Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. [Gen 1: 26-27 NLT]

He can make an infinite number of unique people (and you are one of them). His joy in creating uniqueness is matched in our own creativity. Have you ever considered how He can implement, intensify, and increase your creative abilities?

First of all, what is a Christian writer or designer?

I am not talking about a decoupaged copy of Durer’s praying hands or a copy of another’s lyrics. In fact, I am not talking about so-called “Christian art” at all. What we are concerned with here are Christians whose calling is design or art, writing, publishing, or doing all the work of a modern church or ministry office—in other words, believers in Jesus who are convinced that their place in the world is a designer, writer, or artist.

I have had Him help me write powerful liturgies for marriage, Lent, Christmas, Easter, and many other events at church. I have been given gorgeous designs for church or ministry logos. It does take practice to hear from the Lord in this manner. But He loves to do it.

So, what does it mean that we are called to minister with our design skills and creative abilities?

One of my major life-changing events was the discovery that commercial art (as opposed to fine art) is a service to your clients — it is a ministry. I was taught in school that commercial art (what we now call graphic design) was prostitution. It is selling your self to the highest bidder. It is dispensing your skills for money. Horrors!

Of course, that was a lie. The truth is that fine art is self-centered ego expression unless you can truly get those temptations under the control of the Holy Spirit. Graphic design, on the other hand, is ministry to your clients — helping them communicate the truth about their company clearly and accurately. Your office work is a creative work down for your church or ministry. You can really be a blessing to them.

Obviously, my current position is 180° from what I was taught at the University of Minnesota in the late 1960s. It’s been a long, arduous road. Though it has been a straight and narrow path, from my end (at the time) it seems incredibly convoluted, twisted, gnarly, and impossible to predict. So, my goal is to encourage believers who are struggling with these issues.

I’ll finish this brief note with a few questions:

1. Why do you design? Is it part of your job description? Does your job as an office manager, church administrator, or church secretary require creative designs for the church or ministry you are serving?
2. What is the source of your creativity?
3. What are you called to do?

The good news is that God has you covered

Over the years I have been joyously reminded that God is the source of all creativity, beauty, and light. I have seen Him give me designs that were miraculous in that they were exactly what the client wanted (even though they had no idea how to tell me what they wanted).

I have had the Lord inspire me to work in ways that saved a lot of money, a lot of time, with very little anxiety. I have prayed and asked for the ability to draw or write something that was beyond my abilities (as far as I knew) with glorious anointed results.

He can and will do the same for you. He wouldn’t have given you the job you have if He didn’t plan to enable you to do it well.