Three Reasons to be Creative

“Creativity is the engine that drives every form of innovation, whether a new vaccine, a river-spanning bridge, a symphony, a novel, or a work of visual art.  This wondrous capacity to make something out of nothing is unique to the human race – our birthright”.  Lewis Barrett Lehrman, author. 

As a Christian I would add that God alone truly forms something out of nothing.  However, as creative beings we are blessed with the ability to create things that are beautiful, wonderful, and or useful from basic ingredients.  Have you seen and tasted a cake made by some of our amazing bakers at church?  Flour, sugar, milk and eggs – but wow, what a delight for the eyes and palette.  Creativity! 

Creativity is included in almost every field of human endeavor.  It is not reserved for artists, musicians, writers and actors. 

Why do we create?  We are creative beings made in the image of God.  Why did God give us this wonderful gift called creativity?  First, because God loves to give his beloved children gifts.   Luke 1:13 says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?  God gives us creativity, in part, is just to enjoy.  It’s a good and gracious gift from a loving Heavenly Father that desires to lavish His sons and daughters with good things.  James 1:17 tells us, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father or lights…” 

The second reason God gives us the gift of creativity is because being involved in creative endeavors increases our ability for appreciation the of others and their unique gifts.  When my husband was in the hospital I learned very quickly all the things he does to help keep our family afloat.  Groceries didn’t replenish themselves, the wash didn’t get up and get done on it’s own.  I appreciated in a new way his daily work to show love for our family.  Likewise, when we step out and learn something creative, like taking a music class, we learn to appreciate those who constantly give of their time and talents on the worship team.  Learning something about what others do heightens our level of appreciation.  It’s easier to celebrate the gifts of others when we understand the work and sacrifice involved to develop those gifts.  

The third reason we are given the gift of creativity is to give God glory.  Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power;  for You created all things, and because of your will they existed, and were created.”  Romans 1:20 tells us that “… since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made…”  God’s creative acts declare His power and glory.  When we create, and honor Him with the talents and abilities God has given us, we reflect His power and glory.  We have the opportunity to communicate to a hurting world the very real love of a Savior who loves them. 

My favorite living artist, Stephen Gjertson from Minnesota says this:   “Art is a powerful means of communication.  The greater the work of art, the greater potential it has for good or evil.  Art can reinforce a world-view.  It can give credibility and emotional expressive power.   Works of art can be a powerful avenue for propaganda and the dissemination of truth or error.” 

Our desire to serve God with our creativity and our ideas of success are different than the world around us.  Our talents were not given to us to draw attention to ourselves.  They are for the benefit of others and for the glory of God.  Rory Noland says this:  “First Peter 5:5 tells us to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another.  We are to abandon any thoughts of superiority that would cause us to think that we deserve special treatment above others. Arrogance has no place in the heart of the Christian artist.” 

There are opportunities to celebrate and develop the God given gift of creativity in our community and in our church.  If you are stirred by the thought of devoting a season of time to expanding your horizons in the area of creativity I really encourage you to do so.   

Worship Leader of Willow Creek Church in Chicago, Rory Noland, reminds us:  “We can’t be concerned about the arts in the church without being concerned about the lives of the artists in the church.  Our character as church artists, our walk with Christ, our spiritual growth are all a vital part of creating the kind of ministry experience in which God unleashes the power of His Holy Spirit.  We need artist in the church who are known not only for their talent but also for their walk with Christ.”

Of Art and Mercy...A Free Concert

Friday night, October 19th at 6:30 PM there is a free local concert featuring Alex Walker.  The concert takes place in Hydesville, which may be perceived as an out of the way venue, yet this sanctuary draws hundreds on a weekly basis from Fortuna, a short six miles away.  Humboldt County’s cultural dimensions have been gifted another rich layer with the introduction of Alex Walker into the region’s art scene.   Alex’s appeal is drawn not only from his musical expertise, touring days with the band Five O’Clock People, obvious talent and multi-quilted history of varied vocal and instrumental experience.  Alex connects with the audience with a casual warmth and quick wit that it makes the concert goer feel like you are welcomed into a harmonious conversation in an overly large turn of the century living room.  He’s talented and he is real.

Of Alex’s approach, reviewer David Martin compared Walker’s former band, the Five O’Clock People’s style, to Caedmon’s Call and Jars of Clay.   Citing the use of “acoustic instruments and writing deep, soul searching lyrics” Martin expresses this regarding the song “Same Old Line.”  “The mandolin and accordion…give this song the feel of being in a medieval fantasy world, which I guess is quite fitting, given how we pretend we're living happily everafter because we're afraid people won't love the truly messed up, hurting person inside.”  Alex’s songs address “broken and troubled relationships with an almost brutal honesty, while (other) songs… tackle matters of faith and redemption in stark, confessional terms.  Alex feels there's room for both kinds of tracks on their album. "There's something legitimate about not every song being a composite of all you are, all that you hope for, all you dream of being. It's OK to write songs that precede as a series of snapshots and maybe by the end of an album or even a body of work, you're getting the whole picture of who this person is."

