Good design is like a river.
Coherent in essence. Adaptive in movement. Purposeful in its intent.
That the next generation may take hold of what’s true in LIGHt OF HIM.
-CHARLA DIXON
Designed to See
Good design is like a river. Coherent in essence. Adaptive in movement. Purposeful in its intent. That the next generation may take hold of what’s true in light of Him. Truth at its core is an invitation to wonder that we may learn what it means to see.
Design simply tries to help open our eyes…to see the One through whom the river runs.
Designed to See cultivates perspective of ministry and design with lessons along the way.
Purpose
The heart of this space is to give you a window into designing in ministry. I’ll share what has been helpful to me in different stages these past 18 years. Some things I learned the hard way, some in easier ways, but in every way God has shaped and grown me in the process. I am still in this journey. I’m not a perfect designer, but I love watching what God can do with an available heart who trusts His Word. That’s what makes this calling exciting.
It’s easy in our generation to lose sense of how design can be a tool in His hand. We lose sight of the work He wants to do in hearts, including ours, and the gift of the calling. So my hope is to rekindle some of that.
There are many perspectives out there, so I simply offer my vantage point to encourage you wherever you are in the role God gave you to play. God is at work in our generation in ways we’re still getting our minds around. It’s awesome!
Here are the main categories you’ll find on Designed to See.
01.
DESIGNING
Practical tips and perspective of design in ministry
02.
MINISTRY
Ministry lessons, not necessarily particular to design
03.
PROJECTS
Occasionally, I’ll share some projects here that highlight different aspects of designing in ministry.
04.
QUOTE INSPIRATION
Quotes and verses that have been helpful to me
Charla Dixon
ARTS STAFF AT HARRIS CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH, WACO, TX
FORMER LEAD DESIGNER, WATERMARK COMMUNITY CHURCH, DALLAS, TX
“What do you want to be when you grow up?“ Up to the summer before college, I had one answer. Disney.
I was the crazy disciplined kid who honestly studied, practiced, wrote the studios, and passionately pursued working for Disney my whole life. Then the summer before college, God definitively called me in an entirely different direction. My first reaction was absolute resistance for a lot of reasons….all of which could boil down to fear, insecurity, and my limited concept of ministry. But God didn’t let up. He changed me, and I never looked back. I had no idea how design and ministry even connected. The fact He knew was enough. So I just kept developing what He put in me.
Over the years, God embedded a passion for Him and for His glory and gave me a deep love for this generation and His Church. He showed me the power of honest hearts engaged together in His Word walking by faith. Every season showed another side of His grace for what it truly is. Even in chapters that felt like fire, He forged something deeper than an ability or any opportunity. He took an insecure kid and built a love. Eventually, the passion, design and call connected vocationally in a ministry called Breakaway to serve a college generation, then to Watermark to serve a city, and now at Harris Creek in Waco to raise up the next generation of creatives who will lay aside their own agendas, be forged inside authentic community, take Him at His Word, and be part of HIs incredible movement through the Church in our generation. The art is not the goal. The beauty in watching Him work is. He chooses the unlikely to do the unexpected so He can do the unimaginable.
Looking back, it’s not about a road to working in vocational ministry. It was simply His road of deepening my faith in His faithfulness...to show His grace is sufficient. I've learned to let God be creative with His Will...and just hang on. Seasons of ministry have looked different but the call runs deep. Disney was just one of the dreams God chose to break in order to do something greater than I imagined. One thing I know…He’s better.