The Yellow Ochre Newsletter
A weekly curation of encouragement and practical wisdom to turn your art from a hobby into a purposeful blessing for your community and culture.
In 4 Days…
4 more days until I launch my Patreon community. I'm calling it "The Yellow Ochre Team." If you are a Christian and a "creative" who wants to discover how to use your artistry for the mission of God, this is the community for you.
Big News in 7 Days
I am looking forward to sharing something really cool in the coming days.
A Guest in Someone Else’s House
"The heavens are Yours; the earth also is Yours. The world and everything in it- You founded them. North and south- You created them."
Psalm 89:11-12a
Your entire life is as a guest in someone else's house.
"The heavens are Yours; the earth also is Yours. The world and everything in it- You founded them. North and south- You created them."
Psalm 89:11-12a
Your entire life is as a guest in someone else's house.
New Online Store and Free PDF
I’m excited to announce the launch of my online shop!
To celebrate, I'm releasing a PDF called "Off the Bench: 33 Ways to Engage God's Mission for Artists" for FREE.
I’m excited to announce the launch of my online shop!
To celebrate, I'm releasing a PDF called "Off the Bench: 33 Ways to Engage God's Mission for Artists" for FREE.
If you are a Christian and an artist (or know someone who is), I made this for you. If you want to go from watching the culture engagement game from the bleachers to getting in the kingdom activity with your artistic gifts, this is a must read for you.
Do you feel like your artistic gifts aren’t fully valued? Like only church leaders or missionaries get to "play in the game" of engaging culture? If that sounds familiar, this is for you!
This 12-page PDF is designed to encourage and inspire you to recognize the many potential ways God has gifted you to serve his mission.
Creativity & the Kingdom of God (pt. 5)
In this last post, I will consider our God of creativity. Our maker is the capital M Maker. Creating is at the core of who he is. Artistry is the first attribute we learn about God in Genesis 1:1.
Consider with me the idea of God as creative expressionist. He was PLEASED to create you and I, He CONSIDERED giving us good works from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:10).
In this last post, I will consider our God of creativity. Our maker is the capital M Maker. Creating is at the core of who he is. Artistry is the first attribute we learn about God in Genesis 1:1.
Consider with me the idea of God as creative expressionist. He was PLEASED to create you and I, He CONSIDERED giving us good works from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:10).
What does it mean to become a Christian? Is it simply to now start obeying a new set of rules in your life?
Not quite.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
2 Corinthians 5:17
Christians, are new creations—the future heavenly realities made manifest at this moment.
God’s Creation as Gift-recipients
Listen to this list of true realities about what is means to be a new creation by God. Hear them like you are a child in the car at a self-driving carwash. Let them drench you, soak you, be a recipient of them. They are gifts for you.
Christians are those who (from Colossians):
1:12 Enabled to share in inheritance of light with other believers
1:13 Rescued from the domain of darkness
1:13 Transferred into the kingdom of the Son
1:14 Redeemed
1:14 Forgiven of their sins
1:20 Reconciled to God — at peace with Christ, their Maker
1:21 Once alienated, hostile in mind/action. Now, reconciled through Jesus death
1:22 Have something to hope in their lives: the gospel
1:26 Insight into the mysteries of God: Christ dwelling in Christians
2:6 Received Christ Jesus
2:10 Been filled by Christ, the head of every ruler and authority
2:12 Buried with him
2:12 Raised to life with Him
2:13 Forgave us all trespasses
2:14 Erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations
2:20 Died with the Messiah
3:1 Raised with the Messiah
3:3 Died
3:3 Whose lives are hidden with the Messiah in God
3:4 The Messiah is your life
3:4 Who will be revealed with Jesus in glory
3:9 Who have put off the old self with its practices
3:10 Who have put on the new self
3:10 Being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator
3:11 Unified with Christians of all races, classes, castes, and religious backgrounds
3:12 Chosen, holy, loved
3:13 Forgiven
3:24 Ones whose master is in heaven
4:18 have received grace
These are truths that Paul describes as God “lavishing [made abundant; exceeding a fixed number] on us” (Eph 1:8). Your Christian maturity rests on you holding tightly to these truths.
