To whom it may concern...

To Christian media producers, artists, advertisers, designers, writers, musicians, creatives, entrepreneurs, and dreamers:

Stop imitating the world.

It's sickening when you, indwelt by the Creator of the Universe, forgo the limitless inspiration and affirmation of eternity to pursue transient trends and the fickle applause of men. It's shameful when people walk away from your art and congratulate you that it was not as awful as the last Christian film, design, book, painting, or website that they saw. It's embarrassing that your programming can be distinguished from the world's - not by its difference in content but by its lack of quality.

This cannot be what God intended.

You must stop imitating the world. Not because you can't measure up to their standards, but because of what will happen if you do. If you find a way to work the system and beat the world at their own game: Congratulations. You have become masters of manipulation and wield deception as skillfully as any weapon. Your craft has a symbiotic relationship with sin nature. You have learned the nuances of an appeal to the flesh and conned your audience with a shallow version of truth that has been stripped down until only appearance remains. You fell for the lie that said you could use the world's tools for Kingdom purpose and it would all work out. Your creativity draws attention to itself instead of to the King because it is fueled by your own skills and effort.

At best, you're burned out - and usually bitter.

Still, it's not all your fault. In some ways, you have been funneled into a vicious cycle by our lack of appreciation and failure to understand your gifting. You were misunderstood because you challenged the status quo that we held as sacred. Your calling was not acknowledged because we didn't understand its place or value. Our attempts at cultivating curiosity and creativity ended with children's church and summer VBS. Your training was left in the hands of the world because it was easier to let someone else deal with the mess.

We were wrong.

It's wrong that you should be forced to seek encouragement and community outside the church because creativity is too risky for the establishment. It's wrong that we keep asking you to create more of the same, safe, sterile pamphlets that we've always had. It's wrong that we ask you to prostitute your gifting for the sake of our comfort and profit.

It all has to change.

You have so much going for you. The treasure you possess - the creative energy and passion of eternity - is the most sought-after commodity in the world. Your ability to captivate and fascinate hearts with your creations is inspired and indwelt by the glory of the Endless God. You are a part of the greatest story ever told - with characters more engaging, storylines more complex, and dialogue more saturated with meaning than any other. Point and counterpoint, rhythm and cycle, suspense and surprise are inherent in your faith. Adventure and risk are accepted as you choose to follow a plan you cannot fully understand.

Start dreaming.

Don't limit yourself to the stories that have already been told - remake after remake of Daniel in the lions' den is not the expression of truth that God desires from your creativity. Realize, first of all, that every story is God's story. The expanse of possibility isn't what He could fit into 66 books but how He can fill the billions of lives, guiding the paths of both infants and nations. Sometimes His work is obvious and demands an instant response; more often, though, He chooses to remain hidden and allow us to discover Him as we go about our lives, facing struggles and unknowns, traversing both highs and lows. This is the greatness of the God we serve. His glory is not displayed only in recounting the past, but also in realizing the present and dreaming into the future.

Go for it.

Stretch yourself a little. Explore the creativity that you have been trusted with. Cultivate the sense of adventure that allows you to embrace the unknown and try something that you've never seen done before. Don't be afraid of your imagination - surrender it to the Lord and He will meet you there. Most of all: enjoy the journey. We can't promise to always understand, but don't let that stop you. There will always be those who accuse and judge.

But you don't answer to them.

You answer to the most creative Person to ever exist - the one who decided to give birds wings and trees leaves, the One who dreamt stars and galaxies, planets and oceans, love and life into existence. He came up with the whole idea of romance and adventure. He fills His home with color, light, sound, and motion. Just read Daniel, Ezekiel, or Revelation to get an idea. And He's not finished dreaming - He is preparing worlds for you to explore and inhabit for eternity.

It is your divine mandate to be an intercessor - to bridge the gap between the temporal and the eternal, to inspire and instruct the heart. You have a hope that the world does not.

It is your prerogative to stand as both a witness and a voice, giving expression to truth beyond the capacity of mere words to express.

It is time to take your place as the forerunners you are called to be.

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” - 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Start creating again.