Tag Archives: religious art

Epiphany

January 8, 2023chaplain, Chaplaincy, Icon Retreats, icons, non denominational ministry, Prayer ministryChristian, Christine Hales, church, icons, Kingdom Arts Ministry, Mick Hales, prayer, religion, religious artMichael Hales

It is always nice to start a new year, looking forward to new opportunities and friends.

Epiphany by Christine Hales

One never knows what is over the horizon and it is our hope that life will get better for those who are battling very difficult times. The world is facing some extraordinary challenges which are constantly being aired in the media. The same kinds of problems which people have always been challenged with; war, poverty, displacement, child labor and trafficking, intensifying climate change. The list goes on but thankfully, so does our faith in God. There is a way forward through recognizing God’s hand at work, even if what we witness appears insignificant compared to the world’s needs as a whole, we are sure God is always at work.

Psalm 50:1-2

“The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, God reveals himself in glory.”

Christine’s News

Christine had another TV story about her iconography, this time on the Catholic channel EWTN, aired just before Christmas, here is the link taken from part of the show Divine Mercy, https://youtu.be/c07vOqJj2JU . She also has a large commission from California to write an icon of Our lady of Guadeloupe, which she is excited to research and begin. Christine has also started to show her other hand in the painting world, which takes the form of symbolic naïve style with acrylic paint on canvas, very different from the icons. The gallery is a co operative artist’s gallery in Sarasota and is bringing Christine into a new circle of friendships. She is also teaching another online Icon writing class this month. This task takes a huge amount of preparation – she videos each demonstration, researches talks and prayers suitable for that particular icon, and then assembles it all into 8, ninety minute sessions over the course of four long days. Please keep her in your prayers for this- it’s very demanding but it is the work God has called her to, so we know He will give her strength.

Michael’s News

Michael, continues with his Chaplaincy and is grateful for several of Christine’s friends from her studio neighborhood use their their skills and time, sewing blankets and knitting shawls so that people who are ill or who have no one to give them Christmas presents will know that God remembers them. Michael has been privileged to give to those in nursing care- and to one lovey lady for her 102 birthday! It means so much to the people and the joy of giving them is wonderful. Christmas has come and gone with all the trimmings and a beautiful Christmastide service for the community, which several family members visiting from New York, were able to attend.

“Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! Their delight is in the way of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper. ” Psalm 1: 1-3

Looking back over the last month of ministry to commend things which stand out, there have been Bible studies, Alpha courses, Sunday services, Memorial services and many bedside visitations; but nothing that waves a huge flag of victory. Perhaps the most noteworthy incident was being still and holding the hand of a 96 year old man, who had recently shattered his pelvis in a fall, as I prayed for him, he tightly held my hand. This lasted about twelve minutes in our time, but how long that was in God’s time or what He was doing, I have no idea. All I know is, God is always working and love flowed.

Psalm 74:12.

Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

We love keeping in touch with you all, and thank you so much for your prayers!

Love and Prayers,

Christine and Michael Hales

Michael’s Photography Christine’s Icons

Alpha at Freedom Village

September 30, 2020chaplain, Chaplaincy, icons, non denominational ministry, Prayer ministry, video, workshopsAlpha, America, Bible, Christian, Christine Hales, church, icons, Jesus, Kingdom Arts Ministry, Mick Hales, ministry, religion, religious art, RevivalMichael Hales

Dear Friends and Family:

Alpha at Freedom Village

One of the wonderful developments this month for me has been re connecting with the Alpha program. Christine and I ran the program ten times at local churches in New York in the mid 90s and it was very foundational to our introduction to the Holy Spirit.

I am now running an in person Alpha program at Freedom Village, which is bringing a lot of fresh thinking about Christianity to the group who are in their 80s and 90s. My two co-leaders are both in their mid nineties and doing a great work.

The elderly community, Freedom Village where I am Chaplain, is getting opened up again with tight restrictions and precautions; I will be running a weekly grief support meeting, Bible study and in person Sunday Vespers, as well as the Alpha course. So we are trying to enable some normalcy but with tight precautions, as the community is so vulnerable to Covid.

