Left To Die (Book Cover)

I painted this for the cover of my Pastor's book, soon to be published. As a child, Pastor Dennis Arnold was the victim of polio. He was left to die in this unlit unheated janitor's closet by his alcoholic father. It was their "home" for a while. His dad put a padlock on the door so no one could enter the room, kept the only key, and left for several days intending to find the boy dead when he returned. At some point during the dad's absence, Jesus entered the room, picked Dennis up off the floor, and left him a glass of milk and a balogna sandwich! No joke! When his dad returned and unlocked the door he saw Dennis sitting up in a chair, alive and well. Needless to say, he was totally shocked and amazed that anyone could have entered the room since he had the only key to the padlock. Years later, as an adult, Pastor Dennis led his dad to accept Jesus.

This painting depicts what Pastor Dennis remembers about being picked up off the cold wooden floor by Jesus. He distinctly remembers the warmth of Jesus's sleeves. The models for the painting are Pastor's son and grandson.

Pastor Arnold's story is available on DVD. It is totally awesome! He will soon be on TBN with a half hour program that will run for several weeks. Look for it soon. He is the pastor of Healing Waters Church in Alabaster, AL. I've donated the painting to the church and Pastor Dennis plans on offering giclees of it on canvas for donations to help build our Training Center.

Merry Christmas to all. Jesus is the reason for this and all seasons!