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Happy Tuesday, fam! I pray that you have been encouraged in the Lord and His faithfulness. In September 2025, I shared with you how the Lord was beginning to hone my focus for the Kingdom Artist Institute: unpacking what it means to be a Kingdom artist. Since then, He's continued dealing with me. And the first thing He's been dealing with me about is how important it is that we understand that things have changed. I have long had an issue with the phrase, I'm an artist who just happens to be Christian. I understand why artists say it. I understand what they're trying to communicate when they say it. But it's still incorrect. It's incorrect because the "be Christian" part has fundamentally changed so much about you and me, and our lives in art. Yes, in many ways, we are artists like other artists. We have to go through many of the same experiences and work with the same materials and elements as they do. But the way we go through those experiences, and the ways we manage and interact with those materials, are very different from other artists because we are interacting with them within a Kingdom context. Being a Kingdom artist means yes, we are both artists, but we are walking a very different walk. As I continue to dig into this, I realize how many of the things we struggle with as Kingdom artists stem from us not realizing things have changed, not understanding how things have changed, and/or not aligning ourselves with the changes that have occurred (whether from not being willing to or not knowing how to). These struggles include the tension between our faith and art, worrying about whether we are honoring God, worrying about compromising ourselves, stressing about our purpose, and more. Saying yes to God, accepting His invitation to relationship, was more than just coming to a belief, or coming into a relationship with a silent partner. The yes we gave was a yes to a new way of living, a new way that is to change how we conduct ourselves, how we think, how we respond, how we speak, how we move, etc. So I did a thing. Well, the Lord had me do a thing. I created a mini-course exploring these changes that have occurred and how they change our art lives. Check it out below.
This talk invites you, as a Kingdom artist, to explore the shift that begins in your art life when you say yes to God. We’ll look at what it means to live and create as citizens of His Kingdom, and how that way of life reshapes your identity, imagination, and practice over time. Rather than offering formulas or fixed answers, this talk focuses on naming and understanding the quiet but profound change that begins with your yes—how it unfolds, how it shapes your creative life, and why recognizing it matters as you learn to walk, work, and create faithfully in God’s Kingdom.
Other News
Africa I'm heading to Africa in 5 months!!! Oh my gosh. That came so fast. I will be there for about three weeks serving and working alongside two dance communities in Nairobi, Kenya and Kampala, Uganda. I could so use your prayers: for all the finances I need for travel, etc. For the Lord to go before me and prepare the way. For safe travels all the way there and home without getting stuck anywhere because of geopolitical issues. And that God would show me how to pour into the work He's already doing there.
Detroit I will be going to Detroit, Michigan for a 3-week residency. This is a presenter residency with Selah House so I will be there to teach, lead experiences, and do 1-on-1's with artists. I'm so excited. I get to design my residency and offer any classes I want. I could use your prayers. I want the Lord to lead me in what to bring to this community to pour into whatever amazing work He is already doing there. Blessings to you all. Please let me know if there's anything I can be praying for you about. Until next time, Marlita
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