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

I first encountered these powerful words from H. Jackson Brown Jr. decades ago in his book, Life’s Little Instruction Book.

At its core, life is about relationships. With God and with others. 

When hard times hit, we lose perspective if we focus on the wrong thing…the problem.

C. S. Lewis made a fascinating observation about modern blind spots. Meaning when you’re in the moment, it’s easy to miss the big movements while lost in the small distractions. That’s certainly true of this season we find ourselves in.

We look at the world and see such momentum behind troubling trends. The trajectory seems unstoppable and inevitable, so we begin to waver and compromise.

There’s a growing concern among many that generative A.I. will soon be able to duplicate, if not exceed, our creativity. It can certainly compile things faster than us. But can it also create better than us? And if so, what happens then?

We’ve all had those awkward moments while listening to a song or watching a scene in a show and suddenly we’re overcome with emotion. 

A life of creative ease and efficiency! It sounds so appealing…except that’s not how God designed the process to work. 

You may have a beautiful voice but little interest in singing. You may be an excellent accountant, but numbers bore you. You might make furniture, yet dream not of couches…but coaching.

The goal isn’t to stick with what comes easy or even brings in the most money. At least not when it comes to your creativity. 

Indoctrination is a lot of things. Art isn’t one of them.

Indoctrination is agenda-driven propaganda that purposely bends creativity, story, music, entertainment, social media, and “news” to manipulate a target audience. 

I want to share a practice that’s proven incredibly life-giving. 

Every morning, while still in bed, the first word I speak is “Jesus.” Often, I’ll say his name several times.

In a stressful situation, we often assume the only possible outcomes are the ones we can see. Don’t give into the pressure to make a quick decision between options A and B. Instead, try this…

You’ll find endless advice for how to stay creative. Most of it is formulaic or reliant on self-effort.

I’d like to offer a better, truer way.

Really creative people love to create. But most don’t really like to promote what they create.

The question isn’t what can you create. You can make a lot of things. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

The far better question is this: What are you uniquely created to create?

Highly creative folks are naturally talented in a lot of areas. The problem is they can spend their life endlessly dabbling in a lot of areas without ever mastering any. 

In this instant gratification culture, it’s hard to wait on others…or even on God. AI has conditioned us to expect immediate answers. And to see ourselves at the center of the story. 

When discussing their works, I often hear people say, “I don’t want to be preachy!”

On one level, I get it. No one expects your art to preach a sermon. We have preachers for that.

But on another level, the enemy can use that fear to water down your creativity.

I saw a sign at the front door of a new Mexican restaurant I visited last week that said:

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

When I was a boy, the only thing cooler than the Batmobile was the bookmobile. And unlike the Batmobile, the bookmobile was real. It would show up at our elementary school a few times each year…and I would lose myself in shelves of stories.