Riding the Wave of His Presence

I love this short video clip about famous surfer, Laird Hamilton because it speaks to the very core of who we are as artisans in the Kingdom of God. There's a quote at the very end that says of Laird "No one had ever ridden as Laird rode on that wave before. It was the imagination of dealing with that unimaginable energy and coming up with the plan spontaneously - he couldn't practice!"

God is calling us as artisans to that same place of imagination and creativity in order to take a mountain that's so big, no one has ever dared take it before - the mountain of arts & entertainment. He's calling us through our creative expression and the expression of our lives to release the Glory of God and impact culture around the world. He's looking for those artisans who are willing to risk it all for the thrill of conquering in His kingdom. He's looking for those who have dreamed of a moment like this, where their actions and the actions of those around the would forever alter the fabric of history in this realm.

The story of Laird Hamilton is not that he reached some long sought-after destination but rather the culmination of everything that he was, knew and had experieced prepared him for this perfect wave on this perfect day. It wasn't that he wasn't looking to go conquer that particular wave that day. In fact, he probably thought it was just another day on the water like he had spent many days before.

The same is true for us. Conquering the mountain of arts & entertainment and impacting culture is not some destination. Rather, it's about doing what you do every day as an artisan in the Kingdom and then all of a sudden waking up to the reality that you're right in the middle of the biggest moment of your life. It's the day to day journey of life, community and creativity that prepare us for these moments of destiny. Whether you're just beginning this journey of creativity in the Kingdom, or you've been preparing your whole life, I'd like to offer some sign posts for the journey to help guide you down this road of destiny.

Ride the Waves
One of the most important principles to learn in the Kingdom is that God creates the waves - we ride the waves. Arthur Wallace once said "If you would do the best with your life, find out what God is doing in your generation and fling yourself into it." Any time we get into creating the wave, manufacturing the circumstances, stirring up the momentum it likely leads us to moving outside the Spirit. Don't hear what I'm not saying though. God's looking for dreamers - those who will go for it - but all under His strategic guidance.

Every wave we experience in our life - creative or not - is seasonal. It's up to us to learn how to embrace the season we are currently in so we can fully experience and cooperate with what God is saying and doing now. When we try to operate the other way, by manufacturing situations or momentum, we become easily frustrated and blocked both spiritually and creatively. The Jesus model is to love us in relationship, show us the mysteries of God and then reveal greater works to us.

¹⁹ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

It's All About Balance
When you're riding a wave, the focus of your attention has to be about balance and forward momentum. You can't stand still on wave or you'll get crushed. The same is true creatively. You'll die as an artist if you don't learn to move with the Spirit of God and connect to the source of all creativity.

The balance we do desperately need as His creative ones is learning to flow in the right things at the right time. I'm typically an all or nothing kinda guy, so balance doesn't come naturally. If I am going to pursue something it's usually at the expense of something else. The Lord's plan for us as artisans is to be so tuned in to Him creatively that no matter what He calls us to - art, family, an upcoming show, volunteering at church, community events, work, a new project - we are able to flow in the grace and creativity He is releasing for that season. Again, our job is not to create the wave but to cooperate with it.

Beyond Practice
Lastly, I believe the Father wants to take us to a place in Him that's beyond practice and the rudiments of our creative medium. His desire is that we trust and flow with Him in the realms of life and creativity where it's impossible to practice or prepare.

This may seem unnatural to you, but it's exactly the story of Laird Hamilton and of Jesus. Both worked their whole life - listening, looking, percieving, preparing - Laird with the flow of ocean waves and Jesus with the flow of His father. Then, at the right time, with no real notice, they find themselves on the ride of their life where everything they are doing is the culmination of their entire experience.