Christine’s Icons

Christine has led another online teaching class, again with wonderful results, and people are signing up for future classes she is offering in November, 2020 and January 2021 . She is breaking new ground with the online classes, but also, her spiritual perspective as she teaches, is also being warmly received.

This last class the icon of Archangel Raphael, was written and the next class will be on the Vladimir Madonna in November, 2020 . Click here for more information about her classes.

Remembering Timothy

For me, one of the hardest issues was the passing of my brother Timothy, in England, and being unable to attend any of his last months of deteriorating health and funeral. We were able though to have some good phone conversations and prayer times. Grief of lost ones is ongoing and little sparks of memories bubble up at different times pushing themselves without excuse into our daily lives. I remember Tim’s ability to double up in laughter, with great gasps for air, as the pathos of humanity, was celebrated and dissected with humor. We all miss him. I created a short video relating to some of our conversations, ‘God wants you too’. Click here to view.

Continue to Pray For Our Country

The many difficulties America faces, can really consume all of our thoughts, if we allow that to happen. I love what Paul says in Philippians 4:8, and especially the translation which uses the word lovely, it seems like such a complete word for how to kindle our thoughts in this season.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Please let Christine and me know how we can pray for you, and please also hold us up in prayers.

Sending lots of love,

Michael and Christine Hales

Michael’s Photography Christine’s Icons

Icons in Sarasota!

February 1, 2020chaplain, Chaplaincy, icons, non denominational ministry, Prayer ministryart, Bible, Christian, Christine Hales, church, Florida, Global Awakening, God, Healing, icons, Jesus, Kingdom Arts Ministry, prayer, religion, religious art, RevivalMichael Hales

Dear Family and Friends:

Christine had a wonderful pop up show of her iconography in downtown Sarasota, hosted in a high end carpet store owned by a Christian friend. It was just for one evening, about 15 icons were on show and a lot of people came. Christine gave a talk part way through about what Icons are, how they are created and what they have meant to her in her life. She was totally involved with her talk and she moved into testimony in a very natural way. The training she had received at Global Awakening started to come through and people’s hearts were getting moved to love and experience God’s Presence.

It is a beautiful thing when the Holy Spirit takes over in a secular situation and people realize something special is happening even if they cannot attribute it to a spiritual incursion.

Conversely, when a negative spiritual force is breaking into our world and people do not realize we are witnessing a demonic incursion, it is a disastrous thing. As this is being written, a few minutes ago the senate voted not to hear witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Trump. I perceive that as a huge step towards tyranny in this nation. It would appear that an irrevocable damage has occurred to its compass. The rudder was just taken off the boat and thrown in the water, because people were happy with the direction the wind was blowing, at the moment.

The senate just lost the ability to hold a course through the troubled waters of democracy and voted for tyranny. What will bring the country to realize it has stepped into tyranny? It has to be a spiritual awakening.

No matter how depressing I find the direction of the nation, as I call out to God, I hear back, to press in with the gifts that I have been given. As a Christian to engage one on one with people using the gifts I have. For me they happen to be praying for people’s healing and coming alongside those in times of trial in prayer. Well as I write I have a list of ten people in hospital or nursing care that need visiting, six people who recently lost a loved one and also need visiting. I just left praying for someone with a tumor protruding inches out of his leg. This is how we can push into the spiritual malaise in this nation, by using the gifts we have been given by the Lord for the Lord. When we as Christians rely on a spirit of politics to redeem a spiritual malaise in our country it is a false assumption.

Many nations have gone through very similar situations and after years have managed to come out again. So my prayer would be that we press into using our gifts for the Lord one on one.

As Paul writes in Romans 12, ^6 ‘Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,^[^f^] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.’

Please let us know how we can pray for you.

