Creative Like My Father

Picture of my first guitar given to me by my grandfather at age 13. He played for so many years on this guitar, I was so honored when he gave it to me .

In many ways, I come from a creative family. My grandfather played bluegrass on the radio in Nashville, Tennessee. My father actually sang with the Tams while he was on vacation one summer. The lead singer had to take the mike away from him! My dad is a bit of a ham. But it shows that he's just creative musically like his dad. I'm no different. Well, I'm definitely not a ham, but I do have a heritage of music as I see it, albeit a small heritage.

But my creative heritage goes way back. Back to the moment when time began, when the earth began spinning. God, Creator of the universe, made man in his image. That image included the ability to be creative. To imagine things, to come up with ideas, all derived from an ability given to us by God himself.

Why then should it be a surprise when we read of Jesus' dad being a carpenter. A man who indeed put his mind and talents to work. It's not too much of a stretch to see Jesus working in the workspace with his father. To see your son, beside you, knowing full well that one day he would fulfill his destiny in the cross. In the cross we see the Creator God crafting his master plan to bring his sons and daughters home. No one took Jesus' life. He gave it willingly. God gave his Son willingly, that we might be redeemed.

Redeemed. That's an amazing God-sized idea, that only the Creator God could accomplish. We as his creation, made in his image, have the means also to be creative, and such creativity is best used in response to the wonder of God's plan to bring us home.

Our church has continued to reflect such creative wonder at the cross and the empty tomb. You can see our worship arts ministry here. and the creative worship that God is using to touch so many lives in our community.

Just watched a neat movie, August Rush, and the subtle theme throughout the movie was that music, or rather our creative ability, is God given, and when used and explored, such a gift can become something unimaginable.

So Jesus, the carpenter's son, ultimately dwells in the believer now, through the promised Holy Spirit. We are the church, his dwelling place. I love it when I see a glimpse of the Creator God through his body, those I serve alongside, and, Christ in Me, the hope of glory.