The Truth will set you free...

http://melindatankardreist.com/2010/10/sexpo-and-the-death-of-sex/

I think that knowing the truth behind the sex industry is a sure way to help curb any desire to view it or participate in it in anyway and makes the whole notion repulsive.
I've been reading Big Porn Inc by Melinda Tankard Reist and Abigail Bray, a feminist investigation into the world of pornography and big business and I found her website above.
Now I don't really enjoy reading this stuff, but that's the point. When you read the stories like the one above you realise the extent of the epidemic and it becomes more than just a "guy problem". I know that I used to think only of the negative effect porn has on men. Well, the flipside is even worse, when you read of how women are exploited, and society indoctrinated to keep women in a position of subordination, you think differently about what you see happening in our culture.
Anyway - I think the above link says it better than me.

Warning against sexist talk in church

Read this:

http://www.iol.co.za/sport/rugby/world/oz-rugby-great-in-sexist-tweet-storm-1.1432094#.ULXIo9cqdPI
This article is just an example of how someone, even a regarded sports hero, can get into allot of trouble for stereotyping women.
I'm posting this as a warning to our church, where, sayings like this one, to my shame, are frequently  made.
Just like racism, sexism is wrong and should be something we should fight against. Like any other sin.
If we look at Jesus, we never hear him speaking down, discriminating, or stereotyping women. Quite on the contrary.
And in churches where it is taught that men should be the leaders in their homes and communities, we should be leaders in this area as well, treating women as our equals and with greater respect than one would find anywhere else. Raising women up, rather than putting them down. I think girls have enough of that in the world. May they not find more of it when they come to church - seeking refuge from a world full of David Campeses. Or Chris Browns.
Which brings my to my next article:
http://dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2012-11-27-shooting-the-breezy-protest-against-chris-brown-not-lady-gaga

Created Creators

A Discussion On The Role Of Creativity In The Church 

 'At the back of our brains is a blaze of astonishment at our own existence. The object of the artistic and spiritual life is to dig for this sunrise of wonder.'  GK Chesterton

Let's say you knew nothing of God or the bible and started from the start, begging at Genesis 1 with:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... "

Of the many things this verse teaches about God, it also reveals Him as a Creative Being, exercising His creative power in the wisdom of His divine will. It is not insignificant that this is one of the first attributes that is revealed about God in scripture. Yet, the more astounding truth follows a bit further down in Genesis 1, where you read that God created human beings, and not only that, but that He created us in His image, or differently put, in His likeness.

Humans are, according to this chapter, created beings, reflecting the very nature and qualities of God! God communicates, and so do we. God listens, so do we. God creates and so do we. Albeit worlds apart in power or nature, there is a built-in link, between mankind and God.

As a person called into the arts, I find this verse exciting. Firstly, that my creativity has been given to me by God. Secondly, that the creator of the universe, rather than keeping His nature only to Himself, wants to share what He has with me. Like God, I have been given a free will and to a degree, the ability to create something out of nothing. To be creative and to create is a divine gift through which we can share in our Makers glory and we reflect His nature.

This is a divine stewardship. One can probably call it a talent. This makes me think of the parable Jesus told of the master asking an account from his servants about what they did with the talents (money) he gave them. "Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours."

The master goes on to call him a "wicked and lazy servant" and he takes even the one talent the servant had and gave it to someone else who could be trusted with his money. What always stands out to me, is the wicked servants' reason for why he handled the masters money in the manner that he did: "I was afraid..." and then the action he took: "I went and hid your talent in the ground."

Now when I am talking about talents, gifts and our creative abilities, I am speaking mainly to those of us who traditionally get labeled as creative people. Artists, musicians, writers and so forth. But, the creative process, and the ability to create, is something that everyone of us has. You can be creative in the kitchen making a sandwich. Teaching the bible needs creativity from you to explain certain ideas. The church desperately need creativity in areas of evangelism and worship. Over the last eight years, in my own life and the lives of Christians around me, I see a reluctance, a fear, in exercising these gifts, to hide them in our rooms and diaries, rather than to celebrate them, as God given abilities. I want to first suggest a couple of reasons why we hide our talents in the ground:

Our Past

In our lives before we knew God, many of us were using our talents for ourselves, or for the praise of people. Now when we became Christians, with God's help, we had to change many things in our lives, and sometimes, because the gift was used for sin, the bad connectation remained and we inherited a bad conscience connected to the gift.  

Compartmentalizing Spirituality
When an idea, or creative urge or drive, doesn't directly fit in with either church activity, or biblical examples, we classify it as nonspiritual or secular or unimportant. We have such a tough time justifying ourselves before ourselves, God and man, that the whole proecess becomes daunting and in the end, better left abandoned.    

What people think.

Thinking about what other people might think or say about what we busy ourselves with usually leads to us assuming the worse. Especially when one starts thinking of what might offend people, because the bible speaks a great deal about that. Seldom do we actually talk about these kind of thing to others Christians and we create an imagined animosity and the creativity, rather than being a joy, becomes a strife.    

