When Was the Last Time You Made Something?

Feb 15, 2012 by Brent    No Comments    Posted under: Books, Church, Culture

My daughter painted a masterpiece this morning. We bought her some bathtub crayons and she has turned into an overnight artist! Morning after morning she creates original works with titles like, Mamma-Dada and, Dada-Mama. Just last week she completed a work called Mama-Kitty. It brought a tear to my eye. It made me ask myself the question, when was the last time I made something?

I have just completed my second reading of Franky Schaeffer’s Addicted to Mediocrity. In it you will find one of my favorite quotes. He implores his readers to, “create, create, create; work, work, work.” Franky argues that the church must take on artistic works to express the character of God. Any project including painting, architecture, music or written word can share the person of God through their excellence and creativity. These projects may show who God is with or without scriptural references, Christological allegory or overt Biblical themes. The whole of creation is fair game because it shouts to the glory of our creator!

Creativity is in the nature of my two year old daughter. Most children embrace God’s creative qualities naturally because it is a part of who he made us to be. When was the last time you made something? Remember that you dont need to justify it with some utilitarian purpose. Your pastors next sermon series should not be the only reason the church picks up a hammer or a paint brush.

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