For Russell Stuart Irwin, writing has become a natural extension of his lifelong interest in understanding the experiences that shape people and their perception of the world. His career as an author has covered a wide range of subjects and formats, from his award winning novel Wind to the biographical works Blessed Beyond Measure and Prepare for Leadership. His latest publication, It Is Time, turns his attention toward one of the most familiar yet difficult concepts to define: time.
At the center of It Is Time is Irwin’s attempt to understand what Scripture communicates about time and why it matters to the human experience. His approach is influenced heavily by his work as an artist. Rather than limiting his examination to conventional theological interpretations, he looks at Scripture through questions of structure, movement, order, purpose, and beauty. The result is what he describes as an exploration of the “aesthetics of time.”
“I often interpret Scripture through the eyes of an artist,” Irwin says. “I love the Scriptures, and I think there is something distinctive about approaching them with that artistic perspective. I became fascinated with the subject of time and the scriptural aesthetic of time, including its order, its movement, its forms, its function, its purpose and the way it reveals something about the beauty of time as Scripture communicates it.”
This artistic perspective shapes It Is Time, where Irwin examines how time appears throughout biblical narratives and how those ideas can be understood within everyday life. He argues that time should not be viewed merely as a measurement or a sequence of passing moments. Instead, he sees it as part of a purposeful creation that gives people an environment in which to develop relationships, discover meaning, and seek a relationship with their Creator.
“I think the scriptural revelation of time is that it is the invention of our Creator, and like all inventions, it has a purpose,” he explains. “Ultimately, I believe that purpose is the discovery of relationship with our Creator.”
His understanding of time is closely connected to his four decades as a visual artist. Irwin’s artistic career began with photorealistic painting before gradually evolving into a more unconventional technique involving layers of paper, imagery, and color. He experimented with torn paper and mosaic inspired compositions before developing a sanding process that allowed him to remove portions of the surface and reveal imagery contained within the layers.
The technique became more than an artistic method. It changed the way Irwin thought about visual expression and encouraged him to consider how individual colors, forms, and shapes interact with one another. The process of uncovering an image also introduced an element of discovery that eventually became influential in his approach to writing.
For Irwin, the concept of layers offers a natural comparison to the way people experience time. Just as his artwork can contain images beneath several layers of paper, human lives contain memories, relationships, experiences, and emotions that accumulate over decades. Looking back through those layers can reveal connections that may not have been obvious when the experiences first occurred.
“I really like the idea because embedding imagery into layers of paper and then sanding back down to it is almost archaeological in nature,” he says. “It reflects the way I think as a human being and as an artist. I tend to think in layers, going back through them, examining what is there and discovering the forms, beauty, color and relationships that have accumulated over time. In that sense, I think doing art for 40 years essentially taught me how to write in the way that I write.”
Relationships form another major part of Irwin’s understanding of time. He believes the importance of an experience cannot always be measured by how long it lasts. A short interaction can remain meaningful for years, particularly when it involves compassion, kindness, or an important moment in someone’s life.
He recalls an experience involving his wife, who has worked as a nurse throughout her career. During a recent interaction, she recognized the voice of a woman she had encountered around 20 years earlier. The woman remembered Irwin’s wife because she had remained with her for three days following the birth of a stillborn child.
The encounter demonstrated to Irwin how an act of compassion can remain meaningful long after the original moment has passed.
“The woman said, ‘I knew that was you. I will never forget that voice,’” Irwin recalls. “Twenty years earlier, my wife had been by her side for three days during one of the darkest experiences of her life. Yet because of the kindness, love, and faithfulness she experienced during that time, she and her family were able to come through it intact and continue to thrive. That made me think about the beauty of something as simple as a voice and how time carries those meaningful experiences forward.”
For Irwin, the story illustrates how time provides the framework through which human beings experience relationships and recognize meaning. The value of a moment is not necessarily determined by its duration, but by the impact it leaves behind.
“Time is made for relationships and for meaning,” he says. “It is the conveyor and the platform through which we discover what is meaningful. Everything we value in human experience has some relationship to time, whether it is a memory, a relationship, an act of kindness or our relationship with our Creator.”
That perspective also informs Irwin’s concerns about modern technology. While digital tools have transformed communication and created unprecedented access to information, he believes they can also make it more difficult for people to remain fully present. Constant notifications, digital distractions, and device centered interactions can fragment attention and weaken meaningful connections.
His concern is ultimately about maintaining a sense of humanity in an increasingly technology driven environment.
“We are living at a time when there is a real danger of dehumanization and relational disconnection through our devices,” he says. “We need to remember that there is a beautiful story to be invested in within every moment and that our relationships with one another and with our Creator are part of what gives our lives direction.”
Through It Is Time, Irwin combines his background in art and writing with his interest in Scripture to examine how time influences virtually every aspect of human existence.
His central message is that time is much more than something people watch, measure, or attempt to manage. It is where relationships are formed, memories take shape, acts of kindness leave lasting impressions, and people search for purpose.
By looking at time through both an artistic and scriptural lens, Irwin encourages readers to reconsider the moments that make up their lives and to recognize the deeper meaning that can emerge when those moments are viewed as part of a much larger story.
