Each week, I write the five daily readings for the next week. And every time, before I begin, I get hit with a wave of dread that I have nothing to say, that no one will read it, and that I should just punt for the week. Recycle past readings and call it good. 

Creative people love to create. But most don’t particularly like marketing what they’ve created. 

The question is never what can you create. You can make a lot of things. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. 

The far better question is: What can you not not create? 

It’s fine to have a lot of hobbies and casual interests—but you don’t want to spend your life forever dabbling in many areas without fully mastering any.  

We live in an instant, entitled culture. Everyone wants fame and success…and they want it now. Yet few want to put in the time and energy necessary to facilitate that outcome.  

In a culture of rights and offense, it’s easy to forget that God doesn’t value the self-made person. He values humility.

When speaking with folks about how to pursue their creativity with God, they’ll often note, “I don’t want to be preachy.” 

I had to pause at the sign in front of a Mexican restaurant I recently visited. It said: 

 In a Hurry? Please Try Us When You’re Not. 

During Easter week, a major network morning show ran a faith segment featuring representatives from three different religions.

Artists are forerunners in their specific area of creative gifting—bringing something new into existence that changes the atmosphere for all who encounter it.  

God-given creativity threatens elite group-think. 

God gave us a memory and an imagination. When they work together according to his design, we see our story more clearly. When they don’t, we find ourselves stuck in the wrong story. 

What limits do you place on your creativity?  

We all have our favorite place to be creative.  

The creative process doesn’t begin with doing. The first step is simply being.

We’re drawn to movies and novels where the protagonist experiences great adventure, romance, and purpose. Our story can seem insignificant compared to that.

The best art simultaneously disrupts and invites. It helps people see something in a new way so they can then experience life in a new way. 

When we don’t create margin in our lives, we inevitably fall into a schedule of scarcity. 

In 2011, at a gathering in the redwoods of California, God rocked my world by speaking these words over me: “Your new mission is going after the hearts of creatives.”

As the world becomes more chaotic, we spend less time smiling and laughing. That’s a shame, because laughter is good for the soul. God doesn’t just have a sense of humor. He created humor.