Alex’s appeal is multi-generational.  He is as much at home performing to his thirty-something generation as he is leading a group of energetic children or conducting a sing along for seniors at Hydesville Church where Alex is the worship director. 

The concert on October 19^th is to raise awareness for something called Celebrate Recovery.  Appropriate since Alex’s songs speak of honesty, struggle and faith, Celebrate Recovery is about dealing with life’s hurts, habits and hang ups from a spiritual perspective.  Everyone struggles with something.  Celebrate Recovery is an honest place where confidentiality is highly valued and where one can be real about addressing the things in life that trip us up.  Hope is for real.”  This concert is an opportunity for the public to check out Celebrate Recovery.  The concert is at the Hydesville Community Church located at the corner of Highway 36 and Rohnerville Road in Hydesville.  For more information contact the church at 768-3767.

 

Excellence, Artistic Expression and the Church

Nancy Beach of Willowcreek church in Chicago has a great article on the arts and Christianity called The Masterful Designer of Intricate Detail. Here is the link: http://nancybeach.typepad.com/nancy_beach/2007/11/the-masterful-d.html Nancy Beach wrote a book that makes my heart beat wildly when I read it. It's called One Hour on Sunday and is about the tremendous opportunity and responsiblity the church has to communicate the love and message of Jesus Christ during that very "prime time" on Sunday mornings. One expression of Willowcreeks philosophy is "excellence honors God and inspires people." When performed to the glory of God with a humble heart, it absolutely does. Great work, Nancy.

God Believes in Me?

“Now no shrub of the field as yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground.”…The Lord God planted a garden toward the east toward Eden...” Genesis 2:5,8

God designed and planted a garden in Eden. I can’t imagine how incredibly breath taking that garden must have been. When I think of gardens of beauty, I think of the gardens that artist Claude Monet cultivated with it’s many monochromatic plantings of flowers (photo). Many of Monet’s masterpieces emanated from that garden. The gardens at Giverny, France would pale in comparison to a garden that God designed, planted, and then, walked. (Genesis 3:8)

In one sense it seems unbelievable that the plants hadn’t sprouted in part because there were no human hands present to do their part which was cultivating the ground so the plants might flourish. Could God have cultivated the ground with a spoken word? Of course. He spoke the entire world into being – digging up some dirt wouldn’t be much of a feat for the Almighty one. But it was God’s desire that we have a significant role in carrying out His plans. He doesn’t need us, but He most certainly wants us in a big way. God shows us incredible value by not just loving us in the sense of adoring us and having great affection for us. He includes us in His work and in doing so communicates: you are significant…you are important, and I have a job I need you to do. Amazingly, God chose and designed ways that we would work in partnership with Him to accomplish His will. God believes in me…what a wonder. Now, that makes me feel loved!

God is the Master Artist

Every time I paint my awareness of the Great Creator is heightened. Since realist painting is all about observation and learning from nature I am in awe when I study something I am seeking to represent in painting. The detail, the design, the amazing intricacy and orchestration and harmony in nature is beyond comprehension. I know from experience that there is no phenomenal design without a phenomenal designer. There truly are no "happy accidents." Yes, once in a while some colors can run together and they look pleasing, or we stumble across something by accident and it looks far better than we know our skill level to be...but there is no mastery in a subject without intense study. Everything in nature points to a marvelous creator. It's not hard to believe in God - just by observing nature. It shouts of His existence, and His order, design, care, character and beauty. And He didn't just make Himself a mystery to figure out. He revealed Himself clearly through the person of Christ. It is incredibly fulfilling to me to create paintings that prefect the character and personality of the One who reached down and saved my heart and my life. He is the Master Artist.

Artistic Excellence and Ministry

SoulArtist
Listening to the Heart...Responding with Colors from the Master's Palette


Our friends, the Krings, introduced us to Josh Groban via a DVD of one of his concerts. What an amazing voice! Intrigued with Groban’s originality and megatalent I purchased another of his concerts on DVD for Don for Father’s Day. It was worth the purchase price for the rendition of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring alone. In addition to Josh’s phenomenal singing, a young woman named Lili Haydn played violin exquisitely and sang at the same time (unusual!), plus the visuals were out of this world. Lili stood above the orchestra in this angelic flowing white dress, with striking lighting effects that looked like both fire and heaven. The living scene appeared to be so ephemeral. It was a breath taking performance that went beyond the realms of music into visual, drama and all the lines in between.