Sending love and prayers,

Michael and Christine Hales

Mick’s Photography Christine’s Icons

Another Great Icon Delivered

January 31, 2019chaplain, icons, non denominational ministry, Prayer ministry, Uncategorizedart, Christian, Florida, ministry, photography, prayer, religion, religious artMichael Hales

Blessed Mother Icon Delivered to Saint Patrick’s Church, Palm Beach

Christine delivered her Blessed Mother Icon to St Patrick’s church in Palm Beach Gardens and also got to see her St Patrick icon now installed in the beautiful church. Father Aidan and associates eagerly unpacked the icon which will be installed on the wall across from St Patrick. Christine continues to be working on four other icons now under commission, one on Mary Magdalene, Thomas Merton, Pauli Murray and the confessions of St Peter. It is such a privilege to watch how these icons come alive through prayer and reading, which Christine enjoys so much, and God has certainly placed it on her heart to bring iconography into contemporary worship.

New Job for Michael

For Michael it has been a long road waiting for the next placement for him to be consistently engaged for God. His prayer of late has been, ‘Lord, I pray that you would open the doors to the job that YOU want to do through me.’ Finally the doors have been opened and Michael will be embarking on serving as Chaplain for a large senior living community and in the neighboring hospital. This will give him ample opportunity to pray for people, which he loves to do, and also minister to the elderly and sick.

It has been a long time waiting for this to fall into place and we have so much thankfulness that God has brought us to this point. There is also a great feeling of relief that Michael will not need to rely so completely on freelance photography income although he will be able to continue when the opportunities arise. Paul writes about the feeling of peace and thanks in Colossians 3:15-17. ^‘And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.’

When life changes suddenly what do we have to hold on to?

As Michael visits the hospital as Chaplain he often asks the patients in bed, ‘How long have you been in here?’ The answers vary from just overnight to several months, but the one thing in common to all of them is their desire to be released. This is no reflection on the hospital but their wish to return to the life they used to have. For some that is never going to be possible again, something happened which cannot be reversed, some aspect of their lives’ foundation has been shattered. It may be as simple as loosing their driving license or as traumatic as loosing a limb. This is where Chaplaincy has a critical role to give meaning and purpose to life for people to hold onto and move towards.

It is at this point that the foundational belief that God loves us becomes our saving grace, literally. No matter what we have lost physically we can never loose the love God has for us. We can choose to close our availability to know or receive that love, but from God’s position he will never stop loving us. Paul talks at length in Romans 8 [Michael’s favorite bible chapter] about the love of God for us, finishing in verse 38 with the astonishing statement:

^“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Finding a Great Church to Worship In.

We are also very thankful to have found a thriving church we feel welcomed in and have joined. The Church of the Redeemer, in Sarasota, has an extraordinary outreach program, full liturgy and renowned musical life. It is good to be a part of a church with good leadership and friendly people.

So we are very thankful that Michael has come out of a desert experience and is excited to see what God wants to do through him as a Chaplain.

Please keep us in your prayers and let us know how we can pray for you.

Love you all,

Michael and Christine Hales

Hales Art Website Mick’s Photography Website Christine’s Icon Website

Eyes of Fire

October 10, 2018Books, iconsart, Byzantine Icons, Catholic art, Episcopal, Icon book, icons, Jesus, prayer, religion, religious artMichael Hales

Hello Friends and Family:

We are excited to announce the publication of Christine’s new book, “Eyes of Fire” on Amazon. Here’s the link in the USA:

We are going to make the Kindle edition free for two days, October 11 and October 12. It is also on Amazon in the UK for our UK friends- also free Kindle on Oct 11 and 12.

One thing we would ask, is that you leave a review on Amazon- it can be just a couple of sentences, but Amazon will notice and perhaps if we get enough reviews, they might promote it.

Christine has worked hard all summer on this and we are delighted to be able to share it with you!

From Michael: This book is really significant in that it ties together not only Christine’s personal journey but also reveals what Art in our world today has rejected. This is a work from the Lord through Christine and it is worth every hour of its conception.

