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. 

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

I want to share with you this stunning statement from Yuval Noah Harai of the World Economic Forum. His mix of arrogance (regarding using technology to control others) and ignorance (of the reality and supremacy of God) is hard to fathom. 

There’s a growing concern among many that generative A.I. will soon be able to duplicate, if not exceed, their creativity. Is that possible? And if so, what happens then? 

What limits do you place on your creativity?  

It’s helpful to remember that you set those limits—not God.  

We all have our favorite place to be creative. And that’s good. The environment has an impact on our creativity.

In these high-tech times, I’ve recently rediscovered the simple joy of puzzles.  

At the end of each day, I spend a few minutes with a 500 or 1,000 piece puzzle. On any given evening, I may only find a few pieces that fit. That’s okay. I love the process of slowly bringing order to the chaos…one piece at a time. 

What God invites you into is beyond you, for you, and never up to you. 

God didn’t have to infuse us with an imagination. 

He’d already seen the devastation it caused when Adam and Eve used their imagination to imagine life without him.

Trying to achieve success by chasing the latest trend isn't wise. Because it requires you to sound like what already is rather than what could be. 

When we find something that works, the temptation is to grab hold of it. 

External validation feels good. And repeating what worked last time seems like a shortcut to more of the same. But it actually causes us to get stuck…because our God isn’t a god of formula.

A lot of things are opposed in this world.  

Good is opposed. Peace is opposed. Freedom is opposed.  

On a more personal level, your intimacy with God is opposed. As is your God-given creativity.

But mostly, Jesus is opposed.  

We seek information. God desires intimacy. 

We want results. He prioritizes relationship. 

The act of making something beautiful—whether a loving home environment or a high school musical—is a sensory experience. As the creator, we must first see, hear, and taste what could be—long before it actually is. Then, once it’s a reality, others experience the creation through their senses.

We spend way too much time staring at the shiny glass screens in our palms. Yep, I’m going there.  

We still refer to these high-tech devices as phones. But I’ve come to see them as distraction devices. We endlessly scroll. We seek validation through follows and likes. We look for something—anything—that promises more dopamine hits than our normal reality.