The Boy Carpenter Project Update: 1/11/2011

When I Grow Up is a beautiful expression of the hope that lives in all of us. I’ve written what God has placed upon my heart and I have birthed this book that honors His Son. All the creativity that I poured into this project is now out of my hands. I am waiting for the means to proceed to the next step. That step being the prayer support and financing to have it published.

I’m looking for one maybe two people out there who will bless this project with the funds to make this children’s book a reality. You can be anonymous in your giving if you wish do so. Pray about it. If you need, I can send you out the manuscript to look at and make your decision based upon the work itself.



Your generosity is for a kingdom purpose and your reward is spreading the message of God’s beloved Son to many children. Thank you and God bless.

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art ministry 2011

Recently, ex-vice presidental hopeful Sarah Palin and Larry King sat down to discuss my new children's book.

"When I Grow Up; The Childhood Dreams of the Son of God."

This book is about the symbols found throughout the Scripture's that descibe Jesus Christ, written in the language a child will understand and connect with when reading it and looking at the images. Visualization is a powerful learning tool. This project is very exciting because this material will stick with them the rest of their lives.

Our children are the next generation of believer's. Where our children are concerned, it's not about religion or theology, it's about joy, about fun and most of all, it's about feeling loved. This book will help them realize their dreams are important to God as well.

"When I Grow Up" is about being loved by God because of the love God had for His own little boy, Jesus the boy carpenter.

Enjoy the video...it's all in fun.

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2011

"WHEN I GROW UP:

The Childhood Dreams of the Son of God"

Please read an excerpt from the dedication section of the book below. I hope it adds more insight to why this project is so very special to me and at the same time, inspires the reader as well.

ENDORSEMENT NEWS:

Some other very exciting developments are we have began to receive some very important endorsements for the book as well. The first one is coming from our friend, Mr. Ron Hembree whose integrety and reputation makes him one of the most respected Christian leaders in this country. Ron is also the president of one of the largest ministries in the united states, Pittsburgh based, Cornerstone Television.

Cornerstone broadcasts 24 hours-a-day and produces two daily programs and eight weekly programs. Cornerstone TeleVision is sharing the Gospel across North America with a potential viewer audience of 2.75 million households.

Concerning the book, Ron Hembree writes:
"Jim Kessler is an accomplished artist with a great passion to share his faith in Christ. He has discovered a wonderful way to communicate the “Greatest Story Ever Told” to children in an artistic and understandable way. His book is a valuable asset for every parent who wants his/her child to know the Lord."
December 2009

Another endorsement which I'm very proud to announce is coming from our good friend, Dr. Mickey Denen. Mick also wrote the forward to the book and is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and Wright State University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at Wright State University affiliated hospitals.

He is also certified in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine. He has been with Internal Medicine and Pediatrics of Centerville since 1991. Most importantly, Mick is a devoted Christian husband and father of six children who are homeschooled by his wife Barbara. His unique perspective and insight in working closely with children is greatly appreciated on this project.

More Endorsement News:

Pastor Mark VanBibber of NewLifeFellowship (Our Home Church)of Connellsville, Pa.

"It has been a great joy and privilege to know Jim for many years. During that time I have witnessed the creative power of God emerge and flourish in his life and artwork. His latest project, When I Grow Up: The Childhood Dreams of God," is a wonderful presentation of the life of Jesus that truly reveals the Father's heart of love. Children, and people of all ages will be greatly blessed by what they discover inside this book. I highly recomend it."

Mark and his wife, Ginger,have been married and in ministry for over thirty-five years. Their joy and passion is to share the love and grace of the Father,and to see people restored and and fulfilled by the "New and Abundant Life" that Jesus came to bring.

Mark and Ginger live in southwestern Pa. They have three children and five grandchildren, and enjoy life and ministry with their family and friends.

**IMPORTANT UPDATE: GOD'S GENTLE WARRIOR HAS GONE HOME**

Ron Hembree: God’s Gentle Warrior

“God uses imperfect people to do His perfect work; we need only respond rightly to His discipline.” – Ron Hembree (“A Daily Joy”; 2000; Page 10)

When I first began listening to Ron Hembree about twenty years ago, I was a new Christian and his program, Quick Study was my first Bible course. The one thing I remember most over the years was how Ron always addressed other’s as “beloved.‘ He used that word all the time and it carried with it both the weight of sincerely caring for other souls and it also had a divine authority behind it.

