I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys. Song of Songs 2:1 (NKJV)

God’s Rose of Sharon:
The Prayer of the Healed

And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. Genesis 1:31 (NKJV)

Do you know of someone who has just received some devastating news? An unexpected hardship, an ominous diagnoses or the grim report of a terminal illness? These situations occur each day to a countless number of people and no one is immune from them. Yet although life seems to be very chaotic or unfair at times it always remains beautiful. From the very beginning of creation itself everything was created in perfect order.

You are not only part of that order or perfection, you are it because you are the very reflection of God. What God saw was very good!

The cards I have designed, God’s Rose of Sharon, addresses these specific events in our lives best described as the valley experiences. Through hope and inspiration the simple message contained in each card is a reminder of the ultimate truth of all healing. The ultimate truth of your own existence.

This portrait is symbolic of both the roses and thorns that define living and it speaks to the beauty of the expected and unexpected things of life. You are life, or the being that animates the human form. That one life that you are or what has been referred to as the breath of God, is eternal. The expression, “death where is thy sting” can only be fully understood in light of your own immortality.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15: 55 (NKJV)

When you can see and accept the fleeting nature of all concepts and forms then that peace of God will enter into your life. To face death in this way frees you from your earth bound or human experience. You are then able to transcend living and awaken to the miracle you truly are. When death is feared or denied by not facing it daily, life loses its depth. The grave claims its false victory.

Forgiveness: The way of Miracle’s, the way of love

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Luke 23:34 (NKJV)

What is a miracle? A miracle can be defined as an act or the intervention of God in an unexplained healing or a marvelous event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature. But when you define miracles in that way it would seem that miracles only happen for certain people and others are left with the consolation prize of “God must have been a reason” referring to way your miracle didn’t work out for you.

Why do miracles appear random at best or could there be another definition of a miracle that speaks to the heart of all healing? I believe there is a greater meaning and it is found hidden in the power and sheer force of forgiveness. This powerful misunderstood word of fore-giveness can better be interpreted as the giving forth to oneself. This is the key to forgiveness.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalms 23:4 (NKJV)

If most of us were honest we would admit that we only pray or seek out a miracle only during valley experiences of our lives. We do this because when things are going good we figure there’s no need for the miracle. Yet it takes only a slight shift in our perspective to see that miracles are every moment occurrences. The reason that is true is because the being that inhabits your human form is the very essence of life and is timeless in its nature. This is life’s great open secret…you are the love and the miracle that you seek.

The love you seek is you. This is a powerful truth. Our needs, wants, and desires are always for who we really are but the paradox is as long as we are yearning and longing for something to find or add to ourselves, we are betraying the truth that we already are. We need to look at the truth of what it is we are really trying to seek. It is always ourselves that we want most. We simply forget who we are and we are not separate from life.

Jesus emphasized non-resistance to evil or turning the other cheek. This teaching is the highest and purest love and cannot fail when it is understood by the heart. So the word that brings forth all miracles begins with forgiveness. This word is so simple that we keep missing it and have heard it many times. And we still have not grasped its potent healing force. The action of this force is a ‘giving forth’ to yourself the space needed when feeling self-conscious, self-defensive, fearful, contracted or small image of ourselves. This is the prayer of the healed.

God is Love, God is Forgiveness

"People travel to marvel at the mountains, seas, rivers and stars; and they pass right by themselves without astonishment." - Saint Augustine

God is love. To know God is to forgive. The secret to true love is not being loved by another. It is not loving another either. It is seeing the love in you despite the circumstances and emotional feelings of lack and self-pity. It is this seeing and knowing which transcend belief, which is self-forgiveness. When you start seeing your own need for love, you will start ‘forgiving’ yourself and that’s the road to enlightened fulfilled living.

Love is so vast, so all encompassing that it has no beginning or end point. Love can’t be defined or located in one certain area of our lives. Love “IS” period!

I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys. Song of Songs 2:1 (NKJV)

God’s Rose of Sharon message is one of forgiveness peace and love. Love dictates that I give of myself through my art and my words so that you might receive healing through them. I love you because I am beginning to love and understand that timeless truth about myself.

