Pastor Mike & Linda De Lorenzo

I was raised in the Seattle area, son in a large Italian Catholic Family and I had 11 brothers and sisters. I received the Lord through the Catholic Charismatic movement back in 1970, but I didn't receive the gift of the Holy Spirit until 1974 while attending Highline College.

After two years at Highline I heard the Lord call me to be an evangelist, so in 1975 I went to Bible school for a year, but I was frustrated because they taught many things at this conservative college that were anti Holy Spirit, plus they taught a lot about Jesus and so on, but I wanted to know Him not just know about Him. So on weekends I would pray and fast and seek the Lord.

After a year of this I moved to the Midwest where I lived with my grandma for a year, during this time I mostly sought the Lord. Then I moved to Minneapolis where I became a part of a large Christian community of about 2,000 people. During this time I always had a heart for evangelism and for sharing my faith. I finished up my degree in pastoral studies at this time also.

Anxiously waiting upon the Lord I wanted full time ministry, but you know how that goes, you wait and wait for His timing and assignment. Well sure enough I got my assignment and the Lord told me to go to work at the Catholic church up in Sitka, Alaska. I was like Jonah and Nineveh. I tried to run from it, but the call kept running into me. So finally I went to Alaska for three years as a youth pastor.

During that time we saw many come to the Lord and were filled with the Holy Spirit. Even the Bishop got filled with the Holy Spirit in my living room. In 1985 I came back to Seattle where I was on staff at a church in South Seattle for 12 years.

Then around '97–'98 the Lord called me to run a home church. The Lord sends me on prayer assignments all over the world, sometimes by myself, sometimes with a team. So today I am a father of 5 children and have a great wife, and still do the home church meetings.

From time to time the Lord has given me a painting assignment. This is a brief history of how I became a Christian artist. Back about 1980, I had just graduated from Bible School. During my devotion time I kept getting this impression from the Lord that He wanted me to paint. At this point I would argue with the Lord, sort of like Jonah. I would say: "Well Lord, I don't know the first thing about painting, I got C's in art on a good day, you must have the wrong guy." I love photography but painting seemed a little beyond my skills.

But over the next several months I kept getting that same impression. I felt the Holy Spirit say that He would teach me. Well believe me, He would have his challenge. So I finally bought some brushes, paints and a canvas, and I began to say, "OK Lord here I am, come and teach me."

Literally I would pray quite a bit while painting. So back in the early '80s I did two scenery paintings off of a calendar. Then I moved to Sitka, Alaska and became a youth pastor and gave my paints away. About 13 years later I heard that still small voice in 1995 say once again, "I want you to start painting again."

Again with much reservation I bought some paints and one day while at the church that I was on staff at, some of the senior ladies were cutting cards that they would send to the orphanages in Brazil. I noticed one of the pictures I really liked and asked them if I could have it. So once again I began to paint, but I didn't like how it was turning out, so I shelved it for about a year.

Then one day I was at this person's house looking through their calendar and I noticed the same picture that I started painting — the artist was Thomas Kinkade, who I hadn't known until that time. So once again I picked up the painting about a year later and finished it. Since that time I've painted about 1–3 a year.

It seems that after about the first two, the Lord began giving me themes to paint as I was in prayer, so much of what I have done has come from waiting upon the Lord. Today I'm excited about what the Lord inspires me to paint. Just recently I've made up Christmas cards. I have paintings in the capital building, some have gone to ministry leaders all over America.

My next assignment was the White House. I recently finished the White House — the title of it is called: "God is in the House." I've recently had testimonies of people healed by touching the print, "Deep Calls unto Deep," which has to do with God answering prayer. A twelve-year-old boy who had asthma felt God's presence on the print, and when he touched the print, he was instantly healed.

Just recently, the Lord has had me contend for the art which is in heaven in my prayer, with heavenly anointing. Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven." While I've been in prayer the Lord is asking me to pray for the art that is in heaven to come to the earth.

The Lord's glory was contained in the ark of the covenant which was in the Old Testament. I am believing God's presence can be contained in art which He has inspired. Paul's handkerchief brought healing to people. Ephesians says that the Lord will do above and beyond all that we can imagine and think.

So I am believing for the kingdom art that God wants to bring into the earth in these last days. As Earth as it is in Heaven. I am attempting with God's help to bring the miraculous art as is in Heaven to the Earth. God's blessing upon you through this art.