UNDERSTANDING THE CREATIVE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE LOCAL CHURCH (p3)

Some people will object to the notion that all mankind is creative, using phases like “I haven’t got a creative bone in my body”. I believe this is due to a misunderstanding of the word creative. When we hear the word creative, many of us, automatically think of painters, sculptures, dancers, actors, and even graphic designers. However I would like to rebalance that understanding of the creative, by stating that in a general sense the creative is the expression of some form of thought or idea. The expression (or outlet) may be through the more conventional type of creative fields, but it may also be ‘a work of creative genius on the football field, the design of some breath-taking building, the invention of some microscopic-robot, an orchestral composer weaving umpteen lines of music together into one glorious harmony or even a ‘simple’ poem written on the back of a napkin by the hand of a child. The creative is simply one of the most amazing gifts given to mankind!

In James 1:16 there is a wonderful passage, which expresses the wonder of gifts from God:
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (Jas 1:17, NKJV)

This verse needs to be unpacked a little more to understand the true wonder of God given gifts. In this verse the English word “gift” is used twice. However, in the Greek it is two different words. The first use of the word is dosis (the act of giving), the second being dorema (bounty/bountifully, perfectly perfect). This shows us that God’s gift are both well given to us, but are also perfectly perfect in quality.