So the compassion I feel is born of the mercy and grace that has been extended to me all my life through my endless searching and it is only through that one truth, which is our oneness with God, that I realized we are the miracle we seek and through forgiveness our healing is complete.

Walk in love, as Christ has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:2 (NKJV)

Our very lives is the fragrance of the rose that God calls a sweet savior that is pleasing to Him. I’ll end with a quote from our God’s Rose of Sharon card. I hope it will bless you each time you think and pray about it.

“Life is perfect. Fear will whisper that prayers are not always answered. Yet love demands that all prayers are answered perfectly because God is love. To find the “peace that surpasses all understanding” your endless seeking and countless spiritual journeys’ must end here. Wanting is the source of all misery and suffering. The divine, which you are, lacks no-thing. You are completely whole. Any sense of separation from God is the great deception that leads you to believe you need a miracle. In reality, you are the miracle that you seek.”

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2011

BEYOND I AM: A NEW BEGINNING

“And God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM” Exodus 3:14 (a)

“I AM that I AM” is your title and at the same time, its underlining meaning points beyond the words “I AM.” I believe Moses understood that as well. Who you ultimately are is pure consciousness that is beyond form and one with all that exists. The universe is experiencing itself through our form, through all forms. Begin to imagine that if you can?

The psalmist penned it perfectly when he wrote, “Be Still and know that I Am God.” There is no duality here. God isn’t found in the stillness, He is the stillness and it's out of that stillness that all forms come into existance. In this one simple word sentence is captured the very essence of your being.

In the next coming months I will use my main site to proclaim a victorious message that isn’t based upon fear, prejudice or religious law or ritual. I will base this victorious message upon the biblical premise that “God or your very essence, is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow” because our nature is timeless in its non-form or being. That which you truly are.

Go to http://www.inchristvictorious.com/ to find out more about your true self.

James Robert Kessler

Because of Him Art Ministry c2011

LIFE IS SHORT

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Matthew 6: 25,27

Life is short but behind every life is the "one life" that illuminates everything and everyone. The ears cannot hear it; it is what makes the ears hear. The eyes cannot see it; it is what makes the eyes see. The mind cannot imagine it; it is what makes the mind think. That "one life" is unimaginable from all we know and it cannot be fully known. For it's not what people here adore.

Life is to short but it is what it is and it can only be fully lived by surrendering to the present moment. Accepting it for what it is because it is the only moment that is truly real or alive.

The Kingdom of Heaven is now....in this very present and divine moment!

James Robert Kessler
http://www.inchristvictorious.com/

WE ARE ALL JUST SPIRITUAL BEINGS HAVING A HUMAN EXPERIENCE

This coming year my prayer for each of us to just reflect on all the good that is in our lives at this present moment. This present moment is the only thing that is real and we must learn to make the most of it at all times. Remember, the past is just that, the past, and the future doesn’t exist as of yet. Life is now. This is the kingdom of heaven that Jesus spoke about because it is the truth of who you are, timeless and beautiful.

Be present or fully awake in this very moment and you will find that God's gift to each of us is our being, His very essence. The essence of who we are isn’t the stories in our heads about who we think we are but the stillness inside our very being that whispers "I AM."

Be blessed and rejoice in the beautiful abundance that we call life. I once heard that life is the dancer and we are its dance. How very beautiful is those words and how very beautiful you are when you awaken to the joy of the “I Am” presence that dwells in each and all of us.

Just believe this because it is the one truth that matters most. The beautiful truth of you.

James Robert Kessler 2011
http://www.inchristvictorious.com/

Professor Vivian Bearing is a literal, hardnosed English professor who has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. During the story, she reflects on her reactions to the cycle the cancer takes, the treatments, and significant events in her life.

This last scene is very moving because her old college mentor is the only person to visit her in the hospital during the last three months of her life. And this was her first and last visit with her.

WIT: THE RUNAWAY BUNNY

Poignant and profound are the words that come to mind in this short video clip. God's love is such that no matter how far we think we have fallen or drifted away from His presence, God is always with us. That's the beauty of this video and the tale of "The Runaway Bunny." Even death can not separate us from the presence of God. Death is but a blink of an eye to the awakening of the eternal.

