Life After the Dash Online Art Contest

Contest Rules

Contest Theme: Notice the dash on grave markers and on countless memorials, i.e., John Doe 1951 - 2026, and recognize that the dash...that seemingly insignificant bit of punctuation...represents the deceased's life span from conception, or birth, to death. Everyone's dash of time is short compared to eternity. This contest is about LIFE AFTER THE DASH.

Christians believe in two major eternal destinations for the deceased...heaven or hell. From a human perspective, let's consider Howard Storm's testimony.

Howard Storm's story is a near-death experience (NDE) where he, a lifelong atheist and art professor, died in a Paris hospital and journeyed to what he describes as a hellish realm before being rescued by Jesus Christ. He reports being tormented by a crowd of malevolent beings in darkness, but after praying to God for the first time, he was taken to a realm of light where he spoke with angels and Jesus. After his experience, Storm became a Christian pastor and dedicated his life to sharing his story and message of love, which also led to the end of his first marriage and remarriage.

The experience:

Medical emergency: While traveling in Paris, Storm suffered a perforated duodenum, causing excruciating pain and a near-death prognosis.

Out-of-body experience: He found himself floating above his body in the hospital room, with his senses heightened.

Journey to darkness: He was led by threatening figures into a dark, terrifying realm where he was physically torn apart.

Calling on Jesus: In desperation, he prayed to God, and was then rescued by a being of light and love, which he identifies as Jesus Christ.

Journey to light: After being rescued, he had conversations with Jesus and angels and was given answers to questions about life and the future.

Return to his body: He was told he had to return and was sent back to his hospital room just as a surgeon became available, allowing him to undergo surgery and survive.

Transformation and later life:

Change in life: His experience caused him to cease being an atheist and become a Christian.

Ministry: He became a pastor and has devoted his life to sharing his story and message about the love of God.

Personal life: His new beliefs were a point of contention with his first wife, an intellectual atheist like he had been, which eventually led to their divorce. He remarried a Christian woman.

Writings: He has written several books about his experience, including My Descent into Death: And the Message of Love Which Brought Me Back.

See Howard on YouTube:
(Highlight to open link)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DoMfSMaQ1bWc&ved=2ahUKEwjj-Y_b9Z6QAxWBJUQIHXIoNjgQ3aoNegQIDxB0&usg=AOvVaw1UHuif4Ev7x6I5xYTuN8bO
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Scriptural Basis for the Theme:

About Heaven

Romans 10:9-13: 'That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile -- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Romans 6:23: 'For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

John 3:16: 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.'

John 14:1-3: 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.'

Philippians 3:20-21: 'But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.'

About Hell

Matthew 10:28: 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.'

Matthew 13:41-42: 'The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Also Important, Matthew 25:31-46.

Revelation 20:14-15: 'The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.'

Revelation 21:8: 'But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.'

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***Please read all the rules carefully before submitting your entries. The admin reserves the right to remove any images not meeting the contest rules at any time and without notification.***

1. This contest is asking for entries that represent heaven and hell. So a broad range of artistic expression is allowed, from traditional to abstract to contemporary, including people, the animal kingdom, and the entire cosmos. THE CONCEPT IS ON THE AFTERLIFE, NOT THE HERE AND NOW.

2. Images may have text. Nudity with discretion.

3. All mediums are accepted.

4. This is a Top-10 Contest. The top-3-category winners and up to the additional Top-10 winners (ties honored) will be displayed on the group homepage for one week.

5. The admin will not be voting in this contest.

6. All images submitted to this contest must be owned 100% by the FAA artist.

7. Each participant may submit 3 entries.

***Main Contest Logo by Rose Santuci-Sofranko - Souls Ascending into Heaven (with permission)***

***Interior Contest Logo by Rose Santuci-Sofranko - Fiery Path to Hell Expressionist Effect (with permission)***

See Rose's full FAA profile at the link below:
(highlight to open link)

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/rose-santucisofranko