Walking In His Calling by Pastor Mandy VanHolsbeck

My husband Greg is a magician and has been interested in illusion since he was a kid. What he has been most drawn to is the creative element of it. Greg has been creating his own tricks or his own versions of tricks for as long as I have known him. Over the last few years, he has turned this passion into a career, performing his show Handcrafted Mysteries frequently at venues in Claremont along with private engagements like corporate events and appearances at The Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Greg believes that all creatives can use their gifts for God’s glory. A verse he frequently references when talking about creativity is Colossians 3:23-24 “whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men” (ESV). When we do something well and give God the glory, it makes a difference. For Greg, this means striving for excellence in magic. Being as creative and innovative as possible, to show people something new that they have never seen before. Above all, being Christ-like means treating all of his audiences with respect.

Genesis begins with, “In the beginning, God created…” (Genesis 1:1, ESV). This is our very first impression of Him. Our God is a creator. He created the universe and everything in it from the highest mountain to the smallest organism in the Mariana Trench. The last thing God creates is us, humans. He created us thoughtfully and purposefully, “So God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1: 27, ESV). Because we were created in God’s own image we, too, are creators.

When we are creative, we do what God designed us to do. People generally associate the word creativity with traditional arts such as painting or music, but the truth is that because we were designed to create, we can use creativity in any area of our lives.

In February, Pastor Josh preached on the Biography of the Saints and he said “if we aren’t walking in our calling, we won’t find peace.” Performing magic is Greg’s calling. Greg has always been a “creative” but he hasn’t always worked in environments where his creative spirit was able to thrive. One way he expresses his creativity is through developing magic shows and immersive experiences for audience members.

When Greg fully stepped into his calling and began to do magic as a career full time, doors began opening for him that had not previously existed. He was able to meet with local business owners who helped him find performance spaces on numerous occasions. He now has all the time he needs to be innovative and to meet with other people to workshop ideas. Since fully stepping into his calling, and creating as God designed him to do, he has seen God making opportunities for him .

God has opportunities for all of us. When we are walking in our calling and functioning in the way He designed us, that is when we can fully experience all of the richness he has in store for us. All of us were designed to be creative, to bring something to life that has never been done before. How you do this will be unique to you.

Pastor Mandy has been serving with our youth since 2015. She loves planning crazy events like Outbreak, Domed, Color Wars, Beach trips, Invasion, retreats and more for our youth. In her spare time you can find Mandy reading or binge watching Netflix while crafting!