More Notes on Creativity and the Daily Walk

By Charlotte Lowrie

I continue to seek greater creative expression in my work. And in my daily walk with the Lord, I ask for insight and guidance on being creative. And the Lord often reveals more about the source and expression of creativity.

Here are some of the latest notes on creativity from my prayer journal.

"I instilled [creativity] in you from the beginning. It is from Me, and within you. Give it space and time. [Creativity] must be nurtured, allowed to breathe—to have breath. It cannot live otherwise. Breath is life in all things. Let it breath. Do not crowd out your creativity with too many thoughts. Our creativity works together—what I’ve instilled in you, and what I inspire you with. That is how the gift works."

"Through the gift of creativity, the creative process on earth continues beyond the [original] creation, for you are my agents. I work through you if you answer the call."

"The [creative] expression is yours. The Source is Me. You have the nuances of expression, and the content is Mine. [Creativity] flows from Me to you. Accept it. Expect it. Embrace it. Look for it every day."

The Lord has cautioned me to not block creativity. Following the crowd—following the popular trends of whatever creative endeavor we’re involved in, can block creativity. Instead, the Lord encourages us to seek His approval rather than approval from the others. "Don't focus on others; focus on what you can do, and do it well. You know what you do well…cultivate your uniqueness."

And for anyone who looks at what the Lord has created, this note will not be a surprise. "There is beauty in all [that I create]. Beauty and function co-exist in perfect harmony."

Letting Go

By Charlotte Lowrie

It wasn't until I let go

Not until I relinquished control

Did my life become whole.

I'd gone as far as I could go

Alone, under my own control

And still, I was not whole.

Not until I let go,

Not until I turned over control

And said, "I give up,"

Could He make me whole.

Because He knows me,

Because He cares,

I could dare

To let go.

Which Do You Love Most: Glory from Man or God?

By Charlotte Lowrie

As I was reading the Gospel of John, I came across a familiar passage that describes the reaction of many who saw the miracles that Jesus performed.

“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so they would not be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” (John 12:42-43 ESV)

This passage made me stop and think. In a world of pervasive social networks where the goal is to collect the most “friends,” “likes,” “followers,” “+1’s,” or be in the most “circles,” I thought about how we chase the glory that comes from man now more than ever before. But more specifically, I questioned how much of what I do is to glorify myself rather than to glorify God.

So I asked myself questions. When I write articles or books, do I write in such as way as to glorify God, or do I write what I think will be popular with readers? When I make pictures, do I choose scenes and subjects that I think will gain recognition for me as a photographer, or do I photograph subjects and scenes that will help others “see” God? While I can honestly say that most of the time I want to glorify God through the work He gives me, it’s still tempting to slip into the popularity-contest syndrome, or to do what I or my client thinks will sell best.

And then there is the problem of experience and habit. Once I get deeply involved in a project or I’m facing a deadline, I fall back into my years of experience and forge ahead, neglecting His presence and leading. I hate it when that happens, so I’ve learned to do two things.

First, every morning, I ask for the Lord to guide me in all that I do. And, second, at the end of the day, I evaluate what I’ve done during the day. Almost always, I can pinpoint times when I went off on my own. So I talk to the Lord about why it happened and ways to keep it from happening tomorrow. For me, it’s an ongoing process of learning to be attuned to His presence in every moment.

Doing work that glorifies God begins at the outset of whatever work we do—at the stage of conception. With photography, it is looking for the light and subject that illuminates the stunning beauty of God’s creation. And the focus on glorifying God continues as I edit images with integrity toward what I saw and photographed. The same is true with writing, and with any work. From beginning to end, the goal is to glorify God in every step. The beauty of it is that if I ask for His help, He graciously and generously provides the ideas, light, subjects, and words that I need. And what the Lord provides is always far better than anything I could come up with on my own. (And while I'm talking about work in this post, glorifying God applies to all that we do in our lives.)

Earlier in the book of John, Jesus said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’” (John 12:27-28 ESV) Our work is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ so that He, in turn, can glorify the Father. And Jesus promised, “If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:26) It is for this purpose—to glorify God—that we have life.

Are You a Missing Note?

By Charlotte Lowrie

Are you a missing note in the song of the Kingdom today?

I believe that God has orchestrated His believers so that each of us has a part, or a note, to play in the Kingdom song — the song or work that is playing or being accomplished at this moment in time. And for the song to be complete, every note is necessary.

I recently questioned my part in the song. As I looked at the plethora of accomplished photographers and writers, I wondered if I had anything to contribute to the song, or was I simply duplicating the same note that many others were already playing.

