The Triumph of the Cross: A Story of Faith
It was dark. Very dark as we approached our driveway at 2:00 AM. We had not seen a
streetlight for 75 miles. We could barely see the road because of a litter of broken trees,
twisted metal and downed utility lines. My wife and I were not sure what we would find when we
finally made it home. This was the setting in a stage of my life when I learned about faith, how
to really trust God, and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He really loves us.
We are a Catholic home schooling family with 4 children from just north of Lake Charles,
Louisiana. As a stained glass artist, I have been making windows and doors for homes and
churches for 26 years. We have gone through hard times as well as prosperous ones.
Through it all, we can see the hand of God both guiding and teaching us.
In 2003, our 16 year old son Joshua went to Rome for a 30 day formation course with the
Legionaries of Christ, a missionary order of priests. In order to raise the money, our family
made crosses out of scraps of glass left over from windows built for churches by our studio.
Since then our son has decided to become a priest. Beginning in the summer of 2005, we
started making more crosses to help support his ministry. This time we made a web site called
artisticcrosses.com and selected 24 different color combinations in 2 styles. We were ready to
publish the web site when we learned that there was a mandatory evacuation for all of
Calcasieu Parish.
Hurricane Rita Leaves Her Mark
On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita made landfall as a category 3 storm. We watched the
news from our hotel room in Northern Arkansas. We returned home 4 days later to discover
severe damage to my workshop. I was devastated. A large pine tree had fallen and ripped out
the back wall. Several of my machines used for making wood doors and windows were broken
and strewn around the shop. Tables were upturned, leaving a twisted array of roots, mud,
broken wood, glass and metal. As I looked upon the damage for the first time, my immediate
thoughts were filled with questions. How am I going to fix this with no insurance? How am I
going to provide for my family now? Why did this have to happen? These questions kept
haunting me and giving me feelings of despair and anxiety.
Then I remembered something a priest had told me during confession one day. “God will
never give you anything you can’t handle, as long as you trust Him.” I then thought about St.
Rita, patron of hopeless cases. After all, it was hurricane Rita that did all this. Is this some
kind of coincidence? I started looking around the shop for signs of hope, and somehow deep
inside I knew that everything would be restored.
Hail O Cross, Our Only Hope
As I opened my eyes of faith, I saw that I had laid out the glass for 63 crosses before we left. I
did not have time to cast them, in amazement, I realized that not one piece of glass was
moved. Every single cross had stayed in its original position despite the devastation around
them. I thought, “OK Lord, I can take a hint.”
With renewed enthusiasm, and with no electricity for 3 weeks, we started repairs and cleanup.
Using a generator, we published the artistic crosses web site. It was a full 2 months before we
could resume making the crosses. The crosses were more than a fundraiser now; they were
necessary for us to have money to live.
During the summer before the hurricane, we had made around 300 crosses. We tried to sell
them to anyone. We had kept some in our car and showed them to people hoping they would
buy one. We sold a few and that helped us a little. With our credit cards maxed out and in
debt from repairs and no work, I knew that God would bless us somehow. I was never good at
marketing; my talents are working with my hands. This was a difficult time for us. We learned
valuable lessons about being thankful and grateful for how God has provided for us and how
much he loves and cares for us.
It was dark. Very dark as we approached our driveway at 2:00 AM. We had not seen a
streetlight for 75 miles. We could barely see the road because of a litter of broken trees,
twisted metal and downed utility lines. My wife and I were not sure what we would find when we
finally made it home. This was the setting in a stage of my life when I learned about faith, how
to really trust God, and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He really loves us.
We are a Catholic home schooling family with 4 children from just north of Lake Charles,
Louisiana. As a stained glass artist, I have been making windows and doors for homes and
churches for 26 years. We have gone through hard times as well as prosperous ones.
Through it all, we can see the hand of God both guiding and teaching us.
In 2003, our 16 year old son Joshua went to Rome for a 30 day formation course with the
Legionaries of Christ, a missionary order of priests. In order to raise the money, our family
made crosses out of scraps of glass left over from windows built for churches by our studio.
Since then our son has decided to become a priest. Beginning in the summer of 2005, we
started making more crosses to help support his ministry. This time we made a web site called
artisticcrosses.com and selected 24 different color combinations in 2 styles. We were ready to
publish the web site when we learned that there was a mandatory evacuation for all of
Calcasieu Parish.
