by Matt Philleo | Oct 25, 2016 | Christianity & Culture, Personal Inspiring Stories
On my way to band practice at church last Thursday, I saw a vehicle with its flashers on.
Instinctively, I pulled over and asked if the motorist needed help. Apparently the clutch went out on his car, and to top it off, his cellphone didn’t work! So I let him use mine. He wasn’t able to get a hold of someone to help, and since he was on his way to work, he asked if it wasn’t too much trouble if I could drop him off.
“Absolutely,” I said.
During our brief drive I got acquainted with him a little more. He was effusively thankful that I took him to work, even though I was supposed to be at band practice. He apologized that he caused me to miss my appointment.
“You are more important than that,” I shared. “God has been good to me. And so I just want to show that love to other people.”
As I chatted with this man, I discovered he was a Muslim. I briefly shared with him how I came to know Jesus (Isa is what Muslims call Him) and why I know I’m going to heaven not based on anything good I have done, but because of what He did for me.
We did not argue theologically at all. He just listened to me share, and then he shared a bit about his beliefs, and about his job. And by that time, I dropped him off at his workplace and he thanked me again.
“I want to let you know I love you, and may God bless you.” I added, as I shook his hand. “Call me if you need any more help.”
“Allah bless you, my new friend said, “and may he repay your kindness to me.”
This man did not have three heads. He did not cry “Allahu Akbar” and try to chop off my head. And yes, as a Christian, I do not agree with the teachings of Islam, since they do not acknowledge the deity and salvation of Jesus Christ. True, there may be a day–following the current trend–when America could become a Muslim nation. I’m not clueless about that. And of course we as American citizens should be able to protect ourselves at the moment where our loved ones lives may be in danger.
But how will I see these people today?
Middle Eastern man walking, public domain photo
Will I see people different from me as a group first to fear and then to hate, or will I see them as people just like me…people who need the Lord?
Many Muslims are born into their religion, not knowing anything different. They want to have some assurance of heaven or paradise, like most people do, and they are taught that the only way they can possibly get that is through a lifetime of good works, or instantly through a martyr’s death. By contrast, Christians depend on the certainty of righteousness, given as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ, by His completed work on the cross.
The truth is, Muslims, like the rest of the lost world, are in the dark and need the light shined on them.
Recently, a guy I was chatting with mentioned how he was listening to a talk show that was talking about Muslims taking over our country, and he is prepared to get a gun and start taking them down.
Really?
You have to be careful what you listen to.
American Flag, public domain photo
As a Christian, I am not in the business of trying to save America. I’m trying to save–or rather let Christ in me–save people who live in America.
If America as we know it goes down, it is not the end of the world.
In the Bible, you don’t read Paul admonishing the Christians in Rome to rebel against the tyranny of Caesar, to look up to Rome as a shining city on a hill, or to keep the Empire from being overrun by pagan barbarians. No, he said pay your taxes, fear God, honor the king. Christians can lose their purpose and weary themselves out in trying to prop up a decaying system and culture. The culture will always be threatened by outside forces, often beyond our control. But regardless of the culture, people can always be reached.
All I know is I loved this man. Moments before, I was listening to a sermon on the radio, where the preacher said you don’t have to necessarily feel love. You can just intentionally choose to love. I asked God to help me with that. A moment later, He gave me an opportunity. And I believe, by faith, Jesus loved him through me.
He is not one of “them.”
He is a human being, created in the image of God, and should have every opportunity to be saved, just as I am, by God’s grace. He should be the recipient of mercy and love, just as all of us are.
And who can say that God hasn’t allowed Muslims to live in this country, even the large influx of recent refugees, so that the Christians in this land would reach out to them and share who Jesus is?
Please pray for this man to come to know Jesus. From what I understood in our brief conversation, there are others reaching out to him as well.
“Passing Through,” 15″ x 30″, Acrylic on Hardboard, by Matt Philleo
In the end, America is not my home. I’m on my way to a better country.
