In recent years, there have been influences in my life that have pointed me towards identifying, developing and stewarding my personality and unique talents and gifts to bring beauty and meaning to this world. I believe that all humans are called to do this, and the Scriptures have myriads of examples and mandates that talk about the unique design of each individual and how each individual is called to contribute their uniqueness to the sphere of creation, culture and the betterment of life on earth. One of the elements of the mission of God, and thus the mission of humans, is release the potential within creation. It follows that in order to do that, we're also to release the potential within each human--for gospel truth, good and beauty.

Coming from a socially conservative ministry culture, these influences (and biblical support for their emphases) have been extremely freeing for me. It was no longer (seemingly) criminal to talk about my uniqueness, identify it, and work with people to help figure out how I can unleash the unique way I was created to bring good into this world. Personality tests, strengths assessments, exploring creativity in style of dress, music, the arts, as well as even enjoying and pursuing knowledge in academics, politics, and "secular" fields of study were no longer just permissible but beneficial and kingdom-oriented. Work was no longer secular or sacred, it was all spiritual. (There's still a nuance, but that's not the focus of this post.)

Previously, the ministry culture/philosophy I was a part of emphasized things like surrender, love, kindness, gentleness, joy, patience--all legitimately gospel character  traits and fruit of the spirit--but these beautiful emphases were often encrusted with cookie-cutter, almost prescriptive expectations of what those fruit should look like. Under the guise of surrendering to the Lord, the uniqueness of each individual was often overlooked or de-emphasized in order to elevate the formation of characteristics such as joy, peace, patience, kindness and gentleness. What often slipped under the radar was the emphasis that joy should like like ________, or that peace should look like __________, or a healthy prayer life and dependence on God should look like ___________. What happened was that practice took the place of principle: People saw practice and understood it as principle, not practice as one possible manifestation of principle. (Also a separate discussion and post.)

So where am I going with this? For the sake of simplicity, and to hijack some phrases and redefine them myself, I will call the new emphasis personality ethic and the former emphasis character ethic. I believe that I have recently (in the past few years) embraced and really sought to live out the personality ethic within my life. Part of the reason I left campus ministry was so I could enter into the professional marketplace and engage with the marketplace with the unique ways God has gifted me theologically, spiritually and practically. I'm exploring grad school now because I understand that God has gifted me with intelligence and quickness to learn, and I want to honor Him and steward those gifts to do kingdom work as best as I can. I'm now working on ways to develop and expand my musical gifts so that I'm not just relying on pure instinct, but actually becoming a better singer, musician and potentially even a song-writer or performer. All of these I believe are part of God's call for me uniquely, and similarly for all humans--to identify, develop and steward the "talents" God's given us.

However, what God has recently placed heavily on my heart is that I need to pursue the personality ethic without neglecting the character ethic. The truth is, I can be the best song-writer, the best singer, the most influential PhD or engineer, even the CEO of a successful company with all the employees loving me, yet if I do not also grow in character, if as I pursue these things I have not learned how to better love and serve people--I've lost sight of the comprehensive vision God has for me and for all of humanity. God definitely calls us to create beauty in the world, and often times that has to be expressed through the uniqueness of our individual designs (personality ethic). The way I am to create beauty in the world is probably not the same way you are to. Yet, the only way we are to create lasting beauty in the world is if WE are transformed and becoming more beautiful in our character (character ethic)--that as we develop our gifts and assert our uniqueness in the kingdom, we are surrendered, crying out to the spirit, vulnerable to our communities, and allowing Christ to renew our minds with the gospel, transforming us and making visible the fruit of the Spirit we are all called to bear.

God, forgive me for taking something beautiful like personality ethic and making the emphasis on me, not You. God help me to see that personality and character ethic both matter in your Kingdom and help me not to live out my life in balance, but in fullness of the dynamic tension these two ethics will always have in my life. May my life be one in which personality and character ethic are not battling each other, but complementing and completing each other so that gospel truth, goodness and beauty would be continually developed and lived out in and through me.

