I didn’t post yesterday, because we ventured out to church in the morning and then spent the rest of the day on a date together. Usually I post some of Paul’s art on Sundays along with some poetry of mine. So today I plan to talk about the arts and give you two samplings of Paul’s art, to indicate the endless winter we seem to be experiencing here in Minnesota.

My husband spent the majority of his career in the advertising business, but in order to prepare for that he had to take many art history classes along with his regular studies. When he turned 50, the tables turned on advertising and he had to reimagine himself. The loss of his business led him into fine art and he’s been doing that ever since. It’s hard to put a price tag on art. When you consider all the years of study, work and experience one must first go through to become an artist, the pay should be comparable to that of a brain surgeon, but today art isn’t valued in the same way. Today you can buy a copy of anyone’s art for a fraction of its worth. Computer imaging and Photo Shop have given way to a whole new set of rules.

During WWII there was an effort to retrieve all the stolen art the Germans had hidden away. Most of the pieces of art were from the old masters. Much of it was never recovered, but the efforts of this group of soldiers, allowed for many of them to be found and returned to their original owners or put on display in museums for many people to enjoy. This didn’t come at a cost, however. The lives lost far outweighed the value of those paintings and sculptures.

Things should never trump human life. The works would not have survived had they not succeeded in their efforts – but again, lives were of less value than things of this world.

The truth, however, is that what we do here on this planet has no real relevance. When we die, those things will not go with us. They will not be necessary for what happens beyond the grave. They will be part of what we leave behind. Our worldly treasure cannot buy our salvation or eternal life. The perfect life of Jesus, His death and resurrection is the masterpiece that God created to bring that about. He alone is the only fortune worth preserving. It is our greatest heritage.