As a believer and an artist…
I used to seek out other like-minded people to learn about sharing my Christian faith through my art. For years I didn’t find anyone who shared my interest and so I prayed often, asking God to point me in the right direction and to assist me in learning more about how I could worship Him with the talents He gave me. Then one art project at a time God showed my heart and hands how to express my faith through my art. And one new friendship at a time He encouraged me and showed me that I’m not alone. So, on Friday’s I’ll be posting here about my passion for sharing faith through artwork in hopes that I can encourage and inspire you while glorifying God with the gifts He’s given me.
“In Christ I am a New Creation” Created with II Corinthians 5:17 on my heart.
By Laura Kirste Campbell
The following are excerpts…
God is the original Creator and He made us in His image. As artists we have a special place in God’s heart. The bible itself is a work of art. And it mentions many artists, even by name. There are musicians, writers and visual artists all adding beauty and joy to people’s lives. Scripture shows us how the arts can be extremely powerful. They can awaken us to truth and can change lives (1 Samuel 10:6), especially when produced with the anointing power of the Holy Spirit (1 cor. 2:4). We Christian artists can’t do what we do apart from the One who gifted us.
The arts move people because the arts speak to the heart. They excel at identifying with people’s pain and ministering the truth of God’s Word with sensitivity. Through our art we can encourage others with God’s word (Psalm 119:103). Art history confirms that paintings and sculptures have evangelistic powers of reaching hearts with visual stories of biblical history. As people long for God, we as artists can help point seekers to Him. Psalm 40:3 says that when we worship, it causes many others to turn to Christ. If we use our talent to create art to worship God instead of aiming to raise up ourselves, our art is glorifying God and pleasing to Him.
Our art can be more than an expression of celebration about Christmas, Easter, baptism, birthdays, and anniversaries. It can also celebrate God’s faithfulness, our loving relationship with Him, and answer to prayer (Phil. 4: 4-9). What better way to celebrate than to let the arts run free with creativity aimed at honoring God! Express what’s in your heart about God with your artful gifts.
We need to strive to become all that God sees in us, be all that He wants us to be. We must be as passionate about our godly character as we are about our craft or our art. (1 Tim 1:5) As church artists, godly character, our walk with Christ, our spiritual growth are all a vital part of creating the kind of ministry experience in which God releases the power of His Holy Spirit. We need to be known not only for our talent, but for our walk with Christ. We’re not just artists, we’re ministers too.
“Look at the Birds” Inspired by Matthew 6:26. By Linda Lucas
We’re in a golden era in church history when God is calling thousands of artists to use their gifts for Him as never before! God is raising up a global community of Christian artists who are fully devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives. If that desire is in your heart, follow Him. What an honor and privilege to glorify God with our art and our lives!
(I give credit for the above ideas and excerpts to Rory Noland and his book, The Heart of the Artist, published by Zondervan, 1999.)
Next time you begin to work with your craft, take a moment to pray with heartfelt sincerity asking God to move through your mind and use your hands to create art that glorifies Him. Read your bible then create art with a passion and desire to express your loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Come share how God is showing up in your art! May all the praises and glory go to Him, Our Creator!
Your Creative Sister in Christ,
I’m very touched at your words. I too, try and find some way to portray Christianity through my work. By sending a card to those who are hurting, or even those who are having a happy event in their live, I hope I am at least making them stop and think that God really is the only answer to peace and happiness. Thank you for your words of encouragement!
What an absolute BLESSING you are! I loved your post today, and your works of HEART are just breath-takinly beautiful. Please keep them coming. I can draw so much inspiration from you Laura. A couple years ago I wouldn’t have taken time to really appreciate it because it would’ve been soo out of my reach, and I just wasn’t talented enough to begin to create something like this. And I’m still not quite there, but my appreciation for art (esp. in stamping) has grown so much. I admire you creating a special day of the week set apart just for your faith based art. I hope to be able to visit each and every week and draw inspiration from you. God certainly has blessed you with a wonderful gift–thanks for sharing it with us!!
xXx
What an amazing expression of transformation in Christ! I absolutely love it. You continue to inspire me with your creative ways and your friendship. Thanks dear friend love this post!
This is a wonderful idea- and I am loving the beautiful art that you have created!! Thanks, so much for the blessings!
Absolutely loved the art work. You are so right about worshipping the Lord through our art. When I do sentiments in my cards people often ask me where do I come up with the idea. I tell themt that I pray and all my words are God inspired, as I could not do anything on my own. For with Christ ALL things are possible!
God Bless!!!
Thank you for your thoughts and aspirations and art – you are a great encouragement and you have challenged me to alter my view of what I do and why I ‘do’ it.
Laura, this is just beautiful…thank you for sharing!
Blessings, Maria
Gorgeous art and uplifting words! I absolutely love the cross with the butterflies. Obviously, you were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Laura thank you so much for sharing these thoughts on art and how God gave us these talents, and it’s so true…. I really believe He gifted us with the things He wants us to use! I pray that my cards and projects will be a blessing to someone’s heart and even that my blog will touch people’s hearts! Blogging has opened a whole new dimension in sharing our faith! What powerful tools we have at our fingertips and while on our own the acts are just that… but with God’s leading and inspiring, He can do whatever He wills through our obedience to Him! I love your card and really appreciated your words of wisdom today!
Beautiful and inspiring post – both the message and the artistry! What a blessing it is to honor God with the talents he’s given us. TFS!
Laura, what a great post! I tend to do this more with my beadwork than my paper crafts, because my beaded pieces take hundreds of hours to complete. But often, I will pray as I’m working that whoever buys any of my pieces will be blessed and will somehow be inspired to get to know Jesus if they don’t already. It is a blessing to me when I work this way. Thanks for sharing from your heart!
hugs,
Gini