Imagine.

I recently finished a book called "Imagine" by Steven Turner. It was a book that had been sitting on my shelf since high school and I finally (5 years later) decided to pick it up and give it a chance. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is an artist (of any kind) who wants to use the gift they have without feeling obligated to paint crosses or write poetry or songs about your devotional discoveries.

While attending college, I always felt this sense of guilt and obligation that any piece of art I made had to either have a blatant or hidden message about my faith. Not to say it is bad to include faith into what you do- but I felt constricted. I love abstract painting and how could I paint in the style I love- but does not convey a clear message?

Reading this book helped me see that I didn't have to neglect my love of abstract because people wouldn't see and understand the full message of the gospel. It is possible to be an artist and not be blatant, even not directly include anything "religious".

"I believed that Christians should be writing poetry infused with godly perception rather than poetry about religion" pg. 20

"How much of life is Christ to be Lord over? Is he only interested in that part of life we think of as religious or spiritual? or is he interested in every facet of our lives- body, soul, mind and spirit? The sort of art we make as Christians will illustrate our answer." pg. 35