The Empty Auditorium
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
Here’s a way to help identify your unique anointing. I call it the Empty Auditorium exercise, but it’s really not empty. God is there and with you in this process.
For this exercise, imagine entering an empty auditorium. This is your space, so it can be the size of an intimate classroom, small theater, or an arena that holds thousands.
Slowly look around. Imagine the seats filling with those you’re creating for. Who is there? The only invalid answer is, “Everyone.” That’s a non-answer. It keeps the focus vague and thus meaningless. So aim for a specific audience.
Now, what will you offer them? Notice I didn’t ask how you’d like them to pour into you. They are coming to have some need met or desire fulfilled. You are there for them.
Our anointing is both personal and sacrificial. We first catch a glimpse of it by what brings us life. But for our creativity to be more than a vanity project, it must make a difference in the lives of others. If what we do just points back to us, we’re shining our light in the wrong direction. Though it’s from us, our art at some point becomes no longer about us. We elevate our art by remembering who infused us with our skills and who we are making it for. We drag it down by expecting it to elevate us.
So what will you make, teach, build, write, or do for those present? What help will you offer? How will your creativity make the world a better place? Don’t let the endless possibilities overwhelm you. Instead, focus on what God is calling you into in this season. Let there be light on who your work is for and how it can make a difference now.
The Empty Auditorium exercise is powerful because it invites you into a void and empty space to offer beauty, life, order, and hope through who you are and what you do.
What you just experienced may be hard to describe. But in the next reading, we'll try to do so...in three words.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God.Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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