200 Pomegranates and an Audience of One

Book excerpt: 200 Pomegranates empowers and inspires readers to develop their God-given talents and contribute something that makes a difference in the world, be it through construction or counseling, doing people’s taxes carefully and ethically, or raising and teaching children. Even if your contribution seems to go unnoticed by others, you can rest assured that God sees and values your work. Readers follow the story of obscure Old Testament figure Huram of Tyre, an artist putting the finishing touches on Solomon's temple. He honed his craft and contributed something of beauty and excellence, though some of his best work was thirty feet off the ground, where few people would notice its intricacies. Likewise, we have the ability and opportunity to create something of worth, be it for the lasting enjoyment of others or for God's eyes only. We may not all be artistic in the traditional sense, but we are nonetheless creators, made in the image of the world's Creator and endowed with skills and talents that can honor God and impact our world. Every good mom is an artist, molding her children as creations of God. Every ethical businessperson leaves a legacy of people seeing God through his or her careful work. Every after-school teacher makes a mark on the young people whose parents are busy just making ends meet. All talents, skills, and work to be creative and potentially God-honoring, from teaching and chemical engineering to number-crunching and packing a child's lunch. Readers will gain leadership and life-management skills, while being inspired for daily living. They will walk away saying, "I am an artist. By being the best parent, coach, teacher, welder, pastor, husband, aunt, (fill in the blank!), I can be, I am creating something beautiful in the eyes of God."