Bridge Builders International
We build living bridges to Latvia...in Latvia...and from Latvia
Bridge Builders International
We build living bridges to Latvia...in Latvia...and from Latvia

by Chuck Kelley

Kristine's 'worship painting' has been an important component of BBI's signature events, Prayer Days and Mission Days. Many hearts have been touched. Recently I interviewed Kristine.
Chuck: Kristine, my heart is blessed every time I see you 'worship paint'. I sometimes imagine being the one holding the brush, but I wouldn't like the pressure. It would be too hard for me. Isn't it quite difficult?


Chuck Every artist I know struggles when deciding what to paint. These struggles are often so strong that artists sometimes even fail to start new paintings. How do you decide what to paint when you are doing your worship art?


Chuck: But there is a strong relationship between what you paint and the worship music, isn't there?
Kristine: Yes, but I really want God to guide me...not just the worship team. Sometimes music leaders have asked what I am planning to paint. So I give them the idea, and then they might change the selection or order of some the songs. But even then God surprises me how He guides my hand with every stroke and how He guides the musicians at the same time. There have literally been times, like at Prayer Days, when the musicians are singing about being safe in Father's arms and right at that moment I paint the part were the infant is in Jesus' arms. I remember in my painting Jesus' words "remain in my love" and as I was writing the word "love" they were singing those same words. This was unplanned and shows me some of those glimpses of God surprising me and at the same time confirming that He had planned it that way. Those are the moments that make me very excited about painting and I really see it as a tool to evangelize and encourage His children.
Chuck: Please describe what was going on inside of your when you created the two paintings for Prayer Days.
Kristine: At Prayer Days the theme was about the father's (God) relationship with his children (us). So as I was praying and preparing for this, one day while I was driving back from Riga to Ergli I was listening to Paul Baloche's song "To the Cross". The chorus says, "He spread His arms open wide; I lift my hands up high."
That impressed on me deeply. Right a way I could see the painting of Jesus hanging on the cross with his arms stretched out head bowed, kind of from a view from above, his blood dripping from his wounds and a man standing under with his back to me his head and hands raised up high to Jesus. Compositionally, this idea actually looks like a cross. The neat part was that as I started painting I didn't feel that this needed to be an adult figure, but more of a child. But of course everyone could imagine and see in the picture what he wants to see.
Chuck: Tell me about your second painting?
Kristine: My second painting was with Jesus holding an infant. The concept came from looking at a lot of father-child or father-son photographs. I also looked at my husband's pictures with our children. I chose a recent photo in which Dustin was holding his youngest brothers' firstborn son, Reuben, just few weeks old. The interesting part about it is that it looks just like the photo of Dustin holding our firstborn daughter, Bethany.
My idea in this painting is to show how Jesus sees us in relationship with Himself. Yes He is the SON, but He is also GOD, so he is the visible part of Father God. He makes it possible to see how Father God sees us. Just as we look with complete love to the little life that is in our arms, He looks to us.
And the other side of this picture is also just the fact that Jesus has a special and beautiful love for the little babies. I very often talk about this with my girls. I really want them to see how crazy God is about them. They very well know how their earthly dad is absolutely mad about them, but Jesus is more, more, more.
So we are invited to "remain in His love" just like this little helpless infant!
To Paint is to Worship
11 July 2010
“My idea in this painting is to show how Jesus sees us in relationship with Himself. Yes He is the SON, but He is also GOD, so he is the visible part of Father God.”
Kristine Peterson
Kristine Peterson Discusses her ‘Worship Art’
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