For us to go to the levels in God that is required for us to take dominion over the mountain of arts & entertainment and really shift culture, it's imperative that we learn to go beyond what we can do naturally. We must learn to operate in the supernatural creative flow of the Holy Spirit. That's the place where the Kingdom and God's power are simply flowing out of you. Whether you're eating lunch, creating or talking to a friend, you're flowing in the Kingdom and the Glory is being revealed in and through you. It's what I call the 'shadow anointing'. Just like the disciples when they walked down the street and people got healed when their shadow fell upon them. The disciples didn't do anything per se but just be who they were in the Kingdom and boom - a normal everyday event like walking down the street becomes a supernatural explosion of creativity and healing.

I encourage you as a fellow artisan in the Kingdom. Pursue the deeper life in God and in the Glory of His presence. Learn to flow in His rhythm and together we will see an army of artisans arise!

The Vision of The Worship Studio

The Vision for The Worship Studio: Raising Up Artisans to Reveal God's Glory

During a season of crying out the Lord for revelation about my calling and my place in the Kingdom, the Father woke me up 2 mornings in a row at around 3:09 am -3:10 am. The song that was playing in my head was a song by Jason Upton called “Lion of Judah” where it says “Raise up an army, raise up an army, raise up an army like Joel saw!” On the second morning, I went to my studio and opened up the Bible to Joel 3:09 (NLT) and sure enough, here is what it said:

9 Say to the nations far and wide:
“Get ready for war!
Call out your best warriors.
Let all your fighting men advance for the attack.
10 Hammer your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere.
Gather together in the valley.”

And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!

12 “Let the nations be called to arms.
Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I, the Lord, will sit
to pronounce judgment on them all.
13 Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.[a]
Come, tread the grapes,
for the winepress is full.
The storage vats are overflowing
with the wickedness of these people.”

The Lord told me I was to go to the nations, gather the warriors and the weaklings – the master artisans and the emerging artisans – and raise up an army of artisans to reveal His Glory in the earth. He showed me how in this passage of scripture, warriors and those that saw themselves as weak were being called together to take whatever was in their hands – the normal tools of their trade (plowshares & pruning hooks) – and turn them into instruments of war. The Father then showed me that this movement of artisans was pivotal to His end-time purposes of bringing in the great harvest in our generation.

Camp Out By the River of God
The next morning, the Father woke me up again early. While I was praying, the Lord told me to go to Ezekiel 47 and I began to read about the Healing Waters and the River of God. In this passage the Lord describes how there are mighty trees planted by the water, how they yield fruit every month and how their leaves are for the healing of the nations. That’s when the Lord told me that our job at The Worship Studio was to “camp out by the river of God”. He said He would plant master artisans like mighty oak trees in The Worship Studio and their shade would bring comfort and rest to emerging artisans as they gathered around. Then I looked up and saw the wind blowing through the trees. The Lord told me that these master artisans – mighty trees – would spawn many branches (artisans) and fruit (art). He said “And every leaf will sing a little different, paint a little different, dance a little different as the wind of my Spirit blows through the trees. And the leaves will be used for the healing of the nations.”

With these 2 clear mandates from the Lord, The Worship Studio was born. Since then, God has continued to clarify the vision and strategy for ministry.

The Purpose of The Worship Studio Movement
The Worship Studio is:
• An Equipping Resource for Artisans
• A Catalyst for Creativity in the Kingdom
• A Hub for Creative Communities

Our vision is to encourage and equip artisans to form creative communities committed to fostering personal wholeness, engaging the Holy Spirit in their creative process, artistic skill development and releasing the Glory of God through creative expression.

The Strategy of The Worship Studio Movement
God has given us a 3-fold strategy for ministry in order to effectively lead artists into the fullness of what God has for their lives and creativity. The strategy includes: Wholeness, Prophecy & Creative Skill.

