Dr. Ziga & His Halo

In my last post, I shared some mysterious close-up images with an open invitation to guess my subject. For anyone who participated in the “guess the subject challenge” (either in the comments section or at home), the big reveal is finally here! Drum roll please… *brrrrrrrr*… my subject is… A PORTRAIT! If you guessed that all those colorful scribbles were, in fact, facial features - you WIN! High-fives all around! Huzzah! :D

Emmanuel Ziga, 2021

Oil pastel on black mat board

This particular oil pastel portrait depicts a man by the name of Dr. Emmanuel Ziga. Dr. Ziga and his wife are the senior pastors at Sunshine Church in Seattle. In addition to his ministry, Dr. Ziga also has a passion for international missions and has worked tirelessly, for years, sharing the message of The Gospel all over the world. 

So, how exactly did this artist cross paths with this amazing man of God? Funny that you should ask. This past January, Dr. Ziga spoke at the Holy Spirit Comforter Conference. This is an annual event which just so happens to take place in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. What are the chances of that?! Out of all the places in the world that this man of God could preach, he showed up in my backyard! God is so good! :)

This was my first time attending the conference and it was such an amazing experience.  If you have never been to a Christian conference, all I can say is: “GO!” There is something so special about gathering together with other believers; from different churches, different cities, different backgrounds, all coming together to praise God! There were several impassioned speakers at this particular conference but Dr. Ziga’s message ministered to me in a very special way. 

He spoke passionately about the almost incomprehensible power of God residing in us through The Holy Spirit; how this power works in our lives proportionate to the degree we are willing to accept Him. Posing the questions “what kind of power do you need?” and “how much can you accept?” He also spoke of shame. About how shame keeps us bound, tethered to the past but that Jesus has set us free! And not just free, but that He has set us free to prosper. The image of the devil using a rope like a lasso of shame, which keeps us bound as he tries to pull us back to our past, resonated strongly in my mind. It also begged the question: if Jesus has cut this rope and set me free, why would I fight so hard to try and hold onto it?

Dr. Ziga reminded everyone of God’s promises in Joel; that God will restore the years that the locusts have eaten, and remove our shame. That we, as believers, get to “walk in His will with visions of heaven and dreams of glory.”

The words of Dr. Ziga’s sermon impacted me in a profound way… and obviously on a lot of levels! As I listened to his teaching, I was reminded of the first verse God gave me when I was a brand new Christian reading my Bible for the first time, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV). I was also struck, not just by what I heard, but by what I saw. As Dr. Ziga preached, a halo appeared around him. Or what I can only think to classify as a “halo.” It was a translucent band that encompassed his entire form, approximately two inches wide, like a ribbon. This band gave the appearance that he was glowing; almost as though it was bending the light around him, causing it to refract in a special way. This glowing band moved with his body as he walked up and down the platform. It was subtle, not blinding, but absolutely present, and definitely incredible! I leaned over to Todd, who was sitting next to me, and said, “are you seeing this?!” He whispered back, “what?” 

I quickly came to the realization that I was the only one seeing this supernatural light. This was something special for sure, and I had to try and draw it. I rummaged through my purse in search of something, anything, to draw on! Fortunately, the conference had provided a program with a blank backside and I retrieved it and a Bic pen from the depths of my bag. I immediately began vigorously gesturing, keeping my eyes locked on the supernatural glow, working to commit it to memory.

I meditated for a long time after the conference about which medium would best describe Dr. Ziga and his halo. Ultimately, I settled on oil pastel on a black mat board. Oil pastel is such a wonderfully bright and colorful medium and it was the perfect fit for Dr. Ziga. I felt the joyful, rainbow-pop of the colors matched his boisterous tone and, at time, humorous observations. The intensity of these colors also matched the intensity of his sermon as he enthusiastically and passionately spoke about The Holy Spirit. There is something magical too that happens when you place a colorful medium like oil pastel on black mat board - it appears to glow!

Oil pastel drawing require a lot of layering and this drawing was certainly no exception. I utilized my trusty “test strips” quite heavily throughout the process of this piece. Well, test pages to be more exact. Several large sheets of black paper where always at my side, ready for me to try color combinations before committing them to the final work. Color theory isn’t always an exact science (hence the “theory” part) so trial and error was the name of the game. 

As a matter of fact, one entire session was spent attempting to recreate the color of Dr. Ziga’s blazer! I felt very defeated that day as no pastel had made it onto the actual drawing. In my defeat, I considered playing it safe and simply changing the color of his suit to an easily executed navy. Artistic license is a thing, after all, and I could have very easily played that card. 

However, at the next session, God encouraged me. He inspired me to courageously take the more difficult path and abandon my analytical approach “remember when you were a child and you used to try and draw with all the colors fearlessly? DO THAT!” The result was beautiful! Navy blue, purple, light pink, deep chocolate brown, peach, and grey, all blended together to form the most stunning silver.  God is so good!

I am so grateful to God and would like to end with a prayer of thanksgiving. 

Thank you, Lord, for this vision. Thank you, God, for Dr. Ziga’s teaching and how it blessed my heart. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for being with me and guiding me in my  artistic process, as you do in my life. And thank you, God, for blessing and establishing the work of my hands. I couldn’t have done this without you! God, you are SO GOOD! - Amen.

Here is a link to Dr. Emmanuel Ziga's sermon at the 2021 Holy Spirit Comforter Conference  https://youtu.be/6y9p2XVqnQo. On a limited timeframe? Dr. Ziga is introduced at 48:55 if you would like to skip straight to his teaching.