April 17, 2025 • 71 mins
In this episode of Hope Unlocked, host Kristin Kurtz welcomes prophetic artist Codye Reystead to share her journey of unlocking creativity through partnership with the Holy Spirit. From childhood encounters with God’s voice to painting live at Red Rocks Amphitheater before 10,000 people, Codye reveals how obedience, solitude, and prophetic vision fueled her artistry. Discover how painting on black canvas, trusting without a map, and creating with the Holy Spirit transformed her calling—and why your yes can too. Tune in and be stirred to boldly walk in your God-given destiny.
Codye's contact info:
Website - www.codyereystead.com/shop-art
Paintings mentioned on the show:
Vessels of Reformation and RevivalÂ
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Email - kristinkurtz@newwingscoaching.net
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Medical Disclaimer: Information in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, qualified health provider, functional medicine specialist or health coach with any questions regarding any medical conditions. The views and testimonies expressed are those of the individuals. Use the information at your own discretion.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast.
I'm your host, kristen Kurtz,and I'm also the founder of New
Wings Coaching.
I help and empower wildheartedand adventurous women of faith
feeling caged and stuck, unlocktheir true purpose and potential
, break free from limitationsand thrive with confidence,
courage and hope.
If you're curious to learn moreabout coaching with me, head to
newwingscoachingnet and be sureto explore the show notes for
(00:38):
ways to connect with me further.
Get ready to dive in as weuncover empowering keys and
insights in this episode.
So tune in and let's unlockhope together.
Welcome to the Hope Unlockedpodcast.
I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host.
I pray this episode is like aholy IV of hope for your soul.
Please help me.
Welcome Cody Reisted to the show.
(00:58):
I am so thrilled to have herhere with us today.
It has been a long time comingand I truly just love everything
about her.
We had some time to chat beforewe got started and we're
definitely kindred spirits.
I guess you could say you knowsisters in Christ who have so
(01:18):
much in common and yet so manydifferences.
So, cody, would you be open tosharing a little bit about
yourself?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, I am a creative .
For my father, to put it simply, I've been called to create, to
paint, to be an artisan in hiskingdom, and that's my love.
That's what I do, that's mypassion.
I'm a mom, I have two daughtersand I'm married been married
(01:51):
almost 25 years.
I live in Colorado.
I'm a transplant though, as Iwas telling Kristen before this,
born in California and raisedin Texas.
So if you hear a little bit ofclang along the way, that's why.
But I love what I do and I'mjust grateful to be here and to
(02:14):
get to do this today.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well, thank you for coming on.
I would love to hear.
You know, many people would say, well, I can't create and,
honestly, like if I were to saylike that, I was like an
artistic creative, I would sayno, but I know that it's in
everybody.
But you know, some areabsolutely anointed to be
painters and artists andartisans, such as yourself.
(02:38):
So what did that process looklike for you to step into your
calling?
Speaker 2 (02:49):
to step into your calling.
That's quite the story.
I heard the audible voice ofGod when I was about eight years
old.
I've never I say that becauseeven my creativity and my gift
of artistry kind of what I wouldcall it, the ability to paint
and draw with a whole lot ofease happened.
I do not know what it's like tonot be able to do that.
I've been able to do that sincechildhood.
(03:10):
And so when I heard the voiceof the Lord, you know, at the
young age of eight years old, Ivery much associate that.
You know, he was the creator ofthe universe to me, he was my
creator.
He's a master artisan, and so Iresponded to that call.
(03:30):
And you know, at that point,even at that young age, you know
, I was going to live with theone who created with, you know,
created me.
I was going to live for him.
I wanted to live in arelationship with him and I
didn't really grow up knowingany difference than that A very
personal relationship with theartist, the master artist, and
(03:56):
but from that relationship Ialso knew that the gift of
creativity and the ease tocreate like I can was a gift of
God, and so there was always aweightiness to it that I
remember, you know, in my teenyears, you know, growing up with
(04:16):
that, why, why did God give methis gift?
There is a reason.
I know that there is a reason,there has to be a reason.
Gift there is a reason.
I know that there is a reason,there has to be a reason.
And it really developed intoalmost a holy restlessness by
the time I was, you know, ateenager and young adult.
(04:37):
I majored in art, you know, asan artist in the fine arts, and
to college for it and all kindsof things.
I only lasted a semester andchanged my major, the art that I
came in contact with at thecollege that I went to, and I
(04:58):
won't mention it.
But the college that I went towas very dark, the atmosphere
was dark, the, what we wereasked to create, was waiting
with with darkness.
I could not.
(05:18):
I had walked with the Lord along time at that point already,
but I did not have a heading oran understanding of you know
what I was encountering um, asyou know, kind of a prophetic
person or a um spirit led person.
I didn't understand.
(05:39):
Um, you know why I would walkout of class and my hands, just
like I felt dirty.
I felt like I had misused andnot even more than misused a
holy gift.
I've always seen the gift thatI have it's not of me, it's
(06:02):
something I have received frommy maker and I felt almost that
it was, you know, looking back,it was like a feeling of abuse
and misuse for sure, and so Ionly outlasted a semester, I
thought that, you know, goinginto college and everything, I
thought that, yeah, that's, youknow, I have this gift.
(06:22):
God wants me to use it.
I don't really know what elseto do right now, so I'm really
going to hone it.
I'm going to, you know, reallytake a lot of drawing classes,
et cetera, and really hone myyou know, ie, god-given talent
to then be able to use it,however he leads me to use it.
So it was a major.
(06:50):
It was an upheaval, you know,within myself when this happened
, because it was almost like a,you know, an aborting of a plan
that I thought that you know wasof the Lord and that I had.
And to, you know, to hone mycreativity, to hone my artistry,
and it did a number on me.
It went really deep.
Creatives, artists, musicians,writers were interesting people.
(07:18):
We're very much people ofsolitude.
We live very deeply.
Things affect us greatly and wedon't always process outwardly,
and so it cut very deep.
The spiritual atmosphere wasjust so much and I'll just say
(07:39):
it again, there's so muchdarkness that I, you know it
just grieved my spirit and Icouldn't even find the
vocabulary and I didn't have theunderstanding even of what or
why.
You know, I was, I wasexperiencing and feeling what I
was feeling at that point.
So I changed my major as a lackof I didn't know what to do.
(08:04):
Now, you know, I was like Idon't know what to do.
Now, you know, I I was like Idon't know what to do.
Now.
My plan just got, you know,just blew up from the center.
Um, I don't want to haveanything to do with this.
If this is what the art worldis like, I cannot have anything
to do with this do with this.
So I changed my major.
(08:25):
I did not pick up a paintbrush,which in my world, for me, was
very unusual.
I did not pick up a paintbrushfor probably over three years.
I completely walked away fromit and God was so patient.
You know we still connected inother ways and you know that
(08:48):
that relationship, you know,remained there.
Um, and he, when I transferredto a different school cause, I
was just like I need to get outof here, I need to start over,
and so I changed my major, Itransferred to a different
school and went a while and itwas basically my last semester
(09:09):
of college and I just had a fewhours left that I needed to get
and I had an elective that Ineeded to fill and there was an
art class and it was actually awatercolor class in Palo Duro
Canyon, and I was, you know, myartist in me was itching to do
(09:32):
it again.
You know, to do that again.
But my mind and my heart werein two different places.
My heart wanted to, you know,engage with the Father that way
and to create again and to paintagain, but my head was like you
can't do this.
You know, it was just such abad experience, and you know
(09:52):
we're not, you can't do this.
And it was really interestingbecause the Lord came to me one
day.
I was walking on this new campusit's a beautiful campus and I
was walking along and, you know,really trying to kind of decide
.
I'm like I've got to fill thishour and you know I need to fill
this elective and you know, Icould just, like you know, what
(10:13):
can I take and not take this artclass?
And God was just like he's justlike, why don't you come over
to the Fine arts building?
So, just, you know, just go in,just let's just go in and just
take a look, and it can't hurt,you know.
And he's just wooing me back and, um, so I went ahead and, you
(10:35):
know, went in and it was inbetween classes, there wasn't a
whole lot going on, it was justan afternoon and and we walked,
um, I mean, cause it literallyfelt like Jesus came and he was
just walking with me, but I'vejust, I've kind of had the
privilege to always get to livelike that, um, with him very
near, and so he went with me,you know, and and said it can't
(11:01):
hurt, you know, we'll just,we'll just go look around and I
remember walking in the finearts building and they had a
kind of gallery set up over tothe side.
They had several rooms thatjust were full of paintings.
And this particular college wasa little bit more righteous, I
(11:32):
guess I really don't know how toput this, but the area that
it's in is a little bit moreBible Belt, you know.
So it was less offensive, we'llput it that way.
The artwork on the walls was alot of, you know, beautiful
landscapes, floral, a lot of youknow God's beauty.
It was like yes, joyful, youknow, light filled art.
And I remember walking alongand I just started like silent
(11:56):
tears, I just started crying andI realized like my soul had
missed.
I realized like my soul hadmissed, had missed the beauty
that art can create, that bringsto us.
You know, I missed, you know,in the art world, yes, I missed
(12:18):
the textures, I missed the lines, I missed the painting, I
missed the gallery.
But in the spiritual realm, Imissed that relationship of
(12:38):
closeness with the creator, ofcreating with him and creating
things of beauty and light.
And my soul just was drinkingit in and I was just crying and
God just came to me and he wasjust, I was just crying and God
just came to me and he was, youknow, so sweet and so kind and
he was like you know, you can dothis, I want you to take this
class, it's going to be okay,it's going to be okay.
And you know, this was justabout taking a class or not.
(13:01):
At that point, nothing biggerthan that.
But at that point, and so Iwent ahead, you know, I took the
class and and it was like in amoment, you know that walk
through the gallery, he justhealed everything and redeemed,
you know so much, and my and Iwas able to engage in that class
(13:27):
and create things of beauty,create things of light, and
without all the yuck dark things.
Because art is very powerful,it cuts to the soul of man and
it can be very, very dark.
It can carry so much yuck stuffas we have all encountered,
(13:50):
especially in this day and age,you know, we really have, um,
the eyes are the windows of thesoul and so what you see seeps
into your whole being and weneed to be really careful about
what we see.
But in that class, in that way,in that art, fine arts building
(14:10):
even it was very, you know, theycreated things of beauty, they
created things of light, theycreated things of hope, they
created things, you know, things, that would reflect the
father's nature, and thedarkness was not there.
So it felt like coming home.
I had silenced that part ofmyself and really cut off breath
(14:40):
, you know, for three years, andit was like something inside of
me came alive again that hadnot gotten to breathe for a long
time.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Well, the enemy sure tried to steal, kill and destroy
your, your calling right.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, definitely he has several times, several times
.
There's been things now thatthat have definitely definitely
tried to derail, that havedefinitely definitely tried to
derail.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Well, I have to ask, like do you remember because I'm
imagining, I'm such a visual aspeople are talking, like I'm
literally seeing you?
Do you remember your firstpainting that you?
Speaker 2 (15:17):
I do.
Well, I don't necessarilyremember it, but my mom and it
was actually of a like a pioneerwagon horse yes, I know horses
and a wagon and pioneer timesand I was like three years old,
I think is what she said, threeor four, and she said she took
(15:38):
it to the pediatrician, you knowcause.
She was like is this normal?
And um, and he's like, no, it'snot, it's not normal.
So yeah, that was, but I don'tremember that.
That would just be you knowwhat I've gotten blessed to hear
from my mom?
Speaker 1 (15:57):
The first thing that I drew and how about painting
when you like, stepped into thatclass.
What?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
was the first painting you released.
Well, that class is more likejust stepping back into what
I've always done.
I took art classes when I wasyounger, you know, in school and
everything.
I was actually very blessed.
We moved quite a bit but I wasalways blessed to have this
incredible art teacher, like atevery school I went to.
