"How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

For more than a quarter of a century, Creative Ministries has been telling people about Jesus. We use the tools of the creative arts - puppetry, mime, dance, drama, Reader's Theater, interactive Bible study, story telling and music - to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who haven't received it, and help Christians grow in their faith. The message is ancient, the tools are modern.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d, by Fay Nelson

“He drives me crazy!” she spluttered.  “I can’t get rid of him…nothing I try has worked!”  As my friend talked, her indignation increased.  She had done everything she could think of, except shooting him, to get rid of him.  And she failed.  She sought advice, and counsel, and tried everything recommended to her.  It all failed.  She finally took a photo of the intruder who defied the odds and got what he wanted.

            I began to feel sorry for him.  I asked to see the photo, for the intruder had captured my heart.  This photo was taken through a closed window and screen, so it is not very clear.  What IS clear is the determination and the focus of this little creature. He had a mission. He could envision his goal.  He kept failing to achieve that goal and so he kept on trying, kept on stretching.

            He was shouted at.  He was outwitted on numerous occasions.  But finally he found a solution.  It was a big stretch.  But he eventually reached his goal, ate his fill, and was satisfied. 

            Changing continents, cultures, and focus is a stretching experience.  It’s one we have found stretched us, challenged us, and required a great deal of effort so that we could do what we were supposed to do, as well as we were able to do it—both moving to and from the UK.  But whether or not you re-locate to another country, or community, being God’s light and witness is very much like such a move.  It requires a re-ordering of the heart, the thoughts, and the purpose of our lives.

            As we become new creatures, learn what it means to be our Father’s child, and begin to obey Him, we get stretched.  Life as we know it changes, though everything may appear to be the same on the outside—same family, same job, same circumstances.  The stretching comes as we move close to God, often with both subtle and loud opposition from those around us. 

            The stretching comes too as we go through daily life, receiving the same inputs—but with changed hearts.  The changed heart then means that our lives need to change.

            The news these past few weeks has been full of dramatic events and dramatic reporting, all of it reflecting the views of the reporter or the network or the news group.  Much of the news has been bad, or tragic. It’s a stretch to listen and watch and have any peace at all.  Yet the Good News is that God is in charge.  We can trust Him.  Regardless of what people do around us or to us, He loves us with a love that will never change, and He walks with us through every circumstance, comforting us, protecting us, caring for us. 

            We encourage you to follow the example of our little friend in the photo—as you’re stretching to obey God in your daily life, know that you can trust Him.  We often teach children this memory verse: “Be strong and courageous.  Do not tremble or be dismayed.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!”  Joshua 1:9  Amen!