Yesterday I attended the most wonderful devotional! Amy, Heidi and I planned a wonderful Christmas devotional for the Relief Society sisters in our ward. We invited a man named Christopher Croft to come and speak to us about his experiences being the model for Christ in the paintings of Liz Lemon Swindle. He was perfect. He talked about some of the photo shoots individually (Liz would do a photo shoot of the story she wanted to depict and then paint from the photo) and how it was difficult to be in the costumes and the sets, and how it was difficult to capture the man that Christ was.
(italizied copy pulled from Liz's site)
His first shoot, Against The Wind, was the worst shoot. He said he was really uncomfortable in front of the camera. He said he was cold and wet. He felt overwhelmed. But, the photo and most importantly the painting turned out amazing! (Funny tidbit: the shoot was at night in a friend's swimming pool!)
When Peter saw the Savior walking on the water he cried out, "Lord…bid me come unto thee." "Come." was all He said. Filled with faith, Peter stepped from the safety of the boat on to the stormy sea. But as the winds picked up and the waves grew stronger Peter’s faith turned to fear. As he began to sink, Peter cried out, "Lord, save me." Two thousand years later, Christ is still calling to us. As we step from the safety of self-reliance on to the stormy seas of discipleship, like Peter we pray, "Lord, save me." With perfect calmness He stills the winds of our doubt, reaches down from heaven and saves us.
He said the second shoot, Let The Children Come, was the best shoot because he didn't feel the pressure or the inadequacy from the first shoot. He was surrounded by beautiful children that made him feel at ease.
Too often we look on the Savior as distant and removed from us. We remember Him as the God of the Universe possessing all power and might, yet forget that He is our personal Savior. I painted this piece because I wanted to try and change the way my children and grandchildren thought of Jesus Christ. I wanted them to think of Him as a friend and the first One they turn to for peace and comfort. I wanted Him to be for them a light shining in the darkness. In trying to change my children’s perception I changed my own. Each time I look at this painting I find myself smiling. I think He would like that.
The Gethsemane shoot was one of the most impactful for him. He said after he got up off the ground he looked into the camera lens and was taken back because he saw in his reflection, the Savior. He knows that he was in wardrobe and makeup to make him look like what the Savior might have looked like, but he said he didn't see himself, he saw his Savior.
When I started this painting, I believed that Gethsemane was about the suffering of Christ. About the agony so intense that He trembled because of pain and bled from every pore. By the time I finished, I saw that the miracle of Gethsemane went beyond the suffering. The miracle was the love that brought Him there. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
The one shoot he said was his favorite was He That Is Without Sin. He said he was judged a lot by people because of the length of his hair. He had to grow his hair out for the 5-year project. People would say, "why doesn't he cut his hair!" and "oh, he must be getting back into the church." Not very many people new that he was growing his hair out to be the model for Christ in Liz's paintings. He said that he could imagine, only a little, what this woman had felt. He then realized how amazing Christ was and great was His compassion towards us as His children.
The leaders of the Jews brought an adulterous woman before the Lord asking if she should be stoned. Christ simply said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Convicted by their own conscience, the crowd disappeared leaving only Christ and the accused. “Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?” he said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” In my own life it is easy for me to focus on my sins and forget the eternal value of the sinner. I then remember this story and the Savior’s power to heal. When the crowds cry for justice I take shelter in His mercy.
Towards the end of the devotional he centered his thoughts specifically on the Savior. He talked about His love for us, His atonement and sacrifice and His amazing attributes. He also talked about his new found testimony of the Savior through this experience and how we can discover and build our testimonies of the Savior through personal experiences in our lives. It was so wonderful to get back and be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, the Savior. He who gives us all.
Thanks Chris.
(He showed a little video at the end of the devotional, it was pretty neat. Here is the link.)
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