The difference between a magnificent work of art and an illustration lies in the artist’s passion for the subject at hand. Such is the case with the power of Morgan Weistling’s Christian art.



We are excited to offer, along with Kissing the Face of God, three more faith-based paintings by Weistling for the first time as Fine Art Open Edition Canvases. These affordably priced editions can hang separately or together in a series that will provide encouragement, motivation, reflection and faith in any location in your home.



“Colossians 1:15-20 speaks of Christ’s supremacy and of his being the image of the invisible God. Studying this passage brought the scene of Jesus’ baptism to my mind,” says artist Morgan Weistling.



“I chose to depict a quiet moment while Jesus was in the Jordan River to be baptized by John. I wanted to focus on Christ alone, looking to his Father in heaven, as he fulfilled God’s promise to send a Savior. His reflection in the water extends forward, reaching out to us, the viewers, as does Christ himself with his immeasurable gift of salvation. My prayer is that this painting will not only proclaim the deity of Christ but will encourage the viewer to answer the question that Jesus asks all of us: ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Matt. 16:15).”

Surely the Savior knew from an early age the path that lie ahead of Him, yet He was not discouraged or dismayed. He went about doing good and filled His life, and the lives of others, with joy and happiness.

I am inspired by the story of Reverend Henry Lyte. Henry's father abandoned the family while he was a young boy and his mother died shortly after. In addition to being orphaned at an early age, Henry struggled throughout his life with poor health - yet all that knew him commented on his cheery temperament. His final contribution came just three weeks before his death. Though he was dying of tuberculosis, Henry was still determined to give to others. He rose from his bed and penned the words that would become the cherished hymn,

Abide with Me.

Abide with Me!
fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens.
Lord with me abide.

When other helpers
Fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh,
Abide with me!

Certainly none of us can walk through life free from illness and despair, but we each can decide how we will respond to those trials that come. This painting reminds me when trials come that I can choose to retreat into myself, or I can choose to reach out as the Savior did and bring happiness to others. Only selfless sacrifice can we ever hope to abide with the Lord.

The account in the Gospels of the Savior calming the tempest is a compelling witness of His power and authority over the elements, His compassion and testimony of His divine nature. The story is also a lesson for us of the power of faith.

As children of our Father in Heaven, we will all face trials in this life. There will be times when the sea is raging around us. It may feel as if we are destined to fail, that the storms are too great and that we are helpless to save ourselves.

This painting depicts a range of emotions that we may all relate to when the trials come. Note the disciple on the back of the boat. He is trying to save himself, bailing water from the boat. He looks out at the storm, overcome by fear. As a result, he sits in darkness, he cannot see the Savior. The next two disciples are still trusting in their own strength, trying to right the mast and gather in the rigging, but they have started to turn to Christ and are entering into his light. Standing behind the mast, this disciple has just let go of the sail. After having done all that he could, he is turning towards the savior. His faith is displacing his fear.

The next three disciples are focused completely on the Savior, faith has nearly pushed their fears away. They look in wonder at their Lord, standing calmly before them, Master of all. Lastly, we come to Peter, kneeling at the feet of Christ. Just a moment before, the storm raging, he had the faith to lay his fears completely at the feet of the Lord and he was blessed with peace.

We will all face difficult moments in our life, when it feels that all is lost. We often try to save ourselves, but when we turn ourselves over to the Lord, having done all that we can, He will save us. We will hear those magnificent words spoken in our hearts, “Peace, be still.”

Arguably the most well known of the Savior's parables, in the Prodigal Son a father has two sons. The younger leaves home and takes his inheritance spending it on "riotous living." Having spent all, this wayward son takes a job feeding the swine and filled his belly with the food intended for the pigs. The parable says that "when he came to himself," the younger son determined to return to his father and ask that he be allowed to return as a hired servant. Upon seeing him return, the father took him back - not as a servant, but again as his son. The elder brother, seeing his father's excitement, protested that he had stayed and done as he should. Why was their no rejoicing over his faithfulness? The father replied, "Thou are ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry... for thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." - Luke 15:32

This painting comes from the account of a friend of ours whose son was a drug addict for almost fifteen years. One morning, this faithful father received a call from a friend of his son saying that his son was not moving. As a bishop, he was up early and dressed for his Sunday morning meetings. He immediately drove to his son, scooped him off that drug house floor, and took him to the hospital before returning to conduct Sunday services. He said nothing to the in his congregation, just did his best to help them. Then, returned to the hospital to sit with his son. I include a green vine on this father's tie to remind us that even in our darkest hours there is a hope of new life. Today, that son has returned to the fold and works in a youth ministry helping teens. He explained that it was the love of his parents that brought him home.

In the parable of the lost sheep, a shepherd has an hundred sheep. One of the lambs wanders off and it lost from the fold. Perhaps this lamb was distracted by something that looked interesting. Perhaps he laid down to rest while the rest of the flock moved on. Whatever the reason, this lost sheep became lost and could not find his way back. When the shepherd discovers that the lamb is lost, he immediately goes in search of it. Once found, he places the lamb on his shoulders and brings it home rejoicing.

Jesus explained that He was the Shepherd and that we are the sheep. It would follow that the lambs would be our young men and young woman who are constantly bombarded by messages that call them away from the fold (or church). They live in a world where lying, cheating, drugs, and pornography are accepted as "normal." They are confronted daily by messages and friends that believe wealth and power are the only things that matter. In our high-tech, low-spirituality world it can become easy to stray from the fold. Always intending to catch up later, only to find the darkness closing in and the fold nowhere in sight.

Sometimes when we wander off we mistakenly think the shepherd has forgotten us. We feel alone and scared and believe that there is no way back. The longer we wander in the wilderness the harder it becomes to believe that anyone knows we are missing or that anyone is looking for us. As leaders we are bound by covenant to go to the homes of those who are lost. To pick them up and put them on our shoulders and bring them back to the fold. The shepherd in the parable was not worried about what the sheep might think of him showing up so late. He was only concerned that he find the lost lamb and bring it home.

“It was prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); and Jewish tradition held that His birth would be announced from Migdal Eder - a watchtower located near Bethlehem on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishnah says that the flocks at Migdal Eder were destined for Temple sacrifice. We may infer that the angel did come to Migdal Eder and the shepherds who heard the announcement and followed the star would be the perfect choice to spread the word of Christ’s birth. They would shortly lead their flocks to the temple to be sacrificed and while there would tell all of the miraculous birth." - Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, p. 131; Sketches of Jewish Life, p. 76-77

I wanted to capture the moment when a little shepherd boy at the watchtower was awaken by a Heavenly light and heard those words so long foretold, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." - Luke 2:10-11