In June of 2022, the leadership of the Lausanne Movement met in New York City to prayerfully prepare for the 2024 fourth global congress in Seoul, Korea.
In addition to bringing a new alternate and opposing iteration of the Pillar 2 painting in the form of “The Bride To Be”, I also had the wonderful opportunity to join the leadership again on stage painting live and visually capturing the prayerful digestion of the book of Nehemiah.
Nehemiah’s Legacy. Painted live at the 2022 L4 NYC Leadership Gathering. 30x24”acrylic on canvas.
During the morning scripture readings each day of the congress, the L4 leaders read through the entire book of Nehemiah. I was on stage as the “Visual Scribe” catching imagery and the Spirit’s leading as I listened along. This work is layered in imagery from several morning sessions, overlapping stories from the new testament miracles of Jesus with the rebuilding from the ruins in Nehemiah. Braided together through the center is a cross… as all of these woven threads of time and history are wrapped together in Christ’s redemptive story (and many other appropriate interpretations could be given as well). The Korean hand gesture for “Together” with the thumb and forefinger is also prominently displayed at the top.
Unless A Grain of Wheat Falls into the Earth and Dies… Painted live at the 2022 L4 NYC Leadership Gathering. 30x24”acrylic on canvas
John 12:24 “24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” ESV.
In the fourth pillar painting of Lausanne, the hexagonal framework became a metaphor of “Kingdom DNA” being spread (like a seed) throughout the world. The shape of a sphere or a globe can be seen taking shape amidst the wheat. This also relates to Jesus’ statement that the fields of humanity are white for the harvest, and to pray for workers to go out into the fields to gather people into the Kingdom of God. Christ is the ultimate seed to die and bring new life… as in Colossians 1 where it states “Christ is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead, so he is first in everything,” yet each believer is called to “die” to self and become a new creation. As the L4 leaders prepared for the Seoul Gathering in Korea in Sep. 2024, there was a collective posture in the room of conscious self-sacrifice and setting ourselves apart for the work required to bring the 4th Global Congress in Korea into existence.
Sarah Plummer reading scripture while the work in process was unfolding.
Amidst seeing familiar friends of Byron Spradling (second from left) and Billie Coppege (far right), I was introduce to Ron Anderson (far left) in the unexpected dilemma of a cancelled flight, a shared rented car, an overnight in PA with my parents, and a long drive back to VA and NC together the following day. In the midst of that adventure, Ron shared his desire to bless his father’s testimony book with a commissioned cover.