(16:30):
And so I got to, you know,experiment with all kinds of
different media.
I got so much encouragement asa child from various art
teachers and, looking back, Iknow, you know, I know that that
was God, um, really feeding myconfidence in that gifting and
(16:55):
just solidifying, um, what Isensed inside of you know, this
is this is a gift from him and Iam, I want to steward it and I
want to figure out how he wantsme to use it.
So I was very blessed in thatway when I was growing up.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Yeah, that's incredible because I mean, I
don't know about you, but I feellike a lot of people who are
walking out.
You know, pioneering callingsright, going back to the
pioneering, the season's allabout launching pioneers and
really highlighting people whoare doing things different to
you know, have this beautifulcalling that the Lord's put on
their life and I I just I feellike there's too many that don't
(17:31):
have somebody in their cornerwho are supporting them, like
you had to kind of bolster youas you're walking this out,
right?
So, being you mentioned earlier, you know, artists, artists,
creatives maybe are a little bitmore introverted.
Do you find that people in thatspace have others who are like
(17:51):
coming alongside and supportingthem, or is it kind of a
singular journey?
And for the believers, ofcourse they have, you know the
lord, so it's not just asingular journey, but do you
know what I'm saying?
Do they have community that'scoming alongside them?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Well, I think it's very vital and important to have
community of, you know,like-minded pioneers around you.
Mine was not an immediate thingand when I started painting
live, I was actually called intoit.
(18:28):
The father asked me to paintlive and I had never even seen
it done.
I especially hadn't seen itdone in a church setting or
event setting, that kind ofworship setting.
I had never seen that.
I was raised Baptist and, youknow, had strong understanding
(18:52):
and, you know, teaching ofscripture and things you know,
definitely, but that was notpart of the environment.
And so when God asked me to,you know, paint live in front of
people it was actually in 2007was my first live painting with
(19:15):
a father and it was for mydaughter's dedication and I
wanted this song played for her,but I cannot sing and my mom
was actually the one that cameto me and said you know, honey,
why don't you paint to it?
And I had no grid for that.
(19:35):
Like I said, really she didn'teither.
I think it was a Holy Spirit,you know, thought, implanted in
my beloved mom's head, and soshe, you know she suggested it
and so I went ahead and did itand there was probably it was a
small country church and theremight've been, you know, 20, 25
(19:58):
people there to see that firstlive painting.
And it was a mess, it was abirthy mess.
I don't even know where thatpainting is now, but there was a
missionary at that painting andhe was a guest that day and he
actually asked me to come and doa painting, to sell and auction
(20:20):
permissions.
And then that one paint, youknow, it just led, it completely
opened the door.
Um, that initial first paintingfor the father was in November
and by May of that same year, um, I was painting at a Graham
cook conference, um, in front ofabout 3000 people.
(20:41):
Oh, my gosh, so like six monthslater, yes, um, and I had no
clue, I had never, you know,when it first kind of started
rumbling and I did that firstlive painting and literally,
when I stepped up to the canvas,I had never heard the voice of
God that clear and thatdirective until that moment.
(21:05):
It literally was like I hadstepped into his space and it
was incredible.
My bones just started burningand I knew that.
I knew I couldn't define whatwas happening, but I knew that.
I knew that this, this was oneof my, this is a purpose in life
(21:27):
that you know.
This was the purpose for thecreativity, for the artistry
that he had given me.
Um, it took flight.
I guess you could say I had noidea how to man it, no idea what
I was doing, um, no idea whatwould come next, but I knew that
I had touched destiny and Icould not let go.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Yeah.
I have to go back for a second,because one of the one of my
most favorite things I love tohear is I didn't know what I was
doing and I what was the thingyou said right after that?
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Well, basically, I couldn't not do it.
You know, I knew I had toucheddestiny, I I had, I had to do it
yeah, yeah, wow.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
So your yes in like like flung open the doors and oh
yeah, I'm curious, the firstpainting, like what was your
first painting when you did thelive painting?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
It was actually Jesus sitting on a hillside, like in
Jerusalem, and he was in kind ofa quiet.
You know all the scriptureswhere he.
There's so many scriptures, ifyou go and just read the story
of Jesus, that convey and revealhim as a man.
(22:46):
You know how did he live andoperate, what did he do, and
there's so many scriptures wherehe, he pulled back and you know
he pulled away for solitudewith his father.
And I've always found that youknow a touchable, I guess you
(23:08):
could say just touchable.
I want that, I need that, andso that was the first painting
was one of those moments ofsolitude where Jesus had pulled
up to the hillside just to bewith his father.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Well, thank you for sharing that process with us.
With this first time you wentlive, it's so beautiful how our
guests can just usher in allthese doors, right.
What was the experience likegoing?
So you went from a group of 25people or so to a group of 3000.
(23:43):
Like, what was that?
Like you know, I guess I wantto know.
Like going up on a stage um,how was that for you?
Like is it?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
comfortable.
Yeah, no, uh, no, by all means,no, um, but it was for God.
So, you know, I was in and Ihad told him I was in and
there's no backing up.
But no, he, the Lord, came andbasically flipped my world
upside down, like as an artist,meaning that after that first
(24:22):
painting, he had me, he had mehook, line and sinker and you
know, my heart burned, like Isaid, my bones burned.
It was unlike anything I hadever encountered, but yet like
something finally landed in mylife and it was where it was
(24:43):
destined to be.
You know, I knew that I couldn'tmove from the hot seat, but at
that moment the Lord moved inand decided.
(25:03):
You know, he said OK, you'regoing to paint on black instead
of white, or even you know othercolors, but you're going to
paint on black and you're goingto paint big um, four foot by
four foot canvases, and you'regoing to do these live, and
you're going to do, in front ofpeople, um and create.
You know, in the now, and I, uh, you know I, I was like, oh, my
gosh, because he took awayevery, everything that was
(25:26):
familiar to me artistically.
Um, in the physical, he flipped, uh, to paint on white and then
to paint on black, um, you know, photographers, artists, they
probably will understand thismore, but it's almost like
flipping your brain upside down.
You have to see entirelydifferent, you have to create
(25:50):
entirely different.
It's like upside down.
So he, you know, we did that, Iused to create.
It would take me days, weeks,you know, to create something
that was, you know, maybe 16 by20.
And all of a sudden we're going48 by 48.
I was very, you know, I did thisin private and God says, no,
(26:13):
we're going to do it in front ofthousands, you know.
So it was very much like havingto be exposed, you know, I
don't really know another wordfor that.
It was, um, having to beexposed, my inner life even.
Um, because what artists kindof create, what musicians create
(26:39):
, you know, we experience firstwhat we create.
The hands and the heart areconnected and the Lord works
through the heart first, andthen you express those things
and the conversations that youhave, you know, the, the life
experiences that you have, theencounters that you have with
the Lord, they end up being, youknow, they filter through the
(27:02):
mind, the heart, and then theycome out of the hands and that's
a very sensitive, private, orit can be process, and so there
was a very sense of exposurethat I had never encountered,
you know, but knew that, youknow, once again, I was like I
(27:26):
can't not do this and I don'thave a clue what I'm doing.
God, how do I do this?
I even went to you know,pioneering kind of something new
.
I was like, okay, well, how doI educate myself?
You know, kind of the typicalthing we do, you know, let me go
look and see.
Are there other painters outthere?
You know worship painters, forlack of a better word.
(27:47):
You know, what are they doing?
How are they doing this?
What media are they using?
You know, like, can I go toschool for this?
My mind raced with all thosenormal thoughts, I think.
And God just came to me veryclearly and I never will forget
it.
And he's like came to me veryclearly and I never will forget
it.
And he was like, don't expect amap and I don't want this to
(28:10):
look like anything that you'veever seen before.
That's why, you know he birthedthis ministry and what I do, um
, trained me.
Um, on a farm and ranch that isactually 60 miles from like a
grocery store, um out inseclusion and isolation.
(28:33):
I believe isolation is key fordestiny to actually happen.
Isolating, at least with theLord, may not be a physical
thing, but seclusion and pullingoneself away, as Jesus did, to
(28:54):
be with the Father and to turnoff all other inputs, I guess
you could say I think it's vital, I don't know that you could
walk in your destiny and you canwalk in your calling and
actually execute your missionfrom heaven without
intentionality towards solitudewith the Lord.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
I really catch that.
I think that is a huge key forsomebody today, especially in
this time that we're living in,where it is so noisy right.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
It's so noisy, yeah, you've got to cut off everything
.
And I think that God used Idon't think I know he used the
isolation and the solitude topull me away and crash course.
In that solitude and isolationand isolation he was able to
crash course, tutor me as arabbi, artist and rabbi you know
(29:50):
, creator, how to even do this.
I had always enjoyed workingwith I mean, it was right down
to like the media.
I had always enjoyed workingwith oil because, oh, they give
you plenty of time and theyblend and, you know, in the
artist's world, you know pencil,pen, I mean all these other
things.
I kind of have like a disdainfor acrylic, and that's exactly
(30:15):
what he called me to.
And acrylic, you know, he said,okay, acrylic dries quickly,
it's cheap, it can cover a lotof area and, once again, it
dries quickly.
You're going to need all ofthese things to paint live.
This is what you need to do andI know you don't like it, but I
(30:37):
need to train you in this mediaand I need to train you how to
paint on black, because when youget in front of people and it's
on the lights and things thatthis is actually going to
benefit, you don't have to fillin as much.
You know.
There's just all kinds ofthings that I had to learn to
trust him that would go againstmy IE natural gifting and my
(30:58):
comfort, what I was comfortablewith, you know, when I was
creating.
He went against everything thatwas comfortable and he took a
crash course and as I waspreparing for the Graham Cook
conference this is the one thatyou know it was like first
painting in November and thenGraham Cook was in May, and I
(31:21):
mean crazy story of like howthey found me and asked me to
come.
I don't even really actuallyknow the track of how that
happened, I'm not even for sureand but I got this wild call.
You know, will you come?
And I'm like I'm sitting thereon the phone going, oh my gosh,
this is huge, you know, and I'mterrified, but I can't not do
(31:44):
this.
I've prayed this in.
This is what I've asked for allthese years.
It's like God, I want to usethis how you want me to use it.
It's supposed to be used in aspecific way and this is that.
And so I have to say yes tothis, but you are so going to
have to help me because I don'thave a clue what I'm doing.
You know I have no way toprepare.
I have no idea how to prepare.
(32:22):
I have no one to call.
There was no community at thattime.
For me, community came muchlater, when actually I was the
one that was like teaching andhelping from experiences that I
had had.
You know, um, now you can lookaround and there's a lot of
creative communities, uh,kingdom creative communities.
It's beautiful.
Um, when I began, when Istarted out, especially in the
fine arts and the artistry, uh,that was pretty non-existent.
So it was just the Lord and Iand he took me to boot camp to
(32:45):
prepare for this conference andhe woke me up my girls were
little at the time and he wokeme up at 4 am every morning for
three weeks and to go into thestudio we're going to go paint,
let's go paint, let's go paint.
And it was like.
It was like the Holy Spirit,with all this energy standing
(33:07):
beside my bed saying let's gopaint, let's go paint at 4 am.
You know, I didn't need an alarmclock for three weeks and he
took me out to the studio andtrained me.
He taught me the logistics youknow we're talking very tactile
(33:40):
logistics in the natural realmof how to use acrylic paint,
what to mix with it so that itwould blend more, what you know
what brushes to use.
I mean all the ins and outsthat I had.
I had no idea it was all new tome, you know.
Yes, I had a God-given talent,but this was unlike anything I
had ever done before.
And he took me to school and Idid seven live paintings in
three days, seven, seven.
(34:02):
He crash-coursed me into.
It was like a graduate programthat was a few months long, I
mean, it was boot camp and itwas literally like a dunking.
