As I mentioned in the previous reading, half of our class grade involved learning the art of asking active questions. The other half of our grade was based on spending a summer with a company tied to your major.  That’s how I ended up working for Quaker Oats…

During my college years, I learned far more by being part of an extra-curricular program than I did from every mandatory class combined.

When you create, you willingly pour yourself out in sacrificial ways. That’s beautiful. But you don’t want to stay empty.

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

Who or what do you turn to for validation in your creativity? Is it tied to industry approval, sales numbers, profitability, reviews, or perhaps something else?

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?

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

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

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

Loud doesn't make something worth listening to.

In a world that runs on efficiency, multi-taskers are praised as the ones who get things done.

The best ideas show up in the least expected moments. In the middle of the night, as we’re working out, during a long hot shower, or in the produce aisle at the grocery store.

Intimacy with God always comes before impact for God.

The order matters.

Being overly available at all times results in being overly exhausted at all times.

God has designed your soul to need regular times of restoration.

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.

If you want to get ahead, it matters who you know. So here’s a little test.

Quick...name the top creative in your field.

You really can’t create something that offers more imagination, love, or beauty than what flows from your heart. Storytellers, for instance, can’t tell a greater story than the one they are living.

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

This summer is the perfect season to travel an unexplored road together.

I take my two dogs on a mile-long walk almost every day. They’re big dogs—around 90 pounds each. So our treks are always filled with joy and adventure. 

We look at the world and see evil gaining ground in so many areas. The trajectory seems unstoppable and inevitable, so we begin to lose hope.

We live in chaotic times. In the midst of the storms, it’s easy to put your creative dreams on hold and just hunker down.