The True

Imaginitivity

“I have imaginitivity.”

Our daughter quickly corrected herself, “I mean, I have an imagination and creativity.”

But I honestly prefer “imaginitivity.” It beautifully captures this intensely creative imagination that is characteristic of our God, and with which you were designed!

Consider the fact that the very first thing we are told about God in Genesis 1:1 is that He is a creator (“In the beginning, God created…”). His very nature is to make something out of nothing, and He doesn’t exactly paint with bland colors either! If you think God doesn’t have a vivid imagination, you have clearly never considered the proboscis monkey, the man-faced stink bug, or even that God somehow decided that many of his creations—including you and me—should have the ability to sneeze! Where did that come from? (Oh, and you seriously should click those links…hilarious!)

God’s creativity is fueled by His expansive imagination, and so is yours! This theme is practically shouted from the mountaintops all through scripture:

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14).

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them” (Gen. 1:27).

”He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers” (Ex. 35:35).

You were created to create. You were born to imagine. You were designed to emulate your Creator. And maybe most astonishing of all, you were endowed by your Creator with the skills, imagination, and creativity—the “imaginitivity”—to pull it off! What a breathtaking gift!

I want to encourage and challenge you in this today, because our world has a way of wringing the courage to create out of us. I see this every day, and you know it, too. What dream, story, idea, or passion lives in you, but has yet to sprout wings because you are too afraid it “won’t work?” Think about it this way: What creativity has your God-given imagination produced that has not yet been released into the world?

Have you considered that perhaps your “imaginitivity” was uniquely designed to reach and impact specific people for the glory of God? If the God who thought up the proboscis monkey and the man-faced stink bug saw fit to gift you a unique imagination and set of creative tools, is it not reasonable to assume He created an audience who would be uniquely impacted by those gifts?

Do not be dissuaded from embracing your “imaginitivity” because it won’t be understood by everyone. Instead, aim your unique giftings toward the glory of the Creator in whose image you were designed, and trust Him to use those gifts to impact those for whom they were designed!

Your God has "imaginitivity." You have "imaginitivity." And there is an audience out there who will be uniquely drawn to their Creator’s side as a result of your emulation of the Creator!

World

Alexei Navalny Dies in Russian Prison

Alexei Navalny, the most prominent political opponent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in the bowels of a Russian prison this week. Navalny was serving a lengthy sentence after several convictions related to charges of “extremism”—charges the U.S. State Department has condemned and called “unfounded.” According to prison officials, Navalny died suddenly after a short walk, and his mother was told he died of “sudden death syndrome.” The account is sure to be received skeptically given the long history of attacks against Putin’s political opponents. Navalny himself is believed to have been poisoned by Kremlin allies in 2020.

Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has pledged to carry on her husband’s political opposition to Putin.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Given the secrecy that is commonplace inside the Russian government, we may never know for certain the cause of Navalny’s death. However, given the history, there is good cause for worldwide speculation that Navalny was targeted by the Russian government. It is yet another reminder that the freedom to dissent and disagree with one’s government is anything but universal, even today.

As Jesus followers, and especially those living in governing systems with robust individual liberties, we should use our voice in defense of those who are deprived of their ability to live freely as their Creator intended (Gal. 5:13).

The eyes of the world—and certainly the eyes of the Putin regime—will now be on Navalnaya as she seeks to carry on the work of her deceased husband. She is likely to attract many of his supporters, but it is all but certain that Putin will retain his stranglehold on power as he continues his war against Ukraine.

Our prayers should be with both the oppressed (Is. 1:17) and those suffering from the ravages of war (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

U.S.

$355 Million

Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay $355 million, plus accrued interest, after a New York judge found him liable for fraud with his financial statements, falsifying business records, issuing false financial statements, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and conspiracy to falsify business records. The former President has vowed to appeal the ruling, and continues to defend against charges in several other cases involving election interference, mishandling of classified documents, and improper hush money payments.

Analysis and eternal perspective: This is currently the single most divisive series of stories in our world. Each of us is prone to view these cases primarily through a lens of how we view former President Donald Trump rather than an objective lens based on evidence and procedure. The same can be said for the ongoing legal cases and impeachment proceedings involving the current President, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter. The American judicial system depends wholly on an even-handed—or “blind”—application of justice, but public sentiment is dubious of that principle in these cases.

As we in The Equipped community endeavor to interact with these stories in a way that reflects the True and the beautiful, it will require a repeated commitment to laying aside political preferences in order to objectively consider the facts at hand. Quite frankly, it will also require a two-step process of, a) Evaluating how much of your attention each case warrants, and b) Reading and evaluating for yourself the source documents in the cases you choose to consider. So much of the coverage of the proceedings against both men will be colored by opinion, but we would do well to ardently apply Proverbs 18:17, “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.”

U.S.

Tragedy in Kansas City

A woman is dead and more than 20 others are injured after a shooting at the scene of a parade and rally to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory. Two adults and two minors have been arrested in the shooting. Authorities have charged some of those detained, but say more charges are likely. Multiple victims remained hospitalized, and early indications from law enforcement suggest a dispute between a number of individuals attending the celebration led to the shootings.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Last week, we considered the mix of triumph and tragedy that occurred on Super Bowl Sunday. Unfortunately, this story layers significant grief and tragedy on top of that mix. We as The Equipped should grieve with those who are grieving (Rom. 12:15), and seek out opportunities to provide comfort that can only be found in our God (2 Cor. 1:4).

Further, this story is an invitation for Jesus followers to consider how to be not just responsive to brokenness in our world, but also proactively restorative. So many of the forces in our world are divisive and debilitating, but our mission as followers of Jesus is one of drawing the broken into wholeness and healing through a relationship with Jesus.

Romans 8:18-30 is a poignant passage that acknowledges the “groaning,” “suffering,” and “frustration” of the created world, but points to a day when “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”

While it is true the promise of Romans 8 will not be fully realized until the day God renews everything (Rev. 21:5), it should be our aim to embody that restoration and liberation through the way we live here on Earth. We will not be able to eliminate the prevalence of tragedy. But we have within us, and can offer to those around us, the only real triumph over tragedy.

The Beautiful

Light and Shadow

Every skilled photographer is nearly obsessed with light and shadow. Where is the light coming from? What shadows are being cast? How can I use both to capture my vision? Light and shadows can make a photo, or they can break it. To complicate things, in the case of natural light, both dynamics are constantly moving and changing, so the artist must plan ahead of the change in order to capture the intended effect.

Our Creator paints with light and shadow, too! The sunrise or sunset, a walk in the woods, or just the view out your window are all opportunities to notice the light and shadows of your God’s “imaginitivity.”

The best part? Your God, the author of that light and shadow, is a constant light and casts out darkness in your world. He does not change, and you do not have to plan ahead to catch Him just where you need Him. He is already there, waiting for you.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (Jam. 1:17).