But looking back, there'smultiple times in my life
(34:24):
especially with you know what Ido that, um, you say yes and or
I say yes to him and God justdunks me.
He, he just crashed coursequick, all right, you know, here
we go.
You said yes, let's run.
And you know he doesn't workwith her, he works with everyone
differently.
Um, but I kind of laugh becausethere has been times.
(34:49):
It's like, you know, it's timeto jump off a cliff.
That's how he and I work.
The first painting he came to meI was so nervous, so nervous
and but I was like I'm gonna dothis.
Lord, you know, I said yes tothis, I'm gonna do this, I have
to do this.
I can't explain why, but I gotto do this.
And it was like God came to meand he was like, are you ready
(35:10):
to fly?
And I just had this vision oflike running off on the cliff
with the trust level of he'sgoing to catch me.
You know, because creating infront of people is terrifying,
but creating in front of peopletakes a lot when you're working
with the Lord takes a lot oftrust that he will show up.
(35:35):
You know that you have createda space and laid out the
supplies necessary, not just inthe natural realm, but in in
like, within yourself, um, forhim to come and invade that
space and for him to that he'sgoing to show up.
(35:57):
Because if he doesn't show up,when you're painting in front of
3000 people of vision you havenever painted, um, it can really
end badly.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
So when you went up to the canvas, did you like, did
you have any idea of what you'dbe painting?
Or did he like kind of withholdthat until you were standing
there?
Speaker 2 (36:22):
He works differently.
I've noticed now I've had theprivilege and and blessing to,
you know, get to meet other youknow IE worship artists and, um,
he works differently.
I've noticed with all of us, um, with me, from the get-go mine
was very much of like a uh,corporate, um focus, and so I
(36:47):
would engage with the Lord.
I still do.
You know, what vision do youhave for your people?
What, what do you want on thiscanvas for your people?
So mine is very much acorporate conversation, I guess,
with the Lord, and it happensbeforehand and it always has.
As I was preparing, you know,those seven canvases, um, I knew
(37:10):
what I was.
He would show me, uh,specifically what you know, what
each painting was going to be,um, the colors, um, you know we
had it's kind of interestingbecause it's like I meet him
halfway he gives me half of theinformation and the other half I
don't get until I'm actuallyjumping off the cliff with him,
(37:34):
so meaning that he will give methe list of colors he'll give me
.
You know we work out.
What I do is paint black onblack and so I use two different
colors of black and I'll workout the vision on canvas at home
and I can see those lines.
(37:54):
So that way everything theperspective is correct, the um I
pray excellence of artwork iscorrect, so that when people
look at it there's no hangupsthat could almost kind of
prohibit them from liketraveling further into that
(38:18):
piece of art.
And so those things are workedout at home with this black on
black that he's taught me.
He taught me how to do that andwe do the you know plan, all
the colors.
We have all the colors packed,the paints packed, the brushes
packed, everything is likepacked for the journey, I guess
(38:38):
you could say.
Then, when I show up at theevent, then we apply all the
color and there's times that youknow he'll even creating these
and prepping them at home.
You know, doing the black onblack, he'll show me the greater
, you know, the greater visionof it, but he'll leave out some
(39:01):
details and he'll even likethere'll be kind of a space and
I don't know.
I'm like, okay, lord, what goeshere?
And he's like, oh, you'll findout later.
You know, I'll put some, don'tworry about that.
You know, right now, andliterally he won't tell me until
we get there in front of peopleand I'm actually executing his
(39:22):
vision on canvas and painting it, that he will show up and, and
at times he's even shown up inthe paintings that there were
like I had no grid for what hewas going to do.
You know, he'll put things inthe paintings that I he didn't
even tell me about.
I love it and those are, oh,it's fascinating, it's
(39:45):
absolutely fascinating and atfirst it was, you know, pretty
scary Part of the process ofworking with him.
Now, now it's my joy, I lovethat.
You know I'm like, oh boy,that's going to be like, you
know, a treasure in the dark.
You know, treasure found laterthat I didn't know about, you
(40:05):
know, and, and even now it'slike, you know, I've learned to
enjoy that factor of ourrelationship.
As you know, painter and rabbiartist so much that you know,
one day, I know that he's goingto disclose to me, you know,
things that he put in thestrokes or conversations that he
(40:26):
was having with people duringthat painting that I have no
idea about.
I'll get to hear those things,yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
So beautiful.
Thank you for you know walkingus through that process and you
know that process and you knowthe back end of you know your
beautiful artwork with the Lord,because it truly is.
I love that you talked aboutjumping off a cliff with a
backpack because you know, likeI said, we have a lot of
(41:00):
similarities and we havedifferences and I've had moments
where, you know, in my lifewhere the Lord's called me to do
something that I would callvery stretching, and if it's
just say yes and it's like thatis so outside of my comfort zone
, but when you say yes, there'ssuch a a piece over it but yet
there still is an element, maybeif you're stepping into
something that is like sooutside of you, right, that is,
(41:24):
you know there is going to be,you know there is going to be.
You know he says do not fearhow many different times in the
Bible, because he knows that wewill experience some of that
Right.
But when I left the job like in2021, I actually he said, go
Right.
And it was so outside of whatwould make sense in the natural
(41:45):
and I I literally imagined tomyself like jumping off a cliff
with a backpack and knowing thatthere would be a parachute in
it, but I I didn't get a chanceto even see the parachute and,
trusting in that, you know, freefall, right, it truly is a free
fall.
There's freedom in just jumpingwith him, right, um.
(42:07):
So you like experience that aswell, I've.
I've talked to some other peoplewho've taken some big steps and
they've also had those, uh, youknow, moments of feeling like
they're jumping off a cliff.
So we're, we're part of thesame club, but we've done it in
different ways.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so, yeah, sogood um, so I wanted you to
(42:30):
share, if you're open to it, um,can you share, like, maybe one
of your favorite um paintingsand what like?
Why it's has impacted you sosignificantly?
Which one is your favorite, canyou say?
Can you narrow it down?
See, I'm not a painter.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
Yeah.
Well actually I probably can In2000,.
I guess 17 or so, I'm not evencompletely sure, but I think it
was 2017.
I got an invitation to paint atat Red Rocks Amphitheater and
(43:12):
in front of it it was 10,000people.
And, yeah, just when you thinkyou get comfortable and you know
what you're doing, God movesagain.
And just make sure that youknow you stay humble in the
process.
And so, anyhow, I got you know,I had the incredible experience
(43:35):
and opportunity to prep twopaintings to do kind of right
beside each other on the samenight at Red Rocks Amphitheater
in Colorado, which is absolutelystunning.
The scenery is just stunning,it's outside and everything.
It's amazing worship leadersand things.
(44:02):
It was an incredible invitation, no-transcript, and because I
(44:40):
have found that in order for anartist to release something from
the inside you know, anexperience, an encounter, we
have to digest it and take it inand carry it, even for a period
of time and really sit with it.
Um, for the anointing to comeonto it to release it, and
especially in a situation wherethere's, you know, 10,000 people
(45:01):
.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
Yeah, and so the Lord took a lot of time.
Um, it didn't.
You know, that part didn'tsurprise me because it was the
largest audience that we hadpainted for.
And so I sat with these twopaintings and both of them are
kind of my favorites, but one ofthem just literally undid me
because I was prepping it, youknow, by myself, and doing the
(45:25):
black on black, and God hadshown me, and it's actually
vessels of restitution, or let'ssee, vessels of restitution and
revival, I believe, and areformation, I'm sorry, vessels
of reformation and revival.
There's so many R's floatingaround in the spiritual realm
right now, but anyhow, he had,you know, given me that vision.
(45:47):
I'd sat with a long time andkind of came to the point that,
okay, now it's time to get it on, prep the canvas, and so I
started laying it out.
It's very complicated, it hasfive ships in it.
The Lord has always done thingsvery symmetrically and, you know
(46:08):
, in a square.
There's a whole lot of reasonsthat he has me do it this way.
Some of what he does and how hecreates through me is that to
keep all doorways open, eventhings being out of balance, can
inhibit his spirit from likegetting to flow as freely as he
(46:31):
would like.
You know, if things are done,if it, if the vision is done
with artistic excellence, thenit provides even a greater tool
for him to use.
I guess is what I'm saying,cause you know how it is.
We've all like walked pastsomething and even if you're not
an artist, but you notice itand you're like something's off
(46:51):
in that painting, you get stuck.
You know you get stuck there.
So part of what I do with himis remove those things.
And so the symmetrical part,you know is is pretty big, with
the, with the paintings that aredone, live and things.
He likes the balance and sothis one has five paintings.
(47:14):
The flag, I mean five ships.
The flagship in the middle isliterally, you know, like right
in the middle.
And so, as we were doing theships, you know I'm like, okay,
lord, this flagship, what do youwant on the helm?
You know the wood, what do youwant there?
And what I saw in my spirit wasa dove and like with the head
(47:38):
down and the wings going out,you know where it's actually
carved into the wood, and but adove.
So I started drawing that.
You know I could feel him on it.
It's like, yes, you know.
And so I start drawing that, asI'm, you know, seeing it in my
spirit and, you know, step backand I'm like, okay, that's, you
(47:58):
know, in my natural realm, goingokay, that looks pretty good,
you know.
And getting it laid out on thecanvas.
And I kind of sat back a minuteand God was like I could, I
could feel Jesus almost walkinto the room and he's like look
again.
You know, like he had asurprise or something.
He's like look again.
And I'm like, okay.
(48:20):
So I'm like looking at it againand I'm like I see a dove, you
know, there's a dove, you know.
And so I sat there a minuteCause I'm like I don't, I don't
understand you know what.
Why do I feel this likeelectric happy in the atmosphere
?
You know, like you're about toget me in a good way and
surprise me.
(48:40):
And he's like look again.
And so I like, leaned in, youknow, I'm on my little stool and
I leaned in and I'm likelooking at my own lines.
I mean, you have to keep inmind, I drew these, you know,
and I'm looking at my own linesand suddenly the dove is also.
It's like a vision on.
A vision is also an eaglelooking upwards with its mouth
(49:04):
open with its mouth open.
I so did not intend like it wasnot even in my grid of artistry
to to do that.
It was brilliant, it was sobrilliant, but it was something
I could, like I did not come upwith.
(49:26):
I take no credit for thatbrilliancy.
It was incredible and it was soshocking that at first I like
like took my breath back andkind of laugh, like you know,
and then I just started cryingBecause I was like the magnitude
of the master artist literallyhad taken my hands over in my
(49:51):
quiet little studio, with justhim and I, and created something
so far beyond myself, you know,so far beyond the natural.
Yeah, you know, it was like,and he's like, yeah, and there's
so much to be taught from that.
You know, one day I'm surehe'll do that.
Um, that he revealed to me, youknow, as.
(50:14):
And so then, as I started likeprepping it and sitting with him
and all of this and and lookingat it and just going, oh my
gosh, I'm not touching it.
I'm not touching it and I'mworking on everything around it,
but I'm not touching that.
You know, it is done, it'sready, and um, and God was just
like.
You know you come to us.
(50:34):
He said I want my children tocome to me in a position of such
humility you know it's like adove before me and and and
they're bowed before me andgraced with humility and, but in
that humility is power and thatthey may see, and even their.
(50:57):
You know the people around themin the earthly realm are going
to look at them and see them askind of lowly and humble.
You know it's the scripturesthat we have to that refer to
this bow low and you will belifted high, you know, and they
may see that version of thatperson.
But from heaven's perspective,this is what I see the fierce
(51:21):
eagle that has their mouth wideopen and is screeching for my
sake, and the power that's onthe eagle.
That's how heaven sees thehumble and that's the anointing
that can come when you placeyour heart in the position of
(51:44):
humility like that.
The anointing looks like thisand I was like.
I mean it was just by the time,god's done with me.
You know, with this, with thatone, I'm just sitting down there
sobbing.
You know it's just like.
