Listening to the Relevant podcast this morning (very good, if you haven't heard it yet), checked out their corresponding website (duellikerealmen.com) and found a collection of the kind of Christian ingenuity that makes me proud to be a part of the group. Take this fine T-shirt design (every Christian needs a good rip-off T-shirt to wear, right?)... I can honestly say that the "You Who" design is probably the worst that I have seen. Kind of reminds me of the time when I was less fond of country music and had such amazing songs as "Refried Dreams" as fodder to make fun of people who had a different opinion than my own (I've reversed course now and enjoy country). In case you didn't get the correlation...

"You Who" design is to Christian T-Shirt
as
"Refried Dreams" is to Country music

If your dresser drawer is filled with Christian T-Shirts, I apologize (how does a T-Shirt become Christian anyway?) - I'm really not entirely against the idea - probably only about 80% or so. :-)

I guess the thing that has always bothered me about the Christian 'market,' which includes anything from 'Christian' apparel, to music, to figurines & trinkets, to movies, to... (you get the point) is the lack of ingenuity. We, as God's creation, are created in His image, right? And God is a creator at His very core, right? Then why does a fallen world many times, whose God-image is tarnished & warped because of sin, come off as more creative than those of us whom God is perfecting His image within?

"Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his practices and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of his Creator." Colossians 3:9-10, HCSB

We need to represent Christ well - wherever we go & in whatever we do. We're going to talk about this a little this Sunday in our "When Faith & Life Collide" series as we look at "Faith & Work." For my part I want to strive to be as accurate a reflection of His image as possible - trusting that the imperfections will be overridden by His grace and truth.