All of us are runaway bunnies one time or another in our lives. Most of the time we run because we struggle with the concept of uncondtional love. It's far easier to judge other's than to simply love and accept them. Yet love is our redemption, our salvation. We only judge ourselves when we judge other's because we are all God's children.

And being children of the most high God, we all love a bedtime story every once in a while. Especially one that beautifully illustrates the great depth's of God's great love towards us.

The Runaway Bunny:
by Margaret Wise Brown

Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.

So he said to his mother, "I'm running away."

"If you run away," said his mother, "I will run after you. For you are my little bunny."

"If you run after me," said the little bunny, "I will become a fish in a trout stream and I will swim away from you."

"If you become a fish in a trout stream," said his mother, "I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you."

"If you become a fisherman," said the little bunny, "I will be a bird and fly away from you."

"If you become a bird and fly away from me," said his mother, "I will be a tree that you come home to."

"Shucks," said the little bunny, "I might just as well stay where I am and be your little bunny."

And so he did.

"Have a carrot," said the mother bunny.


Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.Psalm 139:7-10

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant when he taught about the Kingdom of Heaven? He seemed to be telling us it was a Kingdom we experience here on earth in every situation and relationship we encounter on a daily basis. You know his stories as parables. Parables are the stories that unlock the secrets of God's present Kingdom here on earth.

Author Brian McLaren discusses the very liberating message from Jesus about living in the Kingdom of God.The present, living and very much alive Kingdom now. Eternity is a concept that is hard to comprehend at times. Remember...spirits never die and we are all connected and interwoven in the very fabric of the universe or better known as the Kingdom of Heaven.

Be blessed and know how much God loves you my friends,

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

Little Karens Spiritual Journey

Karen tackles the finer points of Christianity and Hell before reaching the inevitable conclusion that....none of us really have a clue!



Young Ben and Karen asks the vicar some awkward questions about Jesus.

Out of the mouths of babes....

Kessler 2010

Death: The Crown that Adorn's the Abundant Life

When Jesus spoke to us about living a life full of abundance, he was also revealing a secret about death and the role it plays in our lives. Death isn't the end of the abundant life it is merely the beginning of it. It is the crown of warrior's who learned to conquer the fear of dying. When the fear of death is conquered then you are truly free.

In his memoir "Death Be Not Proud", John Gunther explores the process of death: discovery, fighting, living on, and then dying. The process becomes just a little bit easier, as humor, human kindness and courage all are woven in. More than just about dying, this memoir becomes a study of living.

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

Death holds the ultimate secret of Christ's abundant life message. The only thing that can rob, steal or destroy your life today is your own decision's. The choice's you make are your true enemies or on the other hand, your path on the road to the abundant life. When we embrace the reality that death is merely just the door through which we enter another kingdom dimension, then death becomes the crown that adorn's the abundant life.

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"1 Corintians 15:55

When John Donne wrote his sonnet, Death be not Proud, I imagine he must of wrote it with 1 Corintians 15:55 in the back of his mind. For where is there any victory in death when death is the natual conclusion to any life. Read his words and ask yourself if John Donne let death be his master or if he knew death was only a new beginning?

Death,be not proud (Holy Sonnet 10) John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

Thou'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy'or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

AMEN

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

"We each owe a death - there are no exceptions - but, oh God, sometimes the Green Mile seems so long." The Green Mile c1999

John Coffey. That is the name of the man sitting in the electric chair in this video. He use to say his name was John Coffey...like the drink but not spelled the same. John is an example of what a miracle can sometimes look like if we can only see past appearance's.

There are many people in this world that are very sensitive to pain, hurt and feeling all alone. They are sensitive to both the love that fills the world and also the lack of love that makes this world unbearable to live in at times. All of us are just like John Coffey in that we are the miracle if we only choose to accept it. Like was never meant to be a spectator sport. It was meant to be danced with each other "cheek to cheek" as this next clip from "The Green Mile" illustrates.



Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dancing to "cheek to cheek" in the film 'Top Hat'.