The Influence of Popular Christian Culture:

Any culture we find ourselves in will influence what we do creatively. The same with the  "Christian Culture", that we find ourselves in today, which has a strong influence on the church and its members and what is being sold as true spirituality. We tend to look at what other Christians around us are doing, and then we feel we need to be doing the same thing, because it would seem that God has a certain aesthetic taste that we need to ascribe to. In the end our creative process becomes a chore and wholly unnatural, when you have to shut down your own thoughts, tastes, instincts and drives.     
 

(Stephen S. Sawyer)

I can write more on the above points, but all I will say now is:

  "...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) and "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

So, how do we overcome these fears, and how do we use our gifts and create in the way that God intended for us? I suggest we look at God, and how He used His creativity, to give us a glimpse of His intention for us.

Ephesians 1:5 says: “[God] ...having predestined us (before creation) to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,”

This verse is as close as I can get to the bible giving us a reason for why God created the universe. He did it, simply, because He wanted to. God does not owe us more of an explanation: His good pleasure is good enough reason. God exercised His divine will to make and shape the universe and I believe that this divine will and power, is actually something that has been shared with humans, and is most clearly reflected in the creativity of man, where an idea is formed, planned and acted out, created, and completed. 

Since this gift has been given by God, how can we do otherwise, but than to practice it? And since the desire to create is from God, do we need any reason otherwise, than our will to do it? Of all people, Christians should be the most free to create, write, paint, draw, sing, simply for the good pleasure of it. Why do you need a theological reason? Can you write a poem just for the simple pleasure of writing? A painting just because it will look nice on a wall?

I think if we are honest, we are afraid of this idea of being free. What will come out? What if it's bad? Or dark? What if it's wrong? 
What if it is? Will a horde of demons carry you down to the pit? No, you learn from it, and move on. It's okay to make mistakes. 
Understanding why God gave us these gifts, will free us up, to use them in the way intended. 

I believe one reason God gave us gifts is so that we can enjoy them and enjoy something of the thrill the angels had when they sang as God created the universe. Anyone of us who creates something beautiful derives a sense of pleasure from it. And there is nothing wrong with that. 

            A second, and more important reason for these gifts, is that by using and practicing them, we are sharing in an attribute of our creator and I believe helps up to know God better, which is of utmost importance in the Christian life.

            Thirdly, I have personally never praised God as much as I have after or during creative project. Sometimes at three in the morning, when I finish an awesome looking comic page, I praise the Lord and find myself most deeply thankful and humbled. Using your creativity makes you more humble as a Christian. Not the other way around. 

            I think we "creatives" need humility. It is however not the hiding of the gift that humbles us, but the practicing of it. Venturing out creatively will expose your lack of talent. I always thought I was a great muscician until I went into a recording studio. We frequently use God or the church as an excuse: "It's not His will', while we are actually comfortable imagining how talented we are, than actually showing it, which is a different ball-game. 

            This brings me to my fourth point: it takes faith to be creative. Like I said, fear is probably our biggest enemy, and we know that fear does not come from God. It also takes faith to still the opposing voices in our head and to put pen to paper.

            I have this tendency to always question my creative urges. Maybe it's the flesh? Maybe I'm wasting my time? Maybe I'm just trying to be cool? No one will like it anyway? Is it Christian enough? Is this about Jesus? These are not bad questions, but, they are counterproductive when you are simply trying to practice your gift. It's in fact the thrill of the unknowable that makes creating things so exciting. It's a big part of why I do it. Why would I write a song that I know what it's going to sound like? When you psycho analyze every creative endeavor you will end up not doing anything.

            And I will admit, that many times, you won't know the answer why. And that is why you need faith to create. You need to believe that God is directing you and your endeavors and that the Spirit will lead. I need to know that God is sovereign over the little things as well. Taking on those things that have been haunting your brain for years will exercise your faith. Even if you fail! It's better to fail than to not have tried at all.  

            Lastly, your gifts are a tool to introduce other people to Jesus. It's a door, it's a window. I believe God wants to send us into the nightclubs of this city, into the galleries and into the houses of people who do not know God. They will not invite a pastor. But they might invite a poet. And I'm not saying that that you need to paint pictures of Jesus. That does not make you a Christian and poems don't save people. Neither do songs or art. But God uses His Spirit and His people, and God has made you an individual and there are people out there only you can reach and you need to trust God that He will guide you and to use your gifts to direct you.

Today's society is saturated with creative culture. It's such a massive open door. But many Christians get sucked into Christian culture, producing art, music, only for the consumption of other Christians, simply because it's easy and safe. And yes, some of us are called to do that, and I appreciate those who do, but, may I suggest that perhaps God is calling you to go out? 
I can't think of a greater witness than an artist, loving his God and creating art in total freedom and enjoyment, without fear. But that's me. How does God want you to use your creativity?

Angel and piano by Charlie Mackesy