Sharing God's Light Through Art

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It's an online community with almost every episode after the Focus on the Family clubhouse magazine subscription AIL club.org/radio we are humans and we don't have it all in our heads to know exactly where something will look in nature now and so I like to go right to God's creation and see it with my own eyes and respond to it. Rather than try to create it. I'm not the creator here. I cannot respond to the creation. So that's what I do and so I wanted to see what God had in store and I once again and every for every painting goes in with prayer and so in out this painting had a lot of answered prayers as it went along as Morgan wisely describing how God has got a hold of his talent for art and how God is using that today in some pretty incredible ways and Morgan as our guest today on Focus on the Family your hostess focus. President Jim Daly and I'm John John were doing something a little unusual today were very different kind of studio for listeners described were surrounded by paint Olson probably more paintbrushes than I've ever seen in my life every 300 paintbrushes over here and all of this is to help you better understand an incredible story that were to talk about today that this is where Morgan creates his award-winning artwork, most often depicting scenes about early American life. The pioneer days of week: that Western scenes and lots of paintings about families and children doing all of the hard work that had to do to survive. When you read the stories and think about families crossing the prairies. Our goal is to introduce you to Morgan and his passion for serving the Lord through art his story. He's got an incredible story, a testimony of how God has equipped him and gifted him and called him into this wonderful world of art and you can see this. Of course on YouTube or hit our website where we can have a whole bunch of details about Morgan and the various paintings he's made so many over the years Morgan has been studying and doing our work. Since he was old enough to hold a crayon. According to what he said. Unlike most of us who began that way. He just kept going and learning under some of the most famous and legendary illustrators and painters of the last century for 14 years. Morgan was an illustrator in the Hollywood film industry accreting movie posters and collectible artwork related to that in 1998. He transitioned to the world of fine art. Since then he's become one of the premier painters in the world today Morgan that is quite a set up welcome to Focus on the Family thank you and this is not fair. You have scripts and I have nothing knowing that we have guidance hospitals aside together just one on the floor. Hey, what an incredible story and for the folks that may be asking okay why are we doing this I want to say for years. It Focus on the Family someone that you knew well gee Harvey he would do a painting for focus and allowed us to do a print and the course said gee Harvey passed away a while back, and what a wonderful family paddy in the whole whole extended Jones family. They been so gracious to focus about through the connection pub.

Jackson we are moving ahead and were so grateful for you to say yes, let's do this together and we want to talk about your story so our listeners will get to know you a bit better so that's were going to do.

Let's start with the family and that will kind of family you grew up then I grew up in a very loving home and very encouraging home and my mom and dad were the type of parents you could only hope for and the thing that made them kind of unique, though, was that they did me in art school, so it really set an atmosphere to grow up being encouraged to draw encouraged to look at life, the way an artist would look how do we better appreciate the art world differ not immersed in a different not part of it.

I mean for the parent that hasn't seen that in their children should we be trying to encourage them even if they haven't done it yet will being an artist is the most important thing you can be. It's the greatest thing you can make sure it is all you got it from your mom and dad that's what's so amazing. It sounds like, and I know your story. It just sounds like your folks were so good at encouraging you in this. Yeah, you know, I have an older brother and older sister and I think they got out all the bad parenting on now and so when I came 11 they tell you.

Everybody confirms it that my dad, for instance, was a much better dad than the dad, my brother had interest and he was as loving and encouraging, whereas my brother anything he tried to do it was always wrong you doing it wrong whereas and I would do something great job great job Maureen, that's amazing. I want to talk about your dad, and his experience as a young man in World War II because it's so much a part of the story. What happened to him in World War II. He was a prisoner of war in a German prison camp and he was in the Army air Corps and his plane was shot down on a bombing mission over Austria and they landed in Germany and they parachuted out captured put into prison camp and he spent a year there and during that time he did something really unusual.

In fact, for the YouTube watchers that you have a sample here what he created while in camp. What was that when he was a child he wanted to become a comic strip artist and so when he went into the Army air Corps that can put a hold on that thought and got prisoner of war. He had an opportunity to actually live out this dream because he created a comic strip, a daily serial comic strip that would get passed around the whole barracks of the campaign financing it would keep the guys morale up because they had something to look forward to because it was there was lot of boredom in your prison camp. So my dad started this comic strip where he do one panel and get passed around the camp finally get back to him any continue the story on and on and on and I grew up with that you know that story.

I just wish he had brought home some of those drawings so that I could actually in a see with my eyes.

Whether the story was true. You heard all about her that something happened where you got your hands on one year later he had Artie passed away.

