by Sam Won
Not too long ago I was returning to my car in downtown Nyack, a small village that’s a suburb of NYC, west of the Hudson River. I was minding my own business walking past different bars and restaurants, when a man smoking a cigarette outside complimented me on my shirt. It caught me off guard because I forgot what I had even put on that morning! So when he said that, I looked down and saw that I was wearing a Pursuit shirt. As soon as I said thanks, he started peppering me with questions on where I bought it, if it was available online, and the meaning of the shirt. All in all, he just wanted to have a shirt of his own with that design.
With that, I said thanks, ran back to my car, grabbed a remaining shirt, and walked into the bar he was standing in front of to find him. When he saw me walking in with the shirt in hand, he had a big look of surprise then a huge smile. I told him he could have it for free because I just wanted to bless him. He was ecstatic! After exchanging some info, we embraced and went our separate ways.
Creativity helps us reach the world around us with language that words can’t express. Click To Tweet
Most likely this man’s beliefs and lifestyle are different than mine. We probably would have never interacted if it wasn’t for the shirt I was wearing. But that’s why we create! That’s why we do what we do. We pursue excellence and creativity in all things, including apparel, for people unlike us. One of our original dreams with Pursuit was having our own apparel. Although it might not seem “spiritual”, we believed God would use it for His purposes. We make them not to just represent and promote our ministry, but to engage and reach the culture around us. The truth is people outside the church don’t speak “Christianese” and can’t be reached with lingo that’s only familiar to those who have grown up in Sunday School. People in the world aren’t impressed with how much theology we know nor do they even care. Instead we need to speak to the culture in a way that they can understand.
Creativity is that way. Creativity helps us reach the world around us with language that words can’t express. It’s an expression that captures the hearts of people – people like us as well as people unlike us. I’ve heard it said that you will influence a generation to the degree you have captured their imagination. Nothing captures people’s imagination like creativity. Just think about how influential songs, shows, and movies are when it comes to shaping how people think. In a lot of ways, the world is discipling people on relationships, love, sex, money, and more through creative outlets. Yet if we are afraid to be in the culture, while being not of, we will have zero influence. Unless we have influence, we will never transform society.
Revival always gives birth to new creativity, which takes the Kingdom beyond the four walls of the church. Click To Tweet
That experience that night in Nyack was a reminder once again of what it’s all about and the importance of creativity. We create to express. We create to reach. We create to bless others. We create to honor the Creator! Any form of creativity, whether it’s design, music, storytelling, dance, performance, video, photography, etc., helps connect people like nothing else can. Our desire is that through creative expressions, we can connect people to their own heart and soul, to the stories of others, and ultimately to the Author of it all. All of this is so paramount because this too is part of revival! Creative expressions help us in our pursuit of God. And in turn, revival always gives birth to new creativity, which takes the Kingdom and the greatest message of all time (the Gospel), beyond the four walls of the church. It’s time to infiltrate the culture. It’s time to speak to culture. It’s time to transform culture. Then that must mean it’s also time to create like never before! Amen.