These are not just ideas. They are truths. They are realities. Christian’s are new creations. When you stumble, sin, fall short, God is always there to catch you, guide you, and give you wisdom.
Summing up Creativity & the Kingdom of God
God shows us that creative expression is meant to bless the world, not curse it. The golden calf, of course, was an artwork which became worshipped. In contrast, the tabernacle was an artifact which ushered people to behold & engage with God.
Brothers and sisters, delight in God’s good gifts, but don’t worship them. Worship He who gave them.
Believer, may God’s prompting spark you to be intentional about bearing kingdom fruit and works to those around you.
And fellow artists, the world needs you. You have talents and skills given by God. He wants you to develop them, use them, and steward them. Enjoy those gifts. Don’t worship them. Bring them as an offering to the throne of God and watch how he changes the world by them.
Creativity & The Kingdom of God (pt. 4)
Creativity & the Christian
In my previous post, I considered Creativity from the artist’s vantage point. In this post, I will turn to creativity as a Christian. I want to do this, first, by looking at all the commands in Colossians 3:12-4:2
Creativity & the Christian
In my previous post, I considered Creativity from the artist’s vantage point. In this post, I will turn to creativity as a Christian. I want to do this, first, by looking at all the commands in Colossians 3:12-4:2:
3:12 Put on:
Heartfelt compassion
Kindness
Humility
Gentleness
Patience
3:13 Acceptance of one another
Forgiveness
3:14 Love—unity
3:15 Let the peace of Messiah control your hearts
Be thankful
3:16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you
Teach and admonish another another in all wisdom
Sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude to God
3:17 Do everything (word/deed) in name of Lord Jesus
Give thanks to Go the Father through Him
3:18 Submit to husband (WIVES)
3:19 Love your wives (HUSBANDS)
Don’t be bitter toward them
3:20 Obey parents (KIDS)
3:21 Don’t exasperate the kids (DADS)
PUT ON
Rather than unpacking these commands specifically, I want to consider them as a whole for my purposes here.
To do this, I want you to think of someone in your life who embodied these commands to you. For a moment, rather than think of these commands as Christian duties, consider being on the receiving end of these expressions.
When someone puts on these commands, they dress, or adorn, themselves with the good news of the gospel. Putting these on makes the good news feel good to others. It beautifies it. Our lives are sermons before we ever share the good news to people.
To put these on in our lives is what it looks like to “create good” (Gal 6:9). When we “put these on” we are making good work for those around us. And our works make our faith alive (James).
Some of these quotes come to mind when I consider this “put on-ness” aspect of these verses:
Rick Rubin upon meeting the Avett Brothers.
“In the first 30 seconds of meeting them
I knew that they were people I wanted to work with.
And it seemed like being around
them will make life better”
Francis Schaeffer
"Even for the great artist, the most crucial work of art is his life.” (Art and the Bible)
CS Lewis
“Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.” (Mere Christianity)
Mark 6:20b (The Message)
“Whenever [Herod] listened to [John]
he was miserable with guilt—
and yet he couldn’t stay away.
Something in John kept pulling him back.”
In this way, we are all creative. We make the gospel beautiful with good works. We do this in many moments in the day. One story illustrates this well.
Remove All the “Shoulds”
I remember the season my wife and I had our first child with glimpses of both fuzziness and clarity. One moment stands out. As we sat down with a pastor and his wife, we shared how we were adjusting as new parents. “We just don’t have the capacity to keep up with the variety of things [ministry things] we should be doing,” I said. “Well,” said my pastor friend,” I think you need to remove all the shoulds out of your life.”
That was it. That simple. With one word of encouragement, my friend created a whole new world for us to live and operate in. He used that moment for creativity. He chose to put on heartfelt compassion.
Being Metaphorical Christs - The Creative Effort
This takes intentional action on our part—to manifest good works which do not yet exist.
Love is never a one-size-fits-all action.
It sees the many needs in the many moments of the day,
It steps in, and
It meets those needs.
This is what I call be “metaphorical Christs.”
We are the image of Jesus when we act in such manners.
In my next post, I want to highlight the final way I want to look at creativity and the kingdom: creativity and God.