Words can’t begin to describe the emotions I feel over the loss of one of God’s humble servants and a man I had the privilege of calling my friend. As you can see in his quote above from “A Daily Joy“, Ron saw the “Christ” potential in those around him. Through discipline and willingness in their pursuit of God, Ron understood that no one is perfect but it was God’s presence in them that made them holy and perfected to do God’s work.

In a great chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!" Isaiah 6:3

As Holy, Holy, Holy perfectly describes our God then the word that best describes a man like Ron is integrity. Last September I began writing my first book and Ron was the first person God put on my heart to contact about it. We had several meetings with him and he was kind enough to endorse the book as well. At the end of April, Ron sent me a letter thanking me for sending him a completed manuscript of a book project. As one of his former students , the words he wrote in the letter are words that I will cherish and always hold dear. In the last paragraph this man of integrity wrote, “The book is excellent and I pray that it will bless many as they read and discover that they, too, have a divine destiny.”

I will sorely miss Mr. Hembree and his presence at Cornerstone television. It would have been a proud day for me to present him with the final copy of my book project. Yet I know even now Ron is with me in some capacity and encouraging me to pursue truth and integrity in my art and my calling as a husband, father and man of God. Integrity isn’t a word that can be honestly applied to many people but it was a word that Ron Hembree could claim unconditionally.

God’s gentle warrior has now gone home. Ron Hembree is now part of that great chorus that is singing Holy, holy, holy before God’s throne. And he now realizes he was a better singer than he cold have ever imagined.

Goodbye my friend till we one day meet again.

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2011

A Song of Life and of the Eternal

The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever. Psa 37:18 (NIV)

When I began writing my children’s book in September of 2009 I knew it was going to be a special project. One that would remind me of God’s faithfulness and one that would inspire other’s who read it as well. During this time, I heard a song on the radio. It was by Steven Curtis Chapman titled “Heaven is the face.”

A special song about his little girl, Maria Sue, who died in a tragic accident when she was five years old. When I Grow Up is about the fulfilling our God dreams and seeing those hopes and dreams realized in our own children. My daughter’s Brittany’s journey through the valley of death was the main inspiration for the book but I knew when I heard Steven’s song, I would also dedicate this book to his daughter because I believe Maria’s short time here on earth was to the glory of God and the dreams He had for her as well.

It’s hard to comprehend such tragic events in our lives from the perspective of the flesh. Yet God is in control and His dreams for His children always come true no matter the circumstance or outcome. Here is an excerpt of the dedication I made on behalf of Maria Sue Chapman in my upcoming book, “When I Grow Up: The Childhood Dreams of the Son of God.”

“True inspiration doesn’t mind the circumstances from which it is born. Inspiration born of God is His gift to us. Yet for reasons hard to humanly comprehend, not all children have that opportunity to ask the question, “When I grow up I want to be a….” That brings me to the special little girl I never met but whom I want to honor with this book as well.

Her name was Maria Sue Chapman. Maria was only five years old when God called her home but she is a shining example of all the children who grace us but for a brief moment with their presence and then are suddenly gone. “When I grow up…” most likely never crossed their own minds, although I suspect as God’s children, their lives were fully lived in the dreams and hopes that God had for each of them.”

The Chapman’s respond to Maria’s dedication: 1/11/2010

“Your current project WHEN I GROW UP is a sweet story. I spoke with Steven and Mary Beth about your request to dedicate it to Maria and they were greatly honored. What a kind gesture to want to do that. Thank you for your tenderness as you’ve walked where they’ve walked and continue to do so. I pray that this story will touch and impact many young lives for Christ. Blessings for a great 2010!

On (Steven’s) behalf, I would like to convey his thanks. You have been an encouragement to him.”

Grace Graham, Personal Assistant

Steven Curtis Chapman is a name that anyone and everyone who listens to Christian music knows. His list of accomplishments includes over 50 Dove Awards, 5 Grammy’s, an American Music Award, 2 certified platinum and 10 gold albums, 10 million total albums sold and 45 #1 radio hits. He is married to Mary Beth Chapman, and they have 5 children.

“The days of the blameless are known to the Lord” because we are the blameless ones who dare to dream God dreams.

In His service,

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2011

This site, The Boy Carpenter Project, is dedicated to God's own child, His precious little lamb and our savior, Jesus of Nazareth.

