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I don't know if it's the way we're taught, but we feel like if we do certain things, certain steps, and we'll find God at the end of that. Then we think, "Ok, I've misstepped, I've messed up. There's something wrong with me and that's why I don't feel God. I'm this big farce."
Darlene: The word does say, "If you seek me, seek me with all your heart and you'll be found by me." I think lots of people look for a quick, easy answer. But the life of a disciple has always been a costly one. It's a sacrificial one. It's not a popular one. We've all had to say no to things to pick up our cross and follow Christ. I don't necessarily think that was ever a popular message in the Gospels and it's true today. It's not the easiest message and kids want an easy message. But what I love is that they also respond to truth. If we just keep giving them the truth of the word of God. I know for myself, once I had that initial God encounter, I could not live one moment longer without that relationship with my creator. Really from that day, I've been changed. I think people have got to have their own God encounter. You've got to sometimes, just go after that. If we don't get it in five minutes, then we're like, "Ok, that didn't work, let's go onto the next thing." No, sometimes seeking - you actually just have to take time and listen, and don't leave. If you read Wigglesworth and others, they were men of God, and they weren't leaving until they had known that someone in heaven was listening and cared, and they weren't leaving until they got their answer. And I'm always challenged by that myself, to not be the 'quick fix chick' - you know, to stick in there, because God is faithful.
What situations in your personal life do you want us to pray for for you? Do you have anything going on that you need prayer for?
Darlene: Always. Where do we start?
Derek: Yes, certainly. I don't know how much of it my wife would want me talking with you about but ...
all: laughing
Derek: yeah, I think the best prayer that you can pray for artists in this industry is that we would seek after the approval of God enough to be able to be honest with people and to be able to write what is really kind of going on in our hearts, because I think too many people get into ...like art and commerce is a hard enough marriage on its own but art, commerce, and spirituality is almost doomed if not illegal, because that's three people getting married.
all: laughing
Derek: So, the problem you run into though is Christian artists have the problem of not only trying to make art that is good and engaging, but also there is the subcultural American Christian morality thing that also goes along with that somehow. That is why I think of lot of Christian fiction is kind of terrible because you write about a villian and he is not really evil because you can't really make him evil, because if you did then you'd have to write a lot of really nasty things that you can't write in a Christian book. So our villains aren't really that bad. You know, we've got this terrible villian of a guy, but he doesn't curse and he doesn't kill anybody. Well, he isn't really that bad apparently. But, he is we just can't tell you about it. Our Scripture is not afraid to tell you about things that are really and truly evil and despicable but as Christian artists there is this framework of morality around what we're doing. And I'm not saying that morality is bad, but as artists if it keeps us from being honest with our audience - which I think it has for the better part of the last twenty years - then it just paints a really unrealistic picture of what the faith is all about. And suddenly it's not about brokeness and struggle and evil being made right. I don't know what it's about. It's twelve steps to something. The whole thing is pre-chewed food, it's pre-packaged, it's pre- felt feelings. It's 'what would Jesus do' as opposed to 'what has Jesus done?' It's just another step of some steps in something that we do to get something. It's another book or a formula through which we can get something. Those sort of things sell really well. But what doesn't really sell always is just someone's honest story. So, pray for the liberty of Christian artists that we would not be afraid of men and that we could write the darkness that is really in our hearts in order to really exalt the greatness of our good Savior. 'Cause I've got not a good thing in me, I guarantee you. And if I was honest with you and if I could talk freely in here, then you'd find out real quick and you wouldn't print a word that I said. But you might walk out knowing that I had nothing but Jesus, and that is all I've got anyway so that wouldn't be a terrible thing for you to find out.
You mean you're not perfect?
all: laughing
Derek: Isn't that tremendous! Paul said out of one side of his mouth 'follow me as I follow Jesus' and on the other side said 'out of all sinners I am the greatest.' So, I'd rather lead prostrate than try to lead as one who is righteous because I'm certainly not. If there is anything you should know about me is that I'm not - it is my need for Jesus and it is not my righteousness. Because, I've got none.
That's one of the sides of Christianity that usually isn't advertised - that accepting Christ doesn't suddenly make you perfect and fault free - and I'm not able to mess things up anymore.
Derek: You think it would be the opposite. Being Christian means you need a Savior. If I continue to stress that I'm a Christian, then that means I continue to need a Savior. So all I'm telling you is that I'm a wreck, if I tell you I'm a Christian - not that I'm righteous. If I was righteous, I wouldn't need Jesus.
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