That’s what this painting, “Passing Through,” illustrates. I created this back in 2004, depicting a man who is obviously out of place, riding on a camel through a Midwestern town. If you are a Christian, you are just passing through this world as a traveler, on your way to your permanent residence in heaven!
I thank God for all the blessings I have in this country, but if every one were stripped away, I would still have my relationship with Christ, and that would be more than enough. And I want to others to enjoy that relationship with him too, whether they be called Catholic, Protestant, Jew, atheist, Buddhist or Muslim.
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by Matt Philleo | Jan 25, 2016 | New Artwork, Personal Inspiring Stories
I was recently asked to do a pencil drawing, a memoriam portrait for my neighbor Laura, whose boyfriend had just passed away several days ago. I had been to their home a few times, reading the Bible with them, and praying with them. Unfortunately, the man’s health was declining and he suddenly took a turn for the worse and was gone, at age 53.
It makes you realize how short life is. I’ve gotten to know quite a few of my neighbors and I’ve seen many of them pass away at younger ages than you’d like to see people go.
But when it’s time for someone to go, it’s time. Death is an appointment we all have to keep.
The Bible says “…it’s appointed for man once to die, and after this the judgment.” But we also have a great promise that Jesus Christ conquered death by suffering the penalty of sin–death–on the cross for our benefit. Then, He rose again to prove that the work was accomplished! All we have to do is trust in Him, what He did for us–taking the punishment of sin we deserve (death) and receive that benefit of eternal life. And the reason God sent His son to die for us is because He loves us!
Life is too short to avoid the risk of sounding a little preachy. If you’re reading this and don’t know Jesus, think about what I’m saying–what God is speaking to your heart. Take it in.
What sounds like bad news–the brevity of life or certain trials and difficulties–can become your greatest blessing.
Many blessings are hidden in things that look dismal, dark and unattractive. Diamonds look terrible as they’re drawn out of coal, but hidden in all that dark and dirty material is a gem waiting for the seeking person to find. Pearls are created through the irritation the clam experiences from sand within the shell. A forest fire leaves a wasteland behind, but it’s that very same scorched earth that is the perfect soil for new plants to grow in!
Sketch of Paul, 11 x 14, pencil on paper, by portrait artist Matt Philleo
This pencil portrait sketch of my neighbor Paul took me about 2 1/2 hours to do, an 11 x 14. I used the side of the pencil lead for most of the dark areas, and wiped with a tissue to blend it in. I prayed as I drew the picture that God would use it to comfort my grieving neighbor.
When I handed the drawing off to Laura (the bereaved) earlier this week, her eyes just lit up with joy and she gave me a big hug. She came by our house a couple nights ago again to thank me and asked my wife and I to pray with her.
My wife had been listening to her and encouraging her while I was away at the studio. We are praying that the God of all comfort would touch this dear lady and make His love so real to her in her time of need. If God leads you to do so, please pray with us. Thank you!
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by Matt Philleo | Dec 14, 2015 | Personal Inspiring Stories
Last week, I shared part of my story on how I became a professional artist.
Here is “the rest of the story.”
Instead of just calling it, “Part 2,” I want to title this post according to the main problem I faced, which at the time was not having enough money for rent. I hope that my experience can encourage you, too, if you are going through a rough time right now.
The sketch shown above is a quick drawing I did that reminds me of Job–that man in the Bible who suffered probably like no one else on this earth ever did, except maybe Jesus and the apostle Paul. Great story of going through a trial and coming out on top! I encourage you to read it sometime.
My story was nothing like that, but I sure felt like Job when I was going through it. Maybe you have, too.
After my sales/service job was downsized during the great recession of 2008, I had made the choice to go into doing artwork full time. At first things were great. Several people in my church asked me to do portraits for them and business was rolling along. And then…
My commissions ran out around September of 2009. It didn’t take long to fall behind on bills. We were almost two months behind on rent. Things were not looking good. I thought, “maybe I need to scrap this whole artist thing and get a real job.”
However, my wife advised: “You need to do what God has called you to do. We need to fast and pray.”
“How long?” I asked. I didn’t like fasting.
