Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 60

10 Ways Creating Connects People to God

The aim of any follower of Jesus should be to draw closer to Him. We are disciples and disciples are followers, learners, and imitators. We live to be more like Jesus and share more of Jesus in all we do. It’s clear how we do this in ministry or spiritual disciplines or evangelism. But what does it look like in work or in creative ventures – art, music, film, writing, design, entrepreneurialism, philanthropy, volunteerism, and more? How can creating craw us closer to God? Here are ten ways.

1) Image Bearing

“So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.” – Genesis 1:27

What does it mean to be created in the image of God? The answers are too many to list or explain, so let’s just focus on one: created. We were created in the image of a creator. To use the active voice, the Creator created us in his image. This means, in part, that God created us to create. Humans are unique in all creation as creators, as artists, as envisioners and imaginers. This is God’s image in us, and as we create that image becomes clearer.

2) Considering Creation

Only God creates from nothing; the rest of us create using the world God created. That means we need to know this world, to consider God’s creation. The best creators are those who observe the most keenly. And those who observe the most keenly are seeing something of God’s handiwork in a unique way.

3) Connection to Creation

As we see and consider creation we find ourselves relating to it differently. I don’t mean this in some sort of pantheistic, god-in-everything way. I mean that we gain appreciation for aspects of creation we previously had never noticed or cared about. We find ourselves drawn to new things for inspiration or to new places for reflection and rest. We find new genres and styles of art speaking to us. In all of this echoes the voice of God and on all of this lies His finger print. Appreciation for creation, in its proper place, is appreciation for the creator.

4) Connection to Creators

When God created the earth He did not do so in isolation. He did so with His Trinitarian self. If that sounds mind bending and confusing that’s ok – it is. God’s fellowship within Himself is one of the most mysterious, wonderful, and marvelous aspects of who He is. What it means for us is also wonderful and marvelous: we are not created to be isolated beings. Our image bearing is communal, especially because no one of us can reflect even an iota of who God is by ourselves. We need each other, and one way we connect is through creating. Art draws art lovers together. Collaboration enhances each other’s efforts. Music and film are celebrated and enjoyed with others. We can create by ourselves, but creativity at its fullest is a connecting bond between people.

5) Exploration and Discovery

A potter can make the same pot over and over again. A composer can write the same chord progression ad nauseum (just listen to modern worship music or pop country tunes). A journalist can take the same angle on every story or harp on a single cause piece after piece. But at some point these creative efforts stop being creative and simply become production of a product. The best creativity is curious – it explores and discovers new styles, truths, realities, places, people, stories, images, and other reflections of God’s handiwork. If we want to continue in creativity we must continually seek out new opportunities and influences, and as we do we encounter numerous opportunities to appreciate the almost seemingly infinite depth of creative variety in God’s world.

6) Learning Limitations

God has limitless goodness, power, and creativity. His “wondrous knowledge is beyond me.” (Psalm 139:6) “He spoke, and it came into being” (Psalm 33:9) – the entire universe created with a few syllables. While it’s obvious that we do not hold this same power our sinful hearts never cease to believe that maybe just maybe we would be better off if we were lord of our own lives. But then we try to create. We burn dinner, we crack the sculpture, we smudge the painting, we miss a note, we overlook a flaw. Our creations are imperfect. The best work we ever do may be brilliant, but all the blood, sweat, time, and tears we poured into it can’t bring it to the level of genius God showed by creating the heavens and earth, the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, the night and day. He speaks sublime creation into being while we sweat and strive and seek to reflect just a fragment of that with our work. Our limitations and flawed work are a reminder and invitation to revel in the majesty and genius of God.

7) Deriving

To call an artists work “derivative” is an insult. It means it was drawn from someone else’s work, a poorly disguised imitation, and possibly a theft. But every creative effort we put forth is derivative of God’s work. He made everything from nothing – every shade of color, every musical scale, every syllable and metaphor, every medium, every idea. All we do is work with what God created. All we do is use the ideas and vision he gives us the ability to see to spin His creation into new forms. Our deriving is an honor to God, and when we recognize from who we receive our abilities we find a new connection to Him as First Creator.

8) Dependence

Just as we derive all creative ability and opportunity from God so we depend on Him for it. Our minds depend on Him for ideas and clarity and truth. Our hearts depend on Him for inspiration and passion. We depend on Him for circumstance providing opportunities. Even as we diligently work we recognize that any success is a gift from God. He is the provider of everything from idea to effort to materials to opportunity to response. What a gift.