Jesu, joy of man's desiring Holy wisdom, love most bright Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring Soar to uncreated light Word of God, our flesh that fashioned With the fire of life impassioned Striving still to truth unknown Soaring, dying round Thy throne
-Johann Sebastian Bach, words by Martin Janus, 1661

I don’t know whether or not Josh Groban or Lili Haydn are believers, but they sang powerful words of praise to Jesus. It all got me to thinking about quality and excellence in the realm of arts and ministry. Not only has God has given human beings a tremendous gift in terms of talent, imagination and ingenuity, God has given something to believers alone: the reason to express this unmitigated joy. “Art for art’s sake” has a ceiling to it. “Art for God’s sake” can go on forever. There is no limit to what He can do with hearts, minds and souls thoroughly devoted to Him that are also willing to take on the discipline of developing gifts from their raw form to something of stunning beauty.

Christians should set the standard for excellence in culture, not the other way around. It’s good to understand culture so that may communicate in the most insightful way possible, but how much more effective to communicate from the lead rather than from the back of the pack.

In Exodus 31 we read “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “See I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.”

Certainly Bezalel had a call into ministry – God called him by name. God was also very specific about the ministry He gave Bezalel, just as God was specific about Paul’s ministry (Acts 9:15).

God didn’t give Bezalel artistic talent just to make visually pleasing things for their house of worship. The Lord also gave Bezalel wisdom, understanding and knowledge. The ministry wasn’t merely the making of objects of beauty. Bezalel needed God’s wisdom, understanding and knowledge to develop things that would truly bring Glory to God. Bezalel needed to understand God’s heartbeat so that he might use his talent to create things that would help people draw into God’s presence. It also appears that part of Bezalel’s ministry was to shepherd other artists – another real need for wisdom, understanding and knowledge! We all need shepherding (that’s why God gives us great pastors and directors), but the artistically inclined seem to need an additional nudge from the shepherd’s rod and staff from time to time.

Paul exhorts us to “approve the things that are excellent” (Philippians 1:10). People are drawn to excellence. Excellence provides a platform. “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men” (Proverbs 22:29).

Franky Schaeffer, in his 1981 classic on 20th Century Christians and the Arts, Addicted to Mediocrity, pokes fun at how sometimes as Christians we settle for the message of Christ to be communicated mainly through “Christian” doodads, like trinkets, tee-shirts and bumper stickers. The purpose is not to slam those types of communications (sometimes these things are exactly what is needed for a particular purpose), but to motivate the church of the living God to pursue excellence in the area of the arts – all kinds of art. Christians should be the forerunners of artistic excellence, not mediocre imitators of yesterday’s cultural fad.

I sometimes have discussions with people about visual media…how to use it most effectively in the church, how to improve each piece of visual communication and sometimes how to raise the bar in artistic standards... even if our work isn’t entirely understood. Composer and conductor, John Williams says our culture is “addicted to visual stimulation.” However many artists will be the first to attest that we live in a “visually illiterate culture”. How can both be true? As a culture we see a lot of images – thousands everyday – but we’re simply not educated about what we’re looking at. But whether or not people, in a general sense, understand the components of what they see, people do respond to visual images in a big way. And if people respond to the visual, and in a larger sense the artistic (music, drama, etc.) then it is well worth our passion, energy and devotion to pursue excellence in arts with the goal of serving God not only with developed talent, but with wisdom, understanding, knowledge to help draw and win people to Christ and then shepherd them with all the strength and energy that God gives.

Through the way where hope is guiding,Hark, what peaceful music rings;Where the flock, in Thee confiding,Drink of joy from deathless springs.Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure;Theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure.Thou dost ever lead Thine ownIn the love of joys unknown.
-Johann Sebastian Bach, words by Martin Janus, 1661

Why the Title Soul Artist?

Soul Artist
Listening to the Heart...Responding with Colors from the Master's Palette.

Why the title "Soul Artist"?
Some of my earliest memories are about Art and Christianity. My father, a great craftsman, made many things for the little church we attended. Among them, the baby cribs. I remember being in one of those cribs. I also remember, at about three years of age, sitting cross legged with other children in our church nursery as we anxiously awaited pages of a coloring book to decorate with our crayons. Now, to this three year old, every coloring book page looked like a delightful blank canvas just waiting for my enhancements. The Sunday School teacher held up torn out page after torn out page of interesting looking animals and Bible-Time scenery. I wanted to color every page. A compliant child, I sheepishly held up my hand for each page, but each time other children were handed the papers. The teacher would tell me - "Penny, put down your hand!" A little confused, I would sit silently and watch other pages being handed out. At one point the teacher showed us a donkey. It was too much for me to understand why I couldn't color along with the other children. I put my hand up in the air, to which the teacher replied, "Put your hand down, Penny! You color good! You get to color Jesus." "Oh." I never realized my love for drawing and color was different than anyone else's. It was an affirming moment that I've never forgotten.

Throughout my life the themes of Christianity and Art have intertwined in various ways. And so the name...Soul Artist.

Like that first affirmation of a gift God had given me, it is my hope that this blog will be an encourgement to others. It is my prayer that in hearing from you in response to these writings that I might have the privilege of listening to your heart, and respond with "colors from the Master's Palette" - that is with the beauty of Jesus' teachings as found in the Bible.