ARTWORK (drawing) Deep roots (sgraffito technique)

Pandanus, oil paint stick and enamel paint on snowden paper (2012)

Concept: Developing deep roots
There are few trees at the hastings point headland, most wither and die. There is little water, they are exposed to the scorching sun, and relentless winds. But the pandanus stands strong against their environment because its roots run deep.
Its important to think about this in our spiritual lives. When temptation is fierce.. the shallow believer is brought down. When the trials are overwhelming... the weak in faith crumble. When the questions are profound the weak are found without answers or find their faith shaken. Deep roots are needed in faith.
These roots can be developed by:

1. Read the Bible Daily. I think it is a good idea to read through a whole book of the Bible at a time. You don’t have to read it in one sitting . . . but if you read systematically you will be reading things in their proper context.

2. Sit under the teaching of Great Teachers. There are two thousand years of Believers who have gone before us, many of them have gained great insight into the Christian life.

3. Make Time for Daily Communication With God (Phil. 4:6,7)
Try to get alone with God at the same time every day

• Try to be in the same location every day (it creates a special "sanctuary" in your life) 
• Keep a record of your insights and requests. 
• The mature Christian is a praying Christian. 

4. Discipline Yourself to Make Practical Application of the Truth (James 1:22)
Faith without works, is dead. Work at applying everything: the messages we hear, the books we read, the Scripture passages we study.

There are certainly other disciplines that help bring spiritual growth things like: worship, giving, service. If you begin with these few things you will see real spiritual depth begin to develop in your life.

Subject matter:Pandanus, a tropical tree or shrub with a twisted and branched stem, stilt roots, spiral tufts of long, narrow spiny leaves, and fibrous edible fruit.This particular tree was part of a series of field studies made at Hastings point, NSW australia.

Technique:
Sgraffito is a painting technique where the artist scratches into the top layer of the paint to reveal areas of the surface underneath.
This method is best suited for oil paint as the paint stay wet longer, but acrylic paint mixed with a retarder can also be used. This particular drawing was made by layering oil paint stick onto the paper (snowden paper has a similar surface to cardboard you find at a news agency). And then spraying the surface silver with enamel paint. An etching tool was then used to scratch away the paint to reveal the image




http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-importance-of-deep-roots-jim-parisi-sermon-on-growth-in-christ-57639.asp?Page=3