I'm Beginning to See a Pattern Here…

Have you ever had a series of seemingly unrelated things happen in your life, and suddenly you begin to wonder if there's a connection?

Well, I've had a few of those lately. And I'm beginning to see a pattern here!

I recently returned from a 12-day, three-city trip that began in Kansas City, took me to Denver, and ended in Anaheim, California. I shared a little about the adventure in my last newsletter, including the challenges of traveling with just a carry-on and backpack. I survived, but next time I'm checking my bags! 😂

But there's another part of this trip I haven't told you about.

The original reason for going was to attend the Ascended Life Community Gathering in Kansas City. I've been associated with this community for several years, learning and exploring what it means to live from Heaven to Earth, from our position of being seated with Jesus Christ in heavenly places.

It's an understanding that has profoundly influenced how I live, pray, and create art.

In fact, I started an online art group called The Ascended Artist, where we spent time with Jesus, exploring what it means to create with Him from that heavenly perspective. The group isn't currently active, but I have recordings of our past gatherings available. If that interests you, just reach out to me!

After Kansas City and a wonderful visit with family in Denver, I headed to Anaheim for LifeWave's annual convention, called Luminate.

Now, here's where it gets interesting.

If you've followed my art this past year, you've probably noticed how much of it has been about the glory of God. I've been trying to capture something of His radiant Presence on canvas. Light pouring through clouds, glorious colors, golden atmospheres, and that luminous quality that seems to invite you to look beyond what your natural eyes can see.

I use the word luminous frequently when describing my paintings.

And here I am at a convention called LUMINATE!

Okay, that's fun. I noticed the connection and smiled.

But then they announced the name of next year's convention in Orlando, Florida.

ASCEND!

Seriously, Lord? 😊

I had to laugh. I began this trip with the Ascended Life Community, I've had The Ascended Artist for years, and now the company I'm involved with is moving from Luminate to Ascend.

I realize these are just names chosen for conferences, but the connections certainly caught my attention.

There's another reason this particular company has become meaningful to me.

LifeWave's founder, inventor, and CEO, David Schmidt, openly shares his Christian faith and credits divine inspiration as part of his journey into developing light-based wellness technology. I find that fascinating because light has been such a significant theme in my own spiritual life and artwork.

His vision of helping people experience greater health and vitality resonates with me.

And the technology itself intrigues me. LifeWave makes small, non-transdermal patches designed to interact with the body's own infrared energy. They're simple to use, and I've been using them as part of my personal wellness routine.

At the convention, I met people with remarkable personal stories. I enjoyed hearing about their experiences and the difference they believe they've seen in their lives.

And then there's my own story.

Mine isn't dramatic. It's been a gradual process of recovering from years of caregiving, walking through Steve's transition to Heaven, and learning how to live again in a world that looks very different from the one I knew.

I don't attribute that journey to any one thing. My relationship with Jesus, the love of family and friends, caring for my health, and allowing myself to look forward again have all been part of it.

But I came home from Anaheim with a renewed enthusiasm for helping others pursue health and vitality, alongside my continuing love for painting and creating with God.

For a long time, much of my life revolved around what needed to be done for someone else. I wouldn't trade the love behind those years, but I am discovering that I have choices and opportunities now that I haven't had in a very long time.

And I'm beginning to enjoy making them!

I don't know exactly what this next season will look like. There are paintings waiting to be created, opportunities to explore, people to meet, and a few ideas that haven't quite taken shape yet.

What I do know is that I want to live fully present to Jesus and whatever He's inviting me into.

Maybe all these connections are simply delightful coincidences. Or maybe the Lord is getting my attention in a way He knows I'll recognize.

Either way, I'm paying attention.

And I'm looking forward to what comes next.

With joy,

Claudia

I Didn't Expect This Part

It’s officially fall, although you might not know it by stepping outside.

We’re still having hot days here in Northern California, and heat waves have been popping up in other parts of the country too. But within a few weeks, our days will be noticeably different. Cooler mornings. Earlier evenings. Different light.