And that encounter with the Lord, that memorable conversations
(52:08):
over that painting, I was justlike God, I can't get this one,
I can't give this one up.
You know I can't give this oneup.
And he was so sweet and kindand he's like, he's like you
don't have to, this one's yours.
You know, you get to keep thisone, it's yours.
And so that one, because of thelevel of artistic excellence
(52:29):
that did not actually come fromme, it's just him moving through
me, unbeknownst to me.
I, you know, I treasure thatimage, I treasure that canvas
and I think that in a degree, Ithink that in a level, he does
as well, because it was almostlike his gift to me.
(52:50):
You know that was over a decadeinto what we do.
You know him and I paintingtogether and so yeah, but that
would be my favorite one.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
Such a visual of you know, we haven't.
You know we've talked a littlebit back and forth on social
media and, like I know youthrough social media and I've
talked to you before this andyou know just, I just see it as
such a visual representation ofhow he sees you and it's so
beautiful.
You know the, the power, theHoly spirit, power and the
powerful Eagle, like, oh my gosh, I, is this something that
(53:24):
you're able to share with us, tobe able to see, like I want to
see it?
Maybe you can just show me.
Speaker 2 (53:32):
Oh yeah, I don't, it's actually kind of in storage
right now.
I'm in between studios andthings.
My life's a little interestingright now, but it is in my
possession.
But I can, definitely I cansend you the link.
Is that something people canpurchase?
Yes, yeah, you can purchase theprints.
(53:53):
The original it's mine, but theprints, yes, definitely do.
Yeah, there's prints.
He actually.
The revelation that goes withthis painting corporately is
like seven pages long.
(54:14):
My website, I have multiplecollections.
If I get to create everythingthat God has put in my spirit to
create in this lifetime, I needto live, to be about 300.
Spirit to create in thislifetime, I need to live to be
about 300.
It's, you know, it's amazing.
We paint and I, we paint mydreams.
(54:35):
I paint my sleep constantly.
You know creativity, but there'sseveral.
You know I have abstracts.
I kind of have all water levels, I guess you could say, of
encountering the Lord throughthe artwork that he and I do.
This particular painting islike you know you walked in and
(55:01):
there's nothing under.
You know you walked into theocean and you're way out there
and there's no land in sight.
That's what the treasurycollection is.
It's the heavy, prophetic,revelatory deeper waters
collection and it's.
They were created live and thispainting was is one of those,
(55:25):
and so they all have.
Every painting that I do hasscripture associated with it on
the website, but these havescriptures and have revelatory
writing to go with it, and thisone is like seven pages long.
If you type it out, do you, doI?
(55:50):
What Do?
Speaker 1 (55:51):
you have books in you .
Speaker 2 (55:54):
I've already written two books.
One of them isn't on thewebsite.
I actually wrote it in 2016.
I'm really sitting with theLord on what to do with that
book.
I have copies and everything ofit, but it's it's just
interesting.
It's a and, but it is writtenfrom a painting called the
(56:17):
journey of destiny, so it's morelike a photography revelatory
book.
It's very, very, very differentbook.
It's very, very, very different.
Again, no map for that he'sworking on.
There's a painting on that Ihave done.
That's called the sword ofinspiration, and that one as
(56:37):
well has had a very longrevelatory prophetic piece to go
with it.
And so the God, god is wantingme something.
I'm kind of'm kind of prayingfor time to open up and even
mental space to write and toformulate books from some of
(57:01):
these pains, because they carryso much within them.
Speaker 1 (57:07):
Yeah, I was seeing that for for you, so definitely
press in with him um, I, I wasgonna share, um, you know,
definitely follow cody on onsocial media.
Um, I don't even remember how Icame across you.
I just have this love propheticpainting and, um, I again, I
(57:27):
don't know how I found you, butwhen I did I was like, oh my
gosh, everything here, um, but Ihave a story behind one of the
paintings that I picked up Ithink it was last year and it's
the anointing of the archers,and I won't get into the story
behind it, um, for sake of time,but, um, it does hold such a
deep significance for me and theprophetic word associated with
(57:50):
it it just resonated so deeply.
I don't know, if you have it onhand.
But I'll definitely post in theshow notes a link to that
painting.
That really just it was verytimely, let's put it that way.
But I'd love to hear, like theheart, a little bit of the heart
(58:12):
behind that specific painting,um, and the why behind creating
it, if you're open to sharingthat one was done um for a
worship event, um, in longmont,color, colorado.
Speaker 2 (58:28):
It was ongoing for quite a few years called Resound
and the Lord.
Really, he favored theatmosphere, his presence.
He just thoroughly enjoyed thegathering of creatives and
worshipers at this event.
So it was a very open, openatmosphere for creativity and
(58:49):
for his presence and, um, it wasjust wonderful.
So I always enjoyed likeprepping and getting to um, go
to that event and that was oneof the paintings.
One year um was the archer andthe anointing of the archers and
at that time sometimes Godspeaks things ahead of time and
(59:11):
sometimes I have found hisdeepest words of revelation
carry, no, they transcend timeand they move from generation to
generation.
And I guess that's, you know,one of the privileges of what I
get to do is at times I feellike I do get to touch eternity
(59:33):
and transcend time with what hewants to put on canvas and what
he wants to write.
And that was one of them.
There was a generation therethat year that the anointing of
the archer spoke to, but I knew,creating it, that it would
happen again.
(59:53):
I guess you could say again andagain, and that there was, you
know, women warriors, but men,warriors as well, that carried,
that God was training up tocarry the word of the Lord, both
prophetically, throughscripture, you know, simply
hearing his voice, withdecisiveness, clarity, a people
(01:00:20):
of great focus on his heart, apeople of great honor, kind of
like the people of great honor,kind of like the times of the
archers of old.
They worked for the king, theywould honor the king, everything
they did was for the king andit kind of carries that, almost
(01:00:41):
like renaissance of the Lordbeing the King and you're
carrying, you're fighting forhim, you are warring for him,
you're living under hisauthority, you're operating from
his authority.
And as a prophetic voice youknow to live and operate in that
(01:01:06):
place and that space.
And but that there was ageneration rising up that he was
very much training and adoringto know that they are the
beloved.
They do hear his voice and hesees that they want to release
his voice in the proper way, inthe proper timing and directly
(01:01:32):
from his heart, untainted.
And the skills of the archer.
So what is true in thesupernatural is true in the
natural.
And the skills of the archerare very much they're able to.
You know, as a prophetic voice,he's training others, to be as
the archers and very much ableto tune out distraction, tune
(01:01:56):
out other voices.
Actually, you know, turn inwardand hear your own breath and
hear your own breath with Godand hear the breath of God.
I don't know if you've ever myhusband, you know I have shot a
bow and arrow and the stillnessthat you have to find physically
(01:02:22):
is extraordinary.
And so the Lord, in thatprocess of seeing his prophetic
voices rise up as archers in hiskingdom, so much overlaid with
the skills of the archer and thenatural, targeted, they come in
(01:02:47):
stealth, almost Quiet, timely,timely, both in the natural it
must be timely and to deliverthe word of the Lord at the
proper hour, at His beckoning,timely manner.
To be that sensitive and thatable to turn inward that you
(01:03:12):
hear the heartbeat of the Fatherand tune everything else out.
To be that focused you know,the eyes of your heart, that
focused to release that word andto release that word where it's
supposed to go, like an arrow.
So it carries a lot as well.
Speaker 1 (01:03:37):
That painting carries a lot as well so beautiful and
it even, you know, whenever II've had a lot that I've shared
with women over time in relationto an archery, and it's that
pulling back right, kind of likeJesus did, um, that
representation of, of thepulling back so that we can be
released, so we can, you know,hit the mark like we were
(01:04:00):
talking, or you can't, you know,step into something.
You know there's, there's justso many people that are just
caught up in so much noise andif they're so caught up it's so
hard to aim, can't even aim.
You're just, you know what Imean.
Speaker 2 (01:04:19):
It's, it's just yeah yeah, no, the world is spinning
and you have to be able to, um,you have to be able to turn
inward and, almost, in essence,lock out the world.
Speaker 1 (01:04:34):
Yeah well, I would love to hear more like maybe
I'll have you on another time.
You know we'll have to, okayyeah thank you so much for
sharing everything you've shared.
Um, one of the things I do atthe end of every episode is I
always ask if you would be opento sharing with the one that is
(01:04:54):
listening in today, because hecalled me to do this for the one
, and I would love for you tothink of that person and to
share any words of encouragementor wisdom you might feel led to
speak over them, and then wouldyou mind praying us out, yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:05:09):
No, I would just say, if you, you don't have to know
what you're doing when you sayyes to the Lord, and in fact it
is far more powerful If you dieto your own agenda, die to your
own knowledge, or what you callknowledge, and literally choose
(01:05:33):
to surrender completely and sayyes when he's asking you to do
something that is so beyond you.
That's how you know it's God.
And I would also say, just, youknow, once you find what that
is, because we all have, we allhave a destiny Jeremiah 29, 11.
(01:05:54):
We all have plans that he hasplaced on us.
We all have a purpose that hehas placed on us.
And when you discover thatbecause he will bring it to you
if your heart wants it, when youdiscover that and your spirit
and heart recognize it your mindmay not, but don't let go.
(01:06:15):
And even if you don't have thesupport and you probably won't
of those around you or the, youknow, spiritual grid or the
understanding, however you wantto put it, of those around you,
you know, don't let go.
Do him the honor of not lettinggo and see what he will do with
(01:06:43):
it, because when you show upone day before him, you will be
known as in heaven, that you didnot let go, that you walked
into your purpose, your calling,inner destiny, and you, you did
what he has asked you to do andyou did it in faith, and
(01:07:04):
there's no greater thing that wecan give him.
Is that our yes and amen andour trust.
There's no greater thing thatwe can give him.
Is that our yes and amen andour trust.
There's no greater thing thatwe can give him.
So I'll go ahead and pray, abba,father, I just pray that you
enrich the spirits of everyonewho hears this Lord, that you
(01:07:26):
highlight that which needs to behighlighted and that you
disclose that which needs to bedisclosed.
And that, father, you justunleash your voice, that you
unlock places within hearts andunlock dreams, and that you set
their sails, father, into theirjourneys of destiny.
Father, bring them theconfidence that only heaven and
(01:07:49):
your company can bring.
Bring them, father, theresolution within their spirits
that only you can bring.
Father, I pray that you blessyour pioneers, bless the savers
out there, bless the people thatare going into the unknown and
willing to go into the unknownwith you, father.
(01:08:10):
You're the most courageous beingthat ever walked the planet and
you walk with them into theunknown.
It's destination?
Unknown, except it's theFather's heart.
So, lord, I just bless thedreams.
I bless the waves of creativitythat you have placed within
every soul you ever created.
(01:08:31):
I bless, father, their eyes tosee in ways they have never seen
, and I bless their ears to hearthe voice of their creator in
ways they have never heard youbefore.
May their night hours be fullof the presence of heaven.
(01:08:53):
In Jesus name, I pray Amen.
Speaker 1 (01:08:59):
And Cody, oh my gosh, thank you so much.
Oh, I just felt his heart forso many that are listening in
today.
How can listeners contact you?
And I'll have all yourinformation in the show notes,
of course.
Speaker 2 (01:09:14):
Probably the best way is just simply the contact form
on my website and it's CodyC-O-D-Y-E Riestead
R-E-Y-S-T-E-A-Dcom.
Yeah, that's pretty well thebest way.
I'm not.
I'm on social media, but Iactually have a young lady that
(01:09:35):
kind of does it for me.
So if you want to reach medirectly, it would be email
through the contact page on mywebsite.
Speaker 1 (01:09:44):
Sounds good and again , I'll have this all in the
contact or the show notes, but Iwould love to have you back
again.
I feel like you're just such awealth of um, just beauty and
knowledge and joy.