9) Growth

The creative process mirrors spiritual growth in many ways. Creators are either improving and expanding or they are stagnating. Creativity takes discipline and purpose. It thrives on inspiration and community. It depends on more mature and learned people to teach and set examples. Pride kills it while humility and willingness to correct mistakes and learn from them ignites it. One person’s discovery and growth can spark discovery and growth in others. See? The similarities are striking.

10) Expressing Truth

The best creative efforts express truth. This doesn’t mean they make statements; it means they reflect aspects of God and God’s will for the world. As we’ve seen creativity itself is a reflection of God, but when it is done in dependence on Him and with intentionality it will express even more: beauty, lament, healing, grace, justice, mercy, stewardship, and so much more. Some creative efforts use words and statements to express truth clearly. Others use images and sound to draw people’s hearts and imaginations toward God. Both are expressions of truth about God and what God intends for His people and His world.

This post was originally published at Bible Study Tools.

Happy Rant Sports #12 – Mariners Update, Manziel Minute, and Athletes Who Retired Too Early

In this episode of The Happy Rant Sports Podcast Ted and Barnabas hit on all the essentials this week:

Now that Ted has adopted a new MLB team they give a Mariners update.
The Manziel Minute
Players who they wish they could have seen more of because they retired too early due to injury or some other reason

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #12

3 Things I Like This Week – June 22

Each week I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Sony Wireless Headphones

[image error]Wearing noise suppressing headphones gives me a headache and makes me feel claustrophobic. However since I travel a fair amount, work in an open office, and write in coffee shops I really wanted a really nice set of headphones that weren’t quite so restrictive. On the other hand, I didn’t want to give up my second child to be able to afford the really really nice brands. It was a conundrum of sorts. Until I stumbled across these Sony headphones. They aren’t cheap but neither are they second-child-expensive. The sound is phenomenal – occasionally too much so, to the point I find myself distracted by my music and drumming along to the annoyance of nearby workers or passengers. And they don’t make me feel like my head is trapped in a white noise machine.

2. Americanos

[image error]I drink my coffee black. I am occasionally a bit judgmental and snide toward those weak-stomached, cowardly, spineless, gutless, no-taste hacks who put cream and sugar in their coffee. (I am always this way toward anyone who puts flavored creamer in their coffee.) That said, not all black coffee is very good – even at coffee shops. This is why the Americano is so vital to life (not an overstatement). It is simply espresso (nearly always better than drip coffee and often better than a pour over) with hot water added to soften its sharper edges. While black coffee must be approached with some caution, like reaching out to pet a strange dog, Americanos are consistently trustworthy and welcoming. Simply put, the Americano is the staple coffee beverage for any black coffee drinker and something to which all you namby pamby, lily-livered, infantile humans who despoil coffee with creamer can aspire.

3. The Lone Bellow and The Blind Boys of Alabama

The Lone Bellow is one of my top 5 favorite current bands and the Blind Boys of Alabama are legendary. This live collaboration on one of The Lone Bellow’s best songs is all soul. Turn it up. Turn it up more.  Enjoy.

He Reads Truth: Joshua Succeeds Moses

I have the privilege of contributing to He Reads Truth, a website of whose purpose is “To help men become who we were made to be, by doing what we were made to do, by the power and provision that God has given us to do it, for the glory of Jesus Christ.” They do this by providing scripture reading plans accompanied by reflections that can be accessed for free online or purchased as print books. For those of you looking to engage scripture in a fresh way – either because you are dried up or have been away from it, these studies/plans will refresh your soul and engage your mind.

What follows is one of the pieces I wrote for the Joshua plan. You can find the full plan HERE.

Joshua 1:1-18, Deuteronomy 31:1-6, Psalm 1:1-3

You remember that scene in The Fellowship of The Ring when the travelers emerge from the Mines of Moria? They are devastated, forlorn, almost hopeless. Gandalf, their leader, was dead. What were they to do? How would they finish their journey and accomplish their mission?

That must have been how the people of Israel felt when Moses died. Who would lead them? How would they face the conquest to take the Promised Land? They stood on the brink of an unknown land populated by warrior peoples and even giants. They had just wandered in the wilderness for more than forty years. Their future was far from certain.

Except it wasn’t uncertain because God had made a covenant. He had declared that He would uphold His side – to make Israel a great nation in this land – if they upheld theirs. (If they didn’t and decided they no longer needed to obey, the consequences would be dire.)  But the nature of God’s promise meant that the person leading Israel wasn’t the key to their success; obedience to God’s law and trust in His Word was.

Well before Joshua led Israel across the Jordan River into battle, God had made a promise: “I will give you this land, just be strong and courageous.” He promised to go ahead of the people and fight for them. The battle was His. The people simply needed to trust and obey.

