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 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.

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.

Artist Morgan Weistling’s penchant for extensive historical research is the collector’s windfall and The Campers provides a fascinating glimpse into how this modern master comes upon inspiration. “Often when I am researching for a big painting I find other ideas emerge,” says Weistling. “While working on my painting Oregon Trail Family, 1848, I was inspired to paint this other idea focusing on the simple tents the frontier settlers often used. Set in the late 1800s , these two little pioneers have made themselves at home in their temporary shelter. As the sun is setting and it gets darker, the candle is lit and the beans are served. Cherished items brought on the adventure lay strewn on the quilt with the carefree abandon of childhood.”

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In the story of the Good Shepherd, Jesus compares a shepherd and a hireling. He explains that a hireling is a person merely hired to watch the sheep. He cares little for the sheep and subsequently the sheep do not recognize his voice. When danger comes, the hireling cares more for his own safety and quickly flees leaving the sheep to fend for themselves. By contrast, the shepherd loves the sheep and knows each one individually. They, in turn, know his voice and follow him when he calls. When danger comes, the shepherd stays to protect the sheep, even laying down his own life if necessary to save them.

This painting was inspired by a story of one Christ-like shepherd whose love and devotion to the sheep saved a young boy. In his own words:

“I became involved in surfing competitions on Sunday mornings and stopped going to my Church meetings. One Sunday morning Brother Marques knocked on my door and asked my mother if he could talk to me. When she told him I was sleeping, he asked permission to wake me. He said to me, ‘Fernando, you are late for church!’ Not listening to my excuses, he took me to church. The next Sunday the same thing happened, so on the third Sunday I decided to leave early to avoid him. As I opened the gate I found him sitting on his car, reading the scriptures. When he saw me he said, ‘Good! You are up early. Today we will go and find another young man!’ After eight Sundays I could not get rid of him, so I decided to sleep at a friend’s house. I was at the beach the next morning when I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie walking towards me. When I saw that it was Brother Marques, I ran into the water. All of a sudden, I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, ‘You are late! Let’s go.’ When I argued that I didn’t have any clothes to wear, he replied, ‘They are in the car.’ That day as we walked out of the ocean, I was touched by Brother Marques’s sincere love and worry for me. He truly understood the Savior’s words: ‘I will seek that which was lost.’”

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