You just like burst forth Holyspirit.
So, um, I'm going to close.
It's a God of hope.
Fill you with all joy and peaceand believing so the by the God
(01:10:04):
of hope.
Fill you with all joy and peaceand believing so that by the
power of the Holy Spirit you mayabound in hope.
And that's Romans 15 13.
So, Cody, thank you for being abrave voice.
Who's setting so many free?
And thank you again for beinghere today.
I will be back with anotherepisode next week.
Thank you, listeners.
Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast.
I'm your host, kristen Kurtz,and I'm also the founder of New
Wings Coaching.
I help and empower wildheartedand adventurous women of faith
feeling caged and stuck, unlocktheir true purpose and potential
, break free from limitationsand thrive with confidence,
courage and hope.
If you're curious to learn moreabout coaching with me, head to
newwingscoachingnet and be sureto explore the show notes for
(00:38):
ways to connect with me further.
Get ready to dive in as weuncover empowering keys and
insights in this episode.
So tune in and let's unlockhope together.
Welcome to the Hope Unlockedpodcast.
I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host.
I pray this episode is like aholy IV of hope for your soul.
Please help me.
Welcome Cody Reisted to the show.
(00:58):
I am so thrilled to have herhere with us today.
It has been a long time comingand I truly just love everything
about her.
We had some time to chat beforewe got started and we're
definitely kindred spirits.
I guess you could say you knowsisters in Christ who have so
(01:18):
much in common and yet so manydifferences.
So, cody, would you be open tosharing a little bit about
yourself?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, I am a creative .
For my father, to put it simply, I've been called to create, to
paint, to be an artisan in hiskingdom, and that's my love.
That's what I do, that's mypassion.
I'm a mom, I have two daughtersand I'm married been married
(01:51):
almost 25 years.
I live in Colorado.
I'm a transplant though, as Iwas telling Kristen before this,
born in California and raisedin Texas.
So if you hear a little bit ofclang along the way, that's why.
But I love what I do and I'mjust grateful to be here and to
(02:14):
get to do this today.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well, thank you for coming on.
I would love to hear.
You know, many people would say, well, I can't create and,
honestly, like if I were to saylike that, I was like an
artistic creative, I would sayno, but I know that it's in
everybody.
But you know, some areabsolutely anointed to be
painters and artists andartisans, such as yourself.
(02:38):
So what did that process looklike for you to step into your
calling?
Speaker 2 (02:49):
to step into your calling.
That's quite the story.
I heard the audible voice ofGod when I was about eight years
old.
I've never I say that becauseeven my creativity and my gift
of artistry kind of what I wouldcall it, the ability to paint
and draw with a whole lot ofease happened.
I do not know what it's like tonot be able to do that.
I've been able to do that sincechildhood.
(03:10):
And so when I heard the voiceof the Lord, you know, at the
young age of eight years old, Ivery much associate that.
You know, he was the creator ofthe universe to me, he was my
creator.
He's a master artisan, and so Iresponded to that call.
(03:30):
And you know, at that point,even at that young age, you know
, I was going to live with theone who created with, you know,
created me.
I was going to live for him.
I wanted to live in arelationship with him and I
didn't really grow up knowingany difference than that A very
personal relationship with theartist, the master artist, and
(03:56):
but from that relationship Ialso knew that the gift of
creativity and the ease tocreate like I can was a gift of
God, and so there was always aweightiness to it that I
remember, you know, in my teenyears, you know, growing up with
(04:16):
that, why, why did God give methis gift?
There is a reason.
I know that there is a reason,there has to be a reason.
Gift there is a reason.
I know that there is a reason,there has to be a reason.
And it really developed intoalmost a holy restlessness by
the time I was, you know, ateenager and young adult.
(04:37):
I majored in art, you know, asan artist in the fine arts, and
to college for it and all kindsof things.
I only lasted a semester andchanged my major, the art that I
came in contact with at thecollege that I went to, and I
(04:58):
won't mention it.
But the college that I went towas very dark, the atmosphere
was dark, the, what we wereasked to create, was waiting
with with darkness.
I could not.
(05:18):
I had walked with the Lord along time at that point already,
but I did not have a heading oran understanding of you know
what I was encountering um, asyou know, kind of a prophetic
person or a um spirit led person.
I didn't understand.
(05:39):
Um, you know why I would walkout of class and my hands, just
like I felt dirty.
I felt like I had misused andnot even more than misused a
holy gift.
I've always seen the gift thatI have it's not of me, it's
(06:02):
something I have received frommy maker and I felt almost that
it was, you know, looking back,it was like a feeling of abuse
and misuse for sure, and so Ionly outlasted a semester, I
thought that, you know, goinginto college and everything, I
thought that, yeah, that's, youknow, I have this gift.
(06:22):
God wants me to use it.
I don't really know what elseto do right now, so I'm really
going to hone it.
I'm going to, you know, reallytake a lot of drawing classes,
et cetera, and really hone myyou know, ie, god-given talent
to then be able to use it,however he leads me to use it.
So it was a major.
(06:50):
It was an upheaval, you know,within myself when this happened
, because it was almost like a,you know, an aborting of a plan
that I thought that you know wasof the Lord and that I had.
And to, you know, to hone mycreativity, to hone my artistry,
and it did a number on me.
It went really deep.
Creatives, artists, musicians,writers were interesting people.
(07:18):
We're very much people ofsolitude.
We live very deeply.
Things affect us greatly and wedon't always process outwardly,
and so it cut very deep.
The spiritual atmosphere wasjust so much and I'll just say
(07:39):
it again, there's so muchdarkness that I, you know it
just grieved my spirit and Icouldn't even find the
vocabulary and I didn't have theunderstanding even of what or
why.
You know, I was, I wasexperiencing and feeling what I
was feeling at that point.
So I changed my major as a lackof I didn't know what to do.
(08:04):
Now, you know, I was like Idon't know what to do.
Now, you know, I I was like Idon't know what to do.
Now.
My plan just got, you know,just blew up from the center.
Um, I don't want to haveanything to do with this.
If this is what the art worldis like, I cannot have anything
to do with this do with this.
So I changed my major.
(08:25):
I did not pick up a paintbrush,which in my world, for me, was
very unusual.
I did not pick up a paintbrushfor probably over three years.
I completely walked away fromit and God was so patient.
You know we still connected inother ways and you know that
(08:48):
that relationship, you know,remained there.
Um, and he, when I transferredto a different school cause, I
was just like I need to get outof here, I need to start over,
and so I changed my major, Itransferred to a different
school and went a while and itwas basically my last semester
(09:09):
of college and I just had a fewhours left that I needed to get
and I had an elective that Ineeded to fill and there was an
art class and it was actually awatercolor class in Palo Duro
Canyon, and I was, you know, myartist in me was itching to do
(09:32):
it again.
You know, to do that again.
But my mind and my heart werein two different places.
My heart wanted to, you know,engage with the Father that way
and to create again and to paintagain, but my head was like you
can't do this.
You know, it was just such abad experience, and you know
(09:52):
we're not, you can't do this.
And it was really interestingbecause the Lord came to me one
day.
I was walking on this new campusit's a beautiful campus and I
was walking along and, you know,really trying to kind of decide
.
I'm like I've got to fill thishour and you know I need to fill
this elective and you know, Icould just, like you know, what
(10:13):
can I take and not take this artclass?
And God was just like he's justlike, why don't you come over
to the Fine arts building?
So, just, you know, just go in,just let's just go in and just
take a look, and it can't hurt,you know.
And he's just wooing me back and, um, so I went ahead and, you
(10:35):
know, went in and it was inbetween classes, there wasn't a
whole lot going on, it was justan afternoon and and we walked,
um, I mean, cause it literallyfelt like Jesus came and he was
just walking with me, but I'vejust, I've kind of had the
privilege to always get to livelike that, um, with him very
near, and so he went with me,you know, and and said it can't
(11:01):
hurt, you know, we'll just,we'll just go look around and I
remember walking in the finearts building and they had a
kind of gallery set up over tothe side.
They had several rooms thatjust were full of paintings.
And this particular college wasa little bit more righteous, I
(11:32):
guess I really don't know how toput this, but the area that
it's in is a little bit moreBible Belt, you know.
So it was less offensive, we'llput it that way.
The artwork on the walls was alot of, you know, beautiful
landscapes, floral, a lot of youknow God's beauty.
It was like yes, joyful, youknow, light filled art.
And I remember walking alongand I just started like silent
(11:56):
tears, I just started crying andI realized like my soul had
missed.
I realized like my soul hadmissed, had missed the beauty
that art can create, that bringsto us.
You know, I missed, you know,in the art world, yes, I missed
(12:18):
the textures, I missed the lines, I missed the painting, I
missed the gallery.
But in the spiritual realm, Imissed that relationship of
(12:38):
closeness with the creator, ofcreating with him and creating
things of beauty and light.
And my soul just was drinkingit in and I was just crying and
God just came to me and he wasjust, I was just crying and God
just came to me and he was, youknow, so sweet and so kind and
he was like you know, you can dothis, I want you to take this
class, it's going to be okay,it's going to be okay.
And you know, this was justabout taking a class or not.
(13:01):
At that point, nothing biggerthan that.
But at that point, and so Iwent ahead, you know, I took the
class and and it was like in amoment, you know that walk
through the gallery, he justhealed everything and redeemed,
you know so much, and my and Iwas able to engage in that class
(13:27):
and create things of beauty,create things of light, and
without all the yuck dark things.
Because art is very powerful,it cuts to the soul of man and
it can be very, very dark.
It can carry so much yuck stuffas we have all encountered,
(13:50):
especially in this day and age,you know, we really have, um,
the eyes are the windows of thesoul and so what you see seeps
into your whole being and weneed to be really careful about
what we see.
But in that class, in that way,in that art, fine arts building
(14:10):
even it was very, you know, theycreated things of beauty, they
created things of light, theycreated things of hope, they
created things, you know, things, that would reflect the
father's nature, and thedarkness was not there.
So it felt like coming home.
I had silenced that part ofmyself and really cut off breath
(14:40):
, you know, for three years, andit was like something inside of
me came alive again that hadnot gotten to breathe for a long
time.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Well, the enemy sure tried to steal, kill and destroy
your, your calling right.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, definitely he has several times, several times
.
There's been things now thatthat have definitely definitely
tried to derail, that havedefinitely definitely tried to
derail.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Well, I have to ask, like do you remember because I'm
imagining, I'm such a visual aspeople are talking, like I'm
literally seeing you?
Do you remember your firstpainting that you?
Speaker 2 (15:17):
I do.
Well, I don't necessarilyremember it, but my mom and it
was actually of a like a pioneerwagon horse yes, I know horses
and a wagon and pioneer timesand I was like three years old,
I think is what she said, threeor four, and she said she took
(15:38):
it to the pediatrician, you knowcause.
She was like is this normal?
And um, and he's like, no, it'snot, it's not normal.
So yeah, that was, but I don'tremember that.
That would just be you knowwhat I've gotten blessed to hear
from my mom?
Speaker 1 (15:57):
The first thing that I drew and how about painting
when you like, stepped into thatclass.
What?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
was the first painting you released.
Well, that class is more likejust stepping back into what
I've always done.
I took art classes when I wasyounger, you know, in school and
everything.
I was actually very blessed.
We moved quite a bit but I wasalways blessed to have this
incredible art teacher, like atevery school I went to.
(16:30):
And so I got to, you know,experiment with all kinds of
different media.
I got so much encouragement asa child from various art
teachers and, looking back, Iknow, you know, I know that that
was God, um, really feeding myconfidence in that gifting and
(16:55):
just solidifying, um, what Isensed inside of you know, this
is this is a gift from him and Iam, I want to steward it and I
want to figure out how he wantsme to use it.
So I was very blessed in thatway when I was growing up.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Yeah, that's incredible because I mean, I
don't know about you, but I feellike a lot of people who are
walking out.
