We’re going to look at the Three Stages of Creativity for the next three readings. If you’ve ever felt stuck or lost in the creative process, I think you’ll find this helpful.

I love sharing new creative discoveries with you. Especially when they reveal aspects of the Creator or Creation in new ways.  

Being wise and being relevant aren’t the same. 

Our world has convinced us nothing is more important than staying relevant. We fear being called irrelevant or finding ourselves on the wrong side of whatever issue the entertainment and political elites decide is the issue of the day.  

Before you create, be curious.  

Before doing the work, spend time being in wonder. 

We all have our favorite songs. Individually, they reveal a specific aspect of who we are…or long to be. Together, they make up the soundtrack of our lives. 

Are you an artist when you pick up a brush and start painting, sell your first work, or once your art's in a gallery?  

Is a writer an author only when their book is published?  

Perhaps you’ve heard the parable of the Elephant and the Rope. While the author is unknown, the story’s spread around the world.  

When’s the last time you pursued something new with God? 

In busy times, it’s easy to get stuck in permanent survival mode. 

It’s not hard to see why. The world’s treadmill has sped up and is only getting faster. And so you’ve had to speed up as well. More to do in less time. With no time to fill your tank with things that restore your soul or simply provide rest. 

Intimacy with God always comes before impact for God. 

The order matters. Begin with ”with” rather than “for.” 

A big microphone doesn't signify a speaker has big ideas.  

Why do you create? I’m not asking what you do…but why?

The disciples of Jesus asked him a similar question.

“Why do you tell stories?”

In the movie We Bought a Zoo, Benjamin Mee (played by Matt Damon) gives his son this incredible piece of wisdom: 

“You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just literally 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery and I promise you that something great will come of it.” 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

“Impossible” is a word we use when our view of a problem becomes more real than our view of God.

The impossible becomes possible as you invite the Creator into every aspect of your creativity.

Your art doesn't make you.  

You make your art.  

Every creation is designed with intention. 

You really can’t create something that offers more imagination, love, or beauty than what flows from your heart.

When we try to force our creativity into a predictable routine, the result is often predictable creativity. 

That’s because when we, as the artist go on auto-pilot, the trip is far more likely to be predictable and forgettable to us…and to everyone who ultimately experiences it. 

God rarely invites us into what we can do in our own strength.