When we’re younger, life is all about now. We have little patience. We want immediate gratification. In other words, we play the short game. It’s all about what feels best now.

Over time, we discover reality doesn’t align with—or reward us—for this approach. 

When we continually repeat what's been done before, we forget that what made it special the first time was the freshness of the original act...not the repeating of a formula.

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 before the process even begins. 

I’ve recently discovered a way to make these conversations more life-giving. 

“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.