• Wholeness
God desires for all people to walk in complete freedom and wholeness. Through loving community, relationships, healing ministry and accountability artists will come into a deeper measure of wholeness in their life.
o "10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" John 10:10

• Prophecy
As artists are coming into wholeness, we encourage them to hear and engage the Holy Spirit in order to understand His desire for their life and creative expression. Out of those encounters with the Lord, artists learn to respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit through their life and unique creative expression, revealing the Testimony of Jesus in the earth.
o "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10

• Creative Skill
In the spirit of Bezalel & Oholiab & the musicians in the Tabernacle of David, we encourate artisans to minister skillfully before the Lord as they create and worship through creative expression. Through mentoring and training relationships with master artisans, participation in learning opportunities and practice, we will train artists to become master artisans within their chosen medium.
o "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship." Exodus 31:2-5

How Does It Look?
Our desire is to see creative communities established all over the world who share the same DNA, commitment and passion to raising up an army of artists to reveal the Glory of God in the earth as we do. God is mobilizing all of us for His purposes in our generation as we form this network of creative communities around the world. By design, every artist and consequently, every creative community will be a little different depending on the artisans God uses to establish the community and their collective passion.

The first studio we formed, in Canton, Georgia (NW Metro Atlanta) is actually a working artist community with art classes, monthly worship opportunities, classes & workshops and more located in a physical building on 2 acres. Other communities that are springing up are simply groups of artisans who gather at a local coffee shop or home to discuss their faith, art and life. The beauty of being a part of an artist community is that each community can be as unique as the artisans involved. The sky is the limit!

We are currently working on the development of a school in Asheville that will serve as the headquarters for The Worship Studio, including worship, training with master artisans, workshops, seminars, conferences and retreats, personal ministry and mentoring. Our dream is that God would raise up an epi-center of creativity and anointing that would be a deep well of blessing and healing for artisans around the world.

What About You?
Are you passionate about seeing a creative community form in your local area? For more resources on forming a creative community in your local area, please http://www.theworshipstudio.org/about/communities

To be a part of The Worship Studio Community, we simply ask that you align your creative community with the values outlined on the website above, including:
• Our DNA for Ministry as described in our Vision & Strategy
• Offering the “Artisan” Series in your Community
• Fostering Creative Community Among Artisans
• Collaboration & Support Among Communities

Practical Steps to Engaging the Holy Spirit in the Creative Process

It seems the passion of my life has been to create and to be immersed in the creative process. From the time I was a little boy until today, my desire to create has taken me down many paths from making mud-pies and makeshift army forts as a child, to songwriting, leading worship, graphic design, marketing consulting, basket weaving and a deep love for Appalachian-style fine craft. For most of my life I have to admit, I felt a little ADD – feeling like a jack of all artistic trades and yet a master of none. Only recently have I come to a more full understanding of who I really am as an artist and been able to embrace it. Not only embrace it, but able to fully engage the Holy Spirit within the creative passions of my heart to see Him show up and reveal the Father in new and exciting ways!

Stuff It
For most of my life, I tried to stuff my creativity into a religious box. Being a Christian and sensing a call to ministry early in my life, I blindly went down the road of ‘Christian service’, hoping to find the fulfillment of a life’s calling and creative outlet. What I ended up with was a lot of frustration and confusion about how my calling was to be worked out within the Church and the Kingdom. Never would have I described myself as an ‘artist’, only a functional title like musician, pianist, singer, or worship leader. Even the visual artist in me was reduced to just functional tasks within ‘ministry’ – designing media presentations, brochures or various printed materials. It was all in a neat little box, but God wanted to bring me to a place where He was breathing on ALL my work, flowing in my ALL art and allowing me to touch His heart through ALL my creative expression in the wider context of His Kingdom.

I have to admit, half of me has always been a closeted artist. The musician/worship leader/songwriter part of me has easily been on display in the context of the Church. Even the graphic designer part of me, from time to time. However, there was a side to me that very few people ever saw. The side that loved to get up early on a cool fall morning, put on my overalls, boots and ball cap, grab my garden clippers and head off into the woods on a treasure hunt. I’m a basket weaver. From the time I was a teenager, I have loved to walk in the woods, alone, searching for natural vines and other materials to weave baskets. At times it’s been artistic and at times therapeutic. All the time, that process for me has been deeply spiritual – and yet it’s the part of my artistic expression that I was the least comfortable. I mean honestly, we’re talking about basket weaving here! First of all, most guys don’t consider that the “manly” thing to do. Secondly, how many jokes have YOU heard about basket weaving as the favorite activity of mental patients. Thirdly, as someone ‘busy’ with ministry, how could I justify spending time on what seemed like a meaningless hobby when I should be ‘working for the Lord’ and serving my family? (Can’t just feel the religion all over that? Yuk!).