“However long it takes!”
So we fasted and prayed. And there we were in the kitchen one night praying. Suddenly, the thought occurred to me: “What would you do if you had the rent money in your hands?” The thought was so clear and bright that I knew it had to be from the Lord.
I said, “Well, I would be lifting my hands and praising you!”
And then He said: “Do that right now.”
“Victory in Surrender” 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, by Matt Philleo.
So I did.
And immediately, a feeling of peace and joy flooded me.
I knew God was going to take care of me. I knew I had that rent money.
“Wow, so this is what faith feels like!” I thought. I wasn’t hoping. I was actually believing.
Faith is a gift. If you’re lacking in faith, take the faith you have to seek God for more, and He will increase your faith!
The next day at church, someone came up to me and said, “Matt, I’d like to commission you to do some art for me. I don’t even know what of yet, but here is a check.”
That down deposit took care of part of it, and then my brother in law, knowing my situation, decided to give me a gift for the rest of the rent. And we had it! God was faithful!
I’d like to say my faith was rock-solid since then. But I’ve had a few lapses.
Even though I was concentrating on art, I took up a couple side jobs to fill in the gaps between commissions.
My most recent job was working at a local recycling center–dirty, dangerous, and hazardous work. We would process aluminum cans, chop up pieces of brass from faucets, dismantle things that really aren’t meant to be dismantled, to extract the valuable metals from them. With the machinery we used, once false move at any time could be fatal.
I worked there for about a year and a half. My employers liked my work and treated me well. But one day, around Christmas, the thought occurred to me, “What are you doing here?
In the meantime one of my co-workers had a severe accident and lost part of his finger. That made me think! I had several commissions lining up that I didn’t have enough time to complete because of this side job. I prayed, and I figured it was time to move on.
That was two years ago.
I can now call myself a professional artist. This is what I do full time and how I make a living. Although things are pretty tight, God is providing for my family and I. Providentially, I’ve been able to do a few hundred commissioned portraits, and most of them in the last few years!
The best part is I get to be home with my kids and pray and tuck them into bed every night. I love being able to share my faith in Jesus in an authentic way at art shows when people ask what my work is about. And I’m doing what God created me to do.
Is there a passion that you have lying dormant that you would love to use? It may not be something you necessarily need to do as a profession, but a special skill God gave you that you’d like to use but, for some reason, are hesitant to?
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by Matt Philleo | Dec 9, 2015 | Personal Inspiring Stories
When I was 14, I had my first art commission, back in 1991. My mom’s friend asked me to draw a pencil portrait montage of one of her close friends. That started the ball rolling, and I did a few commissioned portraits while yet in high school.
During high school, my art teachers encouraged me to pursue a career in the arts. I took that advice to heart and attended Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design in 1996. I did well, averaging a 3.8 GPA, but with the extremely high tuition cost I left after a year.
Since that time, I worked in several jobs over the years–dishwashing, ad designing, retail sales, vacuum repair, recycling–but I was always hesitant to do art full time.
It was just something that I thought would “happen” down the road when things lined up perfectly, or I got that mysterious “breakthrough.”
Then, in 2008, I was 31 years old, traveling on the road away from home, days on end, working at a fairly high-paying but stressful training/manager job. I was gone so much that my baby son didn’t know even who I was when I returned.
On a Sunday afternoon, my mother in law asked me this question: “Matt, why are you continuing in this dead-end job? What is it do you think you’re meant to do?”
My first commissioned drawing, 11 x 14, pencil on paper, 1991.
I said, “I think I’m supposed to be doing art full time.”
She replied pointedly, “Well, why aren’t you doing it then?”
“Because I don’t know if my bills will get paid.”
“What?! And God can’t meet your needs? He can’t take care of you?”
That was like a dagger straight to my heart. I knew God was speaking to me.
I prayed and seriously considered giving my two weeks notice.
And then, out of the blue, my boss flew up from the corporate headquarters near Cleveland to meet with me. I didn’t know what the meeting would be about. I thought of taking this occasion to give my notice, but a friend who had prayed with me advised me to not be hasty, and just let God lead.