I got an email about 10 years ago and seven years ago, and that somebody had written me saying I think I have some drawings of your fathers that were in World War II and I sobbed uncontrollably. It was more emotional than anything I could've experienced.

I cried more about this and that probably when he thought I was so emotional about connectors. That's why do you think that struck you. I mean this is a powerful Caesar you dad this story was put him as a hero in my eyes because it was something he did to like entertain the troops is over. And so it was one of those things were as the years went on and I had no evidence of it, you start to wonder if he embellish the story right. Sure, maybe it wasn't so big of a deal. And then when that showed up it was I getting my dad back again to tell me the story only was real.

Okay, so you're 12 years old. You're getting an interest in art, it's firmly in your genetic coding.

It sounds like with both your parents going to art school meeting in art school, that whole thing had a good progress from there is a €12 boy. I was thinking football for myself. I don't know what you're thinking John Rady know I was thinking actually of art and photography, but okay. Here's to a great difference that I often have parents ask me if there possibly a child should be an artist because they seem so interested in art and I always tell them every kids interested in art until about the age of 12 or 13, and if you still seeing your kid do it at 13 1415 there's a real good chance. Maybe they should be encouraged to be an artist. That's a great rule of thumb and I continued I was just like anybody else I would draw draw draw, but I I've seen all my friends of my children's friends D the same way but my mom was so great about. She was amazing. It's she had the ear of God in and in. He would speak to her. It seemed she didn't know it but she would have the most amazing advice like prophetic advice, and she was always that way and she would say we should check out this article.

You know, and it was some little dinky school receipt and we walked in there and that change the course of my my career because I got a teacher that was incredible and it was because my mom to solid lad he analogies that we should go check this out and out and all my life. She would give me these little. Should you know so that I listen yeah and that led to early jobs when you're still a teenager where you were illustrating for Hollywood pictures right you would do their poster again. My mom got telling her she said I think you should go get a job at the art store local art store. She got I think you meet somebody important that be the right place to go so I thought I'll go get a job there and I worked there for seven months. Nothing happened thought my mom was crazy how will you this point. Like 17 okay 18th of art that is well instilled in art school and out, and I kept my drawings under the table and then this illustrator who I recognize his name. He came in as the first time he had ever come in in the seven months I've been working there and I got all can I show you my work and I showed him some of my school drawings. He gave no reaction is very easy to do this I go yeah I this what I want to do on a be in illustrator and then he didn't say anything. No reaction, and he left and that was the I had actually given notice of the quit. That same day the next day I got a phone call from the art store, saying, hey they've been calling her some agency wants to hire you to be in sketch artist eight so I called the number and they said hey and that illustrator had completely recommended me to an agency and they hide is not only flowers but it was like a long history of sketchiness here in that setting you're doing these movie posters and video jackets and all kinds of things, but it was fulfilling what was the Lord doing in your heart that this moment, how was he know I was totally fulfilled. You were okay Adam I so this is all you needed was a lot of cash. All I want to do is be an artist and I want to be famous and I wanted to do well and I was the thing was going great now honestly I so you run fun and it was handling on if you'd come up to me and said hey you need Jesus or something in your life. I was a hey man, I got my art is my God, that you would say I would say you know I don't need a crutch Jesus as a crutch to find for you, but I needed. I'm fine. But God had a different plan for you.

You had your idea, but what was God doing around you.

You met at a woman right. I met a beautiful girl who was at an art school and I only went there to meet her hand.

She in us you were a little sweater showed her midriff.

I okay got a young man at this point last and you know, so I had an opportunity to teach her class as a substitute teacher at the art school. She was going to and I was already doing well as an illustrator party will not and she said that she was interested but I she was a Christian and that she would never get serious with anyone that wasn't a Christian and I'm thinking you know I don't know what that really means, but she said but if you know you want to go to church with me.

Something will go out with you if that's what I need to do all go to church or the alien meeting. Yeah, she's pretty beautiful so yeah and I'll do that. And so for about six months. We dated and I would go to church sometimes whether now and argue with her afterwards and I like that. I really don't agree with anything. This pastor is saying in and it wasn't really hitting me was a striking me in a and then one day it out. He handed out blank pieces of paper and of all things God decided that the blank piece of paper was gonna be the thing that he would hit me over the head with no sermon. Did it. Nothing. What is he say though that handed out pieces of paper to the whole congregation. He said if you got a talent, God's given you that you could use the help out at the church put it down, put your phone number and send it back and so I didn't have any intention so I'm looking at the white piece of paper therein. Everyone else's write-down stuff around me and I just sit there and it was though my life was flashing before my eyes. One of those movies, sit situations of the words of God's given you a talent, started ringing in my ears because I always had kinda given myself the credit for having learned to draw worked hard to do what I do art was your God part with my God.

