How is God Calling YOU To Be Creative With Others?

THE BIG SHOW! by Pastor Michael Jones

Back in the 90’s, as kids we had to find our own way to entertain ourselves. It could be playing hide and seek, building a clubhouse, or just digging a hole. I kid you not, I spent a good part of the summer just digging a hole with the idea that my friends and I would have tunnels to each of our homes. That ended when my dad filled it up. He gave me some excuse about it being dangerous and that the tunnel “could” collapse and that I “could” get buried alive. Being creative with friends was just a part of growing up.

The peak of our creativity did not come until high school. My friend Jon got a video camera, and that opened a whole new world of possibilities for us. From that moment on, Jon, Matt, and I spent the next few years filming. We did everything from 1970’s buddy cop movies, kung-fu movies, and a hilarious drug PSA, which to be honest probably had the opposite effect. Our creativeness came easy to us, but where we really shined was backyard wrestling.

Like most boys in our generation we were obsessed with wrestling. Even more so once we learned it was all a show. So the three of us would create these elaborate characters, costumes, and storylines. Now the look of it was not just the only thing we cared about, we also learned about moves and technique, well as much as we could. We learned how to fall, how to jump off a ladder, and how to land on tables. I even had to learn what the safest way to get hit by a car was, so that I could get hit by a car. There were many late night trips to Walmart to get props that looked like it would hurt but really didn’t. There were friends that thought the videos were stupid, and others that loved them and would ask to be a part of them.

Now video camera aside, the three of us created something else together. We created a Bible study that took place every Sunday evening in Jon’s house. I really can't remember how or why it started. There was no adult leader that trained us and asked us to do it, we just did it. Of course because of our wrestling background we had to give the Bible study a name. We called it the Big Show, we even had a theme song to go with it. All the Bible study consisted of was reading a chapter and then discussing it with our friends. The group grew and we started to have peers show every week. Looking back, I think the appeal to the Big Show was that it was just a bunch of kids that loved God. There was no leader or authority figure, just a bunch of kids trying to figure life out and preparing ourselves for adulthood. Of course nothing lasts forever and the Big Show ended mainly because it was run by kids. Out of all that I created with Matt and Jon that was what I am most proud of. I really do look back on that time of my life as one of my favorites.

I think we have a tendency to associate the word creative as a singular person. That a creative person is just that, one person. In truth when God breathed life into us we took on that creative spirit. That creativity will look different in all of us, but we all possess the innate ability to follow in the Father’s footsteps and create. God has given all of us the ability to create, and not just by ourselves. In Genesis and John the Bible shows us that God the Father was not alone in the creation of the world.

In Genesis when God created the world it talks about how the Spirit was hovering over the void of the earth. Almost as if it was the Spirit that had the vision of what all that earth and its life could do and accomplish. In John 1 it talks about the Word (Jesus) was with God in the beginning. I can imagine what the Father and Jesus were talking about and as they began to put creation into place. Now what roles the Spirit and Jesus had in creation are unclear. What we do know is that when God created mankind, He said “Let us make man in OUR image.” We are all the result of the Trinity’s creation. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I have so much fun being creative by myself, but I love to be creative with others. The whole Bible is about our relationship with God, and how to be in community with God. It is also about our relationship with others, and community with others. That goes the same with our creative spirit. We were not created to just be creative alone. I will be the first to say I am blessed to work with some amazing and creative people here at Granite Creek. The projects, stories, and events that as a team we pull off always surprise me. They are great at tapping into the spirit that God gave us and they help me to be a better creative person myself.

Think about how God is calling you to be creative with others. It could be at work, home, school, or in your community. Creativity will always look different and so will creating with others. I do believe that when we are creative with others, there is a different feeling that we experience that we would not have otherwise. I will always be grateful for that experience I had as a teen with my friends. So if you're a part of a creative project that doesn’t involve a team, be open to sharing it with a select few, and see what God can creatively do in that relationship.

Family Pastor Michael Jones also oversees our Church Counseling. If you are in need of Family, Marriage, or Personal Counseling, visit www.granitecreek.org/church-counseling, or contact Michael by email at michaelj@granitecreek.org.