We got a place at the restaurant and sat down.
My boss told me, “Matt, we like everything you’ve done for the company. You’ve hired and trained the service technicians we’ve asked you to and done a great job. But, with the recession, we’ve had to make several cuts in the company, and had to let some people go. Unfortunately, you will be one of them.”
I said, “That’s all right, John. God’s going to take care of me.”
He was amazed. “I didn’t expect you would take this that well. It sure takes a load off my chest.”
Commissioned wedding portrait, 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, copyright 2015, by portrait artist Matt Philleo
And so I had the sign that I should step out in faith and do art full time.
I had a family: a 1 1/2 year old and another baby on the way. But although I was a bit scared, I knew that now was the time.
I announced this decision to people at my church, that I was now a full-time artist. Not everyone thought it was a wise idea, but immediately, I received several portrait commissions from people there. God really blessed my decision and I had confirmation right away that I was on the right path.
I’d like to say everything’s been a bed of roses since then, but I’ve had many tests of faith.
I will share more about that in my next post.
How about you?
Are you currently in a job right now that you feel is not your calling? (I understand, sometimes it’s necessary to be there for a while.)
Or are you in a job you love?
What was your journey to get to where you are now?
Or the journey you would like to take to get to where you want to be?
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by Matt Philleo | Nov 19, 2015 | Personal Inspiring Stories
I‘ve been doing art from my home part time for the past ten years and full time for the past two. It’s been great in many ways to work from home, to be available to help with household tasks from time to time, and get that tax break, but it has its limitations.
Sometimes clients would like to visit and see my studio. I’m glad for that, but when your studio is a small bedroom up some narrow, winding stairs in a small apartment, it makes it difficult to have visitors. Not that I’m complaining. I just went with the flow and worked with what I have.
My current 9′ x 13′ studio. 6 1/2′ high; my head almost touches the ceiling!
But about a month ago, an opportunity for a more adequate studio space opened up.
I got an email from Jackie Boos, facilities director of the newly formed
Artisan Forge Studios here in my city of Eau Claire, asking me to check out their new studio spaces for artists. A successful metal fabricator and sculpturist, Greg Johnson, bought the old MidState Trucking building on Clairemont Avenue recently and began converting the 20,000 square feet space into a
potential melting pot of creativity where artists could work, hang out, meet with each other and people in the community.
I thought, “well, I should at least meet with Jackie, and if nothing else, at least I’ll learn about the place and get to know another person in the art world.” In the back of my mind, though, I was thinking, “How much is studio rent going to cost me?”
Most studio/ office spaces in Eau Claire start at $1,000/ month.
Artisan Forge Studios, 1107 W. Clairemont Ave, Eau Claire, WI. This is where I plan to open my studio in January 2016!
It was time to use my imagination.
Jackie was super-friendly and showed me the vision for the place, which Greg had bought about a month ago. (It still looked pretty rough.) But we artists know how to visualize things! Each artist would have their own private walled-in 12′ x 12′ studio space, WiFi and utilities included. There would be a coffee-shop style meeting place for artists and visitors to hang out. In addition, there would be spaces for artists to exhibit their work and other rooms available to teach or demonstrate.
I listened to her talk, and was very interested in the possibilities. “Great,” I was thinking, “but what’s the rent?”
“So the rent is $200 a month,” she said, as if answering my thoughts.
“Well that’s really affordable,” I replied.
“It’s also month-to-month leasing, too.”
Even better, I thought. Definitely gives you peace of mind that you’re not locked in for a year.
Yet with all of this–and I was very impressed with the potential space and possibilities to meet more customers and expand my art business–I still needed to be certain I was making a good decision. I don’t like to do things hastily.
So I prayed about it. For over a week. Even though it almost seemed like a no-brainer…
…I still had to check with God and make sure it’s what He wanted me to do.
Another consideration was: although the rent was super affordable, an extra $200 a month would still be tough to swing on my budget.