But camped on the border of the future, Joshua needed reassurance. And God gave it to him. He didn’t give Joshua strategy or a battle plan or a pep talk. He gave Himself. He said, “Remember My Word. Keep it with you at all times. Never forget it and always obey it. Do this and the land will be yours. Be strong and courageous because I am with you and am going before you” (Joshua 1:8-9, my paraphrase).

Strength and courage in the Lord and obedience to God’s Word – these are the themes of Joshua. It is not a book about a man as much as it is a book about God establishing His people. Joshua is the man God appointed to lead Israel. But his leadership rests fully on faith and obedience.

This is stunning in its simplicity. What are God’s people called to when facing adversity? Or when we are called to lead above our capacity? Or when we have a challenge ahead of us that seems insurmountable? We are called to be strong and courageous because God is with us.

Our strength is not our own. Our successes are not our own. God’s hand guides and works as we follow His Word in obedience, and it will root us and establish us.

New Happy Rant: Bourdain, Suicides, and Success

In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Barnabas, and Ronnie go a different direction with the podcast than normal. This episode is more serious and somber and reflective than normal. They discuss the following:

The suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade and the outpouring of response, especially by Christians
Mental illness and spiritual darkness
What success and satisfaction really is and the ways we pursue it vainly
High expectations, large appetites, and how they lead to disappointment

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #200

3 Things I Like This Week – June 15

Each week I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Ninja Blenders

[image error]Lest I bury the lede, the brand name is “Ninja.” This is fantastic in almost every context besides a twitter bio. It is so full of swag and confidence, and, to be fair, the product lives up to the name. These are great blenders at reasonable prices. They aren’t quite at Vitamix level of quality, but they are 80% of the blender at 25% of the price. For those of you who skipped microeconomics class that’s called “value.” I eat a lot of smoothies because I’m 35 and can no longer get away with a pizza/donuts/coke based diet. The Ninja whips a pretty decent smoothie. The one thing it can’t do is make kale taste like anything other than mulch. Maybe that’s why people pay for the Vitamix, but I don’t know because I like my ninja.

2. AmazonBasics Hardsided Luggage

[image error]I recently had to make the difficult decision to lay my trusty, 12-year-old burgundy soft sided rolling suitcases to rest. They had traveled across the world, to 30+ states, to countless Hampton Inns, and dozens of church related conferences with me. But it was time. Then I went looking for replacements, really hoping to find hard sided suitcases, and realized immediately my Dave Ramsey envelop of cash labelled “new luggage” wouldn’t get me much. Until I stumbled across this set. I just took one on my first trip, and love it. It is sturdy. It rolls well. The zippers and handles aren’t flimsy. And the whole set coasts less than a single suitcase from many brands. If you are looking for new luggage these suitcases are a great option.

3. Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury Highlights

Every year at this time, leading up to the NBA Draft, I am reminded of what might have been. So much talent. So much charisma. So much missed potential. So much crazy. And a beautiful nostalgic reminder of how awesome it was when Kevin Harlan called Timberwolves games alongside Trent Tucker.

New Happy Rant: Fit Pastors, Suave Authors, and Controversial Movie Opinions

In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted is marooned in rural Alabama at a home school writing conference and Ronnie’s internet is on the fritz, but the boys make it work. Well, Ted and Barnabas do. They discuss the following.

Why have so many pastors gotten so fixated on being fit? Is this a good thing? Is it as weird as it seems?
We discuss what we are reading and watching these days, including some controversial opinions about movies.
Barnabas is reading a novel by Conn Iggulden, and naturally CONN IGGULDEN deserves a conversation all his own

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #199

3 Things I Like this Week – June 8

Each week I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Covert Podcast

[image error]Covert is like a true crime podcast crossed with military history. It is documentary narrative of famous, covert military missions. They draw on participants, news reports, and declassified documents to create a compelling story. They provide fascinating details, but not so many that listeners get bogged down. Their first several episodes cover the mission to kill Bin Laden, which is a familiar story after movies like Zero Dark Thirty and a number of other releases, and they still managed to share additional details and background that were fascinating. It’s a great podcast. As a bonus, nobody on it sounds like they’re imitating Ira Glass either.

