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If there’s one book out of the nearly 30 I’ve read this year that I would confidently say is a must-read, it’s got to be Pursuing Christ, Creating Art: Exploring Life at the Intersection of Faith and Creativity by Gary Molander.

PURSUING CHRIST.CREATING ART. from Floodgate Creative on Vimeo.

If you in any way remotely consider yourself an artist [and the truth is, all of us are artists in some form or fashion], you owe it to yourself to pick this book up because there are some great insights and hard truths you need to hear about yourself and your art.

I don’t think that the world needs any more “Christian” artists, I think the world needs artists who are Christians. People who, regardless of their muse, give their lives to create things that give a hopeful glimpse of what’s possible and point to what’s unseen in the world around us and inside of us.

From the very early pages of the book, Gary is candid about his life and experiences as a creative arts pastor. Speaking from the wisdom of his years of experience, he’s assembled a collection of short essays on topics including: purpose, identity, pursuit, authority, blocks, creativity, church, and leadership.

One of the first bold statements that Gary makes in the book that really sets the tone for the remainder of what he shares is this:

“We don’t create art for God. He doesn’t need it. We create art in response to God. Because the world needs it.”

That’s a new way of thinking about it, huh?

The entire time I was reading this book I kept thinking to myself, “Man, I wish I would have had this book 5 years ago.”

Gary speaks a language that anyone who has been engaged in the artistic process in the life of a church can understand and relate to. He empathizes with our struggles and lovingly rebukes us of some of the ways we put ourselves at the center of what we do instead of focusing on what God wants to do through us and our art.

As a young leader, it’s very easy to slip into the trap of listening to the same voices, especially the voices of our peers, and we do ourselves a great disservice by not hearing the voice of wisdom that comes from those who have gone before us. Gary serves as a pastoral voice to church creatives and young leaders, offering sound advice and wisdom gleaned through experience. He speaks humbly, candidly and honestly about the challenges and great opportunities we have to steward with our creativity.

Whether you are using your artistic gifts inside the church or in the public square, as believers we all share the common calling of creating art that points people to our creator. In this book, Gary explores the space between our faith and creativity and challenges us to live authentically and honestly as we pursue our creative endeavors.

I related to so many of the things Gary shared in this book and even winced a few times as he said some hard truths about the dark side of being a creative. I saw myself and my journey all over the pages of this book, and as I said earlier, would have probably saved myself a lot of heartache and learning lessons the hard way if I would have had read it years ago.

Whether you are long into your journey or  just beginning, this book is a must-read for any  creative. I am grateful that Gary created this bit of art and poured himself into this project for the rest of us. It’s truly a gift and a book I know I will come back to many times in the years to come.

And, having had the chance to connect with Gary offline, I can tell you that he’s the real deal and is someone that I’m grateful to have speaking into my life as I continue to pursue Christ and create art.

The world desperately needs what God has put inside of you. However it will be expressed, with words or images, pixels or in brushstrokes, we owe it to God and to those who we serve to be the best artisans and creatives and to humbly give our art as a gift that points people back to our Creator.

This book will help give you perspective about your calling as an artist and creative, and will encourage and challenge you to do work that will show the world the beauty of Christ.

I love this book so much I’m going to give 5 copies away. Drop your answer to this question in the comment section below and I’ll randomly pick 5 of you to get a free copy of the book!

What is the biggest challenge you face in your creative process?