About a year ago, we did a series called “Made to Create”. A lot of the same things came up again recently in “Imago Dei Leaks.” The main idea is that humans are made in the image of our creator and, therefore, we are wired to create. Because God is creative, we are creative. And, if we look closely, we can see God’s image leaking out in everything. We talked a lot about how to explore our creativity, like drawing, writing, graphic design, and making music. There are so many ways for a person to honor their creator by being creative. I really love this idea…well, sort of!

Here’s my problem. I’m no good at any of the things I just listed, and a lot of them I don’t even enjoy doing. I’m definitely not an artist. As for music, I literally cannot sing and clap at the same time. With writing I’ll let you decide if I’m any good at it (please keep the snide remarks to yourself). All I know is I’m glad I’m an engineer, a profession where it is normal to have graphs and figures cover most of the page. Any text can usually be reduced to bullet points. That’s where I’m really comfortable. However, I’m learning that engineering is more than just where I’m comfortable. It’s the place where I most often see the Image of God leak out of me. It’s where I create.

My career so far has centered on testing diesel engines in a lab. For me, there is something exciting about interpreting test data. You start with this meaningless blob of static called data. Then, you reduce it into understandable segments and begin to figure out what it means. It still amazes me how much we don’t know about the physics of what happens inside a combustion chamber. Sometimes, there’s this really “cool” moment in the analysis when you discover why something totally unexpected might have happened. Usually, it all just ends up on a PowerPoint slide, but that’s the beauty of it to me. I was able to take this undecipherable blob of data and refine it into this jewel of real information. Now, the other nerds can stare at my graph and, if I created it well, they’ll understand the new information in just a few seconds.

Then, we can start creating new solutions to the problems we’ve found. Whether it’s engine optimization or any other system that needs improved, I love finding creative new solutions. This week, I’m enjoying rebuilding the plumbing system for our lab. Last week, I wrote a software program to integrate two pieces of test equipment.

It seems that God did not create me to be an artist in the typical sense, but I am pretty good with physics, problem-solving, and visualizing spatial constraints. When I can use those unique gifts of mine to create something that makes our facility run better or improves some product we make, then I know I have the Image of God inside me. And this, I believe, honors my Creator

Cory Brown is a part of the Imago Dei leadership team along with his wife, Vicky. They live in Peoria with their three kids.