What does it mean to be rooted, built up, and established in the faith? In the finale of The Summer Journey of Art & Scripture, we take a look at a brand-new comic book commentary created for Faith Lead Academy. Step inside the studio to explore Koine Greek syntax, first-century Roman history, and a hands-on digital painting workshop on the iPad—all leading to a life abounding in thanksgiving.

Is faith a rigid concrete monument or a relational place of safety? In this session, I redraw a pivotal section of Colossians 2:6–7 in Procreate. Discover how secondary color theology, the Greek concept of pistis (trust), and a pair of cupped hands transform our understanding of resting in God’s care.

Page 5. Hope Rocks August 18, 2026medium: gouache We pass this rock garden every time we head to chapel or to the dining room in OCC. The rocks have spelled out many words over the years. Today they say "hope." I think that is appropriate for this moment.  My favorite...

n this Art Pastor Live session, we wrestle with Matthew 15 and the encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. Stepping away from traditional painting, we experiment with comic layouts in Clip Studio Paint to explore how sequential art helps us slow down, cross boundaries, and pay attention to everyone.

Page 4. Big Oak August 11, 2026medium: gouache I love this tree so much. As a caricature artist I can't help but see a face in the trunk. I will probably draw a version of this tree as a wise old Ent at some point. Have you named this tree? What memories do have with...

Welcome back to the Art Pastor Live summer journey through scripture and art! I’m Steve Thomason—pastor, visual artist, and professor of spiritual formation at Luther Seminary. Every week, we gather in real time to explore the intersection of art and theology, pushing...

Page 3. Gullixson Door August 4, 2026medium: gouache How many times have you walked through this door? On your way to the library? to class? to a meeting? For me, all of the above, and my office has been in GX202 for the past two years. I will miss walking through...

In a world driven by social media algorithms, *Art Pastor Live* slows down to contemplate Scripture through visual art. Explore Isaiah 55 and Matthew 14 as we uncover how God’s abundant feast emerges in the deepest shadows of grief and tyranny, transforming simple fish and loaves into 12 baskets of grace.

Page 2. Bockman Hall in the Morning Light July 28, 2026medium: gouache The morning sun hitting the eastern side of Bockman Hall's front porch has captured me since I started working here in the summer of 2022. It seemed important to frame the image with the branches...

What if the way you measure your spiritual growth is based on a flawed concept of time?
In our fast-paced, modern culture, we are subtly trained to view life as a straight line. We draw charts, track metrics, and calculate progress on an upward, left-to-right slope. We treat spiritual formation like a ladder: you start at the bottom as a struggling novice and climb toward efficiency, agency, and spiritual perfection.

But when Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven, he rarely uses the language of industrial progress or linear ladders. Instead, he talks about seeds quietly dying in dirt, yeast permeating dough, nets cast into mysterious depths, and tiny mustard grains expanding into sheltering trees.

In this Art Pastor Live session, we explored Matthew 13 alongside reflections on how different cultures understand time. By pairing Jesus’ parables with visual art, we paused to ask a fundamental question: Is life a line or a circle—and how does the Kingdom of God grow within us?