You know, pioneering callingsright, going back to the
pioneering, the season's allabout launching pioneers and
really highlighting people whoare doing things different to
you know, have this beautifulcalling that the Lord's put on
their life and I I just I feellike there's too many that don't
(17:31):
have somebody in their cornerwho are supporting them, like
you had to kind of bolster youas you're walking this out,
right?
So, being you mentioned earlier, you know, artists, artists,
creatives maybe are a little bitmore introverted.
Do you find that people in thatspace have others who are like
(17:51):
coming alongside and supportingthem, or is it kind of a
singular journey?
And for the believers, ofcourse they have, you know the
lord, so it's not just asingular journey, but do you
know what I'm saying?
Do they have community that'scoming alongside them?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Well, I think it's very vital and important to have
community of, you know,like-minded pioneers around you.
Mine was not an immediate thingand when I started painting
live, I was actually called intoit.
(18:28):
The father asked me to paintlive and I had never even seen
it done.
I especially hadn't seen itdone in a church setting or
event setting, that kind ofworship setting.
I had never seen that.
I was raised Baptist and, youknow, had strong understanding
(18:52):
and, you know, teaching ofscripture and things you know,
definitely, but that was notpart of the environment.
And so when God asked me to,you know, paint live in front of
people it was actually in 2007was my first live painting with
(19:15):
a father and it was for mydaughter's dedication and I
wanted this song played for her,but I cannot sing and my mom
was actually the one that cameto me and said you know, honey,
why don't you paint to it?
And I had no grid for that.
(19:35):
Like I said, really she didn'teither.
I think it was a Holy Spirit,you know, thought, implanted in
my beloved mom's head, and soshe, you know she suggested it
and so I went ahead and did itand there was probably it was a
small country church and theremight've been, you know, 20, 25
(19:58):
people there to see that firstlive painting.
And it was a mess, it was abirthy mess.
I don't even know where thatpainting is now, but there was a
missionary at that painting andhe was a guest that day and he
actually asked me to come and doa painting, to sell and auction
(20:20):
permissions.
And then that one paint, youknow, it just led, it completely
opened the door.
Um, that initial first paintingfor the father was in November
and by May of that same year, um, I was painting at a Graham
cook conference, um, in front ofabout 3000 people.
(20:41):
Oh, my gosh, so like six monthslater, yes, um, and I had no
clue, I had never, you know,when it first kind of started
rumbling and I did that firstlive painting and literally,
when I stepped up to the canvas,I had never heard the voice of
God that clear and thatdirective until that moment.
(21:05):
It literally was like I hadstepped into his space and it
was incredible.
My bones just started burningand I knew that.
I knew I couldn't define whatwas happening, but I knew that.
I knew that this, this was oneof my, this is a purpose in life
(21:27):
that you know.
This was the purpose for thecreativity, for the artistry
that he had given me.
Um, it took flight.
I guess you could say I had noidea how to man it, no idea what
I was doing, um, no idea whatwould come next, but I knew that
I had touched destiny and Icould not let go.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Yeah.
I have to go back for a second,because one of the one of my
most favorite things I love tohear is I didn't know what I was
doing and I what was the thingyou said right after that?
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Well, basically, I couldn't not do it.
You know, I knew I had toucheddestiny, I I had, I had to do it
yeah, yeah, wow.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
So your yes in like like flung open the doors and oh
yeah, I'm curious, the firstpainting, like what was your
first painting when you did thelive painting?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
It was actually Jesus sitting on a hillside, like in
Jerusalem, and he was in kind ofa quiet.
You know all the scriptureswhere he.
There's so many scriptures, ifyou go and just read the story
of Jesus, that convey and revealhim as a man.
(22:46):
You know how did he live andoperate, what did he do, and
there's so many scriptures wherehe, he pulled back and you know
he pulled away for solitudewith his father.
And I've always found that youknow a touchable, I guess you
(23:08):
could say just touchable.
I want that, I need that, andso that was the first painting
was one of those moments ofsolitude where Jesus had pulled
up to the hillside just to bewith his father.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Well, thank you for sharing that process with us.
With this first time you wentlive, it's so beautiful how our
guests can just usher in allthese doors, right.
What was the experience likegoing?
So you went from a group of 25people or so to a group of 3000.
(23:43):
Like, what was that?
Like you know, I guess I wantto know.
Like going up on a stage um,how was that for you?
Like is it?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
comfortable.
Yeah, no, uh, no, by all means,no, um, but it was for God.
So, you know, I was in and Ihad told him I was in and
there's no backing up.
But no, he, the Lord, came andbasically flipped my world
upside down, like as an artist,meaning that after that first
(24:22):
painting, he had me, he had mehook, line and sinker and you
know, my heart burned, like Isaid, my bones burned.
It was unlike anything I hadever encountered, but yet like
something finally landed in mylife and it was where it was
(24:43):
destined to be.
You know, I knew that I couldn'tmove from the hot seat, but at
that moment the Lord moved inand decided.
(25:03):
You know, he said OK, you'regoing to paint on black instead
of white, or even you know othercolors, but you're going to
paint on black and you're goingto paint big um, four foot by
four foot canvases, and you'regoing to do these live, and
you're going to do, in front ofpeople, um and create.
You know, in the now, and I, uh, you know I, I was like, oh, my
gosh, because he took awayevery, everything that was
(25:26):
familiar to me artistically.
Um, in the physical, he flipped, uh, to paint on white and then
to paint on black, um, you know, photographers, artists, they
probably will understand thismore, but it's almost like
flipping your brain upside down.
You have to see entirelydifferent, you have to create
(25:50):
entirely different.
It's like upside down.
So he, you know, we did that, Iused to create.
It would take me days, weeks,you know, to create something
that was, you know, maybe 16 by20.
And all of a sudden we're going48 by 48.
I was very, you know, I did thisin private and God says, no,
(26:13):
we're going to do it in front ofthousands, you know.
So it was very much like havingto be exposed, you know, I
don't really know another wordfor that.
It was, um, having to beexposed, my inner life even.
Um, because what artists kindof create, what musicians create
(26:39):
, you know, we experience firstwhat we create.
The hands and the heart areconnected and the Lord works
through the heart first, andthen you express those things
and the conversations that youhave, you know, the, the life
experiences that you have, theencounters that you have with
the Lord, they end up being, youknow, they filter through the
(27:02):
mind, the heart, and then theycome out of the hands and that's
a very sensitive, private, orit can be process, and so there
was a very sense of exposurethat I had never encountered,
you know, but knew that, youknow, once again, I was like I
(27:26):
can't not do this and I don'thave a clue what I'm doing.
God, how do I do this?
I even went to you know,pioneering kind of something new
.
I was like, okay, well, how doI educate myself?
You know, kind of the typicalthing we do, you know, let me go
look and see.
Are there other painters outthere?
You know worship painters, forlack of a better word.
(27:47):
You know, what are they doing?
How are they doing this?
What media are they using?
You know, like, can I go toschool for this?
My mind raced with all thosenormal thoughts, I think.
And God just came to me veryclearly and I never will forget
it.
And he's like came to me veryclearly and I never will forget
it.
And he was like, don't expect amap and I don't want this to
(28:10):
look like anything that you'veever seen before.
That's why, you know he birthedthis ministry and what I do, um
, trained me.
Um, on a farm and ranch that isactually 60 miles from like a
grocery store, um out inseclusion and isolation.
(28:33):
I believe isolation is key fordestiny to actually happen.
Isolating, at least with theLord, may not be a physical
thing, but seclusion and pullingoneself away, as Jesus did, to
(28:54):
be with the Father and to turnoff all other inputs, I guess
you could say I think it's vital, I don't know that you could
walk in your destiny and you canwalk in your calling and
actually execute your missionfrom heaven without
intentionality towards solitudewith the Lord.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
I really catch that.
I think that is a huge key forsomebody today, especially in
this time that we're living in,where it is so noisy right.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
It's so noisy, yeah, you've got to cut off everything
.
And I think that God used Idon't think I know he used the
isolation and the solitude topull me away and crash course.
In that solitude and isolationand isolation he was able to
crash course, tutor me as arabbi, artist and rabbi you know
(29:50):
, creator, how to even do this.
I had always enjoyed workingwith I mean, it was right down
to like the media.
I had always enjoyed workingwith oil because, oh, they give
you plenty of time and theyblend and, you know, in the
artist's world, you know pencil,pen, I mean all these other
things.
I kind of have like a disdainfor acrylic, and that's exactly
(30:15):
what he called me to.
And acrylic, you know, he said,okay, acrylic dries quickly,
it's cheap, it can cover a lotof area and, once again, it
dries quickly.
You're going to need all ofthese things to paint live.
This is what you need to do andI know you don't like it, but I
(30:37):
need to train you in this mediaand I need to train you how to
paint on black, because when youget in front of people and it's
on the lights and things thatthis is actually going to
benefit, you don't have to fillin as much.
You know.
There's just all kinds ofthings that I had to learn to
trust him that would go againstmy IE natural gifting and my
(30:58):
comfort, what I was comfortablewith, you know, when I was
creating.
He went against everything thatwas comfortable and he took a
crash course and as I waspreparing for the Graham Cook
conference this is the one thatyou know it was like first
painting in November and thenGraham Cook was in May, and I
(31:21):
mean crazy story of like howthey found me and asked me to
come.
I don't even really actuallyknow the track of how that
happened, I'm not even for sureand but I got this wild call.
You know, will you come?
And I'm like I'm sitting thereon the phone going, oh my gosh,
this is huge, you know, and I'mterrified, but I can't not do
(31:44):
this.
I've prayed this in.
This is what I've asked for allthese years.
It's like God, I want to usethis how you want me to use it.
It's supposed to be used in aspecific way and this is that.
And so I have to say yes tothis, but you are so going to
have to help me because I don'thave a clue what I'm doing.
You know I have no way toprepare.
I have no idea how to prepare.
(32:22):
I have no one to call.
There was no community at thattime.
For me, community came muchlater, when actually I was the
one that was like teaching andhelping from experiences that I
had had.
You know, um, now you can lookaround and there's a lot of
creative communities, uh,kingdom creative communities.
It's beautiful.
Um, when I began, when Istarted out, especially in the
fine arts and the artistry, uh,that was pretty non-existent.
So it was just the Lord and Iand he took me to boot camp to
(32:45):
prepare for this conference andhe woke me up my girls were
little at the time and he wokeme up at 4 am every morning for
three weeks and to go into thestudio we're going to go paint,
let's go paint, let's go paint.
And it was like.
It was like the Holy Spirit,with all this energy standing
(33:07):
beside my bed saying let's gopaint, let's go paint at 4 am.
You know, I didn't need an alarmclock for three weeks and he
took me out to the studio andtrained me.
He taught me the logistics youknow we're talking very tactile
(33:40):
logistics in the natural realmof how to use acrylic paint,
what to mix with it so that itwould blend more, what you know
what brushes to use.
I mean all the ins and outsthat I had.
I had no idea it was all new tome, you know.
Yes, I had a God-given talent,but this was unlike anything I
had ever done before.
And he took me to school and Idid seven live paintings in
three days, seven, seven.
(34:02):
He crash-coursed me into.
It was like a graduate programthat was a few months long, I
mean, it was boot camp and itwas literally like a dunking.
But looking back, there'smultiple times in my life
(34:24):
especially with you know what Ido that, um, you say yes and or
I say yes to him and God justdunks me.
He, he just crashed coursequick, all right, you know, here
we go.
You said yes, let's run.
And you know he doesn't workwith her, he works with everyone
differently.
Um, but I kind of laugh becausethere has been times.
(34:49):
It's like, you know, it's timeto jump off a cliff.
That's how he and I work.
The first painting he came to meI was so nervous, so nervous
and but I was like I'm gonna dothis.
