My “Battle Board”

I’ve heard it said that we need to keep the things that are most important to us “front and center”. As in, literally and visually.

Some call it their “Battle Board”. It’s a place where they stand and stare at the wall first thing in the morning while they sip coffee.

Here’s mine.

Well. Here’s a glimpse of mine. I can’t show the whole internet the whole thing.

You’ll find quotes. You’ll find an image of Future Me. But mostly you’ll find words. My own words. Words that describe the sort of atmosphere I want my art to create in the spaces of my collectors. Words that characterize my style. Titles for future blog posts or classes or future _________________ .

You’ll find images. Some are images of jewelry pieces that inspire my own designs. I keep hoping to get back to artisan jewelry making. Some are images that I saved just because the color story speaks to me. Some are images I taped to the wall because/because. Because I don’t know why, but it spoke to me, very viscerally, like a prophecy, and so on the Battle Board it goes.

Why call it my “Battle Board”?

Because, I don’t know about you, but I have an enemy of my soul who seeks to deflate inspiration daily. Standing in front of this wall, sipping coffee, and savoring this creative life the Lord and I’ve built for myself, feels like a battle strategy.

This is not my “Mis En Scene” wall (that’s my name for how I gather inspiration for specific canvases or classes). I won’t show that to the whole internet, either. This isn’t my “mood board”. I don’t care if the whole internet sees my mood board, but it actually isn’t that aesthetic. It exists in the hallway that connects my master bedroom to the rest of the house. I see it when I come out of my closet every day.

I love that wall, too.

What about you? I bet you could use a “Battle Board” of your own?

Uganda

Allow me to share with you, right here from the get-go, in the form of an iPhone screen shot, exactly how it’s going in Uganda today:

Sure, I began an art career later in life, at almost 50 years old. But it isn’t talked about enough that this man began “Tim Atchley Global Ministries” at age 60.

This man is seeing his God-dreams come true…

Here are images of some of the altar calls, in Kasese, Uganda:

We don’t do anything without teamwork. And so, for this, the “maiden voyage”, the first international crusade with Tim Atchley Global Ministries (I can’t say that without a smile), we think the Lord assembled the sweetest team:

(l-r: Dr. Douglas Damron, MD, Tim Atchley, Mark Machen (pastor of Life of Faith Church in Birmingham, Alabama) and Harvest Church elder and full time fine-art artist Jonathan Howe )

A beautiful mix of friends - joined upon arrival by pastor Neckson Muhindo of Uganda. They were also joined by a brother who is the bishop of over 2,000 churches in Uganda

Here is only one of many, many testimonies:

A young girl came to the crusade, carried in by family, having never walked since she was four, due to a debilitating illness.

She is walking.

This particular trip included three days of leadership training (for local pastors and leaders) equipping them in “What Is The New Covenant Gospel”. The number of pastors and leaders in attendance was about 2,000!

Then, each night, there is an open-air field crusade, with an emphasis on evangelism, healing, signs, and wonders. They have one more crusade to hold - then, after that, the next day, the whole team will go on an African safari…to “rest and digest”, onboard all that glory, for team bonding and building and making “manly memories” together.

This entire first, initial crusade outreach was over 90% funded - miraculously - by Harvest Church members. To the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.

They’ve sown wholeheartedly, and the results are already speaking for themselves.

We are overwhelmed at the goodness of God.