#SaturdaySpotlight is on Gaye Frances Willard & Every Knee Shall Bow!

Good Morning Friends!

December is well underway. Christmas parties have begun and I'm ahead of the game this year where shopping is concerned. How 'bout you?

Today's guest is new to our blog and brought to us by Adams PR Group, so please welcome Gaye Frances Willard with a very special post.....

Painting that was flagged by Facebook as “violent” last Christmas featured in new book

Artist and author Gaye Willard hopes this Christmas is much different than last year. Her painting of Santa kneeling before the baby Jesus was blocked as “violent” on Facebook, and numerous mainstream news outlets including The Blaze, Newsbusters, and Fox News radio picked up the story. Due to the massive media coverage and consumer outcry, Facebook rescinded the blocked content, and Willard was left wondering why the painting became such a target.  In response to that event, which she says brought criticisms from both non-Christians as well as Christians, she decided to write a book detailing what inspired that particular painting, along with several other of her works in the new hardcover book, Every Knee Shall Bow—A Christmas Collection.

“My initial reaction to Facebook calling the painting ‘violent’ was disbelief,” says Willard. “What could possibly be construed as violent in an image of Santa kneeling at the manger? But what I realized was that it was not the actual image that carried a message of ‘violence,’ but the conversations that were the result of viewing it. It had provoked anger from two camps: those who opposed the person of Jesus Christ and those who opposed the depiction of Santa Claus and Jesus in the same space.”

Willard’s painting of “Every Knee Shall Bow” was the basis for a product line carried by Hobby Lobby and other retailers. Willard says it was not surprising that some were offended by the image, but she has been surprised at the level of emotional response it has received.

“Even if I didn’t believe in Jesus, I’m certain that I would still love Christmas,” says Willard. “I love the artistry of Christmas; the beauty of the lights, the bright colors of packages and bows, the sparkle and the festive mood. But there is an element to Christmas that cannot be realized without knowing Jesus. It is a quietness—a sense of awe and wonder. It is reverence. It is worship. And worship of the King is the simple inspiration and message I wanted to convey in that painting.”

Willard says the new book reveals details of a particular image in the painting that she didn't actually draw, but once she discovered it, she was moved to tears.

“I purposefully drew a cross in the form of star over the baby Jesus,” says Willard. “I felt that was more appropriate for the birth of Christ. But God had other plans. When I took a break and returned to my easel, there was a shadow image of the cross that I had not painted! It was perfectly positioned at the feet of Jesus. I got chills and started crying.”

Willard says the on-going arguments over saying “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays” or taking Christ out of Christmas should not deter Christians from living out their beliefs.

“Every day we face increasing pressure to keep our Christian beliefs and values to ourselves. I, for one, refuse to confine the Good News of His birth and life inside the four walls of a church. He came to offer peace to the entire world, and we are called to testify to that fact. I hope this book challenges every reader to take advantage of the designated time on our calendar called Christmas. But we don’t need to spend our energy trying to make a secular society hold Jesus up as ‘the reason for the season.’ They cannot share what they do not know. If every disciple of Jesus makes it their personal mission to tell His story within this space of time so openly granted to us, it just might change people’s lives for the better. And that is my hope.”

Gaye Frances Willard is an award-winning artist with commissioned portraits in both private and public collections worldwide. Her painting, “Every Knee Shall Bow, ” was represented in an exclusive line bearing her name, and carried nationwide by Hobby Lobby and other retail outlets. In addition to her latest release, she is the author/illustrator of four children’s books as well as the book, “Common Sense Christianity for an Uncommon People.” She is a member of the Portrait Society of America and makes her home in Trinity, North Carolina. She and her husband, Eddie, have five children and fourteen grandchildren. For more information, visit www.portraitartistnc.com

CAN You Believe FaceBook flagged this as violent?! UGH I LOVE this picture! Every Knee Shall Bow can be preordered at Amazon. 

Thank you so much, Gaye for visiting us today and sharing the hope of Christmas and miracle of your painting with us. We certainly wish you the BEST of luck and God's blessings with your paintings and this book.

Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll check back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and of course, Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care, God bless and remember....Jesus IS the reason for the season!

PamT