But it also. I made it happen and in the end, as is this little movie was planned over in my head of my life. I realized you know what this is no way I could take credit for a lot of the things that I've been able to see in my own's you growing up seeing I can do actually see was given a talent outside of myself that I didn't create it and ended all in this little moment. It was like God was hitting me on the side of the head with a hammer and he said are you using that talent the way I probably would intend that intended for you to use it and I really felt that that was what got that moment, I'm working on posters, movie posters for B movies for things that are like you know work were you wouldn't say I was really utilizing the talent that I had been given in the best way that God would want me to answer really is like a conviction that this point I'm going on now. Sort of like recognizing in this all going on my my girlfriend has no idea this is going on.

You know she's the things I'm ignoring is because I'm not writing anything that and I realize you know what God seems to have given me something, and I'm not using it right and at that very moment I decided will guide if you're real and this is all real. I want to give it back.

I know I'm supposed to like offer what I can do and maybe there's something I can do you know everyone else has things the writing down so at that time they gave a coven altar call, I responded, only because I figured that's probably what I need to do to give my life to say okay God what you want me to do with this Morgan Weiss thing is our guest today on Focus on the Family a stop by our website to see examples of his artwork of his dad's artwork from World War II and to learn more about ways talk about right now, which is what you do when God starts talking to you I would get the details in the episode notes so what was your next step you put out a fleece and you kinda said Lord, if I do move in your direction, so I do the altar call and I couldn't even tell you exactly what I prayed other than in my heart as I was saying the words they told me to say I was also saying I'm just want to give my life over. It was a surrender of sorts, and so then I went home and I prayed, you know, okay, I'm ready let you know what's gonna happen next.

I don't know you know it it was it was a childlike faith of it is some really going to happen. This is real. Maybe something happened and I so after having prayed what you want me to do. I got a phone call literally the next day from an art director and what was interesting was.

He danced around the project little bit for a while and I'm thinking to myself, it just this is normal.

I get phone calls of our directors all the time. This is John yesterday after the next eight or so in my mind I'm really kinda still thinking about.

I wonder what God will do someday.

You know like the Hughes me if this is real and this guy's jabber jabbering about some video series for kids. You now and I'm thinking that sounds like not even like you know close to what I'm you know interested in at the moment right now. You know, because I'm wondering what God will do it and then he convinced me to say yes to this series because I need to do work any of that before we go, I gotta be honest with you because we are a Christian company and have right away, I might now you got your Lenten angles and were doing a video series with Christian values and we will have decided that we can't really find any Christian artists that are of the quality that we want this to be the really give the effect so we went down to a movie poster artist who whose you know in the world of of this stuff and decided that we don't have to have them be a Christian and I just there, what are you kidding me. I prayed yesterday. I've never been called by Christian company in my life and for a job and all of a sudden the day after I prayed that God would use me this focus, and because this is a company called Focus on the Family that is and were doing this thing called McGee and me and we need to do covers for and and so I was in such shock that God, the creator cared about since this little person you know in this little apartment getting phone call of like well you know you really listen to my prayer and since real noisy story. It was one of those things that nobody can ever take away from me right you also. The other thing within your store.

That was so gripping for me is is like when most people commit to the Lord. They just become a sponge you want to learn that happened to me in college, I just stopped reading my textbooks and started reading Scripture.

That's it for for five hours a day in my dorm room and read through the New Testament. You just you have this appetite that the Holy Spirit puts in you to learn you had that same experience but you also augmented that appetite with focus, broadcast cassettes right yes I did well as I was getting more and more involved with focus and one of the art directors who I told my story to privately and I said I just want you to know I just became a Christian you he was so excited and when I came out to Pomona where focus was he introduced me to everybody and they said hey you know, knowing I was a new Christian. If you want to just grab any of the tapes at the time you had a huge wall full of that. I already know that if you want to grab any I was like yeah you know they gave me a bag and ice graph and and so I was listening to Focus on the Family broadcast learning what it meant to be a Christian through people's testimonies because so many of these that I had grabbed were like people who were telling their stories as missionaries and people at extraordinary stories of what God did in our lives and in you know I was done in such a way where it was so compelling at that and still is this this whole broadcast and it was it was interesting to learn about the character of God through these tapes in know it wasn't like listening to sermons. It was literally real people telling their stories and it was just blowing my mind in out tape after tape and my wife, who was your girlfriend is that part of the girl married the girl we got married.

