Does it have "Like"

Does it have "Like"

How do people find strength in their creativity and faith? This conversation between host Jim Hirtle and guest Rick Sorensen leans into that question through the lens of art, church culture and everyday life. Rick, a lifelong artist and former teacher, talks about his book *Art, The Church’s Response* and how a friend’s nudge – “you should write a book on art for Christians” – slowly grew into a decades-long project.

You’ll hear how he connects the Hebrew word *bara* (“to create as a process”) with the idea that, as people made in God’s image, “we have to create. It’s part of who we are.” The chat pokes at a myth many in recovery and faith circles will recognise: that creativity is reserved for a gifted few.

Rick explains how fear, frustration and unhelpful messages in childhood lead many to hit what he calls the “quitting stage”, where they simply stop seeing themselves as creative at all. Jim and Rick range from children’s drawings and church murals to the tabernacle in Exodus, the song of Moses and dance as expressions of joy.

They also unpack how churches have often treated art as frivolous or only acceptable when overtly religious, and why Rick thinks the church should actively support creatives rather than pigeonholing them. There’s plenty here for anyone in sobriety or faith-based recovery who’s wondering if they’re “allowed” to be creative, or who’s scared to pick up a pen, brush or guitar again.

The chat stays honest, occasionally funny, and very down-to-earth – more like two friends talking in the church hall after a meeting than a stiff lecture. If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “I can’t even draw a stick figure”, this one might gently ask: are you really not creative, or have you just believed that for too long?