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The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus. This annual series, now in its eleventh year, is called “Christ in the Psalms.”
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
This piece was made digitally in Adobe Illustrator, then brought into Photoshop for some finishing touches, before being printed on vinyl that was stretched over the canvas.
Psalm 122 is a praise of finally reaching the gates of the city of Jerusalem. The singers are ecstatic to be there, and rejoice for the throne of David that will not fall. This is ultimately in reference to the greater son of David, born of Mary, who will reign over all the earth.
In this piece, the enormous throne represents God’s reign over all the cities of the earth. There are modern steeples and ancient domes throughout, signifying his reign over every generation. I went with brighter vibrant colors to signify the joy and rejoicing of the psalm itself, using the same gradient the entire piece.
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The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus. This annual series, now in its eleventh year, is called “Christ in the Psalms.”Since 2017, Andy and I have loved and cared for the missionaries at Beyond through Biblical counseling (my vocation), physical therapy (Andy’s vocation), and friendship.
Although I am able to meet with our missionaries online throughout the year, the rest of our ministry happens at annual Beyond conferences in Southeast Asia. I have attended three of these, and Andy has been to one. He was busier than I was while doing Physical Therapy! This year our kids will be able to join us for the first time, along with the help of Zach and Madelynne Starbeck (Park College Staff and Park Students Intern).
Beyond is a missions sending organization that works solely to bring the Gospel to unreached people groups (accounting for two billion of the people in the world who have never heard about Jesus). In addition to regional conferences that happen annually, Beyond has a global, all-staff conference every 3 years in Southeast Asia. Neither have happened since 2019 due to the last several years of crisis and trials. This July will be the first time their missionaries have been able to gather together for encouragement and equipping since then. We hope and pray that our work and friendship with them will restore, heal, and comfort them.
I have been volunteering as a counselor for the Southeast Asian group of Beyond missionaries for the past five years. A lot has happened since 2019, some good. However, a lot of pain and confusion has been experienced during these past few years as well.
This year we decided we were going to make the trip after our friend Andy, one of the leaders of this group, suddenly passed away (he’s on the far left in the picture above with the “best pop ever” shirt.) It was a tragic loss, and we decided that we should go there to care for them.
I’m also excited that our kids are old enough now to join us so that they will be there to become better friends with the missionary kids. They know some of the missionary kids from when they’ve visited the States. I pray it will be a great encouragement to these missionary kids to to have other kids come to them!
We are asking you to prayerfully consider supporting us with a financial gift to help cover the travel and hotel expenses to attend the conference and get face-to-face with this group in July. You can contribute with a one time or with a monthly gift that will help us continue to serve missionaries through Biblical counseling past the three sessions possible at the conference.
Please, if you have any questions, let me know. To give financially, please use the button below, selecting “Support for Lauren Gage and Missions Care Trip under “Gift Category.”
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Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
Digital illustration made on Procreate (shout out to the iPad and the Apple Pencil).
There were a couple things about God’s character that were revealed in Psalm 121. First, God’s consistency (though things in this life are so temporary), and second, His protection and permanence. As a Colorado girl who loves the mountains, they have always been symbol of the gift of God’s consistency and permanence. Nature is also a common place for many of us to meet God and experience His love, so I tied that in with a stained-glass style throughout.
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The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus. This annual series, now in its eleventh year, is called “Christ in the Psalms.”
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
I wanted this piece to feel peaceful. Despite our distorted dwelling place, we can reach for the Lord, confident in His daily and eternal deliverance. Our world and hearts are broken and often result in pain, but by the Holy Spirit we have access to Christ as our Savior.
While reading over this psalm, I began considering how these words could apply in the context of our culture. We are not often in literal exile or fighting physical wars, but we are in a broken world fighting daily spiritual battles. Through this process, I reflected on the need for deliverance from physical enemies, but also from the world and from myself.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus. This annual series, now in its eleventh year, is called “Christ in the Psalms.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Summer is here, and that means were back into the Psalms. This year, we begin a grouping of Psalms called the “Songs of Ascent”, hymns that would have been sung by the people of God as on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times each year.
Why “Christ in the Psalms?” The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus. This annual series, now in its eleventh year, is called “Christ in the Psalms.”
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Part V of our ongoing Matthew series covers Matthew 13:53–18:35. We’ll discuss Jesus’ massive public miracles like the feeding of the five thousand and also His intimate, personal miracles like the temple-tax shekel in the fish’s mouth. We’ll study revelations of Jesus’ true identity in the Transfiguration and in His lordship over nature. We’ll learn of an otherworldly form of forgiveness only Jesus provides.