This clip was brillantly used in the movie "The Green Mile" to help us better understand the simplicity of the way things use to be. In this scene, Ginger's friend Madge is trying to match Fred and Ginger romantically. Fred is trying to woo Ginger, who mistakenly thinks that he is married to Madge, hence her reluctance to dance with him, but she succumbs to his charm in the end.

Their dance shows the fabulous artistry of both stars in the expression of the tenderness between a man and a woman.It was a hard time for many, the Great Depression. Films like this were a way for poor people to escape grim reality for a few hours inside the cinema, to catch a glimpse of the glamorous world of the rich and beautiful.

Call me an old fashioned but now is the time for young people to abandon the crowded party scene where they prance aimlessly, waving their arms in the air, deafened by the meaningless noise and lyric's that glorify the ego. Here's a challenge, go to an old fashioned ballroom dance, with a band that doesn't rely on beat boxes and plays real tunes. Maybe there you may meet the person of your dreams, hold them in your arms and live out your own romantic movie.

This is what life is about. Learning to love unconditionally and finding hope no matter the circumstance's you may face each day. Life goes on as death plays out its role every day. Life is as rich and beautiful as you choose to make of it. Ironically, death is just as beautiful because without the green mile or journey we each undertake each day, life would hold no meaning.

As in the haunting music from the movie "Titantic", the heart will go on. It will go on because in the big picture, the heart is the collective song of the universe and its every beat is the unity of all mankind. We are one because we are all the same in the eye's of God.

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

HOLY by Jesus Culture

Did you know that the holy dwells within you? Does the terms "Christ in you" or "Child of God" resonate within your own spirit and whisper that you are more than worthy? It should because you are the holy of holies in the eye's of the eternal.

Author Marianne Williamson is credited with one of the best quotes I have ever read concerning the legacy you were born to claim and live out.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Live holy today. It's who you are.

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

In The Deep

Thought you had all the answers to rest your heart upon.
But something happens,don't see it coming, now you can't stop yourself.

Now you're out there swimming...
In the deep.
In the deep.

Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles till you... Let go.
Till you shed your pride, and you climb to heaven,and you throw yourself off.

Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

And now you're out there spinning...
And now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles till you... Let go.
Till you shed your pride, and you climb to heaven,and you throw yourself off.

Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep...

This video, In the Deep, is where I find myself in my life at this moment. Everything I thought I knew and understood seems to no longer matter. It's like being in an empty space and not sure of what the universe might want to offer me next. "Tumbling in circles," trying to let go of all my pride and judgment in learning how to embrace uncertainty, which is a very frightening concept .

"Till you shed your pride, and you climb to heaven,and you throw yourself off. Now you're out there spinning...In the deep."

If you happen to find yourself reading my obscure blog remember to love one another and please keep me in your prayers.

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

Hillsong - "Hosanna"

Be Blessed!

Stethoscope:

A man finds a stethoscope with unusual powers. He discovers what soundtrack is playing inside him.

Kessler 2010

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Hebrew's 13:2

In memory of Phoebe Nora Mary Prince:

(Click on link to read her story)



"When you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." Franklin D. Roosevelt

MANKIND’S BLACK SYMPHONY

"Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour." Mark 15:33

There are many reasons why the symbolism of the cross in Christian theology is such an amazing image. Its details are so horrific in its brutality and gore that words are inadequate to describe it. In May of 2000, I began a painting that has affected my life ever since that time. It is titled "An Aroma Pleasing to the Lord" and it was my interpretation of God’s forgiveness and unconditional love. The power and majesty of the cross is the greatest puzzle ever to be put before mankind.

The cross of Christian theology transcends all comprehension and human reasoning in it’s complexity and bloody nature. This is important to remember. Without a cross there could of been no reconciliation between God and man and most importantly, there could not of been a resurrection. The very truth and power found in Christianity itself.

One of my favorite songs is "The Old Rugged Cross" by George Bennard. Here is the first verse of that great song.

"On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain."

