Docter Is In

We can be careful to recognize and walk in God's calling for our life, fulfilling His intentions by the
power that He has made available to us. 2nd Thessalonians 1 says:
11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,
12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Each day, we can be determined to appropriate the resources that God has made available to us.  He has promised us that we can live an abundant life, a life of victory over the power of sin, a life of expressing the nature of God through us.  We can experience the power of His love and fullness of His joy as we surrender to His ways.  He will be glorified as we lay down our own lives so that His life will flow through us.

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In 2nd Timothy chapter 1, Paul writes to Timothy about rejecting the spirit of fear and embracing his
calling in Christ:
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel...

The Docter is in.

That would be a gentleman named Pete Docter who has just been named the Chief Creative Officer for a leading movie studio - in Hollywood.  Docter was recently tapped for that position at Pixar Animation, makers of hit films like the Toy Story series, as well as a film now in theatres, The Incredibles 2.  And, he is someone who has spoken publicly about his faith.

According to CBNNews.com, Doctor stated about his new adventure: "I am excited and humbled to be asked to take on this role," adding, "It is not something I take lightly; making films at Pixar has been my chronic obsession since I started here 28 years ago. I am fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented people on the planet, and together we will keep pushing animation in new directions, using the latest technology to tell stories we hope will surprise and delight audiences around the world."

Docter replaces John Lasseter, who, as the article states, "left the company over misconduct allegations."  

The CBN piece reports that Docter said in an interview: 

"Years ago, when I first spoke at church, I was kind of nervous about talking about Christianity and my work," he said in an interview with Radix Magazine. "It didn't really connect. But more and more it seems to be connecting for me. I ask for God's help, and it's definitely affected what I'm doing. It's helped me to calm down and focus. There were times when I got too stressed out with what I was doing, and now I just step back and say, 'God, help me through this.' It really helps you keep a perspective on things, not only in work, but in relationships."

The story notes that Pete...

...began as one of the writers and animators on Toy Story. He has also written and directed films like "Monsters, Inc.", "Inside Out", and "Up".

It's certainly good to know about people who bring their Christian worldview perspective to their work.  Obviously, Pixar is a good fit, as the studio is known by and large for its family-friendly entertainment.  Judging from the movies he has written, you could surmise that Docter's faith has informed his writing.

So, that gets back to us - how does our faith affect the craft to which we are called?   Everyone has a worldview; we have to make sure that we allow the Scriptures to affect the way we see the world and to integrate that perspective in all that we do.  Even though we may try to separate the sacred from the secular, truth is, our deeply held beliefs will have an impact on our decisions.  We have to be sure we are releasing Biblical principles in our work.

Not only can our faith perspective influence our overall approach to the work we do, but we can certainly depend on the Lord to give us the strength to carry out His mission - on the job.  He calls us to surrender our human effort to His supernatural power.  When we are weak, as Paul wrote, He is strong.  God wants to be strong through us.

Pete Docter communicates through a powerful medium - and although he is not a maker of Christian films, per se, and according to the CBN story, doesn't see himself working in that space, he has the potential to craft messages that are consistent with his beliefs - and ours.  We can be challenged to consider what we are communicating with our lives.