The Creators Calling

Christ moves through His people to create harbors of beauty in a world that does not know its Creator. It is a part of being His image bearer, that men and women create to show His glory. There are so many ways the the disciple of Christ can express His beauty in the world. We live in a world that is drifting farther and farther away from the beauty that is in Christ, and is careening into darknes...

When its your birthday, or perhaps Christmas, or a special day coming up for you, what are you looking forward to? While it might be a cake, a trip, or something else, something that would really make that moment in your life special is a wonderful surprise. Our Lord is a God where anything is possible, and He can fill our lives with surprises that we never see coming, but that delight us in an in...

If there’s one thing the world needs a lot more of, its joy. For the believer in Christ, Joy is a part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that is available to each one of us. There is, however, many things that can keep His joy from from being a part of who we are and how we live. Fear, stress, busy schedules, the darkness of the world around us all can drive joy far from us. One thing we know, joy i...

Artists are people who have a vision for what they are going to create. Wether it is the plot to a book they are going to write, lyrics of a new song, chord progressions that’s capture a mood or feeling, all of these require a vision to move forward. It also requires discipline to carry out that vision. For the disciple of Christ, seeking what His will and desire are for them. He is the ultimate s...

If there is one thing that people need more of in their lives, it is peace. The world is in a state of constant turmoil it seems, and there is no stopping it. True peace can only be found in Christ, and the arts is a way of pointing people to Him. My guest on this episode has such a heart for people and for the Lord. Both of those things shining brightly through who she is, and what she creates. C...

The Lord never lets any experience go to waste in our lives. Every event, every situation is designed to draw us closer to Him, to reveal something about Him to us. It is a call to decision. Will we move further along the path with Christ, or will we choose our own way? When we choose Him, there are exciting things He reveals to us, and our heart for Him seeks to glorify His Name, and not our own....

One of the biggest challenges any of us can face is trying to forgive someone who has a wronged us and hurt us. For some, it can be emotional, some physical, and for others, it both and more. It is at those times we must make a choice how we are going to go on. Are we going to allow the Lord to free us from the damage and enslavement of unforgiveness? Will we let Him take us through times of culti...

There are few careers where the pride and ego are more promoted than in the arts. People that enjoy music, movies, writing, dancing, fine art, truly look up to the abilities of the artist. Often, they place them in a place of admiration that can feed self and encourages self exaltation. That message is reenforced throughout our culture. The world cries “I must increase, He must decrease”. When the...

One of the key components of the communication that take’s place between artist and viewer is authenticity. There is a longing in every person for genuiness in their lives, and the art they choose is no exception. In a world where deception and image are manufactured in a myriad of ways, authenticity stands out. People know the real from the fake. My guest on this episode is as authentic as it get...

The decision to become an artist, to pursue art as a career, is one that is inherently filled with all kinds of risk. You can’t play it safe, even though that is what we want to do at times. For the disciple of Christ, it is knowing God has called you, and then stepping out in faith and trusting Him to lead and guide. And if being a wildlife painter is your calling, it carries the risk of becoming...

God creates each one of us with particular attributes and abilities that allow us to move forward into the calling He has placed on our lives. When we come to know Christ, those characteristics are not only empowered by Him to speak to the truth of Christ, but the purpose of our lives changes. It is not only about fulfilling the desire that has been given us to be artists, it is that what we creat...

There is one need that every man or woman has. That need is that the sin that separates them from God dealt with once and for all. With that forgiveness, they can have a relationship with the God of the universe, now and for eternity. That need, that forgiveness, comes only as we repent and receive Jesus sacrifice for our sin on the cross and know His resurrection guarantees us eternal life. Once...

There is a wonderful promise in the book of Romans that’s each of us have clung to at times in our lives. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭ESV‬‬ While we know that God always keeps His promises, there are sometimes it just seems impossible. There are times when we just don’t know how TH...

The life of an artist consists of a constant need to figure things out. Those attempts to understand what we do, to learn our craft, to advance, comes with an inherent risk. That risk must be accepted and pushed through if we are going to pursue anything in the arts, or life. The risk is that of failure. It is guaranteed, we will fail. But in that, there is so much the Lord has to teach us that we...

For the unbeliever, there is a veil over their hearts when it comes to the Gospel. That veil keeps that truth from penetrating through to effectuate the salvation that the Holy Spirit is speaking to them about. For those in the New Age movement, that veil can be heavy and dense as satan attempts to hold it in place and keep the lost in the dark. Not only that, but New Age philosophy has penetrated...

Being a creator virtually guarantees that you are going to face failure. That is just a part of the process, but it is perhaps one of the most important parts. Excellence is not a one time event, it is a continual struggle. But when at the core of your creativity is the desire to only glorify the Lord that has given you so much, you can move through most anything that comes your way. My guest toda...

One of the hallmarks of someone who has maturity in their walk with the Lord is perseverance and confidence, knowing that God is always at work for your good. Every artist knows what it is to have doubts, to be discouraged, frustrated, and feel inadequate in what they are called to do. It is the man or woman that stays the course that overcomes, both in the faith and their work. That brings a conf...

There are a a lot of parallels between being in the arts and ranching. There are so many unknowns, so much out of your control. In the midst of all of it, there are also many unexpected events that can literally uproot you from familiar places and people and land you into an entirely new and largely unknown situation. My guest on this episode calls these challenges “Times of unsettling”, and it is...

Every artist of every genre has a special sensitivity to what they create. It is that uniqueness that the Lord gives to every person that causes a connection to be made wit others with that same sensitivity. Some focus on grand, sweeping statements in their art. Some create action and excitement. Others quiet and serene. For my guest on this episode, it is the tender moments of life that motivate...

Too often it may feel like our lives are just too random, just to unplanned. When it looks that way, we have lost sight of God’s sovereign Hand over even the smallest things in the universe. As we mature and grow, however, our perspective changes to one of increasing confidence in Him. When we have that confidence, fear and worry become less and less influential in our lives and more importantly i...

It is so easy to begin to think that we are just one of a million people who do what we do in the arts. There is nothing special about us, what we do, and we will never accomplish much for the glory of Christ as a readily. My guest today would strongly disagree. It is your uniqueness that the Lord desires to use in the world for His purposes. I am delighted to have as my guest one of the most uniq...

The existence of God cannot be proven, many people say. Men and women are looking for empirical evidence, but when confronted with that evidence, they immediately come up with reasons why it cant be God must must be something else. Those things wear thin, however, when the evidence is first hand accounts of God’s acting in thew world. God is real and is moving in our world today, and my guest on t...

Seeing a need and then making the decision to serve others by meeting that need is a part of what’s an artist does. The difficult part can come when what you have been doing needs to change in one way or another because the need has changed or you have been shown by the Lord that the change is going to serve other more. Are we open to those changes? Are we alert to what the Lord might be sayings t...

Being able to persevere through unexpected trials and difficulties draw us closer to the Lord and bring depth of relationship to our lives. That depth of relationship with the Lord shapes our character and our work. For painter Ann Kraft Walker there has been a sweetness to what she has faced that has taken her to increasingly higher heights, both in her faith and work. In this episode Annie share...

A step of faith is often seeing an open door that the Lord is asking you to go through, and moving forward. That door might seem dark and foreboding to us, but to the Lord, He’s just waiting to show you all He has for you on the other side! Brenda Murphy is a masterful western artist who’s work is arresting in intricacy and powerful in message. Brenda is going to share with us the power of an open...