Right & Wrong Grooves
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
There are two very different kinds of grooves.
The first kind is an indentation made over time. I experienced this recently when snowmobiling. It was a group excursion in the mountains of Colorado—a line of fifteen snowmobiles with a guide in the front and back. I was near the back of the pack, and I quickly realized why the more experienced riders chose to be in the front. They created their path as they glided through the smooth snow. As they did, their tracks hardened and led to a bumpy, jerky track for those behind them.
We were getting stuck in their groove—and it was causing our snowmobiles to glitch. Following the wrong grooves or patterns is equally bad for our creativity. The Apostle Paul warns us about the wrong kind of grooves or patterns in these two translations:
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2 NIV)
Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you. (Romans 12:2 NCV)
Most assume we live in a neutral world with no overriding grooves or patterns. C. S. Lewis tells us otherwise: “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”
There is no neutral ground in the universe. Which means there’s no neutral creativity. It’s not just what we’re making, but how and why we make it. So how do we break from the pull of the world’s pattern and find our true groove among all the possible things we could pursue? It begins by asking God for a new way of thinking that reveals his desires for us. As the world stops shaping us, we can find our true groove.
Long before Spotify, the only way to play your favorite songs on vinyl albums was to drop the needle into the right groove. The same is true here. When it comes to your creativity, your true groove is the sweet spot where your particular talents, interests, skills, and passions intersect. Finding it is even better than hearing your favorite song.
(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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