create

I've been amazed by creative power lately... so amazed, I'm not even sure how to express it. I have been speechless several times over the last few weeks at the creative power of music, especially live music. Think about it: when you go to a live show, you are hearing pure creativity that probably will never be heard again. Sure, the artist is doing a song that he or she recorded years ago and has performed thousands of times. But they always seem to add something to it that's different - some unusual emphasis - some crazy run - maybe even some raw emotion. And all of that is probably something that will never be duplicated in the same way.

And therein lies the beauty of creative power. With music, we humans get to create something that did not exist before we created it and probably will not exist in the same form ever again. In this way, we get to participate in the creative power of God. It's because of this that I feel music (and other forms of art) connect us to God in a unique way.

We understand God as creator. One of God's most potent attributes is God's ability to create out of nothing. Much of creation will never be duplicated in the same way. It's always changing; always adapting. It's how God created it to be.

When we participate in art; in music, we connect to the Creator God in a deep and meaningful way. We display God's creative power for all who hear or see our art. We mirror the image of God in the tunes we hum, in the words we craft, in the art we create.

This was even more real to me at the India Arie concert last week. At one point, she prompted her vocalists to vamp on the concept of how they knew God to be real (based on her song "God is Real" from Voyage to India). She encouraged them to be free in their expression. What happened was so powerful; so spiritual that I couldn't keep my eyes open, and my breath escaped me. The raw emotionality of their responses are hard to describe and impossible to duplicate. It was pure creative power.

And I'm convinced God was pleased.

I love music. That is not a secret to anyone who knows me. But lately, music - ALL music - has helped me love God more.