Train Others How to Treat You
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Train Others How to Treat You

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.

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Stuck in Survival Mode
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Stuck in Survival Mode

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.

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Nothing Affects Your Art More
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Nothing Affects Your Art More

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.

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Summer Road Trip with God
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Summer Road Trip with God

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

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

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Haven’t Seen Anything Yet
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Haven’t Seen Anything Yet

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. 

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The Inevitable…Isn’t
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

The Inevitable…Isn’t

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.

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Create in Chaos
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Create in Chaos

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.

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Make Yourself Irrelevant
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Make Yourself Irrelevant

It’s a question you rarely hear.  How are you making yourself irrelevant?  I’m not referring to the boring areas of your life—but in the very places you’ve experienced acclaim.

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Why Jesus Told Stories
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Why Jesus Told Stories

Why do you create? It’s a really important question. 

While there may be a million reasons, Jesus offers the best response.

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Imagination’s Unhelpful Side
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Imagination’s Unhelpful Side

Creatives have incredibly robust imaginations. It’s a gift to see what could be before it is. To bring ideas to life through works of beauty and heart.  

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A Better Way to Create
Guest User Guest User

A Better Way to Create

Ever notice how most new movies, shows, and music lack any true creativity or imagination? It’s like they all come from the same giant factory. And from a spiritual perspective, perhaps they do. 

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Music Without Words
Guest User Guest User

Music Without Words

We all have our favorite playlist of songs that make up the soundtrack of our lives. My all-time favorite classic pop group? Toto. For real. Their songs just make me happy. When you’re in the mood for some light, catchy songs, check out their greatest hits (Rosanna, Africa, Hold The Line, 99).

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Unsure What to Do?
Guest User Guest User

Unsure What to Do?

When you’re unsure what to do next, don’t give into the pressure to make a quick decision based on human wisdom.  

Instead, take an hour or a day and get away from the noise, the distractions, and group think. Draw near to God. Seek his presence. Ask for his guidance. Rest in his peace. Consider which path has the potential to draw you closer to God rather than the gravitational pull of what’s most obvious, easy, or comfortable. 

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The Long Game
Guest User Guest User

The Long Game

When we’re young, life is all about this moment. Right now. There’s little patience for later. Our focus is limited to whatever’s in front of us. 

It’s playing the short game. 

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Everyone You Encounter
Guest User Guest User

Everyone You Encounter

“Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.” 

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Find the Right Person
Guest User Guest User

Find the Right Person

There’s nothing quite like the frustration of spending endless hours trying to resolve an unfair situation and getting nowhere. Especially when it involves hours of being on-hold an 80's jazz song on endless repeat interrupted every minute by a robot voice informing you that “call volume is higher than usual.” 

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Your 3 Favorite Shows
Guest User Guest User

Your 3 Favorite Shows

God regularly speaks to us through story. And in today’s world, that primarily happens through the movies and series we watch. 

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Burn the Boats
Guest User Guest User

Burn the Boats

When past explorers discovered new lands, they often arrived by boat. The captain knew when things got hard, the crew would be tempted to sail home. 

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