<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6daJGYCICwK6AwrSIekOfd?utm_source=generator&theme=0" width="100%" height="152" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe>Chaz Smith is using their creative gifts to create kingdom-focused content for kids, with God's help, and is releasing a pilot episode of an animated web series based on scripture this year.
00:00 🙏 Chaz Smith is using their creative gifts to create kingdom-focused content for kids, with God's help.
05:18 🤍 Growing up, I learned to strive for excellence, but I'm now understanding that God's love is unconditional and I am enough as I am.
09:03 🤝 Jesus showed us God's unconditional love through a parable about a lost son, reminding us that our actions don't define us, we are defined by our father's love.
14:34 🔥 God showed up powerfully and spoke to me, leaving me vulnerable and weeping on the ground, teaching us to make a connection between what we share and what we experience.
17:23 🤔 Placing our identity in performance or results can lead to burnout, but we can learn identity and sonship through partnering with God to make impactful content.
25:52 🙏 Trusting God's calling and realizing you can't out-give Him has been the most rewarding part of this season.
33:13 🙏 We can create from God's pleasure, not for it, by having the courage to obey His calling and understanding why we create.
- Chaz Smith makes videos on social media and has had several go viral, including one called "Water Malone".
- I'm starting to tell stories and go into film production through YouTube and social media, working on a personal project.
- I'm releasing a pilot episode of an animated series that mixes story time videos and the Bible Project, narrated by me with some voice acting.
- God has blessed me with gifts to create kingdom-focused, high-quality content for kids.
- God intervened in the creative entrepreneur's life, helping them to focus on their craft and calling rather than performance and results on social media.
05:18 🤍 Growing up, I learned to strive for excellence, but I'm now understanding that God's love is unconditional and I am enough as I am.
- Growing up with two high-achieving parents and attending church set a tone of excellence in my life.
- Growing up, I knew God personally, but my understanding of my relationship with Him was more about being a servant and being obedient than a relationship.
- My parents expected perfection from me, but I'm learning that I am enough as I am.
- God's love is first and foremost, and it is not based on performance, but on being part of His family.
09:03 🤝 Jesus showed us God's unconditional love through a parable about a lost son, reminding us that our actions don't define us, we are defined by our father's love.
- Jesus shifted his relationship with his disciples from performance-based to unconditional when he called them friends.
- Jesus told a parable about a lost son in Luke 15, expressing God's love for us in a way that had never been seen before.
- A wealthy man with a large real estate portfolio has two sons, as is customary in Jewish culture.
- The son requests his inheritance early, showing a lack of respect for his father and their relationship.
- After squandering his money, a man realizes how fortunate he was to have never had to worry about food before.
- No matter what we do, our actions don't define us, we are defined by our father's love.
14:34 🔥 God showed up powerfully and spoke to me, leaving me vulnerable and weeping on the ground, teaching us to make a connection between what we share and what we experience.
- The Holy Spirit came in powerful presence during worship, leaving the speaker unable to move.
- God showed up powerfully and spoke to me, saying He didn't need me to sing, He just wanted to love me, and I was left vulnerable and weeping on the ground.
- God is teaching us to make a connection between what we share and what we experience, especially for creative entrepreneurs.
17:23 🤔 Placing our identity in performance or results can lead to burnout, but we can learn identity and sonship through partnering with God to make impactful content.
- Social media reveals what we treasure and can show us if we are placing our identity in our performance or results.
- At age 12-13, I wanted to go into entertainment and found success on Vine, enjoying it until it became a job.
- We should be creative and partner with God to make impactful content, not be swayed by how our posts perform.
- I experienced burnout from trying to increase my likes and performance, but I learned identity and sonship through it.
- Jesus fed thousands of people with fish and bread, then lost thousands of followers when he said they needed spiritual food, but his influence still spiked.
- God's given us gifts to be a bridge for the truth of the gospel to travel over, not to bury them out of fear.
25:52 🙏 Trusting God's calling and realizing you can't out-give Him has been the most rewarding part of this season.
- After a burnout in 2019, I took a two-year period to reflect on how I got to that point.
- After creating content consistently for a month, I felt discouraged and was ready to quit, but eventually saw my following grow.
- After a failed attempt at social media, a video went viral and led to a year of success, followed by a word from God to rest, which was put into practice during the lockdown, leading to a podcast, music, streaming, and a consistent YouTube schedule.
- I had to turn down two big brand deals to focus on a project God put on my heart, realizing that no amount of money was worth my peace and relationship with Him.
- Trusting God's calling and realizing you can't out-give Him has been the most rewarding part of this season.
- Trusting what I heard and what was put on my heart, I went with it.
33:13 🙏 We can create from God's pleasure, not for it, by having the courage to obey His calling and understanding why we create.
- The Holy Spirit spoke to Chaz in his car, prompting him to realize that there is only room for one director in his life and it is not him.
- God has a plan for us to live a life directed by Him, and He will honor us if we relentlessly live after this principle of Jesus.
- We should have the courage to obey God's calling, even if it seems crazy, and consider why we create.
- God created Adam in the Garden of Eden, a paradise, and asked him to create and cultivate, prompting the question of why we create.
- We can enjoy creation with our Creator for His glory and our pleasure, being aware of why we create and consume content.
- Through prayer, we can be reminded that our identity is found in God and that we can create from His pleasure, not for it.
- Chaz Smith is creating an animated web series based on stories from scripture, with the pilot episode coming out later this year.
- Thanks for sharing your story and for saying yes to the kingdom.