Hurricane Rita Leaves Her Mark
On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita made landfall as a category 3 storm. We watched the
news from our hotel room in Northern Arkansas. We returned home 4 days later to discover
severe damage to my workshop. I was devastated. A large pine tree had fallen and ripped out
the back wall. Several of my machines used for making wood doors and windows were broken
and strewn around the shop. Tables were upturned, leaving a twisted array of roots, mud,
broken wood, glass and metal. As I looked upon the damage for the first time, my immediate
thoughts were filled with questions. How am I going to fix this with no insurance? How am I
going to provide for my family now? Why did this have to happen? These questions kept
haunting me and giving me feelings of despair and anxiety.
Then I remembered something a priest had told me during confession one day. “God will
never give you anything you can’t handle, as long as you trust Him.” I then thought about St.
Rita, patron of hopeless cases. After all, it was hurricane Rita that did all this. Is this some
kind of coincidence? I started looking around the shop for signs of hope, and somehow deep
inside I knew that everything would be restored.
Hail O Cross, Our Only Hope
As I opened my eyes of faith, I saw that I had laid out the glass for 63 crosses before we left. I
did not have time to cast them, in amazement, I realized that not one piece of glass was
moved. Every single cross had stayed in its original position despite the devastation around
them. I thought, “OK Lord, I can take a hint.”
With renewed enthusiasm, and with no electricity for 3 weeks, we started repairs and cleanup.
Using a generator, we published the artistic crosses web site. It was a full 2 months before we
could resume making the crosses. The crosses were more than a fundraiser now; they were
necessary for us to have money to live.
During the summer before the hurricane, we had made around 300 crosses. We tried to sell
them to anyone. We had kept some in our car and showed them to people hoping they would
buy one. We sold a few and that helped us a little. With our credit cards maxed out and in
debt from repairs and no work, I knew that God would bless us somehow. I was never good at
marketing; my talents are working with my hands. This was a difficult time for us. We learned
valuable lessons about being thankful and grateful for how God has provided for us and how
much he loves and cares for us.
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Brother Joshua in Cheshire CT. The outside wall of our shop after Hurricane Rita. The crosses are undisturbed. Cleaning up the mess. Our Family |
| www.artisticcrosses.com text links to all 8 pages in our web site. Home is the introduction page. stained glass crosses, christian wall art, christian home decor Ordering info describes how the crosses look and how to order. Star Cut patterns are our most popular stained glass crosses. We have 9 available as well as custom orders. Straight Cut patterns have a large variety of colors. We have 15 available, as well as custom orders. Collections have special volume pricing. We have 6 collections available. Our Story tells about how the crosses began and how our faith was tested during Hurricane Rita in 2005. Testimonials are reprinted from letters and e-mails about how our crosses have impacted lives back to God. Contact Us is a page devoted to how to get in touch with us as well as directions to our studio north of Lake Charles, LA. |
A Hurricane of Requests
One Sunday after Mass, a few people came out to our car to see the crosses. One of them was a reporter for our local
TV station. She said this would make a great story of hope for those affected by the hurricane. She came out to our
shop and filmed us making the crosses. I was even able to witness about “Our Heavenly Fathers Insurance Plan.” My
wife Eva was able to share about prayer and listening to God. The kids were busy arranging the glass pieces and
being the great helpers that they are. None of it was staged; we were completely honest about what we do.
The night before Thanksgiving Day 2005, Theresa Schmitt from KPLC TV told our story on the 6:00 news. That
evening, we received phone calls for 2 solid hours. People wanted to come out right then and buy crosses. In 4 days
we sold 300 crosses. Orders kept coming in, I worked 12 – 16 hours a day trying to keep up. Most people wanted
them by Christmas. It took me until the end of January 2006 to finally fill all the orders.
Since then we have been making and selling the crosses to many people who also suffered
damage from the hurricane. We have heard many stories of faith and how difficult the disaster was for many people.
They have told us that they appreciate the crosses because they are hand made locally. We also heard that the black
roofing sand used in casting the crosses is symbolic of the many roofs that were damaged in the storm.