The Lord reminded me that many people are blessed with the same talents that I have, but they cannot do what I have been – and what you have been – singularly anointed to do in the Kingdom of God. The Lord reminded me that, “There is only one you. And only you can do what I have given you to do. Do what I have given you to do.”

This message is for every believer. The Kingdom song—the Kingdom work—is not complete without your unique note. No one else can play your note, for it is ours alone—your unique calling. And that’s what not only makes the song complete, but it is what makes a difference.

By way of example, there is only one person in the world that has my, or your, testimony. This is the unique story that God has given each of us. Part of our work in the Kingdom is to share our story with others. Another part of our work is to uniquely use the talents and gifts that God has given us to advance the Kingdom.

You may think that your talents and gifts are so small or insignificant that they would make no difference. Sometimes, and even often times, it’s hard to see what, if any, difference our work makes in the Kingdom. But seeing the difference we make is less important than faithfully serving the Lord with the talents and the gifts that we have received.

When Jesus commissioned the disciples, He told them to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. He concluded by saying, “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8) And so it is with us. We are gifted—every one of us with our part. It’s our work to freely give back to the Kingdom what we have freely received.

Play the note that you, and only you, can play in the song of the Kingdom.

Preparing for the End Times

By Charlotte Lowrie

When we see disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, we automatically ask ourselves if we are prepared for such disasters. For example, I have stocked a supply of drinking water and food, and I have a plan for temporary shelter if my home becomes unlivable. With natural disasters, we never know if we will experience one, but we prepare just in case.

For Christians, there is no question of whether Christ will return. It's not a matter of "if" but "when." And just as with a natural disaster, the question is, are we prepared? And having asked that question, the next question has to be, "What does being prepared mean?" The following list provides starting points for Christians to prepare for Christ's return.

What Does Being Prepared Mean?

• Know the Word of God. Be able to quote Scripture when you come against the evil one. He will try to trick and deceive followers of Christ. Answer with the Scripture, just as Christ did in the wilderness temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), and as He did when many questioned him during his time on earth. Know both the promises and the commands of God by heart.

• Prepare your heart. It is easy to follow Christ when there are no trials in our lives, but He has called us to stand strong in trials, and there will be trials for Christians even in Western countries. Be prepared to stand firm in the faith and in His words.

• Expect trials. Many Christians are asleep, unaware of growing evil, unaware of the growing threats to our Western freedoms, and unaware of how insidious changes are happening every day. In thinking about trials, I think about what the saints of the first-century church did when they were brought before government courts, and what they did when they were thrown into jail. I also think about what Jesus did under persecution. Ask yourself what you would do if everything you have was taken away, and you faced a group of armed, hostile kidnappers? Imagining these scenarios may seem foreign to Western Christians, but they are every day experiences for Christians in the Middle East, China, India, and parts of South America and Africa. Be prepared.

• Expect the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. His coming will be soon--sooner than you think. As Jesus says in Matthew 24:35-37 (NIV), "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angles in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." in Mark 13:33, Jesus adds, "Be on guard. Be alert. You do not know when that time will come." (Some manuscripts say be "alert and pray.")

• Prepare for His coming. As Jesus said in John 4:34-36 (NIV): "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish His work. Don't you have a saying, 'It is still four months until harvest?' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together." In all harvests, the Holy Spirit prepares the way. Follow the Spirit's urging. Tell your story to others. The time is short. Of those you love, who will be left behind at the trumpet call? Have you shared your story with those people?

• Test the spirits. As John says in I John 4:1-3, "Dear friends, do no believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." The Message puts verse 1 this way, "My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world."

And regardless of the trials that the end times bring, remember John's words in I John 4:4, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

Called to Love

I remind myself very often that Christ called us as believers to first love God with all our hearts, all our strength, and with all our minds, and to love others as ourselves. But once in awhile, I have to be reminded that we are to love others as they are, not as we want them to be.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (I Corinthians 13:12-13 NIV)

Support Israel

In light of the speech by President Obama suggesting that Israel return to the pre-1967 borders, many Christians are taking action to support Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response to President Obama's suggestion that a return to those borders is indefensible.

If you want to support Israel's response, I encourage you to visit the Christians United for Israel Web site (just click the previous text to visit the site), and send an e-mail supporting the Prime Minister's stance. The e-mail text is written, you only need to sign the letter. The goal is to have 50,000 letters of support mailed by Tuesday, May 24 when Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress.