Issue 6
To grow, you must trust God to do the growing
Section 1 - grounding
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are coworkers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building.
As artists, we obsess over the metrics of our growth; we count followers, sales, streams and shares. We refresh the page over and over hoping to see a bigger number. But, like a plant, growth can't be forced by staring and hoping. Glaring at your follower count won't make it increase, just like glowering over a sapling won't give you a tree. It takes the daily addition of good ingredients - water, sunlight, showing up, staying curious, reading the Word - and the faith that those ingredients will lead to growth to see results.
Often, that faith is the missing piece. We put in a little work (or sometimes a lot) and get frustrated because things don't happen right away. But most growth is too slow to see with the human eye. It often happens underground with the spreading of roots in the dark before our progress shows on the surface. Paul understood this when he wrote to Corinth. Our job is the ingredients, God's is the growing.
And there's more good news: Paul doesn’t stop at the field we're tending; he turns the picture around by saying "you are God’s field." We spend so much energy worrying about what our work will produce, and all the while God is producing something in us. Every hour at the easel, every song rewritten, every quiet morning in the Word is shaping the artist He’s making you to be. If your work never goes further than your own heart, it still wasn't wasted. You grew. And whatever it grows in someone else is His to give.
Section 2 - thoughts and ideas
Wolfgang Bakari Burst
Section 3 - exploration
“Kizhi Pogost” sits on a small island in Lake Onega in northern Russia. Its Church of the Transfiguration, built in 1714, rises about 37 meters under 22 silver-gray onion domes, made almost entirely of wood by local carpenters. Three centuries later, it still stands as one of the world’s great works of wooden architecture.
The song of this week is: NOBODY ELSE by Seven7h Way. As a long time indie lover, Seven7h Way's blend of the alt, pop, and punk genres scratches a nostalgic itch in a way that is truly rare in contemporary Christian music. This song was released October 18th, 2025, and since then they've released "Shepherd," "Gold," and an EP; their newest single, "what do YOU see in me?" which was released Aug 28, 2026. All of their music is worth a listen, check them out on Spotify here:
All tracks we find are collected here in our weekly updated playlist. If you are a musician and have a track you would like to feature, send us an email to info@theartnewsletter.com
Section 4 - action
There is a cost to making something that enriches people's lives, and it does not disappear just because the work is done for God. We are a team of college students and young professionals who believe in our mission of showcasing contemporary Christian arts to the world.
If that means something to you, become a paid member here, it costs little and it gives much.
Thank you and God Bless,
— Wolfgang & Jesog
Co-Founders
The Art Newsletter
