At a Glance
Do you ever wish we could get back to Eden?
Every day we create. Whether it’s creating language, ideas, tools, relationships, the list goes on. But tied to this incredible blessing to create freely comes the responsibility to create that which is true, good, and beautiful. Today’s passionate guest, Jessica Shakir, founder of the Beautiful Mind Academy, brings us back to Genesis One, Two, and Three for this deep dive into what it means, as imago Dei, to be co-creators with the Creator. How are you using your God-given calling to creativity? Every single person is creative. Join us as we consider how God’s nature and Kingdom can be reflected through you and your intentional creativity.
What You'll Hear
- Exploring Genesis and Discipling Nations (1:23)
- Discovering Beauty and Finding Purpose (10:16)
- Co-Creating with God (17:36)
- Creativity and Responsibility in Creation (31:29)
- The Connection Between Creativity and Freedom (46:36)
- The Importance of Stewarding God’s Creation (1:01:48)
- Explore God’s Word and Know Him (1:11:39)
Using the link above, you can read the transcript or listen along while highlighted text follows the podcast audio.
"But what are you actually saved to do? He saved us to go back and really live what He planned in Genesis one and two."
Dwight Vogt (57:10)
Quotes
- 14:15 “Can one study beauty apart from studying God?” Jessica, quoting Jonathan Edwards
- 41:17 “We’re called to redeem this act of creation. To align it with the beauty and the truth and the goodness of God.” Scott
- 42:38 “We are blessed to go be a blessing by the way we are fruitful, by the way we multiply, by the way we co-create with God–and a lot of people in the church are working and doing and striving because they want to be blessed… But we have to remember we were blessed at the beginning. God is a gracious, generous God that loves to bless. In fact, blessing is a major theme of Genesis and so God blessed them and then said be fruitful and multiply.” Jessica
- 43:44 “When you take a posture of marveling at God… that I am just reflecting Your beauty–you can’t help but take the posture of humility, which is really just getting into a position of right thinking.” Jessica
- 57:10 “At the fall, He gave us a prohibition–we know we broke it and we walked into death. And the question is now–He saved us… But I often ask what does He save us to? What does He save us for? And so many people say, well, ‘He saved us to be saved. He saved you to share salvation with others.’ But what are you actually saved to do? He saved us to go back and really live what He planned in Genesis one and two.” Dwight
- 1:00:08 “One of the best ways to stand firm and to enter into spiritual warfare and guard ourselves, is to get so well acquainted with the goodness of God and His Word that we’re never deceived again.” Jessica
- 1:11:03 “We know what we’ve been redeemed from, but what have we been redeemed for? We know what we’ve been freed from death, sin, the wrath of God, and all degeneration. What have we been freed for? What is the mission going forward?… To begin walking back into Eden, walking back into delighting with Him, taking pleasure with Him, resting with Him. That’s part of what we’ve been redeemed for. And then we are to go out into all the world to disciple the nations, baptize them, teach them everything that God has told us to observe.” Jessica
Go Deeper
The Beautiful Mind Academy
Imagine being so secure in your identity, so certain of your calling + so in love with Jesus that you start living wildly FREE, feeling authentically beautiful, and LOVING who you are + whose you are, in this very moment.
This program has been designed to help you get the Truth of God’s Word from head to heart, so you can start living aligned, authentic, and FULLY ALIVE!!
The goal isn’t to become like me, or like her, but to become more like Jesus and to become even more authentically YOU! The beautiful YOU God delights in!
Together we apply biblical truth, positive psychology, neuroscience, and insights from my 22 years of studying BEAUTY to our lives. This program is filled with honest conversations + thoughtful questions.
Let’s partner with God as we apply His transformational power to these areas of our lives…
Our Beauty, Mind, Talent, Voice, Waiting, Pain, Body, Relationships, Faith, Life, Appearance, and it culminates with the spiritual discipline of Celebration!
A Call For Balladeers: Pursuing Art and Beauty for the Discipling of Nations
DARROW L. MILLER
Through a biblical lens, Darrow Miller examines what it means to be a Christian artist and the role of beauty in the world. As the First Artist, God created the universe to be beautiful, and set a precedent for all mankind: to create art, not for religious obligation, but simply for the sake of beauty itself.
With scrutiny and honesty, A Call for Balladeers takes a hard look at the faulty perspective toward art and beauty held by many Christians today and uses the Bible to make a case for why the Church should be concerned with the arts. Miller provides a hopeful, liberating outlook for Christians who find themselves caught in a dilemma between their artistic endeavors and their desire to minister to their community.
There is no divide between art, beauty, and the Christian faith. God uses the arts and artists to advance His kingdom of truth, goodness, and beauty on earth as it is in heaven. A Call for Balladeers will help Christians think biblically about art, teach them about historical and modern-day balladeers, and encourage artists to use their God-given talents to minister prophetically, bringing transformation to their communities and nations.