I got some direction through reading the Bible. I often ask God to speak to me through His word, and He does so many times. Several verses seemed to challenge me to walk in faith. However, I didn’t get the clear answer I was looking for, except a verse in Proverbs (24:6) that says you should ask for advice when making a decision.
Proverbs 24:6
So that’s what I did. The people I asked thought it was a great opportunity and I should go for it.
That was more confirmation I was heading in the right direction, but I needed a little more. Sometimes I think God has to hit me over with the head with stuff before I’ll act! But He is so merciful to me, even when I walk around in hesitation and ambiguity.
When God shows you the way, He will make a way.
I said, “Lord, I need to pay a down deposit on that rent. If this is your will for me to join Artisan Forge, please provide it for me by Wednesday.” I had to get back to Jackie by then and let her know if I was ready to commit. Well, I got a couple payments for a commission and a print on Tuesday and then Wednesday, almost down to the penny of what I needed. That was a green light!
Wait, not so fast.
The last thing that had to line up was my wife being in agreement on this. I told her a week prior that I wouldn’t sign on if she objected. She had some concerns about it and didn’t seem in favor of it originally. (The Bible says, “Can two walk together unless they be in agreement?”)
So I told her on Wednesday after the provision came in, “I think God is leading me to join Artisan Forge Studios.”
She gave me the nod. “Ok.” My wife is the more logical one, I’m the more emotional one in our relationship. So that reaction means she’s with me on it.
Now, with my wife on board…it’s a done deal.
I am so excited to be moving into my new studio space! I plan on moving in the beginning of January, after all the Christmas commotion has settled down. I’ll be sharing more about the space later, when I begin packing things up and start the process of moving in. In the meantime, I thank God for this new opportunity!
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by Matt Philleo | Sep 29, 2015 | New Artwork, Personal Inspiring Stories
My goal as an artist and, I feel, my calling in life, is to encourage people. So, when dealing with the subject of death, it’s easy to think of it in a morose, depressing way, but I would rather look at the positive side.
Just like the leaves changing colors and falling to the ground signals that autumn is here and winter is on it’s way, so also when someone dies, we are reminded of the brevity of life. We think again about our priorities and if we are doing the things that really matter. It’s so easy to chase after more stuff, more success, and happiness in all the wrong places. But the only thing we can take with us when we die is ourselves and those we love.
My neighbor, Stu, died about a month ago. I had just gotten to know him–he lived a couple blocks down, but would often walk by and then hang out my next-door neighbor’s house. He was the big, rough kind of a guy that could definitely hold his liquor, but had a softer side too.
We found that out when my wife had stopped by our neighbor’s house. Stu was sitting out in front, and he was introduced to my eight-year-old son, who has special needs. When my son found out Stu’s name, he said, “BEEF Stew!” That was the first association in his mind apparently. Stu just smiled and laughed.
Later on, I gave Stu a print of my drawing “Inscribed,” that has the hands of God with many names etched in. I was surprised that Stu really loved the drawing and was touched by it. He came by later that week and gave us a huge bag of frozen chicken and fish that he had caught, enough to feed a small army! We were really blessed by that generosity.
That was the last we saw Stu.
We found out Saturday morning that he had gone out motorcycle riding Friday night, missed a turn in the road, and that was it. He was gone.
I drew this sketch of him (11 x 14, pencil on paper), made prints of it, and had them given to his family at the funeral. My hope is that it would help ease their loss and be an encouragement to them.
“Stu,” 11 x 14, pencil on paper, by Matt Philleo, portrait artist
My neighbor’s untimely passing made me think again about how short life is. And how we need to treasure every moment we have. More than that, we have a promise from God that this death is not the end, but only the beginning. As Jesus said, “He who hears my word has eternal life, and will not come into judgment, but has crossed over from death to life.” And also, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”
If we trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, paying the price of our sins with his shed blood, death, and resurrection, we do not need to fear death.
Rather, let it remind us to seize the day and life life to the full in the light of God’s presence. With that, we can tell others about what God did for us, how much He loves us, and wants us to be with Him and our loved ones forever.
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