpha boldly sings praises to her God!

Praying one on one is so vital to our time on campus. It’s in these moments that many experience the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Each time we are out on campus we experience different types of resistance and persecution. This time it was the gays who took offense to Antonio sharing his testimony about deliverance from the gay lifestyle, when he called himself “dysfunctional”. He brilliantly diffused a hostile situation as he spoke with the group in the humility and love of Jesus.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and we believe that he still does the same today. We seek them out and He saves them. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of this ministry as we contend for the salvation of our generation.

Over 1500 pieces of devotional art testified of a group of people who walk with the living God!

On August 18th through September 8th Evoke Ministries installed a display of artwork in downtown Orlando for a city-wide outreach that testified of the reality and power of Jesus Christ! The Event was hosted by one of the biggest galleries in downtown Orlando, The City Arts Factory. Our prayer was that the reality of Jesus Christ in the lives of men and women would be overwhelming!

Hundreds gathered in downtown Orlando to hear, see and experience the living JESUS! We were excited to share our testimonies with many who are not regular church goers but came out to the art show! We are praising God for all those whose lives were impacted throughout this journey!

Many thanks to all those who loved, prayed, and supported us throughout this project! It continues to have life-changing effects!

An Atheist’s Encounter

In the days previous to the opening, during setup and installation, the Holy Spirit was already touching lives. Two women visiting Orlando from Italy wandered into the gallery and began surveying the artwork. Antonio (one of Evoke artists) began sharing with them the meaning behind the artwork, to which one of them declared, “I am an atheist”.  Antonio being a former atheist began to show her one of his art blocks that was about his encounter with Jesus. By the time their conversation was over she had prayed with Antonio for Jesus to be real in her life! She was moved to tears and they left different than how they had arrived. It was a wonderful foretaste of the event to come.

EVOKE365

The 365 project began on July 1st, 2010 and recently came to a close on June 30th, 2011. The purpose of the endeavor was multifaceted; to produce works of art and multiple interactive art shows that engage the community in discussions of faith and the living God; To show the visual journey a year has on creativity, commitment, the Spiritual walk, to strengthen artists within the community of believers to be bold in their creativity and confession of faith.The project was 10 artists of various skill levels, committing to create 1 painting, every day for 1 year. As the year progressed we found many ways to engage with our surrounding communities.

BELOW: UCF OUTREACH

Susan Crary of Evoke365 engaging with students at the University of Central Florida hosted by Chi Alpha. Setting the paintings up at college campuses has become a great way for us to start dialogues with the students. Many times we get to share the love message of the gospel and our own personal testimony of the work of Jesus Christ in our lives. Many encounters end in prayer. Glory to God!

BELOW: INNER CITY

The 365 team participated in an event put on by Resound Mission Base to share the love of Christ in west Orlando to endangered youth. The wooden blocks were a wonderful way to engage with the kids. Everyone was able to participate in the group picture as well. It’s amazing the doors that will open to those who keep a burning heart, a prayerful attitude and have a few simple tools to engage.

BELOW: Fall Fiesta in the Park!

The 365 team had a booth space at this city-wide event. Our purpose was to bring the life of Jesus and a demonstration of the Gospel to a mostly non-spiritual environment. See more at http://www.evokeministries.org/365/evoke-365-at-fall-fiesta/

BELOW: EVANGELISTIC ART BLOCKS

One of our favorite things to do with the blocks is to head out to malls, parks and public places and give them away! We simple bless someone with the painting and then explain it’s meaning to them. It is a fresh and simple way for any artist to be a witness!

Our goal in all our creative endeavors is always to proclaim the wonderful greatness of the heavenly father’s love and the amazing saving power of Jesus Christ!

Wednesday June 8th, 7pm Evoke ministries will be sharing at Church in the Son in Orlando, Florida. We will be sharing about speaking Jesus as a lifestyle through the many different gifts, talents and opportunities God gives us every day. Come and be inspired to boldly share your faith in Christ and experience the creative avenues of dance (Soul Movement), poetry (Shawn Welcome), art worship (Susan Gromala-Crary & Antonio Santos), that Evoke Ministries uses to share the Gospel with this generation.

Saturday June 11th, 9a-1p Evoke ministries is doing an evangelism training at Church in the Son in Orlando, Florida. This training is geared to set your heart ablaze with love and compassion to boldly share the Gospel and bring a demonstration of the power and love of God everywhere you go! Acts 1:8 says “You WILL receive power when the holy spirit comes on you and you WILL be my witnesses” EVERYWHERE! If you are born again and are filled with the holy spirit you have the power to be His witness. Come and learn to conquer your fears and complacency and get going for Jesus!