Love and prayers,

Michael and Christine

Photography

Icons

Do Not Be Afraid

September 29, 2018Icon Retreats, icons, non denominational ministry, Prayer ministry, Uncategorized, workshopsByzantine Icons, God, Holy Cross Monastery, Michael, ministry, photography, religion, religious artMichael Hales

Dear Friends and Family:

Here’s Michael:

We have our house in Philmont on the market and feel the season in Philmont is coming to an end. We will probably return to the area in the future but there is also a strong calling in Bradenton, Florida, for Michael as a chaplain and for Christine to continue her iconography based from there.

Icon Writing Retreat in September

Christine has just led another successful Icon writing retreat at Holy Cross Monastery that focused on sacred geometry. The attendees, coming from as far away as Jamaica, Canada, and Washington DC, completed an icon of St Francis. All the Icons were blessed by Brother Aidan at the Diurnum service.

Christine’s New Book!!

The big news is Christine’s book, ‘Eyes of Fire’, will be published any day now. Here is some of the PR which has been prepared for it, please forward it to anyone who could may have an interest in it. When it is published we will send you a link for it as it will be available free for a short period and we would love you to get a digital copy.

‘Eyes of Fire’ written by Christine Simoneau Hales, is not only a book on the journey of an artist finding her way through the contemporary ‘Art World’, but more importantly, a summation of how God has been mostly neglected and rejected by the ‘Art World’ since the renaissance, but is now being powerfully presented through a grass roots resurgence of Iconography.

Christine Simoneau Hales, is an award winning artist and the founder of the American Institute of Iconographers, she has been a pioneer in the awakening of iconography across gender, laity, denomination and contemporary artists.

Through a close encounter with the Holy Spirit in a nunnery in France, Christine’s life changed, a deep hunger for learning about, writing and eventually teaching iconography developed. She realized at that point that Icons held all the elements of good art as well as being grounded in a deep relationship with God and prayer.

‘Eyes of Fire’, puts a perspective on contemporary art from a Christian’s point of view and points to a revival of the visual image in Holy worship. It will be published on Amazon soon!

The phrase ‘do not be afraid’, either in those actual words or with that meaning are in the Bible at least 40 times.

Jesus also uses those words many times in addressing the disciples. I’ve always interpreted them as an instruction or an encouragement. Last week in prayer I received them as a command. A command from God is not to be ignored. ‘Do not be afraid’, is a clear command.

Do Not Be Afraid!

To receive a command and act on it, we have to accept that it is coming from a higher authority, an authority we are subject to. When we undertake a command we do so in the context of an assurance from a larger body, as when a soldier carries out an order he knows he is part of a larger army and acts within its mission and protection.

When we give our lives to Jesus Christ we subject ourselves to His authority, mission and protection.

When I got this revelation, I realized God was giving me a wake up call. He was not encouraging me. He was commanding me.

I began to realize I had been afraid all my life. My inner child reminded me of how frightened I had been as a child. I began to write out the things and times I had been afraid throughout my life, from fear of wetting my bed, of people arguing or fighting, of meeting people, or remembering their names, that my father was caught up in the Biafran war and might never come back home, fear of talking and being ridiculed with what I said. The list went on as I reviewed my life, particularly as a freelance photographer never knowing where work would come from for forty five years.

I found that most of my fears were based on what other people would think about me; Proverbs 29:25 addressed that with, ‘The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe’.

I realized that when I have relied on myself the result inevitably was fear.

So what was the larger teaching God had for me here? 1 John 4:18 answered with, ‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.’

Love Not Fear!

God was commanding me to not fear, but to love. When I stepped into God, the result inevitably would be love.

1 John 4:8.‘Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.’

This command from God was a gift to correct and to equip me. 2 Timothy 1:7, ‘for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control.’

God’s command for me to not be afraid, was to enable me to pick up the power, love and self control God wants us to use.

I hope this message touches someone else as well because fear keeps us back from fully loving and walking as God would have us, in power and self control. Often when we loose our self control the root cause is fear. If we can not stop drinking or being drawn to pornography, or any other addiction the root cause can be found in fear.

That is why it is a gift as well as a command. Do not be afraid for God is with us and will always be so. When we are free from fear we can accomplish so much more for the Lord.

Sending you all love and prayers, until next month!

Michael and Christine

Mick’s Photos Christine’s Icons