And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works...

Exodus 35:31 KJV

The first mention of the “Spirit of God” is when the Lord created the earth in Genesis chapter 1. In Genesis 41, Pharaoh mentions that the “Spirit of God” is in Moses. And the third time the “Spirit of God” is mentioned is in Exodus when God empowers Bezaleel, son of Hur, to make and instruct other craftsmen how to build special items, the “curious works” of engraving, embroidering, weaving and carving needed to adorn the tabernacle. Two of the first three times “The Spirit of God” appears in the Bible have to do with God’s creative nature. Our God is a creative God, and he empowers us to create!

Some of my staff just returned from the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. One of the speakers at that event is named Phil Cooke. Mr. Cook is a TV director/producer, who is also a PhD specializing in marketing trends. He spoke on the topic of creativity and said in the future we, “will move from a preacher-driven media to a producer-driven media.”

What does that mean? It means that in our modern media environment, producers are the people who will be (and are) creating the Christian content that catches the most eyes on TV, YouTube, Facebook, etc. While there will always be some media space for quality preaching, we will increasingly be seeing creative people empowered by God to create compelling content. That content will reach viewers who will never tune-in to preaching, no matter how good the content.

At SAT-7 we have always placed a priority on our producers. If you watch any one of SAT-7’s three channels you will see very few pulpit-preaching programs. Dr. Cooke went on to say, “Where are the comedies, the dramas, the documentaries?” At SAT-7 we regularly produce and air those types of shows because that kind of programming attracts a wide audience. Dr. Cooke said to one of our staff after the meeting, “I love what you guys do.”

Thank you for helping us give a platform for God’s creative people in the Middle East and North Africa. We know that our Lord is a creative God, and His Spirit is still empowering artists to craft “curious works” that bring Him glory!

Yours in His Service Together,

-Terry