As I’ve grown as an artist and as one who is called to walk with artists in their journey of faith in the Kingdom, I know all to well that my story is the story of thousands. Ones who love the Father and desire to serve Him, but feel misunderstood and marginalized by religious mindsets and preconceived notions of what is spiritual and valued by the Father. How is it that the times I have heard and engaged the Holy Spirit in my creative process have had little to do with Church, ministry or organized religious activity? Rather, it has been in the quiet moments walking in the woods, enjoying the kudzu-covered hillsides of north Georgia and creating something beautiful out of crusty, gnarled vines that I have sensed His pleasure the so deeply.

Light Bulb Moments
It’s funny. I’m still getting comfortable with this title of ‘artist’. Just a few weeks ago, I was leading worship at a large youth camp in South Carolina. During the course of the week, I struck up a conversation with the camp nurse. She sat at the leaders table and we shared about our lives, interests, hopes and dreams. One day I talked about being a worship leader and songwriter. Then later on I’m sharing about the clients I am working with as a designer and marketing consultant. Later in the week, she saw me sitting on a log outside the lodge weaving a basket out of kudzu and wisteria vines. Another day we discussed my passion for raising up artists and The Worship Studio (an artist community I lead with a team of other artists in Canton, GA). By the end of the week, she just laughed and said ‘So, Matt, what do you do for money?’ I had to chuckle and say ‘Well, a little bit of everything – however the Lord brings it’. In that moment, she said something very profound to me, which I have to admit made me feel a little uncomfortable at first. She said “Well, you’re quite the artist aren’t you?”. I thought for a moment and then like a rush of wind in my spirit, the Holy Spirit said “Yes you are, and I love it!”.

What the Lord began to show me on my own journey as an artist in the Kingdom is that I’m not like everyone else, nor am I supposed to be. The very sensitivities and creative spark that He’s put in me is the very essence He wants me to explore with Him. His desire is not for me to jump on some corporate treadmill, get a dead end job and have a ‘hobby’ on the weekends when I have nothing else to do. He has created me as one who is a creator – a co-labor with Him in the Kingdom – a dreamer who desires what could be, sees what others miss, loves beauty, appreciates detail, and senses His presence at the most inopportune times. I am an artist.

Ramping Up
During a recent season of healing and brokenness in my own journey, the Father began to really show me how to walk with Him as an artist and engage Him on a deeper level creatively. It came after a job loss. I was a worship pastor most of my career. In 2003, I left full-time ministry during a mess at the local church I was serving. God was working on all of us, and honestly, God needed to get at some places in me that He couldn’t get to in the context of church. Long story short, I started a design firm, grew it pretty large over a period of about 5 years, made a lot of money and then lost it all – I mean all. I floated for a little bit, worked some odd jobs and then settled in a corporate job at a major multi-billion dollar technology firm doing sales and marketing. I did well there, even won a lot of awards, but was never fulfilled. The whole time I was crying out for God to rescue me from ‘cubicle hell’! He was working something deeper in me.

During that season, I had come to the place where the Lord was opening up doors for ministry again as a worship leader. Conferences, retreats and even some interviews for worship pastor position at some large churches around the country flowed in. I was getting antsy. Part of me wanted to escape. The other part of me really wanted to engage creatively again. After almost a year at the company, I was laid off in a massive corporate downsize because of the economy. I was faced with a choice – jump back into a dead-end job that will pay the bills or lay it all down and let God do what He was going to do. For me, it was one of those Paul moments where I was like “Why not just go for it? I can’t lose anything more than I’ve already lost. And who knows, God might just show up this time!”. He did, and in a powerful way.

