As your son or daughter considers what to pursue in younger years or focus on after high school—take the pressure off.

It fills me with great joy when I walk into a bookstore or library and see shelves overflowing with old and new manuscripts.

Some days we need more than general encouragement. We need specific insights to address specific issues. 

Keep creating what brings you joy. 

Even if no one is asking for it. Even if there's no upfront guarantee. Or applause along the way. 

The way we interact with time impacts every aspect of our lives. If only I had more time. I regularly hear that phrase from others. More than I care to admit, I often wish it for myself.

We have an enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  Whatever he is trying to take from you, know this. A skilled thief never sets out to steal something of no value.

You’re not late or behind on the project that isn’t coming together.

The power of your art begins before you pick up the pen or brush or instrument.

God invites us into the “new” by putting us in the middle of what we never imagined doing only for us to discover we now can’t imagine doing anything else. 

The next time you’re scrolling through social media or watching a “breaking” news story, ask yourself if what’s being discussed is focused on people and events…or ideas.

Knowing what fills and what depletes you is essential for creatives. Because we don’t live in paradise or even a neutral setting.

As a boy, I loved to go fishing with my dad. Back then, fishing wasn’t fancy. All you needed was a pole and a worm.

An essential quality of creativity is the ability to create in freedom. To see an issue without being told how to see it. To ask big questions.

If your creativity feels opposed, you’re in good company. The enemy has opposed God’s specific role as Creator as well as his creation since the beginning of time. 

It’s time to stop trying to be someone you aren’t. It isn’t working anyway.

I’ve always thought the word “metronome” had a fantastical otherworldly sound to it, a bit like the imaginary flux capacitor in the movie Back to the Future…

The best professors and teachers don't tell students what to think. They help students learn how to think. That’s because true education is never indoctrination.

Passivity tanks a story. If the protagonist doesn't choose to risk, nothing happens. That’s true for the stories we watch, write…and especially the Story we live.

The hero’s journey rings true for characters in a story because these same stages are true for our lives. 

We want a map so we can know the way…