A Godsend in the Wake of Disaster
For us, the sale of these crosses has helped us recover from the storm, provide an income for our family, and support
the needs of our children in their ministries as they serve God. Our eldest son, Joshua, is now in his second year
novitiate for the priesthood with the Legionaries of Christ in Cheshire Connecticut; our daughter, Mary, is a volunteer
lay missionary for one year in Calgary, Canada; and our youngest son Levi, is preparing to enter the seminary for the
priesthood in 2 years.
Today we ship crosses all over. People purchase them as gifts to give away not only because of their unique beauty,
but also the story of faith behind them. Each one is carefully hand crafted by our family and in a small way we feel that
we are fulfilling Gods gentle call to know, love and serve him.
The cross is a paradox; it is a symbol of suffering, yet it yields a peace this world cannot give. It gives us hope on our
journey to eternal life with God, the creator of the universe, who longs for his children to be with Him. We can see the
light of Christ in the hearts and minds of people who tell us that the gift of this cross inspires them to see Christ in a
world that so desperately needs Him.
God has truly blessed our family through these crosses. I also consider it an honor and a privilege to work on stained
glass windows for churches that speak to the soul. I am truly thankful and grateful for all that the Lord has done for
us. My faith has been strengthened.
We all have times in our lives when circumstances seem hopeless. I have learned that God allows these things to
happen so that we will turn to Him. If I never had any problems in life, I might not need faith, and might not need to
come before the Lord in humility. Scripture tells us that “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” It is an
awesome feeling to experience how this happens not only in my life, but also in the lives of all Christians.
God Bless You;
Frank Thompson
One Sunday after Mass, a few people came out to our car to see the crosses. One of them was a reporter for our local
TV station. She said this would make a great story of hope for those affected by the hurricane. She came out to our
shop and filmed us making the crosses. I was even able to witness about “Our Heavenly Fathers Insurance Plan.” My
wife Eva was able to share about prayer and listening to God. The kids were busy arranging the glass pieces and
being the great helpers that they are. None of it was staged; we were completely honest about what we do.
The night before Thanksgiving Day 2005, Theresa Schmitt from KPLC TV told our story on the 6:00 news. That
evening, we received phone calls for 2 solid hours. People wanted to come out right then and buy crosses. In 4 days
we sold 300 crosses. Orders kept coming in, I worked 12 – 16 hours a day trying to keep up. Most people wanted
them by Christmas. It took me until the end of January 2006 to finally fill all the orders.
Since then we have been making and selling the crosses to many people who also suffered
damage from the hurricane. We have heard many stories of faith and how difficult the disaster was for many people.
They have told us that they appreciate the crosses because they are hand made locally. We also heard that the black
roofing sand used in casting the crosses is symbolic of the many roofs that were damaged in the storm.
A Godsend in the Wake of Disaster
For us, the sale of these crosses has helped us recover from the storm, provide an income for our family, and support
the needs of our children in their ministries as they serve God. Our eldest son, Joshua, is now in his second year
novitiate for the priesthood with the Legionaries of Christ in Cheshire Connecticut; our daughter, Mary, is a volunteer
lay missionary for one year in Calgary, Canada; and our youngest son Levi, is preparing to enter the seminary for the
priesthood in 2 years.
Today we ship crosses all over. People purchase them as gifts to give away not only because of their unique beauty,
but also the story of faith behind them. Each one is carefully hand crafted by our family and in a small way we feel that
we are fulfilling Gods gentle call to know, love and serve him.
The cross is a paradox; it is a symbol of suffering, yet it yields a peace this world cannot give. It gives us hope on our
journey to eternal life with God, the creator of the universe, who longs for his children to be with Him. We can see the
light of Christ in the hearts and minds of people who tell us that the gift of this cross inspires them to see Christ in a
world that so desperately needs Him.
God has truly blessed our family through these crosses. I also consider it an honor and a privilege to work on stained
glass windows for churches that speak to the soul. I am truly thankful and grateful for all that the Lord has done for
us. My faith has been strengthened.
We all have times in our lives when circumstances seem hopeless. I have learned that God allows these things to
happen so that we will turn to Him. If I never had any problems in life, I might not need faith, and might not need to
come before the Lord in humility. Scripture tells us that “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” It is an
awesome feeling to experience how this happens not only in my life, but also in the lives of all Christians.
God Bless You;
Frank Thompson
| You may view and print a copy of this story on 2 pages by visiting this link: A Story of Faith .pdf A short version of this story is also available here: Cross story.pdf |