The calendar says the season has already changed. It just takes a while for everything else to catch up.

I think life can be like that too.

I’m writing this as I get ready for a 12-day, three-city trip—ministry training, time with family in Kansas and Denver, and then the annual LifeWave convention in Anaheim.

And, rather ridiculously, I am attempting to do the whole thing with one carry-on. 😂

A trip like this wouldn’t have been possible for me for many years. My life had certain boundaries, responsibilities and rhythms. I didn’t resent them. They were simply part of loving Steve and the life we shared.

But my season has changed.

I’m beginning to notice the change in very practical ways. I can go somewhere because I want to go. I can say yes to an opportunity without first calculating all the logistics at home. I’m making new friends. New possibilities are showing up that I wasn’t even looking for.

And I can make a decision because it feels right—and because Jesus and I have talked about it.

That kind of freedom still feels new to me.

My art is stretching me in much the same way. I’m beginning to reach beyond the places where my work has been known and comfortable, trying to figure out how to introduce it to people outside my familiar world. I don’t quite know how to do that yet. It’s requiring some creative thinking and a willingness to try things that may or may not work.

I’m also thinking about ministry again in ways I haven’t for years.

The funny thing is, I find myself anticipating good things.

Maybe that has surprised me most.

October seems like a pretty good picture of it. Summer doesn’t abruptly disappear because the calendar says fall has arrived. We can still have an afternoon that feels like August, then step outside the next morning and know something is changing.

The seasons overlap.

Maybe that’s one reason Further In has stayed with me even after I finished painting it.

There’s a path in that painting leading toward something beautiful in the distance, but you can’t see every detail of where it goes.

Apparently, I painted something I’m now living.

I don’t know exactly what this next season will look like. For once, I’m pretty comfortable not knowing.

There is something rather wonderful about waking up and asking,

“So, Jesus…what are we doing today?”

And being genuinely curious about the answer.

Further In

Sometimes you know what is drawing you long before you know exactly how to get there.

That is what began to emerge as I painted Further In.

The way ahead isn't completely defined. But we can recognize what is drawing us.

A path winds through an abundant landscape of flowers, trees and color toward a distant city. Above it hangs an enormous cloud filled with the fiery glory of God. The fire seems to fall upon the city, and yet nothing is consumed. Instead, everything is surrounded by light and Presence.

Even the path itself isn't completely certain. Is it earth? Is it water? The landscape feels familiar, and yet there is something otherworldly about it too.

At first, the glory in the distance seems to be the destination.

Follow the path. Keep going. There is more ahead.

But look again.

The light isn't only in the distance.

It is touching the path. It is reflected in the landscape. It is already here.

And that became the deeper meaning of this painting for me.

We can spend so much of our lives looking toward what is ahead—waiting for the breakthrough, the answer, the fulfillment of a promise, the next place God is leading us. We see something in the distance and recognize, That's where I'm going.

There is nothing wrong with that longing. I believe God places desires in us that keep drawing us deeper into Him.

But His Presence isn't waiting for us at the end of the road.

He's on the road with us.

The glory that seems to be calling from the distance is the same Presence surrounding us here.

And there is another side to the invitation.

Sometimes we become so satisfied with the goodness we have already experienced that we can settle comfortably into where we are. We have known His faithfulness. We have tasted His goodness. We have found peace in His Presence.

And still, there is more.

Not because what He has given us isn't enough, but because He is inexhaustible.

That is the two-way invitation of Further In.

To recognize and receive His Presence right where we are—and at the same time, remain responsive when He draws us deeper.

His Presence is not merely something we pass through on our way to something else.

He is the reward.

He is our satisfaction, our safety and our peace. Ultimately, everything we are searching for is found in Him.

Maybe that is why the path in this painting needed to remain a little mysterious.

We don't always need to see the whole road.

We only need to recognize the One who is drawing us—and discover that He has been with us all along.

Receive the beauty of where you are.

And when He draws you deeper, go further in.