2. Godless

[image error]WARNING: This show is what Christians like to call “gritty.” That said, it is one of the best Netflix Originals to have been released in the past few years. Godless is the story of a town inhabited almost entirely by women after the men were killed in a mining accident, a cold and compelling outlaw villain laying waste to towns as he hunts a former member of his gang, and Roy Goode who is the soft spoken gunslinger who abandoned the villain. Of course, like any movie, or mini series in this case, the performances and writing are what make the story great. And every single actress and actor is superb. Jeff Daniels is a compelling villain who you love and loathe. Michelle Dockery is the leading lady in the best sort of unconventional way – not a supporting lady for male characters or a stereotype of any kind. Jack O’Connell plays Roy Goode and is brilliant as a complex character who is equal parts loyal and kind but also a gifted killer. Scoot McNairy plays the beleaguered town sheriff who is trying to regain a reputation for bravery and is maybe the most likable and sympathetic character. I could go on, but I won’t. Just watch it.

1. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

[image error]Gaiman’s work is hit or miss for me. I don’t always love his style or stories but this book was brilliant, and to make it even better he read his own audio book and it was pitch perfect. Gaiman’s voice and lilting style are perfect for sharing myths, a story style that is designed to be told not just read. Gaiman has reconstructed traditional Norse myths about Odin, Thor, Loki, and the rest and tells them like you might expect to hear around a roaring fire in a great hall bedecked with shields and swords. Set aside Marvel’s Thor and let yourself be pulled into Norway ten centuries ago and you will love these fantastical tales of heroism and treachery. It is wonderful remaking of lost legends.

Happy Rant Sports #11 – Ted Picks a Baseball Team, the NFL’s Anthem policy, and Boring NBA Finals

In this episode of Happy Rant Sports Ted and Barnabas suss out the following:

Ted listens to a series of excellent pitches from listeners for which MLB team he should adopt including team history, team uniform, team failure, and more.
Ted adopts an MLB team as his own.
The NFLs National Anthem Policy
Why should we care about these NBA finals?

We also want to thank our sponsor – 503 Sports. If you love defunct football leagues, minor league baseball, or are looking to order gear for your own team 503 Sports puts out quality gear. Check them out.

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #11

He Reads Truth: Believers Are Salt And Light

I have the privilege of contributing to He Reads Truth, a website of whose purpose is “To help men become who we were made to be, by doing what we were made to do, by the power and provision that God has given us to do it, for the glory of Jesus Christ.” They do this by providing scripture reading plans accompanied by reflections that can be accessed for free online or purchased as print books. For those of you looking to engage scripture in a fresh way – either because you are dried up or have been away from it, these studies/plans will refresh your soul and engage your mind.

What follows is one of the pieces I wrote for the Sermon on the Mount plan. You can find the full plan HERE.

Matthew 5:13-16, Isaiah 49:5-6, Luke 14:25-35, John 9:5, Colossians 4:2-6

If you are familiar with Southern cuisine you know that two ingredients make everything better: butter and salt. Literally every single food is improved by these divine gifts. They can even make kale edible—a miracle indeed. And did you know that a high sodium diet is biblical? Tell your doctors, gentlemen.

Okay, that’s not really true. Maybe it will be in the new earth one day, but not now. Salt is, however, a key ingredient in life, as prescribed by Scripture. It’s just a different sort of salt.

Jesus tells us that His followers are the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Paul tells us our speech should be “seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). To confuse matters, we are also called to be “a light for the nations” (Isaiah 49:6). So followers of Jesus are to be salt and light, but what does that mean?

Salt makes bitter foods palatable, and it accents flavors that might otherwise be missed. It complements both sweet and spicy flavors, and makes “blah” foods enjoyable. And all of these indicate what Jesus asks of us too.

Through Jesus, we are to be the ones who help others find hope and joy in bitter circumstances. Through Jesus, we should be the kind of people who see the delightful things of the world—the sweet and the spicy—and add the salt of the gospel in just the right way as to complement and highlight God’s work and truth in them. And through Jesus, we should add life and flavor to the mundane and the blah.

Light is another metaphor for the same thing. God uses us to shine the hope of the gospel into darkness, to drive it away and show a way forward. We refract the light of Christ so people see the colors of His beauty. We bring an ambiance of Jesus into the dim and dull, to give comfort and peace.

This call comes with a warning, lest we decide to try to be salt and light in our own power. For if we do that we will lose our flavor and become dim. And what is flavorless salt but simply annoying grit to be swept up and thrown out? What is a burnt-out light bulb but glass garbage? Should we decide that we no longer need to be flavored with salt and be reflectors of Christ’s light, or should we decide that we can be these in our own strength, then we, too, will become spiritually useless.

Thankfully the One who calls us to be salt and light provides limitless flavor and brilliance. He is an infinitely perfect source. We simply share it and shine it forth into a world dying to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).