About seven years ago, I bought an old wagon wheel in Mason, a tiny town near Pleasant Places. I asked the Lord to show me what I could do with it. Not being that artistic myself, Jim Ashabraner came to mind sometime later. He is an artist friend of ours who loves God with all his heart.
I invited him to come to Pleasant Places with his wife and baby, to see if he could create something with the wagon wheel as the starting point. My primary desire was for the wagon wheel to draw people to our Father and Jesus. It would hang in the staple (stable/chapel), a peaceful and centering place to be.
With that in mind, Jim came to Pleasant Places for three days. He prayed, pondered and created what you see. We love the imagery, the simplicity of it, and how the center of the wheel is like the Trinity, with the spokes expressing the attributes of the Trinity through things seen with the eye.
Here is the description of each:
I invited him to come to Pleasant Places with his wife and baby, to see if he could create something with the wagon wheel as the starting point. My primary desire was for the wagon wheel to draw people to our Father and Jesus. It would hang in the staple (stable/chapel), a peaceful and centering place to be.
With that in mind, Jim came to Pleasant Places for three days. He prayed, pondered and created what you see. We love the imagery, the simplicity of it, and how the center of the wheel is like the Trinity, with the spokes expressing the attributes of the Trinity through things seen with the eye.
Here is the description of each:
WAGON WHEEL
Starting at the top and moving clockwise:
CLOUDS. Clouds in the heavens are the natural veil of the blue sky, and are therefore used as a symbol of the unseen God.
GRAPES WITH WHEAT. Used to symbolize Christ’s blood and body
BEEHIVE. Used as a symbol of paradise, the beehive, with honey, alludes to the land of milk and honey, the promised land.
IVY. Because it is forever green, the ivy is a symbol of eternal life.
BUTTERFLY. Due to the life cycle of the butterfly, it is used as a symbol of the resurrection.
PALM. It is a symbol of victory.
DANDELION. One of the bitter herbs, the dandelion is a symbol of the Passion of Christ.
WHITE ROSE. A symbol of purity.
STRAWBERRY. This is the symbol of a righteous man whose fruits are good works.
PINK CARNATION. A symbol of marriage.
VIOLET. The violet is a symbol of humility.
APPLE. In Latin, the word for apple and the word for evil are identical. It is for this reason that the legend has grown up that the tree of knowledge in the garden of Eden was an apple tree.
GRAPEVINE. Used to express the relationship between God and His people.
DOVE. The Holy Spirit
Thus at the top of the wheel we have the trinity. Going counterclockwise is a trip through time. The journey starts with God and man in perfect fellowship as intimate as the vine and branch. This was broken by the fall. When we come in humility, we become the bride and recover righteousness and purity. This comes through Christ’s suffering and His victory in the resurrection. The end, being eternal life in heaven once again in perfect fellowship with God.
