Friday, May 15, 2015

How to Stay Re-fuelled for your Creative Journey, Part 2



How do you stay “refuelled”? That was the question we ended with in Part 1. If you missed it, you can read it here.

We are “whole” beings, but we still have a “triune” nature. That means, as humans we are spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23.) Our soul* and body** need to be “refuelled” regularly if we want to live well. Right now though, I want to focus particularly on how we can refuel spiritually.

Why do we need to stay refuelled spiritually?

The more you truly walk with God, the more you realise that you can't fully live and function without Him. How does God sustain us? Through his Word.


Simple. Prayer, and reading the Bible. Put them together, and they're like fire and gasoline.


Jesus Himself said “Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that God speaks [present tense].” (Matthew 4:4)

How do we hear what God speaks?

The Bible is a key way that God speaks to us. As we read and converse with Jesus, (who by the way is the Word!***) the Bible really does come alive.

It's then that God's word becomes food to us. It feeds our Spirit.

We don't just want to read it however, we want to meditate over it (Psalm 1:2). Meditating on something is basically actively thinking about it. It's a bit like chewing your food.

These ideas about Bible reading (from IHOP) have flipped my bible reading on it's head at times recently. It's a great article that puts prayer and bible reading together. Again - it's like lighting a flame next to TNT.

My biggest enemy

My biggest enemy for engaging with God could be one of your big enemy's too. It has a glass screen, and it's probably in your pocket right now, filled with notifications. Don't check it now, finish responding to this first.

My smartphone has been a huge distraction for me over the years. One thing I'm learning to do is “fight fire with fire”, and use my phone to distract me with the word of God. For example, using the Youversion Bible app, I get notifications with the verse of the day, and I also have it emailed to me at another time of the day, in another translation. It's easy to activate this, just go to “Settings”, then “Notification Settings”, then press “Verse of the Day”. Let me know how you go!

I found this article very encouraging a while back: “Your Bible Reading is about to Threaten Your Smartphone Focus” Read it now if your Smart Phone is ever distracting for you, and get aggressive pursuing the things of God!

* Our souls can be refueled, for example, by doing things we love, and also by spending time with people we love.
**Obviously, your body is refueled by good food, nutrition, sleep, and other things.
***John 1:1

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

How to Stay Refueled for Your Creative Journey, Part 1

There are a few topics I'm scared to write about. This is one of them. Why? Because whenever I write about a topic like this, just like when I wrote about prayer a while ago, there's three fingers pointing back at me. However, when I feel the nudge to write about something, it's usually for a reason. Read Part 1 and Part 2 right now, and I think you'll be inspired!

Speaking of things that are inspiring, I have a part-time job that I really enjoy. However, the main reason I do this job is because I have bills to pay. To get paid, I have to send away a time-sheet regularly. If I don't submit it by a particular time, I don't get paid. Each week I am highly motivated to take the necessary time to send it in! Unfortunately, when it comes to our relationship with God, if we neglect to make it a priority, the effects may not be quite as obvious as a missed pay-cheque, at least for a little while.

But when we take the time to connect with God, and refuel on Him and His Word, life is so much better! This is about so much more than dry spiritual disciplines...

Think about this: Paul McCartney is a pretty cool dude. If he happened to be in your part of town tonight, and requested your company for dinner, would you say no? I know I wouldn't!!!

This week, the Person that gave Sir Paul his talents wants to spend time with you. Will you say no?

The Holy Spirit is the most creative being on the planet. The more connected we are with Him as a person, the the better off we'll be in our own vocation, whatever that may be. This is one reason why our relationship with God is so important.

How do you refuel in your relationship with God? If there's any particular way that is working for you at the moment, please share it in the comment section below! You never know, your answer might help inspire someone else! (Part 2 in this mini-series is coming right up.)

Friday, May 1, 2015

Leaven with your Latte? Song choice at the Coffee Club

As I write this, I'm sitting in a local cafe and two of my extremely talented friends are playing music here. They've just finished playing a funky, mellow version of Cee Lo Green's “Crazy”. I clapped louder than anyone here, because they nailed it! They took a nice song, put their own creative spin on it, and their performance fit the environment beautifully. They haven't sung about demon worship, or having sex on fire with a prostitute - and they haven't sung “None but Jesus” either. They simply sang songs appropriate for their setting, and the audience appreciated them. The cafe staff loved them, and served them well.

To me, this is a good example of a bunch of musicians (who are Christians) getting out and being “salt and light” in the world (see Matthew 5:13-14). They are using their gifts to bless and to serve their community. My two friends treat people well. They are kind, genuine, and “loving” people. In industries so often filled with jealousy and selfish-ambition, this is quite often a “breath of fresh air”. There are two other things that happen as they go about creating and performing music for the general marketplace: Their world-view naturally leaks into what they produce. Healthy relationships will generally be celebrated more than unhealthy ones for example, and life is enjoyed and celebrated, without the need to be drunk or high. This has a positive, permeating effect on those around them (just like leavenMatthew 13:33). The other thing is that for them Jesus' promise remains true: “I am with you always”. The presence of God is what marks His people more than any other distinguishing factor. Often people will be left thinking “there's something different about that person”. Christ's character formed in us, and His supernatural presence in and around us, will be a defining factor in our ministries in the world today.

To some, an understanding of all of this will bring a release and a sense of freedom to pursue their craft, and career with a new sense of “calling”. Whatever your craft and vocation is, there is not necessarily a need to use it purely as a vehicle for evangelism, or a message of any sort. I am a big believer in personal evangelism. As an individual, we should aim to be ready and willing to “witness” what we know about Christ to people. However, our craft and vocation is a different matter. Generally, it's a good underlying idea to be brilliant at your craft, in and of itself. If you do feel to share a particular message of any sort (gospel related, or otherwise), go for it. But don't be afraid to simply be great at what you do, and serve people with what you are doing. Of course, be a Christian as you do it... it isn't ideal to promote porn as a part of this process (for example). However, it is not required of you that you promote imagery of Christ in it's place. Do what you do well! And be a great version of yourself while doing it. :-)

Much love.

Thoughts? Opinions? Feel free to respectfully share them in the comments below. :-)