Lord, you know, I said yes tothis, I'm gonna do this, I have
to do this.
I can't explain why, but I gotto do this.
And it was like God came to meand he was like, are you ready
(35:10):
to fly?
And I just had this vision oflike running off on the cliff
with the trust level of he'sgoing to catch me.
You know, because creating infront of people is terrifying,
but creating in front of peopletakes a lot when you're working
with the Lord takes a lot oftrust that he will show up.
(35:35):
You know that you have createda space and laid out the
supplies necessary, not just inthe natural realm, but in in
like, within yourself, um, forhim to come and invade that
space and for him to that he'sgoing to show up.
(35:57):
Because if he doesn't show up,when you're painting in front of
3000 people of vision you havenever painted, um, it can really
end badly.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
So when you went up to the canvas, did you like, did
you have any idea of what you'dbe painting?
Or did he like kind of withholdthat until you were standing
there?
Speaker 2 (36:22):
He works differently.
I've noticed now I've had theprivilege and and blessing to,
you know, get to meet other youknow IE worship artists and, um,
he works differently.
I've noticed with all of us, um, with me, from the get-go mine
was very much of like a uh,corporate, um focus, and so I
(36:47):
would engage with the Lord.
I still do.
You know, what vision do youhave for your people?
What, what do you want on thiscanvas for your people?
So mine is very much acorporate conversation, I guess,
with the Lord, and it happensbeforehand and it always has.
As I was preparing, you know,those seven canvases, um, I knew
(37:10):
what I was.
He would show me, uh,specifically what you know, what
each painting was going to be,um, the colors, um, you know we
had it's kind of interestingbecause it's like I meet him
halfway he gives me half of theinformation and the other half I
don't get until I'm actuallyjumping off the cliff with him,
(37:34):
so meaning that he will give methe list of colors he'll give me
.
You know we work out.
What I do is paint black onblack and so I use two different
colors of black and I'll workout the vision on canvas at home
and I can see those lines.
(37:54):
So that way everything theperspective is correct, the um I
pray excellence of artwork iscorrect, so that when people
look at it there's no hangupsthat could almost kind of
prohibit them from liketraveling further into that
(38:18):
piece of art.
And so those things are workedout at home with this black on
black that he's taught me.
He taught me how to do that andwe do the you know plan, all
the colors.
We have all the colors packed,the paints packed, the brushes
packed, everything is likepacked for the journey, I guess
(38:38):
you could say.
Then, when I show up at theevent, then we apply all the
color and there's times that youknow he'll even creating these
and prepping them at home.
You know, doing the black onblack, he'll show me the greater
, you know, the greater visionof it, but he'll leave out some
(39:01):
details and he'll even likethere'll be kind of a space and
I don't know.
I'm like, okay, lord, what goeshere?
And he's like, oh, you'll findout later.
You know, I'll put some, don'tworry about that.
You know, right now, andliterally he won't tell me until
we get there in front of peopleand I'm actually executing his
(39:22):
vision on canvas and painting it, that he will show up and, and
at times he's even shown up inthe paintings that there were
like I had no grid for what hewas going to do.
You know, he'll put things inthe paintings that I he didn't
even tell me about.
I love it and those are, oh,it's fascinating, it's
(39:45):
absolutely fascinating and atfirst it was, you know, pretty
scary Part of the process ofworking with him.
Now, now it's my joy, I lovethat.
You know I'm like, oh boy,that's going to be like, you
know, a treasure in the dark.
You know, treasure found laterthat I didn't know about, you
(40:05):
know, and, and even now it'slike, you know, I've learned to
enjoy that factor of ourrelationship.
As you know, painter and rabbiartist so much that you know,
one day, I know that he's goingto disclose to me, you know,
things that he put in thestrokes or conversations that he
(40:26):
was having with people duringthat painting that I have no
idea about.
I'll get to hear those things,yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
So beautiful.
Thank you for you know walkingus through that process and you
know that process and you knowthe back end of you know your
beautiful artwork with the Lord,because it truly is.
I love that you talked aboutjumping off a cliff with a
backpack because you know, likeI said, we have a lot of
(41:00):
similarities and we havedifferences and I've had moments
where, you know, in my lifewhere the Lord's called me to do
something that I would callvery stretching, and if it's
just say yes and it's like thatis so outside of my comfort zone
, but when you say yes, there'ssuch a a piece over it but yet
there still is an element, maybeif you're stepping into
something that is like sooutside of you, right, that is,
(41:24):
you know there is going to be,you know there is going to be.
You know he says do not fearhow many different times in the
Bible, because he knows that wewill experience some of that
Right.
But when I left the job like in2021, I actually he said, go
Right.
And it was so outside of whatwould make sense in the natural
(41:45):
and I I literally imagined tomyself like jumping off a cliff
with a backpack and knowing thatthere would be a parachute in
it, but I I didn't get a chanceto even see the parachute and,
trusting in that, you know, freefall, right, it truly is a free
fall.
There's freedom in just jumpingwith him, right, um.
(42:07):
So you like experience that aswell, I've.
I've talked to some other peoplewho've taken some big steps and
they've also had those, uh, youknow, moments of feeling like
they're jumping off a cliff.
So we're, we're part of thesame club, but we've done it in
different ways.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so, yeah, sogood um, so I wanted you to
(42:30):
share, if you're open to it, um,can you share, like, maybe one
of your favorite um paintingsand what like?
Why it's has impacted you sosignificantly?
Which one is your favorite, canyou say?
Can you narrow it down?
See, I'm not a painter.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
Yeah.
Well actually I probably can In2000,.
I guess 17 or so, I'm not evencompletely sure, but I think it
was 2017.
I got an invitation to paint atat Red Rocks Amphitheater and
(43:12):
in front of it it was 10,000people.
And, yeah, just when you thinkyou get comfortable and you know
what you're doing, God movesagain.
And just make sure that youknow you stay humble in the
process.
And so, anyhow, I got you know,I had the incredible experience
(43:35):
and opportunity to prep twopaintings to do kind of right
beside each other on the samenight at Red Rocks Amphitheater
in Colorado, which is absolutelystunning.
The scenery is just stunning,it's outside and everything.
It's amazing worship leadersand things.
(44:02):
It was an incredible invitation, no-transcript, and because I
(44:40):
have found that in order for anartist to release something from
the inside you know, anexperience, an encounter, we
have to digest it and take it inand carry it, even for a period
of time and really sit with it.
Um, for the anointing to comeonto it to release it, and
especially in a situation wherethere's, you know, 10,000 people
(45:01):
.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
Yeah, and so the Lord took a lot of time.
Um, it didn't.
You know, that part didn'tsurprise me because it was the
largest audience that we hadpainted for.
And so I sat with these twopaintings and both of them are
kind of my favorites, but one ofthem just literally undid me
because I was prepping it, youknow, by myself, and doing the
(45:25):
black on black, and God hadshown me, and it's actually
vessels of restitution, or let'ssee, vessels of restitution and
revival, I believe, and areformation, I'm sorry, vessels
of reformation and revival.
There's so many R's floatingaround in the spiritual realm
right now, but anyhow, he had,you know, given me that vision.
(45:47):
I'd sat with a long time andkind of came to the point that,
okay, now it's time to get it on, prep the canvas, and so I
started laying it out.
It's very complicated, it hasfive ships in it.
The Lord has always done thingsvery symmetrically and, you know
(46:08):
, in a square.
There's a whole lot of reasonsthat he has me do it this way.
Some of what he does and how hecreates through me is that to
keep all doorways open, eventhings being out of balance, can
inhibit his spirit from likegetting to flow as freely as he
(46:31):
would like.
You know, if things are done,if it, if the vision is done
with artistic excellence, thenit provides even a greater tool
for him to use.
I guess is what I'm saying,cause you know how it is.
We've all like walked pastsomething and even if you're not
an artist, but you notice itand you're like something's off
(46:51):
in that painting, you get stuck.
You know you get stuck there.
So part of what I do with himis remove those things.
And so the symmetrical part,you know is is pretty big, with
the, with the paintings that aredone, live and things.
He likes the balance and sothis one has five paintings.
(47:14):
The flag, I mean five ships.
The flagship in the middle isliterally, you know, like right
in the middle.
And so, as we were doing theships, you know I'm like, okay,
lord, this flagship, what do youwant on the helm?
You know the wood, what do youwant there?
And what I saw in my spirit wasa dove and like with the head
(47:38):
down and the wings going out,you know where it's actually
carved into the wood, and but adove.
So I started drawing that.
You know I could feel him on it.
It's like, yes, you know.
And so I start drawing that, asI'm, you know, seeing it in my
spirit and, you know, step backand I'm like, okay, that's, you
(47:58):
know, in my natural realm, goingokay, that looks pretty good,
you know.
And getting it laid out on thecanvas.
And I kind of sat back a minuteand God was like I could, I
could feel Jesus almost walkinto the room and he's like look
again.
You know, like he had asurprise or something.
He's like look again.
And I'm like, okay.
(48:20):
So I'm like looking at it againand I'm like I see a dove, you
know, there's a dove, you know.
And so I sat there a minuteCause I'm like I don't, I don't
understand you know what.
Why do I feel this likeelectric happy in the atmosphere
?
You know, like you're about toget me in a good way and
surprise me.
(48:40):
And he's like look again.
And so I like, leaned in, youknow, I'm on my little stool and
I leaned in and I'm likelooking at my own lines.
I mean, you have to keep inmind, I drew these, you know,
and I'm looking at my own linesand suddenly the dove is also.
It's like a vision on.
A vision is also an eaglelooking upwards with its mouth
(49:04):
open with its mouth open.
I so did not intend like it wasnot even in my grid of artistry
to to do that.
It was brilliant, it was sobrilliant, but it was something
I could, like I did not come upwith.
(49:26):
I take no credit for thatbrilliancy.
It was incredible and it was soshocking that at first I like
like took my breath back andkind of laugh, like you know,
and then I just started cryingBecause I was like the magnitude
of the master artist literallyhad taken my hands over in my
(49:51):
quiet little studio, with justhim and I, and created something
so far beyond myself, you know,so far beyond the natural.
Yeah, you know, it was like,and he's like, yeah, and there's
so much to be taught from that.
You know, one day I'm surehe'll do that.
Um, that he revealed to me, youknow, as.
(50:14):
And so then, as I started likeprepping it and sitting with him
and all of this and and lookingat it and just going, oh my
gosh, I'm not touching it.
I'm not touching it and I'mworking on everything around it,
but I'm not touching that.
You know, it is done, it'sready, and um, and God was just
like.
You know you come to us.
(50:34):
He said I want my children tocome to me in a position of such
humility you know it's like adove before me and and and
they're bowed before me andgraced with humility and, but in
that humility is power and thatthey may see, and even their.
(50:57):
You know the people around themin the earthly realm are going
to look at them and see them askind of lowly and humble.
You know it's the scripturesthat we have to that refer to
this bow low and you will belifted high, you know, and they
may see that version of thatperson.
But from heaven's perspective,this is what I see the fierce
(51:21):
eagle that has their mouth wideopen and is screeching for my
sake, and the power that's onthe eagle.
That's how heaven sees thehumble and that's the anointing
that can come when you placeyour heart in the position of
(51:44):
humility like that.
The anointing looks like thisand I was like.
I mean it was just by the time,god's done with me.
You know, with this, with thatone, I'm just sitting down there
sobbing.
You know it's just like.
And that encounter with the Lord, that memorable conversations
(52:08):
over that painting, I was justlike God, I can't get this one,
I can't give this one up.
You know I can't give this oneup.
And he was so sweet and kindand he's like, he's like you
don't have to, this one's yours.
You know, you get to keep thisone, it's yours.
And so that one, because of thelevel of artistic excellence
(52:29):
that did not actually come fromme, it's just him moving through
me, unbeknownst to me.