Popcorn
During this season of waiting, the Lord told me several things. First, he showed me a picture of a huge field with mountains, the sky and a breeze blowing through the field. Then He said “Don’t look for a job, your provision will come like popcorn.” As I looked at the field again, popcorn started popping everywhere and He said to me “I’m turning up the heat and pouring in the oil”. The next day, people started calling me out of the blue for websites, logo designs, and other design projects. Before I knew it, I had 6 clients and was making more money that I was when I was working fulltime in cubicle land.

Right after that, the Lord had me start seeking Him in a more intense way. My wife and son would be out the door in the mornings by 6:45am. I’d grab my coffee, go downstairs in my studio and begin to seek God. I’d lay on the floor, worship, cry, read the Word, journal, walk around, intercede and anything else He told me to do. Then, before I knew it, lunchtime had rolled around and I’d eat lunch. Then I’d go over to my church and seek Him some more in the prayer room. This went on for weeks. All I was doing for most of the day was what I call ‘soaking prayer’ – literally just laying in His presence and allowing His love to wash me and renew me in a deep way.

Pretty soon, the Lord began to pour out great vision for my life, my art, my destiny as a father to artists and even business opportunities that I had not even dreamed of. It was during this time that I began to see how the Lord wanted to connect the dots with His presence and my creative expression.

1) The Secrets of the Kingdom are our inheritance (Luke 8:10)
There are things that God wants to release in the earth – secrets – that He will only reveal to those who diligently seek Him and who desire His kingdom, not their own. He is the source of all creativity. He already owns everything. He knows everything. Every problem, challenge or issue that’s in the world today He already has a solution for – He’s just looking for some passionate lovers of His heart that He can reveal those to.
2) Filled and Skilled (Exodus 31:1ff)
The Father loves craftsmen and artists. Since the beginning of creation, He’s allowed people to walk in creative authority in the earth with Him, under His inspiration. All throughout the Bible (Tabernacle of David, Building of the Temple of Solomon, Tabernacle of Moses, etc), God speaks of filling artists with the Holy Spirit and endowing them with skill in artistic expression for the purposes of beauty and prophesying. He’s doing the same thing today – filling artists with the Holy Spirit and teaching them how to involve Him in the creative process. The result is not just art for art’s sake, but co-laboring in creative expression that literally carries the presence and the power of God – prophetically declaring His purposes in the earth. God Himself is a multi-faceted Creator, and loves sharing
His nature with those who care to partake.

3. I’ve also noticed during this season that as I put my focus on becoming more skilled in my craft – whether that be design, music or craft – I sense the presence of God much stronger. Skill brings freedom; specifically, the freedom to respond the the Holy Spirit in a unique expression of creativity. Without skill, I believe we limit our ability to co-labor with Him in the Kingdom
Excellence is an honor to Him, and a more accurate representation of who He is. Sure, God can ‘boom’, give us the skill. However, I’ve found the Father is much more about the journey to skill and the process of development than He is the end result we so desire. We come to know Him and ourselves better in the process. It is astounding!

3) Focus on the Kingdom brings Creative Inspiration
Jesus said “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you”. If you need anything added to you, seek the Kingdom. Whatever you need in your life, seek the Kingdom and seek His presence. When we connect our desire to Him and His heart, all the things that we need in our life suddenly begins to manifest. Connection to His purposes unlocks a divine flow in our life where we are able to walk in prophetic expression in every area we put our hands to.

I’m walking now in creative expression in areas I never thought possible. For example, the Lord is showing me new ways to create vessels using gourds, scripture, color and hand-tools. I’m writing new songs, learning new designs for baskets, creating new work for clients. The divine flow of creativity is causing my worlds to collide. To be honest, it’s quite freeing - to know that God is free to move through all of me at any time using many different creative expressions of my life.

