Creativity

Over the last few months, there has been a reoccurring theme of needs and God's response to those needs.  Now, I have spent my life in church and doing my best to commit to God and His plan for my life and my family. It seems that no matter how much God does for us we always ask the questions why or when with God.  These responses and questions come very naturally to us as human beings dealing with human issues in our world.  Our desire to pray and then expect the answer now is very normal for us or we like to think that we know how God is going to do something, we like predictability.

creativity - The quality or ability to create or invent something.

Last night at our worship practice we spent time in prayer and prayed for some really serious needs that several of us were facing as well as talking about new worship.  Again, we all deal with things, have dealt with things, and will in the future because that is part of this world that we live.  However, after all my years in church and striving to let God lead I thought of something that I've never really given much thought.  

He is creativity from the very beginning.  God's nature is always creativity and why should we expect anything different from Him.  Come on, I mean forming man out of earth, Valley of dry bones coming to life, Jesus the King of all kings being born in a manger, and the creativity in Revelation are just a couple of thousands of examples in the bible.  All of us are different, He chooses to heal in a different way every time, He's unpredictable yet stable, He's all knowing but keeps us guessing, He's giving creativity in every breath we take, He's always come through yet we wonder why it doesn't happen like it did last time or in our timing.

Why? Creativity in is the very nature of God and everything he does will be creative in a whole new way.  He can't be predictable, because it's not His nature.  Spitting in the mud to heal someone's vision, crazy! Feeding 5000 plus people with 5 loaves and 2 fish, unheard of!  Speaking the universe into existence in 6 days, extraordinary!

So, if you are going through something difficult, trust in God and His creativity to do it His way and in His timing.  What if we asked for His creativity through prayer instead of the answer or response WE want?  What if we asked God to move with creativity in our families and churches instead of putting Him in our limiting boxes?  What if we stopped comparing churches, people, speakers, moves of God, and worship because we realize that what God did yesterday may not be how He wants to do things today?  He desires to be worshiped but gave creativity to those worshiping Him.  Worship last year was good, but creativity didn't stop because one song was written! New styles and songs will always be written in worship to God because creativity is in His nature.

Allow God's creativity to flow in your life.  Let Him work in an unpredictable and creative way.  

For Life

Bottleneck

Right now as I sit here typing this, I am also drinking a very good bottle of Glaceau smartwater.  If you've never had it, it's great stuff and maybe the best water I've had.  It's refreshingly smooth with no after taste like some bottled waters, doesn't cost a lot, and very cold just like I like it.  This doesn't have a whole lot to do with what I'm about to write except it's in a bottle.  Bottles have necks, which allows the water to come to a smaller opening for us to drink out of.  I know, you're probably wondering where I'm going with this, but it will all make sense.

"The bottleneck is always at the top of the bottle" - Peter Drucker

Leadership is not always about leading an organization or even people, but has a lot to do with how we lead ourselves.  We can't lead anyone else around us if we can't first lead ourselves.  When a bottle is filled, the contents must go through the bottleneck and only through the bottleneck.  Our lives, our families, and those we lead are directly impacted by what WE allow or don't allow through.  If we want to live a life that is blessed and fruitful, we need to allow the right things through the bottleneck and keep other things out.  Fear is a great example of this!  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind - 2 Timothy 1:7  However, we allow things into our lives that can cause us fear and keep us from the power, love, and sound mind.  As parents, we are the bottleneck that feeds our families (especially dads).  What are we allowing into our families or keeping our families from, can impact their lives?  Our leadership is a powerful tool that can help enable, encourage, and direct others to positive life changing decisions.

What if we began taking responsibility for what is happening or not happening in our lives?  What if we stopped blaming others or God, but realized we are the bottleneck that can allow or not allow blessing?  What would happen if our companies, churches, and families began to change because we realized that our influence is not about us at all, but everyone around us?

May we drink a lot of water : ) and realize that God desires great things for us, our families, our churches, and our businesses.  Our decisions as the bottleneck will determine how full the bottle gets and what it's filled with.  So, open wide, put a check valve in, and let God do what He would love to do in your life!

For Life