He Saw That It Was Good : Reimagining Your Creative Life to Repair a Broken World

A deep exploration of the intersection of faith, creativity, and justice from acclaimed hip-hop artist and creative polymath Sho Baraka “Sho has the courage to say what many are thinking and the candor to say what many are not. His words have positively influenced me for years—now this book gives the world that influence.”—Lecrae You were created to help bring truth and beauty into this broken world. God made you with an imagination and a yearning for justice. No matter your calling or vocation, you can help shape a better world around you through your creativity. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. We are surrounded by toxic stories and bad cultural thinking. We’re held back by incomplete theology. But does it have to be like that? Is frustration the end of the story? In the face of confusion and injustice, we can lose sight of our true narrative—the one that started in a garden and wants to make our real lives better today. In He Saw That It Was Good, activist and recording artist Sho Baraka wrestles deeply and honestly with these questions, gives you permission to do the same, and shows a hard-earned path to creative change. With Sho, you’ll engage with art, justice, and history. Learn from the powerful principles of historic movements, explore why it’s important to cultivate your creative calling (no matter what you do!), and discover a fresh look at how the gospel can transform how you see God, your neighbor, your work, and your world. You’ll return to your biggest and truest story. Your life (and your world) need never be the same. We were made to create. But our troubled world doesn't make it easy. Few people understand this better than acclaimed hip-hop artist and creative polymath Sho Baraka. With unforgettable prose and crisp storytelling, Sho will inspire you to speak truth, chase beauty, and live out the deep satisfaction of your life's true work. Through inspiring analysis of the Black artistic experience, storytelling, poetry, and an honest, incisive view of Christian faith, Sho Baraka reveals how discovering your destined place in God's creative story impassions our gospel, helps you take a stand for a more just and beautiful world. Sho believes that God's work is a grand narrative of creation and redemption. And he invites you to join that work by leading the world to more --more creativity, truth, beauty, life, and wholeness. Since we often experience challenges in that work, through everything from systemic social injustice to personal hangups, Sho empowers you to experience resistance as an opportunity for creative and social breakthrough. This book is an invitation to see those challenges in your life as an opportunity to learn something profound about God, yourself, and your specific work in the world. What if, just like in the Bible's creation story, God was waiting to proclaim "good" over what he is making in us--and even what he is making through us?