4) Extended Time In His Presence Yields Extraordinary Creativity
God has wrought into my being the understanding that time with Him and in His presence yields much more than I could ever do on my own. It refreshes me, centers my heart for the day and causes me to listen for Him in ways that are different than what I can experience in the day-to-day busy-ness of life. The Father longs to give good gifts to His children – to dote on you – to make you smile – to give you the desires of your heart. We have to choose to be with Him. When we do, He stands ready to pour out such love, inspiration and creativity on us that once we experience it, we will never desire to go back to life as usual.

So many artists, myself included, never think about actively engaging the Holy Spirit in their creative process. It’s just ‘what we do’. However, now that we are His, so is our expression – but not in some robotic way. This idea of ‘more of Thee, less of me’ can cause us to be self-depricating, falsely humble artisans. If God wanted less of you He wouldn’t have created you. As Bill Johnson says, “He had none of you before He created and you and evidently He didn’t like it!”. God created you with His heart for creativity. He wants you to desire Him and explore the creative expanse of life with Him. He desires you to co-labor with Him in your creative expression so that your art becomes a prophetic declaration of the Glory of God in the earth.

PRACTAL STEPS TO ENGAGE THE HOLY SPIRIT
Most of you artists by now have skipped ahead to this section by now! “Just tell me how to do it and let me get back to my studio!” These are by no means steps in a formula to wrangle the Holy Spirit into your creative world. Rather, these are signposts that have helped to direct me on my own journey toward actively engaging the Holy Spirit in my own artistic expression.

1) Intentional Intimacy
I’ve found in my own life that the Holy Spirit likes to move in people who know Him, recognize Him and desire to be with Him. That being said, if you want God to invade your art, first He’s got to invade your heart. He wants a heart that’s completely His, a desire that’s for Him and a mind renewed with a Kingdom mindset. Facilitating intimacy is really as easy as setting aside time with Him just to be with Him. When I started this process, I thought I would go downstairs to my piano, play, worship, sing and wait on the Lord. In fact, the Father had other plans. He had me play CD’s and sit quietly in silence most of the time journaling my thoughts on paper – something I had never done before. What that did for me was take me ‘off my game’ and put me in a raw, unfamiliar place where I could really hear from the Lord without the normal ‘ministry’ or ‘quiet-time’ routines to which I had become so calloused.

2) Desire to Hear from Him
This goes a much deeper than just wanting to be with Him. It is not wanting just to talk to Him, but to hear Him. When I began to sit with the Lord in His presence and He really began speaking to me, I was blown away. A lot of the stuff He would tell me didn’t make sense. Most of it was vision – BIG VISION – of what He wanted for me, my life, my art, my family, my business. He began raising my vision to His vision, which can be scary. For me, it took me out of my comfort zone of what seemed normal into a ‘dreamers’ mentality. Instead of looking at natural circumstances around me, or trying to figure things out based on my experience, my skill, or the people I knew, I began to dream about what was possible. Pretty soon, my desire to hear from Him became insatiable! I went from being nervous about it (mostly because I was dealing with shame issues from my relationship with my own dad and past sin) to excited and anxious to hear from Him. Once I began to know Him, trust Him and understand His heart for me, my heart was undone with gratitude that He really did love me. He wasn’t mad at me – and He’s not mad at you. In fact, He’s in a good mood! He loves you with an everlasting love! He’s for you and wants to prosper you in His Kingdom today! Get this in your heart and you’ll spend a lot of carpet time with the Father, weeping in His presence.

3) Dance the Dance
Once you’re in the place where you are hearing from the Father, spending time in His presence and letting Him love on you, just dance the dance! What I mean by that is fully engage in the dance that He’s dancing with you! He wants you to swing your head back, kick up your heels and dance passionately! Take a chance and trust Him. Believe that what He has promised you will come to pass. Begin to create and pursue your artistic expression with new zeal and abandon as He inspires your heart. Pretty soon, you’ll become a conduit for the Holy Spirit to pour His presence through to touch the earth. The lives of thousands will be changed because you chose to dance with the Father!