When someone is thought of as spiritual, there are usually two definitions that come to mind:

1) Someone who is tune with or pays special attention to the transcendent aspects of life.
2) Someone who is tune with or pays special attention to religious practices.

The transcendent is all around us and in us. The spectrum of human relationships, expressing and experiencing emotions, abstract thoughts, the ability to conceptualize, plan and make decisions, creating and appreciating beauty through art and music, meaning and purpose articulated and explored through the written and spoken word, the quest to understand good and evil, the journey to be good, the desire for intimacy, the search for identity, the calling to live out our gifts and talents--all of these point to the reality that humanity is much more than just chemical compounds bonded around carbon atoms, that there is something beyond mere physical existence, that humanity transcends mere physicality. Humans are spiritual beings.

So why is it that some people believe that only people who are in tune with religious practices are spiritual? Why is it that spirituality is sometimes measured more by the number of religious activities and gatherings you attend rather than how connected you are to the transcendent? Could it be possible that someone who enjoys life by engaging in work that exercises his talents and experience, lovingly engages with co-workers family and friends, pauses to rest and reflect on his life, and enjoys creation by going on hikes... could it be that this person is more spiritual than the person who is running between work and after-work religious meetings, who is so busy that they are barely able to engage with loved ones around in or even at the meetings he attends, who engages is multiple activities... none of which he is genuinely excited about nor leverage his gifts and talents, who's morality is more drudgery than life giving...?

All of life is spiritual. All humans are spiritual beings. When God took dust to form Adam, he breathed life into Adam and from that moment on all human beings became more than physical--they became spiritual beings. That spirit has been broken by rebellion, but the image of God still remains even in it's broken image.

So what are the practical implications? It means that being spiritual is less about religious practices and more about engaging with the transcendent in every day human activities. It means that playing music is spiritual. It means that the conversations you have with people about relationships, justice, meaning and purpose in life, politics, sports, buying a home... all are spiritual conversations! Any conversation about being human is a spiritual conversation. You're a spiritual being! Are you being spiritual?

Humans all have the ability and desire to do something productive with their lives--to make something new. Humans are created to be creative. Creativity is often thought of within the context of art. However, I know plenty of artists that are not creative, and many people who are creative that do not create within the realm of art (whether visual or musical).

Two definitions of creativity I've heard have helped me tremendously:

• bringing order out of chaos
• the distance between the problem and it's solution

Order out of chaos. Borrowing from Keller: teacher's help form the mind of a child, a doctor brings order to a chaotic body, the psychologist order to the chaotic mind, the pastor brings order and clarity out of the scriptures, the administrator brings order to the otherwise chaotic environment of whoever they may be assisting--the CEO, president, manager, director, pastor, etc.... the artist orders the medium which they are using to create something (hopefully) beautiful. All are involved in making something new, something beautiful. Although not all are artistic, there is art and creativity in both the result of what they do and the way they do it.

Distance between the problem and the solution. There are many problems in this world: Delivering clean water to those in need, revitalizing, re-purposing and sustaining the world's economy, human trafficking, communicating with your roommate about an area of conflict, passing on hope and purpose to one that you love. The way we fill in the gap between where we are and solution is the opportunity for creativity. If the answer was simple, we'd do it. But often times, the implementation is complex, involving both the simplicity of action yet the complexity of humanity.

I won't deny that I often prefer the easy way out of a situation. I'd rather follow the way someone else has already plowed instead of creating my own way, even if I have the potential for something better or more efficient. Yet I will admit that the easy way out often extinguishes the creative nature within me, and I (and humanity) lose out on what I could offer in an alternative solution, a new way to look at a problem or a better way of solving the problem.

I'm still exploring the ways God has created me to be creative. But I thank God that life isn't boring and is meant to be tackled with creativity. Thank God that we are created to be creative--to do the work of the spirit after God created the earth ex nihilo (out of nothing)--to take the raw material of the empty and formless earth and separate the light from the dark, the land from the waters, bringing order out of chaos.

In what ways has God created you to be creative? What's your medium? Your art?