I, you know, I treasure thatimage, I treasure that canvas
and I think that in a degree, Ithink that in a level, he does
as well, because it was almostlike his gift to me.
(52:50):
You know that was over a decadeinto what we do.
You know him and I paintingtogether and so yeah, but that
would be my favorite one.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
Such a visual of you know, we haven't.
You know we've talked a littlebit back and forth on social
media and, like I know youthrough social media and I've
talked to you before this andyou know just, I just see it as
such a visual representation ofhow he sees you and it's so
beautiful.
You know the, the power, theHoly spirit, power and the
powerful Eagle, like, oh my gosh, I, is this something that
(53:24):
you're able to share with us, tobe able to see, like I want to
see it?
Maybe you can just show me.
Speaker 2 (53:32):
Oh yeah, I don't, it's actually kind of in storage
right now.
I'm in between studios andthings.
My life's a little interestingright now, but it is in my
possession.
But I can, definitely I cansend you the link.
Is that something people canpurchase?
Yes, yeah, you can purchase theprints.
(53:53):
The original it's mine, but theprints, yes, definitely do.
Yeah, there's prints.
He actually.
The revelation that goes withthis painting corporately is
like seven pages long.
(54:14):
My website, I have multiplecollections.
If I get to create everythingthat God has put in my spirit to
create in this lifetime, I needto live, to be about 300.
Spirit to create in thislifetime, I need to live to be
about 300.
It's, you know, it's amazing.
We paint and I, we paint mydreams.
(54:35):
I paint my sleep constantly.
You know creativity, but there'sseveral.
You know I have abstracts.
I kind of have all water levels, I guess you could say, of
encountering the Lord throughthe artwork that he and I do.
This particular painting islike you know you walked in and
(55:01):
there's nothing under.
You know you walked into theocean and you're way out there
and there's no land in sight.
That's what the treasurycollection is.
It's the heavy, prophetic,revelatory deeper waters
collection and it's.
They were created live and thispainting was is one of those,
(55:25):
and so they all have.
Every painting that I do hasscripture associated with it on
the website, but these havescriptures and have revelatory
writing to go with it, and thisone is like seven pages long.
If you type it out, do you, doI?
(55:50):
What Do?
Speaker 1 (55:51):
you have books in you .
Speaker 2 (55:54):
I've already written two books.
One of them isn't on thewebsite.
I actually wrote it in 2016.
I'm really sitting with theLord on what to do with that
book.
I have copies and everything ofit, but it's it's just
interesting.
It's a and, but it is writtenfrom a painting called the
(56:17):
journey of destiny, so it's morelike a photography revelatory
book.
It's very, very, very differentbook.
It's very, very, very different.
Again, no map for that he'sworking on.
There's a painting on that Ihave done.
That's called the sword ofinspiration, and that one as
(56:37):
well has had a very longrevelatory prophetic piece to go
with it.
And so the God, god is wantingme something.
I'm kind of'm kind of prayingfor time to open up and even
mental space to write and toformulate books from some of
(57:01):
these pains, because they carryso much within them.
Speaker 1 (57:07):
Yeah, I was seeing that for for you, so definitely
press in with him um, I, I wasgonna share, um, you know,
definitely follow cody on onsocial media.
Um, I don't even remember how Icame across you.
I just have this love propheticpainting and, um, I again, I
(57:27):
don't know how I found you, butwhen I did I was like, oh my
gosh, everything here, um, but Ihave a story behind one of the
paintings that I picked up Ithink it was last year and it's
the anointing of the archers,and I won't get into the story
behind it, um, for sake of time,but, um, it does hold such a
deep significance for me and theprophetic word associated with
(57:50):
it it just resonated so deeply.
I don't know, if you have it onhand.
But I'll definitely post in theshow notes a link to that
painting.
That really just it was verytimely, let's put it that way.
But I'd love to hear, like theheart, a little bit of the heart
(58:12):
behind that specific painting,um, and the why behind creating
it, if you're open to sharingthat one was done um for a
worship event, um, in longmont,color, colorado.
Speaker 2 (58:28):
It was ongoing for quite a few years called Resound
and the Lord.
Really, he favored theatmosphere, his presence.
He just thoroughly enjoyed thegathering of creatives and
worshipers at this event.
So it was a very open, openatmosphere for creativity and
(58:49):
for his presence and, um, it wasjust wonderful.
So I always enjoyed likeprepping and getting to um, go
to that event and that was oneof the paintings.
One year um was the archer andthe anointing of the archers and
at that time sometimes Godspeaks things ahead of time and
(59:11):
sometimes I have found hisdeepest words of revelation
carry, no, they transcend timeand they move from generation to
generation.
And I guess that's, you know,one of the privileges of what I
get to do is at times I feellike I do get to touch eternity
(59:33):
and transcend time with what hewants to put on canvas and what
he wants to write.
And that was one of them.
There was a generation therethat year that the anointing of
the archer spoke to, but I knew,creating it, that it would
happen again.
(59:53):
I guess you could say again andagain, and that there was, you
know, women warriors, but men,warriors as well, that carried,
that God was training up tocarry the word of the Lord, both
prophetically, throughscripture, you know, simply
hearing his voice, withdecisiveness, clarity, a people
(01:00:20):
of great focus on his heart, apeople of great honor, kind of
like the people of great honor,kind of like the times of the
archers of old.
They worked for the king, theywould honor the king, everything
they did was for the king andit kind of carries that, almost
(01:00:41):
like renaissance of the Lordbeing the King and you're
carrying, you're fighting forhim, you are warring for him,
you're living under hisauthority, you're operating from
his authority.
And as a prophetic voice youknow to live and operate in that
(01:01:06):
place and that space.
And but that there was ageneration rising up that he was
very much training and adoringto know that they are the
beloved.
They do hear his voice and hesees that they want to release
his voice in the proper way, inthe proper timing and directly
(01:01:32):
from his heart, untainted.
And the skills of the archer.
So what is true in thesupernatural is true in the
natural.
And the skills of the archerare very much they're able to.
You know, as a prophetic voice,he's training others, to be as
the archers and very much ableto tune out distraction, tune
(01:01:56):
out other voices.
Actually, you know, turn inwardand hear your own breath and
hear your own breath with Godand hear the breath of God.
I don't know if you've ever myhusband, you know I have shot a
bow and arrow and the stillnessthat you have to find physically
(01:02:22):
is extraordinary.
And so the Lord, in thatprocess of seeing his prophetic
voices rise up as archers in hiskingdom, so much overlaid with
the skills of the archer and thenatural, targeted, they come in
(01:02:47):
stealth, almost Quiet, timely,timely, both in the natural it
must be timely and to deliverthe word of the Lord at the
proper hour, at His beckoning,timely manner.
To be that sensitive and thatable to turn inward that you
(01:03:12):
hear the heartbeat of the Fatherand tune everything else out.
To be that focused you know,the eyes of your heart, that
focused to release that word andto release that word where it's
supposed to go, like an arrow.
So it carries a lot as well.
Speaker 1 (01:03:37):
That painting carries a lot as well so beautiful and
it even, you know, whenever II've had a lot that I've shared
with women over time in relationto an archery, and it's that
pulling back right, kind of likeJesus did, um, that
representation of, of thepulling back so that we can be
released, so we can, you know,hit the mark like we were
(01:04:00):
talking, or you can't, you know,step into something.
You know there's, there's justso many people that are just
caught up in so much noise andif they're so caught up it's so
hard to aim, can't even aim.
You're just, you know what Imean.
Speaker 2 (01:04:19):
It's, it's just yeah yeah, no, the world is spinning
and you have to be able to, um,you have to be able to turn
inward and, almost, in essence,lock out the world.
Speaker 1 (01:04:34):
Yeah well, I would love to hear more like maybe
I'll have you on another time.
You know we'll have to, okayyeah thank you so much for
sharing everything you've shared.
Um, one of the things I do atthe end of every episode is I
always ask if you would be opento sharing with the one that is
(01:04:54):
listening in today, because hecalled me to do this for the one
, and I would love for you tothink of that person and to
share any words of encouragementor wisdom you might feel led to
speak over them, and then wouldyou mind praying us out, yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:05:09):
No, I would just say, if you, you don't have to know
what you're doing when you sayyes to the Lord, and in fact it
is far more powerful If you dieto your own agenda, die to your
own knowledge, or what you callknowledge, and literally choose
(01:05:33):
to surrender completely and sayyes when he's asking you to do
something that is so beyond you.
That's how you know it's God.
And I would also say, just, youknow, once you find what that
is, because we all have, we allhave a destiny Jeremiah 29, 11.
(01:05:54):
We all have plans that he hasplaced on us.
We all have a purpose that hehas placed on us.
And when you discover thatbecause he will bring it to you
if your heart wants it, when youdiscover that and your spirit
and heart recognize it your mindmay not, but don't let go.
(01:06:15):
And even if you don't have thesupport and you probably won't
of those around you or the, youknow, spiritual grid or the
understanding, however you wantto put it, of those around you,
you know, don't let go.
Do him the honor of not lettinggo and see what he will do with
(01:06:43):
it, because when you show upone day before him, you will be
known as in heaven, that you didnot let go, that you walked
into your purpose, your calling,inner destiny, and you, you did
what he has asked you to do andyou did it in faith, and
(01:07:04):
there's no greater thing that wecan give him.
Is that our yes and amen andour trust.
There's no greater thing thatwe can give him.
Is that our yes and amen andour trust.
There's no greater thing thatwe can give him.
So I'll go ahead and pray, abba,father, I just pray that you
enrich the spirits of everyonewho hears this Lord, that you
(01:07:26):
highlight that which needs to behighlighted and that you
disclose that which needs to bedisclosed.
And that, father, you justunleash your voice, that you
unlock places within hearts andunlock dreams, and that you set
their sails, father, into theirjourneys of destiny.
Father, bring them theconfidence that only heaven and
(01:07:49):
your company can bring.
Bring them, father, theresolution within their spirits
that only you can bring.
Father, I pray that you blessyour pioneers, bless the savers
out there, bless the people thatare going into the unknown and
willing to go into the unknownwith you, father.
(01:08:10):
You're the most courageous beingthat ever walked the planet and
you walk with them into theunknown.
It's destination?
Unknown, except it's theFather's heart.
So, lord, I just bless thedreams.
I bless the waves of creativitythat you have placed within
every soul you ever created.
(01:08:31):
I bless, father, their eyes tosee in ways they have never seen
, and I bless their ears to hearthe voice of their creator in
ways they have never heard youbefore.
May their night hours be fullof the presence of heaven.
(01:08:53):
In Jesus name, I pray Amen.
Speaker 1 (01:08:59):
And Cody, oh my gosh, thank you so much.
Oh, I just felt his heart forso many that are listening in
today.
How can listeners contact you?
And I'll have all yourinformation in the show notes,
of course.
Speaker 2 (01:09:14):
Probably the best way is just simply the contact form
on my website and it's CodyC-O-D-Y-E Riestead
R-E-Y-S-T-E-A-Dcom.
Yeah, that's pretty well thebest way.
I'm not.
I'm on social media, but Iactually have a young lady that
(01:09:35):
kind of does it for me.
So if you want to reach medirectly, it would be email
through the contact page on mywebsite.
Speaker 1 (01:09:44):
Sounds good and again , I'll have this all in the
contact or the show notes, but Iwould love to have you back
again.
I feel like you're just such awealth of um, just beauty and
knowledge and joy.
You just like burst forth Holyspirit.
So, um, I'm going to close.
It's a God of hope.
Fill you with all joy and peaceand believing so the by the God
(01:10:04):
of hope.
Fill you with all joy and peaceand believing so that by the
power of the Holy Spirit you mayabound in hope.
And that's Romans 15 13.
So, Cody, thank you for being abrave voice.
Who's setting so many free?
And thank you again for beinghere today.
I will be back with anotherepisode next week.
Thank you, listeners.
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