Ghost Rider (60" x 48") --SOLD
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit, I will put within you. Ezekiel 36:26
Ghost Rider is about learning to listen and respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I'm interested in God's voice and the ways people feel like they hear Him.
View Ghost Rider Installation pics
Photo Attributions: Horses (two photos combined): Wendy Paige and Kersti Nebelseik "Jumper and Brandie Holloway"; Hummingbird: Andrew Michael Meador "Immature Red-Billed Streamertail (aka Doctor Bird)"
Holy Spirit I can’t see
but I hear your rhythm
to grab and take hold
to dive into the waters
that have been cold
freefalling past stands
of people with my head
tucked low
the facets that I’ve made fences
no longer enclose
Your voice cries
with fire
melting lies
that rob sleep
grabbing sharks that circle
your hummingbirds
your mountains of peace
diamonds and dreams
once untold
I’m standing up top
ready to go
Outside of a church where I met a counselor for about six weeks in 2013, there was a long wooden ramp. For some reason, it reminded me of diving horses. They would run up a steep ramp and the diver at top would grab hold, mount the horse, and then, they both would jump and dive into a pool of water. In one of Senora Webster Carver’s dives, she ends up hitting the water with her eyes open. This blinds her and she is told she can never dive again. Much of learning to grab onto the horse at the right time is listening to the rhythm of the horse's stride as he runs up the ramp. Even though she was blinded, she could still hear the horse, so despite everyone's pleas, she tries again.
For me, I feel like this is what it can be like to open your ears to the Holy Spirit. There's a certain rhythm to His voice that you get to know and it's your job to grab hold and jump. At the time I sought a counselor, I was fighting insomnia, wasn't dreaming, and felt blinded in many respects. The ramp reminded me every week to put myself back in a quiet position where I felt like I could hear again.
Some of the imagery in this collage is based on dreams that I want to remember— specifically the tree house, hummingbird, diamond, and robin's nest. I photographed the background landscape in Shelby County, Indiana. I had no idea when I created this collage that I would end up living in Shelby County in 2019.
A horse typically will weigh over 1000 pounds and generally won't jump fences on their own. "Even a show jumper, trained to sail over elaborate obstacles five or six feet high, will, when turned out to pasture, veer off and circle to the side rather than jump to clear the fence of his enclosure. One of the most remarkable things about horses is their willingness to jump for a rider they trust." The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired a Nation.