Advice from a Christian artist

To truly stand strong against the tide of popular culture – not as a milk-toast Christian who looks and talks like everyone else, but as an actual world-changing witness of a radically different life – isn’t an easy road. Especially when you’re completely immersed in the culture, and working in the arts scene where Christian values aren’t exactly the norm.

That’s where Beecher excels. I recently had the privilege of interviewing him – here are his words of wisdom.

Q: How do you stay strong in your faith and principles, when you’re immersed in secular culture?

A: I’ve found that for me it comes down to how much I value something and the priority I put on it.

And realizing that Jesus doesn’t accept or love me for what I do or how often I read my Bible, but he accepts me and loves me because of his unconditional love, mercy, and grace. For example, I used to let it get me down if I missed reading my Bible one day because I was so focused and concerned about my Christian performance and how I was doing compared to others.

I’ve slowly come to realize that being so honed in on performance can turn Christianity into a habit or methodology rather than a relationship.

That said, it is super important to me to stay in the Word (especially when life gets hectic) even if that means opening up the Bible app on my phone at night to read a Psalm and say a prayer. When I’m out of town and working, I make sure to get some alone time with the Lord because if I want to be a light to others, how am I going to be successful if I haven’t been to the light source?

And I make sure that I’m not trying to be someone I’m not – just being myself and not catering to other people’s pressure or expectations is a big deal.

Q: What does “not looking like the world” mean to you personally?

A: Not looking like the world to me means more about what we value and stand for than how we dress or act. Obviously our standards should align with the Bible, but Christians are all over the map on dress or language or what they listen to or watch.

What’s really important is that we recognize truth and moral standards in the Bible, how God calls us to behave or act, and that we follow them.

Q: The arts/fashion scene is not exactly Christian – how are you able to be a light in the darkness?

A: I’m able to be a light in the darkness because of point #2 above – I know what I believe, I have a moral code I follow, and it makes me different. The arts can be a brutal workplace – people are treated like cattle, cutthroat, a dog-eat-dog industry. But as a Christian it’s high on my list to love others, and that’s something that stands out in a place where every person is out for their own good.

It’s easy to be self-centered, but when we’re others-centered we’ll stand out. That goes for any area of life, not just the arts.

I’ve heard it said that St. Francis’ quote “Preach the Gospel, and when necessary use words” is wrong. That you have to speak the Gospel; you can’t preach the Gospel simply through your life. I disagree. There’s a fine mix of both. Being in the arts arena (and often being able to work with a great team), we’ve had many, many people comment about how great it is to work with us, how we treat people and each other, and the list goes on.

Occasionally there’s an opportunity to share the why behind our work ethic – that would be the love that Jesus demonstrated for us, which in turn makes us want to love others.

If you live differently, people will take notice.

And that can open unimaginable doors for sharing Jesus’ love with others.