One creative’s struggle with discipleship…

I am a creative.

Bought my first record when I was 5: since, I’ve bought thousands – 8 tracks, vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and MP3s.  I don’t just listen to good music – I get lost in it – it envelops me.

Wrote my first song at 6 and and haven’t stopped writing since, recording multiple  CDs/Cassettes of originals with three different bands, and sang/played-on multiple other full-lengths and assorted other singles by other like-minded creatives.

I have done sculpture, placed first in competitions with my pencils and charcoals, and painted some unique portraiture with oils on canvas.

I do wood-working, building my own studio furniture, entertainment systems, desks, tables, and bookshelves.

I’ve written three film-scripts (directed two into short indie-films – no, you can’t see them), hundreds (maybe closer to a thousand) of poems, written one novel (& giving input on 3 others), and have developed a number of other literary ideas extensively.

I am a creative and I create, & am not afraid of that fact: I feel most alive when I am expressing myself creatively, and helping other unlock that same creativity.

When I create, I feel closer to God and see Him more clearly.

As a creative I will admit it: we creatives do not naturally “disciple” very well (as disciplers & disciples), which causes a conundrum.  Folks that are natural “disciplers” are organized – they like order, noticeable and clear progress from one level to another, structure, & regularity.  Creatives tend to… well, all that?: not… so… much.  When a creative makes a meeting on time, it’s taken effort – and some are trained better than others – all of you non-creatives should celebrate it!

So, here’s what you get: a creative wants to grow spiritually, so he finds someone to mentor/disciple him.  The discipler is probably an adminstrator/business person – is overly prepared for the meeting, & arrives early… in trudges the creative, 5 0r 10 minutes late – just woke up… the mentor is already frustrated, & thinks the creative “broken” (& he is, but no more-so than the administrator/business guy mentoring him), & tries to fix him with his pet verses (which happen to be the ones the administrator does very well – the ones that come naturally), which leaves the creative feeling hopeless – as those are the areas that come most unnaturally to him.  Sad, but – far too often – true.

So, what’s the answer?  Creatives, we need to step up our game as disciplers/mentors.  When we see younger (physically, emotionally, or spiritually) creatives that we may connect with, schedule some loose hang-time, & see what develops.  Maybe even agree to read the first few chapters of a book together (since they probably won’t finish it anyway), or research some worthwhile films & stop for coffee & talk about them later.  Just because you don’t disciple administratively, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take Christ’s call to discipleship seriously!

My wife & I have a LOT of mentoring relationships, but even as we “Sew, Cultivate, & Harvest”, I’ll admit it – we need to take Christ’s call more seriously – we could do far more.  Just because normal avenues of discipleship are hard for us, does not excuse any of us from mentoring others… OR being mentored.

Consider: who are the people God has put in your circles that you can receive from?  Pour into?  Build relationships with?  Pursue those as though you weren’t a creative.

So be it.