Good guy, so she was great that was neat that she put the hammer down and said listen, I'm a Christian. I know you're not supposed to do it that way. I know they call that missionary dating and but she was very very upfront. This this is not going to be a serious thing will just go see movies or whatever, you know, kind of thing in less you were. It's not like she twisted my arm to be a Christian. She could see I wasn't going to be I was doing nothing but argue she can imagine her shock when all this was going on. Will that surely is great introduction, Morgan Weiss and using his heart and earth thrilled that he's partnering with Focus on the Family again to provide another fine art painting forced offer. That's right, John, and last year he did a wonderful painting called sharing the light that we provided to our listeners in time for Christmas and it was well received.

This year, Morgan has a new painting that I'm very excited about called a prayer for a new life which has a sanctity of human life thing and rather than you and me talk about John.

We need to bring Morgan into the conversation. He is with us by phone from his studio in Southern California, Morgan, are you there I'm here man me.

Yes, great to talk to you again and were so grateful for your partnership with focus and I know many people that purchased last year's prints were very glad they did for our radio listeners. Can you describe this new painting for us. Well, hard radio, but an oil painting I did and it that in the old West time. Which is what I am known for. And so it's set in that time. It went settlers were crossing the great divide of America to don't go West and the viewpoint is from inside of a covered wagon and we're looking out the back of it. So imagine sitting inside the wagon and you're looking out the back of it in the foreground closest to us with the items you know from their travel that they had to take to survive this long track. Now looking past these items will really seek out yet because blocking our view that a young new mother, cradling her baby in her arms standing outside of the wagon and leaning in her husband's estate burned by the hot and his arm is coming in underneath her arm and mother and father both having their heads bowed towards their baby, but their eyes are closed and they are praying for this gift in their arms there offering up a prayer for this new life that they hold and also for the new life that lay before them.

So this kind of a play on that title really of two meetings going on right now and so seen in light streaming in through the opening of the canvas covering of the wagon.

You know how wagons have that roundish oval in Italy. The spark and it sort of frames. This whole scene now looking past the family in front of us. We look outside we see a frontier wilderness.

They start like warm yellows and oranges are contrasting with the cooler colors that are present in the shade of the wagon that were inside of that wagon is really the covering from the heat of the day, and it protects them and in my mind when I was painting that represents the covering of the Holy Spirit really and it's you. We look outside we see in the distance. Another traveler indicating there not alone on this journey live another wagon back there and representing like when you're in the body of Christ. You know you're not alone on this journey either in know that that was another little representation. Morgan is so beautiful it does it does reflect that fragility that life you know expresses the preciousness of life and the importance of what I think you've captured a beautiful, especially for that time. The hardships of life yet the peace of God that comes in the form of a baby. It's really done well so I think you thanks for doing this again with us and I know the folks are gonna love it and I hope many, many people pick up this piece of art from your gifted hand and have it on display right there in their homes.

I'm looking forward to that happening in our home in the daily so get Morgan, thank you so much for partnering with us more than an honor. It should something that is no part of my my story. Focus on the Family is always been an important part of my life and when becoming a Christian and it's still just is blowing my mind I'm still getting to you partner with you guys and and have you and me working together so much. That's amazing. I like to do is be sure to give a hug to Joanna and your two wonderful girls.

We just so appreciate you all. Thank you. I think I can't, John.

It's great to contemplate what the Lord has done and how he reached out and shows a young artist who was doing his own thing. Living for himself and his art, and then God right then God challenge Morgan about how he was using his talents and turned his life around and the Focus on the Family participated in his early discipleship and now all these years later were working together again, and as our listeners and viewers get copies of Morgan's newest painting a prayer for a new life. The financial support that you provide will help us build stronger families rescue more pre-born babies and share God's love with those who need to hear it, but I hope you'll join us in getting your copy of the Sprint and displaying it is such a great reminder about the sanctity of all human life by the way, stop by the website. We got images of this wonderful painting there and then order your copy the link is in the episode notes or call 800 K in the word for it when you get in touch. We'd appreciate it if you'd remember focus on family prayers and in your financial support to let me say thank you Vance for your ongoing partnership with us and on behalf of Jim Daly in the entire team.

Thanks for joining us today for Focus on the Family I'm John Fuller inviting you back next time. Once more help you and your family thrive in Christ that seasons of your life are always moving forward, marriage, parenting, aging well and throw it all. Focus on the Family is alongside me with encouragement from a biblical perspective and now we have a tool that gathers our trust and guidance and support together in one place enhanced Focus on the Family with it you can listen to the Focus on the Family contact engage our social media counselor. All the family at downloaded today from the app store or Google play