To Solve a Problem

-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-

Albert Einstein is universally recognized as one of history’s most brilliant thinkers. How did he come up with so many breakthroughs about time and space?

I believe the value he placed on questions led to his unprecedented insights.

He famously said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first fifty-five minutes determining the proper question to ask...for once I knew the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”

Pause and let that sink in. He spent 90 percent of his time determining the best questions. Once armed with the right insights, the solution came quickly.

Perhaps we should practice this approach. Rather than being impatient for quick answers, what if we earn them through the pursuit of the right questions? Doing so might not lead to the next theory of relativity. But it would bring clarity to the process. You don’t need all the answers to every question. But can you still hear or remember the questions that once stirred your heart and kept you up at night?

My question led to the creation of this book. I couldn’t understand why there weren’t more books about creating with God. Oh, there’s a plethora of books on man-made creativity. And even more about God.

But there is a gaping hole when it comes to the active, intimate process of how we can create with God. It frustrated me how the Creator of everything was being erased from the process of how we pursue and make things. My desire to solve the problem led to an unexpected outcome. God invited me to create the thing I desperately wanted but couldn’t find...at least not in a format that was helpful to me.

Our questions aren’t the problem. They fuel our curiosity, which is needed to help us understand, pursue, and solve a problem. Questions are our friends, serving as invitations into conversations with God.

That’s why we’re going to begin this journey with four orienting questions. Your life may not depend on it. But your creativity sure does.

(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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