Creatives create, right? 

I mean, the root word in and of itself,  suggests that we have something in us (those of us deemed or dubbed as creatives) that is proprietary to GOD alone: creation (or the ability to create). 

So what, exactly, do creatives create? Well, unlike GOD, we don't create life, but we do create things that live. Music, art, text (and more), all have the ability to impact and influence far beyond the moment or season they were created in. Heavy, right?  It should be. There should be a weighted responsibility creatives feel and understand when creating; almost an obligation to the opportunity (to whom much is given Luke 12:48…). 

So let me ask a question: in a hectic, quantity over a quality society where impatience has become a virtue that isn't,  what do you think suffers the most when creatives (in an effort to either keep up with or establish demand) attempt to consistently create content? Content. The creative process suffers when the "who it's for" dictates the "what you give". In other words, content (what I carry) suffers for the sake of…well…content (what I create). 

What's the point? Why the alarm?? 

As Christians, our creative process and content hold a responsibility secular creatives do not; while many of them may lament staying true to the art form or medium, our content must stay true to our GOD and HIS WORD. This insight should ensure greater care and consideration when we create: we can't afford to throw caution to the wind for the sake of the culture…for us, being consistent doesn't always mean being constant. 

Being led will always be better than being loud (upfront, out front, always in your face). If our relationship with GOD results in a recurring output of GOD-glorifying content that can be safely consumed by the public, praise GOD. The goal of this letter isn't to discourage being busy; it's to encourage being intentional and letting GOD do the creating. The sad reality of any industry is that in an effort to keep up with current trends, corners get cut in order to keep up with competitors; if we're not careful, we'll treat the industry of ministry the same. We never want to be of the vein that says we'll sacrifice the message in order to meet a deadline (many times one that is self-imposed) or more palpably market to the masses. 

I know quite often when a subject like this is broached, we tend to want to overlook the levity involved and try to separate who we are from what we do, but imagine this (indulge me…since the gifts and callings of GOD are without repentance): standing before GOD Almighty, and in a scene straight out of Matthew 25:14-29 (Parable of the Talents), HE asks you what you did with what HE gave you. You proudly refer to your treasure trove of Tik Tok vids and YouTube shorts, but sadly, HE finds increasingly less evidence of HIS presence in what you present. Stammering and quickly trying to prove otherwise, you pivot to your multitude of posts and tweets, but those only reveal a litany of selfies, crude memes, and online Bible beefs, none of which showed the love of CHRIST to the many who observed your very public interactions. Bluntly, the sad reality hits that you didn't do what you could have with the investment GOD gave you. 

This sounds like a tough scenario, but we must ask ourselves the tough questions. Is what I carry (content) more important than simply creating (content) for the sake of it? It should be. It has to be. GOD expects it to be. 

Content isn't king, Guys, but it does matter. 

GOD bless.