—Follow Your First Impressions!—A Taped Talk to the Artists! DO 19192/85

1. I'M SORRY TO BE SO PICKY ABOUT THESE TINY DETAILS & ART CHANGES ON THE POSTERS, but when you think of the millions that are going out to the billions‚ not to speak of the literally tens of thousands of dollars these things are going to cost, I think it pays to get'm right! We really want to work on these because they're going to be seen. It's not the kind of thing you just read & throw away, they're going to go up on their walls & hundreds of people are going to see each one & they're going to study'm, so it really is important to get'm right! Well, we're learning as we go.

2. I NEVER DREAMED THAT SOME OF US WERE GOING TO TURN OUT TO BE ART CRITICS‚ BUT REMEMBER, TWO HEADS ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN ONE, & THREE IS EVEN BETTER! Sometimes they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, & that could have a meaning in this case too. We kind of know what we want to see, & if it doesn't look like it should, it's sort of like one of those movies that don't turn out like it ought to. You know what should have happened, what the good ending should have been & how it should have ended, & you're so disappointed when it doesn't work out that way! Well, that's a little bit like your art too.

3. I KNOW THIS IS HARD TO GO THROUGH, ALL THESE CRITICS, INCLUDING ME, & IT'S MUCH EASIER TO CRITICISE SOMETHING THAN IT IS TO HAVE TO DO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE! Like I've always said, it's so much easier to tear down a building than it is to build it, to tear up a car than it is to really take care of it. It's a lot easier to criticise your art than it is to have to draw it. You know I'm no artist, you've seen my childish little scribbles‚ but at least when I look at it I sort of know what I'd like to see & how it ought to be. So will you forgive us, Artists, for making so many suggestions? I'm sure you'd rather have us criticise it before it's printed than after! We've made a few mistakes along that line before & there are some things I wish we had mentioned. But we're coming along now & I think every picture is getting better!

4. I SURE LOVE ALL OF YOUR ART, I JUST WANT TO MAKE IT PERFECT!—AND IT'S HIS, DON'T FORGET! He said that He's the One that gave the Visions! That thrills you when you think of it, you just know He had to inspire you Artists to have these Visions! What do they call it when you kind of get a picture in your mind? The art schools call them conceptions or ideas, sort of your imagination in a way. You've got to get a picture of it in your mind first, so who else could give you these pictures but the Lord? When you're really asking for them & praying for them, you know good & well if you're asking for a fish He'll not give you a serpent, & if you're asking for bread He'll not give you a rock. (Mt.7:9,10) So how much more is He willing to give you these beautiful Visions for you to paint! How willing He must be to put the picture in your mind!

5. SO WHEN YOU SEE IT, BELIEVE IT!—THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES FOR THIS SORT OF WORK! That's why I've told you artists that your work is closer to mine than almost anybody's, because it takes faith to believe what you see & hear! You've got to really believe it, you've got to have the faith that, "Well, I asked Him, & that was my first reaction, my first impression, the first thing that came to my mind."

6. MAYBE SOME PEOPLE THINK I'M HASTY, BUT I FIGURE IF YOU'RE REALLY SEEKING THE RIGHT THING, THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO YOUR MIND IS THE RIGHT THING! As the little boy said, the first thing you hear is God's Voice, and the next one that tells you to do something naughty is the Devil's voice! So I've always gone great by first impressions. My Mother used to say first impressions mean so much!—Your first impression of a food, your first impression of a picture, your first impression even of something you get from the Lord. The second one is apt to be contrary or make you doubt it or is the voice of doubt and contradiction, and that's to test your faith.

7. SO ARTISTS, DON'T HESITATE TO FOLLOW THAT FIRST IMPRESSION! IT TAKES FAITH TO BELIEVE WHAT YOU SEE! How do you think I get it? I get it the same way and I have to believe it and I have to have the faith to believe it enough to go ahead and give it!—If I hadn't, you wouldn't be here! And sometimes it's hard to believe, really hard to believe. Sometimes I've really hesitated, almost doubted, but I just knew it had to be, so I went ahead. Sometimes I was afraid of the reaction. I knew it was from Him, but I was afraid other people wouldn't believe it, that it was just too hard to believe!—Like "They Can't Stop Our Rain". (#128) I held that Letter back for weeks because I just didn't think people could believe it! But it's so true, and now we've got the proof, they never were able to stop it and they never will!

8. AND BOY, WHEN THESE POSTERS HIT THE STREETS, BROTHER, THEY WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO STOP IT! When these get on people's walls, they will never ever be able to forget'm! Even if they took'm away from'm & burned'm & tore'm up or anything else, they'll never forget that picture! That picture is indelibly impressed on their minds & they will never forget it. They have got a permanent photograph in their head, even if they only see it once. Even passing down the street‚ if they just see it, they'll never forget it!—And they'll be held responsible for it too. Every one is a real Message!

9. SO DON'T YOU ARTISTS FORGET WHEN YOU'RE DOING THIS THAT YOU'RE NOT JUST DRAWING PRETTY PICTURES, YOU'RE NOT JUST TRYING TO PLEASE ME OR THE PEOPLE, BUT YOU'RE TRYING TO PLEASE THE LORD & YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT HIS MESSAGE, WHAT HE WANTS! So ask Him for guidance on every stroke: "Now‚ Lord, is this what You want? Is this the way You want it?—Not just me or my co-workers‚ but is this the way You want it?"—And then I know you'll get Divine guidance.—I know! That's the way I do. I say, "Lord, You answer me! I need help, I need the answer & I'll take the first thing that comes!"—And sometimes the first thing that comes is almost unbelievable, a little hard to have faith for, but I go ahead‚ & it's worked! PTL!

10. YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE THE FAITH THAT THOSE PICTURES YOU SEE ARE FROM HIM‚ & when you're really sincere & pleasing Him & trying to do your best & you really want to get out the Message, when you sit down at that table & ask Him to give it to you‚ I'm sure He does! It's obvious that He does from what I've seen! Some of you didn't do so well because you must not have asked. The Lord says‚ "Ask & it shall be given you, seek & ye shall find, knock & it will be opened unto you!" (Mat.7:7)—And that holds true of these artistic conceptions as well, the pictures that He gives, He Himself called them Visions!

11. DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A VISION & A DREAM?—A dream is when you're asleep & a vision is when you're awake! So when you Artists sit down at your art table & start to draw, are you asleep or awake? I hope you're awake & you haven't been over-working! So when you get a picture like that & you can just almost see it right on your paper, even before you put a line on it, that's a Vision!—And He promised that He was giving them, that they were from Him! So you accept that & believe it, take it & draw it! You're just sort of tracing the lines of the picture He's already put on the paper! It's almost like tracing, isn't it? He gives you the picture & you just trace the outlines.

12. SO GOD BLESS YOU! YOU ARTISTS ARE REALLY DOING TREMENDOUSLY, I'M JUST ABSOLUTELY THRILLED WITH THESE PICTURES, WE LOVE'M! We love all those kids' pictures too! We've got so many now we'll never be able to get'm all out, we'll never get done! Well, now wait a minute, I'll take that back! We've got a Thousand Years to come, so why not? Those people are still going to need a lot of help‚ so why wouldn't they enjoy these pretty pictures on their walls? Even if outside it's like that, they can still have some pretty pictures on the wall inside. So why not? Besides, they've got the Message they need to learn! So go to it, Artists! You've got a Thousand-Year job ahead of you! TYL! Lord bless & keep'm & continue to make'm a blessing, in Jesus' name, amen!—ILY & your Art!—D.

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family