This guest post is by Josh Espasandin of WeCreate:

One day a couple years ago, my mom went to Goodwill looking for cheap Christmas decorations. She was in luck. There was a sale going on: 75% off all Christmas items! She thought it was a good deal, so she got a few things. Once she got everything, she went to have them ring it up at the next available check stand. The cashier, somewhere in her 20s, scanned one thing after another:

Small tree, 75% off.

Light-up snowman, 75% off.

After a few more things the young lady finally came to a small nativity scene made in Italy (the nativity scene pictured) that my mom found. The lady looks and it and says, “Oh, sorry. This isn’t a Christmas item.”

…Wait what?!

My mom told her, “It’s a nativity scene.” Then the lady said something that shocked my mom and myself when she told me about all this. She said, “What’s a nativity scene?”

Josh Espasandin

People, God’s artists, anyone reading this post… we have some clean-up to do. We’ve gotten so caught up in finding 75%-off Christmas sales, but it turns out that the true Christmas story has been marked down 100% to the rest of the world while we’ve had our backs turned.

This website is devoted to showing people how to better discover purpose in their artistic career, so I have a mission for you all during this holiday season:

Keep this from ever happening again! Time to get creative.

Any ideas? How can we BETTER bring the miracle of Jesus’ birth to those around us? For our family, we’ve decided to leave that same nativity scene up year-round.

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Why? Why do I do what I do?

Here are 10 things that I’ve expressed both in public and in private that may shed light on why we do what we do here at Art Lessons From God:

1. I believe that you were sent here to this planet to do something really important.

2. I believe that if you were never born, a lot of things would really be out of whack.

3. I believe that every thug, crack head, and homeless person has some God-given gift in them that was not put in motion.

4. I believe the last “out of the blue” idea you had was God’s voice, whether you followed through or not.

5. I believe your life is like a movie and you have only watched part of it. God’s seen it all, thus why He talks to the screen saying “Don’t be afraid.”

6. I believe that you are the key to making people do things…good or bad.

7. I believe God creates through you.

8. I believe there’s a conspiracy to stop you from doing something really important.

9. I believe there’s a conspiracy against that conspiracy to ensure you fulfill your mission.

10. I believe that you and your talent are the answer to somebody’s prayers.

Comment below if you share any of these beliefs (or even if you think I’m just a little crazy!)

Forward to a friend if you think it will help them wherever they are.

No related posts.

Most of us here are seeking God’s voice concerning what’s the next step in using our talent. Only a few of us will feel that we’ve been able to achieve that.

ALFG subscriber and fellow artist Devin Smith said in a recent interview that hearing from God is not difficult. The challenge is paying attention to realize when He’s speaking.

That’s where the Catch 22 sets in: We get passionate about our creative opportunities, but distractions and rushed “conversation” with God limits our ability to hear Him about our talent or just life in general.

SUGGESTION:

Rather than pushing you to go on a fast, or lock yourself in a room with just your bible, I want to challenge you to do something more relevant…go on a date with God.

WHY:

Just like a couple that’s dating or even married, if their communication is limited to mostly when they are in the car on the way to work or quick moments on the go, they can only get to know each other so well.
But if they carve out a segment of time with no distractions (no cell phone, Facebook,  people, etc.) and replace a part of the regular week with an hour “prayer walk” or  a lunch break for two, they can open up to each other and hear things that they did not hear spoken before. Deep things. Intimate insight.

HOW:

1. Find a place where you and God can get alone. A trail to walk on or even a parking lot to sit in are great places to use.

2. Next, I suggest, just like on any date, you first open up to God and talk to Him OUT LOUD (yes, out loud!). This is simply old-fashioned prayer. Pray about whatever comes to mind. The gesture alone of praying out loud and conversationally will create a level of intimacy with you and the Holy Spirit that sets the stage for what comes next…

3…LISTEN. Like on any date and in any relationship, you must open up and talk to the one you love, but you MUST also be a listener, too. Listening to God’s voice, you’ll “hear” ideas and concepts and other exciting things you WANT to hear. But be prepared to also hear loving correction and things you may NOT WANT to hear from God as he directs you.

CHALLENGE TO YOU NEXT WEEK:

I challenge you to steal away for a one hour break with God to get to know Him better and to eventaully hear what He’s been saying to you.
Share your experience here on the blog!

• Do you “date” God now? If so, what motivates you to keep it going?
• Don’t get to spend the time with God that you know you should?
• Share your insight, thoughts or questions below:

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But after hearing this, I had to ask YOU what your take is on the whole “vampires are not bad but romantic” phenomenon that has swept across pop culture:

Some of you may have heard the story of how housewife and novice writer Stephanie Meyer says that the Twilight saga was birthed in a vivid dream. On her own official website, Meyer says:

“I woke up (on that June 2nd) from a very vivid dream. In my dream, two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other while B) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately.”

OK. As a creative person, I’m sure you’ve been inspired by a dream to create something.

 But the SECOND dream is what can get kind of creepy. In an interview with Moviefone, Myer revealed details of a dream she had about a darker Edward Cullen:

“I had this dream that Edward actually showed up and told me that I got it all wrong and like he exists and everything but he couldn’t live off animals… and I kind of got the sense he was going to kill me.” “It was really terrifying and bizarrely different from every other time I’ve thought about his character.”

So, knowing that our creative talent is powerful enough to influence the thoughts and emotions of others, and knowing that the spiritual realm is real and longs to influence those same minds and emotions…

 …I can’t WAIT to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic! (3-2-1) GO! (post below)

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Josh Espasandin

This guest post is by Josh Espasandin of WeCreate:

In my searches for finding ways to explain the relationship between us, art, and God, I came across an interesting idea. The idea was this: When we create, with a pencil or play dough or what have you, we are sharing with God.

This struck me. It got me thinking about how God isn’t just the one who guides us, loves us, instructs us, and disciplines us. He also created us. He is the Creator. Since He created everything, when we create we share in His love for art.

Think of it this way: When you were a kid, hopefully you had the privilege of having coloring books. As you colored in the lines (sometimes outside the lines) of the book with your favorite crayons, you weren’t just creating out of your own power. You were sharing in the creation of the maker of the coloring book and the maker of your favorite crayons. It’s the same way. God is the manufacturer of the supplies, the book and crayons is the universe He made, and we are the kids that fill in the spaces God set out for us.

Next time you pick up your brush, turn on Photoshop, or tune your guitar,…

…pause.

Remember that you are sharing with the Creator.

What’s your take on this? Should we be more thankful for God’s creation as artists? Do we sometimes take this for granted?

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