God Wants Storytellers

One night at the Project Light Conference, Mark Thomas and Ralph Winter both spoke.  One of their phrases stuck in my heart and has been stirring me ever since:  “God is looking for storytellers.”

I’ve seen this in the Bible.  The four gospels and Acts give more stories than teachings.  Even when He taught, Jesus often used parables.

I’ve seen it in healing meetings.  Often as one person testifies of what God has just done, someone else receives a miracle.  It can become a chain reaction.

More than once I’ve suspected that my life is a story God is writing.  The strange twists of things that go right or wrong are just the sort of thing that makes a story interesting.  Of course, we all want life to be interesting until it really is; then we storm heaven and rebuke every demon we can think of to try to get things to go back to normal.

I’ve read a lot of interviews of how writers write a novel – the creative process fascinates me.  Many (though not all) begin by creating their characters.  Then they throw them into an odd situation and let the characters work out the story themselves.  In a sense, the author predestines the characters to act a certain way; the situations test the characters and change them, depending on the choices they make.

It sounds like real life, and I can’t help wondering if this is how predestination works.  But I won’t go there right now…

Nevertheless, I read a little book by Sundar Singh in which he recounts open-heaven experiences he had.  He met Christians who had died and gone to heaven, and as they told their life stories, they all sounded like parables.  Everybody’s life taught a lesson.

We’re stuck in the middle of our own lives and can’t see the story God is telling.  But every righteous choice counts far more than we realize; and if we’ve sinned terribly, we still have the power to repent all the more powerfully.  It’s difficult as we go through it, but in eternity our lives will tell a story that glorifies God.

After listening to Mark Thomas teach about getting outside the box and Ralph Winters tell about God’s looking for a storyteller, an odd story started working in my mind.  I wondered who first put a bow to a stringed instrument and got the sound of a violin.  Is it a sound that was already used in heaven, and God or an angel taught someone to play it?  Or did man create it by some odd process of accidental discovery – I picture a bored warrior sitting by the campfire and rubbing the strings of two bows together – and the angels learned something new from what man created?

I recall a Bible school teacher who said, “When the Bible is silent, I am silent.”  The Bible doesn’t tell much about how musical sounds were invented, though its few lines are suggestive.  Maybe it‘s better not to think about these things.

But there’s more of God out of the box than in it.  He’s writing a story, and just as He knows the story of whoever first played the bow, I wonder what He remembers about you.  After all, God lives in eternity.  He can remember the future as clearly as though it happened yesterday.

Perhaps He will empower you to tell a story of His works and it will anoint people with the gift of faith.  Maybe He will give you a parable that will inject kingdom values into our culture  And maybe He’s writing a story with your life by giving you an identity in Christ and dropping you into a hostile environment where the life of Jesus will make an impact.

God is a storyteller, and He’s looking for voices who tell His stories to the world.

Stan Smith  ::  © 2009, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com

Get Past Stereotypes

See people.  Look past age, gender, ethnicity, and nationality.  Everyone is unique.  See each person as the creation of God he or she is.

Art is specific, not general.  A craftsman can draw a face from the imagination, but it takes an artist to draw a portrait people can recognize. Any guitarist can strum the chords to a song, but an artist will capture the specific musical phrases that make the song one-of-a-kind.

The poor are specific, not general.  They all have a story; they all are unique.

Many social workers begin with idealism.  But then they meet a crushing load of needs they don’t have the resources to meet.  It is hard for them not to become cynical – not because they are uncaring people, but because they have to go through so much red tape to access limited resources. And in time, the poor people’s stories begin to sound repetitive.

Unless we can recharge our ideals in prayer, we too are likely to wear down and to become cynical.

Most of us have a stereotypical image of the poor.  We think in terms of us-and-them.  They aren’t like us; they are very different.

One of my first ministry projects among the poor happened as I ministered every few months in a county jail and spent time with any inmates who requested a visit.  My stereotypes did not fit the reality I found there.

I expected the prisoners to be tough, intimidating, scary.  The first thing I learned was that a county jail and a state prison are very different – the jail is usually for first-time offenders.  Most weren’t scary at all, and even the one who was scary had a gentle streak.

One man had robbed his father-in-law.  He called for me to pray with him and received Christ in jail; in coming weeks, I was able to see him tearfully reunited with his father-in-law and restored to his family.

A teen-ager was mad at his father and mad at the church, so he had broken into a Lutheran church and stolen the sound system.  He too came to Christ, and made restitution for what he had stolen.

One man really was scary.  He would get drunk and knife people.  He would come to Christ in jail, but never managed to learn to make right choices in the world outside.  Was he really saved?  It was hard to say.  Nonetheless, he received many powerful answers to prayer and led many others to Christ.

How could an artist minister to any of these people?  Here are a few ways:

An arts event in the prison could have been an opportunity to meet other prisoners I never got to meet.  Obviously, I would have had to work through security issues.

Writing about the prisoners or in some other way telling their story could help raise funds or public awareness.

Telling the stories of the social workers could bring changes to the system, simplifying the process of connecting needy people with resources and agencies.

I never used the arts in my ministry in the jail because it didn’t occur to me to do so.  Nor did I use the arts when I ministered to the homeless and the street-people of Detroit.

But if you are a Christian artist, you are equipped for a mission field most of the church is overlooking.  Your faith can renew you in God’s love, a love that will overcome cynicism.  And your artistic sensitivity will enable you to look past statistics and demographics, to see specific people.

Stereotypes are never enough.  Everyone is unique.  Everyone has a story.

Stan Smith   ::  © 2008, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com

Invest In The Poor

Do a volunteer project free of charge, to benefit the poor.  Then watch what God will do in your life.

Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you.”  Many Christians have proven these words as they have learned to give financially, and have seen God prosper them.  Others have learned that when we give intangible things like mercy, encouragement, or appreciation, God gives much more back to us.

Solomon wrote something similar in Proverbs 19:17 –

He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD,
And He will pay back what he has given.

Apparently he observed this as he watched the fortunes of his people over the years.

When we think of having “pity on the poor” we might at first think of feeding the homeless.  But as an artist, you can give in many other ways.  You can volunteer a block of time to serve their interests, helping with a fund-raising project or raising public awareness of a need.

Or you can do volunteer work for a church that has few resources.  The prayers and humility of the church will help it grow in favor with God, but your artistic work can help it develop new ministries, growing in favor with man.

If you give to the poor, God will think of it as a loan and will repay you with things money can’t buy.  Here are a few ways this can work.

1) Do volunteer work and build a portfolio. If you are reaching into new areas professionally, you will need a portfolio.  Many beginners build one by doing projects for churches or charitable agencies.

Art schools train their graduates to do this as they start their careers.  But the word of God adds another dimension, teaching us that God treats our volunteer work as a loan to Him.  He will repay.

2) Do volunteer work for a cause. Many agencies rely on the public for volunteer work or for donations so they can accomplish their mission.  As an artist, you can help raise public awareness for their needs.

They need writers to create promotional materials, and graphic designers to produce posters, flyers, and websites.  They need dramatists and musicians who can create presentations that will help enlist support.

3) Use your art to anchor people in their faith. The Psalmist calls us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.  Artists help spread the gospel by showing how beautiful holiness can be.

This strengthens the church.  I recall my early days as a Christian, when I sometimes went through seasons of doubt.  Musicians who could present the beauty of Jesus helped me renew my determination to follow Jesus.

Many Christians have drawn inspiration from writers like C.S. Lewis, who brought a Christian worldview to his writing.  But a writer doesn’t have to be as well known as C.S. Lewis to make an impact.  A well-written letter to the editor can likewise bring a Christ-centered perspective to the public forum.

4) Expect God to pay you back in an unexpected way. He is a God of surprises.  Don’t try to bind Him to your expectations.  He calls us to give and to expect to receive, but this doesn’t mean we can predict how His paybacks will come.

He can provide contacts, job offers, favor, publicity, and other intangible benefits – and in many cases, these benefits can launch you into a new level of success.

5) Finally, what you do for the poor is an end in itself. It doesn’t have to lead to anything else to be worthwhile.  You are likely to find that it becomes the most fulfilling part of your work.

This will give you the essence of Christian art – that it isn’t just a vehicle for self-expression, but rather for showing the love of God.

And this may be what God had in mind in the first place when He gave you artistic talent.

Stan Smith  ::  © 2008, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com

Consider The Poor

There are more poor people than any of us can serve, but we can’t afford to ignore them.  Take a walk, literally or in your imagination, and bring Jesus along.  Ask Him to point out the poor He wants you to serve.

The words “rich” and ”poor” are relative.  No matter how rich we are, we all have financial pressures.  No matter how poor we are, we will always find others who are worse off than we are.

King Solomon observed people from all walks of life, and in Proverbs 14:21 announced –

He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

While money can’t bring fulfillment, showing mercy to the poor can.  But who are the poor?  And how much does God expect us to do?

None of us can do everything.  Jesus said the poor will always be with us.  We can’t bear the whole burden of world hunger on our shoulders, or illiteracy, or domestic abuse.

On the other hand, none of us can afford to do nothing.  Solomon contrasts showing mercy to the poor with despising our neighbor.  In other words, if we wrap ourselves up in a cocoon of personal issues and goals, we sin against God and forfeit the happiness He wants to give us as we show mercy to the poor.

Understanding that we can’t do everything, we then have to ask, Lord, what would You have me do? If He has designed you to be an artist, here are a few ways you can show God’s mercy to the poor.  You won’t have the time or resources to do them all, but look for something you can do.

1) Let God move you with compassion, then let that compassion show in your work. Take a walk through a poor neighborhood.  (Don’t go alone if the neighborhood is dangerous.)  Look at the children, the families, the old people.  Let God form a word or a conviction in your heart, and then pour that conviction out in your work.

2) Get involved with a church outreach to the poor. This will give you a safer environment than walking through a rough neighborhood because you will be part of a team.  Don’t just do your job – get to know the people.  Have a cup of coffee with them.  Listen to their stories.

3) Consider doing a benefit project for the poor. God may have you sell a few paintings to benefit a shelter, write a short story to make the public aware of an injustice, or prepare a musical program to play in prisons and hospitals.

4) Do a project with the poor. They are as talented as you are.  Get them involved in an art project that will feed their dreams.

5) Consider the poor. The ideas go on and on, but the key is to get out among the poor – don’t just theorize about them, but get to know them – and keep your ears open.  Listen to them, and listen to God.  He will begin to grip you with a sense of mission.

Step in slowly.  It’s easy to make commitments you can’t keep.  It’s better to start with small commitments you can fulfill.

God has shaped you, and He will lead you into a niche where you are uniquely equipped to serve.  One small commitment will lead to another, but many of us find it takes a few years to see what God has shaped us to do.

He may use your art to serve the poor face-to-face, to raise funds, to recruit volunteers, or to make the haves aware of the needs of the have-nots.

Finally, ask God to show you which poor people He wants to send you to.  Our first thought may be the homeless because we see them.  But what about children? Missionaries in developing nations? People overseas in refugee camps? Middle-class people in America who are suddenly without jobs? Single mothers?

However God uses you, keep your ears open.  Hear the hearts of the poor, and hear the heart of God.

Stan Smith   ::   © 2008, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com