As I have grown older this old beloved hymn of our Christian tradition has taken on a new perspective for me. There is an obscure verse found in Psalm 22 that I hold very precious because I have come to realize that if the cross was God’s plan all along then it was never an "emblem of suffering and shame" in the courts of heaven nor in the throne room of Almighty God Himself.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus cried out from the cross "MY God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Read Psalm 22verse one. You will find that David prophesied and Jesus echoed that same prophecy from His triumphant cross. Now here is the verse hidden in that same chapter of Psalm’s that change your perspective of the cross and God‘s eye view that dark day.

"He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard." Psalm 22:24

I believe Jesus wanted us, humanity to know in His cries from the cross that His Father had not forgotten Him nor turned His face away from Calvary’s hill. God watched as creation’s plan for redemption unfolded and He heard the cries of His beloved Son. He hears your hearts cry even today. The cross of Christ means simply to love other’s as He has unconditionally loved us and to be a witness of His grace and mercy proclaimed from that old rugged cross.

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

Lazarus (Come forth my beloved)

A poem by James Robert Kessler

My pain begins to vanish, my eye’s grow slowly dim,
As my beloved sister’s still sorrow and weep;
I slowly drift off into a darkness,
I slowly drift off into a sleep:

My youth and wealth seem to have betrayed me,
My life’s own breath grows Oh so weak;
I slip off into the darkness,
I slip off into my sleep:

As the darkness now surrounds me,
I hear a voice that calls my name;
Like a light that shines so brightly,
"Lazarus, come forth" this light exclaims:

My burial clothes still embrace me,
As I step towards the bright shining light;
My Lord has come to release me,
From the shackles and chains of my brief dark night:

Yet my true testimony has been shrouded,
By traditions veil upon us shoved;
But my witness is true and faithful,
For I am the disciple whom Jesus loved:

Because of Him Art Ministry c2010

Tiger Woods by: James Robert Kesslerc09

Although Tiger Woods mentioned his wife Elin on ten different occasions during in his apology speech today, the three words he didn't mention in connection with Elin should have been the most important ones.

"I LOVE YOU"

I believe Tiger will be a better man after all of this but I also believe Tiger still has a long way to go in his recovery process! "I love you Elin" would have made a great difference today if Tiger would of spoken them.


Kessler 2010

"And beauty will arise from the ashes"

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

Nothing Is Impossible

Be Inspired:

Kessler 2010

THE POWER OF ONE

An inspiring, short video that tells us that even one person...one action.. one belief... could start something...and make a difference.

That one person is you!!

Kessler 2010

"BE NOT AFRAID: 2010"
John Paul II: A Portrait of God’s Beautiful Servant

Text and Art by James Robert Kessler

Isn’t it curious that when angelic hosts encounter man on this earthly plain, they begin with the words, “Be Not Afraid.” They do so because the message they are about to unveil comes from the very throne of God. Mary encountered these same words when the angel of the Lord, Gabriel, came to her with the good news of Jesus’ birth.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Luke 1:30 (NKJV)

Be not afraid is the voice of fearlessness in a world that would have you believe otherwise. As children of the Most High God, we also enjoy this divine favor. Such is the majesty and glorious mystery of heaven’s eternal realm.

In October of 1978, we were formally introduced to a man that would change the face of the Catholic Church and the world as well. His name was Karol Józef Wojtyła. He would serve as Supreme Pontiff and Sovereign of Vatican City for almost 27 years. John Paul II, as the world would better know him, made the words “be not afraid,” the theme of his papacy.

John Paul wisely understood a secret about fearlessness that is founded upon the proper reverence, worship, respect and humility towards Almighty God. That secret is recorded in the Psalms.

Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Psalm 33:8

“Be not Afraid” is our victory cry. First echoed from an empty tomb in Jerusalem over two thousand years ago, this cry is greater than any evil that mankind should or could ever fear if we put our complete trust and faith in God alone.

"I seem to feel his (the late Pope John Paul II) strong hand holding mine.
I feel I can see his smiling eyes and hear his words, at this moment
particularly directed at me: 'Be Not Afraid.'"
Excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI's
message after his first Mass celebrated as Pontiff

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010

16 x 20 inch Full Color Prints w/text available upon request. E-Mail me @

InChristVictorious@live.com