Recently I was asked why I decided to write a children’s book about Jesus as a youth. It then occurred to me that I should publicly share the motivation and inspiration behind the painting that first inspired the book, then the writing of the book itself many years later.

So here is a brief excerpt from the "When I Grow Up," dedication page. I hope it will inspire others who read it to pursue their own God dreams no matter what you feel might be lacking in your life.

“This book and journey began for me with a simple prayer in January 2000. It was a prayer for my daughter Brittany Nichole Kessler after she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer.

As I watched her go through the surgeries to remove the cancer from her leg and the six months of aggressive chemotherapy that would follow, my relationship with God was tested mightily. How could the God I thought I knew let this terrible thing happen to her? He had to know what it was like to watch my child lose her beautiful long hair and deteriorate before my very eyes. But for some reason I can’t explain, I felt that I was in the middle of a beautiful storm during this trying time.

A beautiful storm is an odd way to describe what I was going through, but I began to discover that God no longer lived beyond the stars, but rather in the eyes of a little girl who was battling cancer. As I sat by her hospital bed those long sleepless days and nights, I would talk with God. I would remind Him that He once had a little boy about her age, and that the love I felt as a parent for my daughter was inspired by His own love for His precious Son, Jesus.

The inspiration behind When I Grow Up came out of this period in our lives. My prayer conversation with God was full of desire to see her grow up and experience the excitement of a first date or the happiness of her first prom, to graduate from high school and, eventually, experience the joy of having her own children.

Almost ten years later, nearly all of my prayers for her have been answered. College is helping her answer that “When I Grow Up” question, and the joy of having her own children awaits the day she marries and chooses to bless the world with another life.

True inspiration doesn’t mind the circumstances from which it is born. Inspiration born of God is His gift to us. Yet for reasons hard to humanly comprehend, not all children have that opportunity to ask the question, “When I grow up I want to be a….”

There are many children who grace us for a brief moment with their presence and then are suddenly gone. “When I grow up…” most likely never crossed their own minds, although I suspect as God’s children, their lives were fully lived in the dreams and hopes that God had for each of them.”

Our credentials are only worth something when use our gifts and talents to serve other’s. After Brittany’s last Chemo in 2001, I went home and painted the picture that inspired this book. Eight years later God reminded me of our prayer conversation and now I’m in the process of finding a publisher.

God is good. He has been faithful to Brittany and myself and God will always be faithful towards you as well.

In Christ Victorious,

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2011

“When I Grow Up” The Childhood Dreams of The Son of God

NEW CHAPTER ADDED **SAMPLE TEXT**

Love: God’s Greatest Commandment

God is love. This is the greatest truth found in the Bible. As God’s children it is important that we know how much God loves each of us. When we love others, this is how they know God is our Father.

But anyone who does not love does not know God--for God is love. 1John 4:8 (NLT)

On the sleeve of Jesus’ garment there is a Scripture text written in Hebrew. For a Jewish boy, this was the most important passage of Scripture for him to learn. It was referred to as the Shema. The Shema is simply a Jewish statement of devotion and love for God. It was the greatest of all the commandments God gave to them.

Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'
Mark 12:29-30 (NLT)

This commandment tells us how important it is to love God with all our heart, mind and strength. But that isn’t all that God wanted us to know. In this same passage, Jesus tells us the next thing we should do is love all those around us as well.

This commandment is as important as the first one.

The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." Mark 12:31 (NLT)

Sometimes loving other’s includes those who treat us unfairly or those we just can’t seem to get along with. The Bible even states that we should love our enemies or the one’s who don’t even like us at times.

"But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you” Luke 6:27 (NLT)

Have you ever felt like you just didn’t fit in? Have you ever felt that you were different than those around you because of the color of your skin or how many possessions you may have or not have? Everyone has experienced these feelings at one time or another in their lives. We just want to fit in or feel a part of something because that is how God has created us to be as His children.

Now here is the exciting news about Gods love. We do fit in and belong. We belong to a kingdom that God has placed within our heart. We all may be different in some way or another, but as Gods children, there is nothing we can do that can make God not love us any less. This is why it is so important to be full of love and to forgive other’s even when it is very difficult at times. Jesus gave us the best example of the power of forgiveness when he was on the cross.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people, because they don't know what they are doing." And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Luke 23:34 (NLT)

This is how special the love of God truly is for His children.

James Robert Kessler
Because of Him Art Ministry 2010