Category Archives: Creativity

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Tom’s Creamy Chicken Farfalle

Monday is my “day off.” It means that I get a chance to recoup after a week filled with busy days, and a Sunday that calls for me to expend a great deal of energy. Since our kids have both gone to college, one of our Monday traditions is for me to prepare a meal and have it ready by the time Tammy gets home from school. In the warmer weather I enjoyed cooking out. Now that the weather is cooler, I’m ready to take over the kitchen again. 

Creativity means more than words on a page or paint on a canvas. Creativity happens in the kitchen, as well. Just ask my niece who writes a fantastic food blog. At the risk of looking like an amateur next to my gifted niece, here’s a recipe that I created just tonight. Tammy and I both enjoyed it so much that I thought I would share it with you.

I call it Tom’s Creamy Chicken Farfalle.

  • 4 T. Olive Oil
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (thinly sliced)
  • 4 Roma Tomatoes, Diced
  • 1 1/2 Cups Sliced Mushrooms
  • Fresh Basil, Chopped
  • 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock
  • 1/2 Cup White Wine
  • 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (Whipping Cream)
  • 16 oz. Farfalle Pasta
  • Crushed Red Pepper to Taste
  • Salt to Taste

Heat olive oil; briefly saute the garlic to release the fragrance. Cook chicken in the oil and garlic until juices run clear.  Add mushrooms and tomatoes and cook until the mushrooms are slightly brown. Add chicken stock and wine.  Simmer for 10 minutes. Add Cream, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper and salt to taste. Simmer until sauce thickens.  Meanwhile, cook farfalle until al dente. 

Ladle sauce over pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

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Fads That Fix

Last night I spoke at The Haven at Concordia University — Wisconsin. The Haven is an informal, contemporary worship experience held every Sunday night during the school year. They asked me to speak about fads…specifically about the way in which fads are fleeting, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. The example they used in their publicity was the moonboot.

Remember those? When you put them on you felt as though you could jump higher than any other human being. There was no right boot or left boot, so you could put them on either foot. You could be ready in seconds to jump out the door into the biggest snow bank of all, pretending you were an invincible astronaut exploring the furthest reaches of the moon.

Moonboots were a fad. They came and went with the 1980’s. Many fads have come and gone since then. But there is one fad I demonstrated with the college students last night that seems to have some staying power. I told them all to take out their phones (I’m pretty sure every single person had one) and text me one fad they could think of right there on the spot. I got more than seventy texts, and hardly any of them were duplicate “fads.” I had just demonstrated a fad that doesn’t seem to be dying down: Texting.

It showed the power of electronic media. Facebook is still growing. Twitter adds 370,000 new members every day (!). A phone is in most every hand. A computer is in most every house.

Fads like texting, Twitter, and Taylor Swift come and go, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. That’s because you can never separate the Word from the God who speaks it. When it is spoken He is there. When it is read He is there. When it is preached He is there. When it is applied to you He is there. When it is passed along He is there.

The Word of the Lord is no fad. It has stood the test of thousands of years. In fact, it stands forever. Those who have had that Word applied to their lives have been born anew, put into an everlasting fellowship with others, and have received the permanent gifts of God. God has guaranteed a permanent party!

I asked the college students last night if they wanted others to join that permanent party. It seemed that they did. So I told them that it won’t happen with the latest evangelism fad or outreach craze. It won’t happen by trying to argue the faith into someone or being a good example. It is going to happen when we use the powerful words of God Himself.

I believe God has given us the latest fads as a gift to use in the service of His kingdom and His Word. C.S. Lewis famously said that every square inch of the universe is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan. Let’s claim texting, Twitter, and technology for God.

Here’s how it has helped my ministry: Within the last week I have used these tools to help a member of my church plan a wedding; I have answered the deeply theological questions of a troubled young man; I have found musicians for a new service that we plan to start in the near future; our congregation has a Facebook page that keeps people updated on happenings at church as well as encouraging them in their faith; people that I follow on Twitter have given me great ideas for my ministry at Mt. Calvary.

The Word of the Lord can surf the waves of technology just as well as any other message. The very nature of social-networking is that it uses technology and media to bring people together in real life. Fads not only fix people together under a common item or idea, they can be used to fix people together with their Savior and Lord. Why not use the latest technological “fads” to invite others to the permanent party prepared by the Lord?

What fad do you use to connect people together, or to the Lord? I’d love to hear.

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Lessons in Creativity for Kids…for All

One of my favorite musical artists for a very long time has been Charlie Peacock. His music and lyrics speak to my soul. I listened to his Everything That’s On My Mind CD so many times I nearly wore it out. You can ask my family. They got kind of sick of it.

Years ago Charlie and his wife, Andi, started a ministry called Art House (now called Art House America). My understanding is that it was originally a “think tank” for musicians to incubate their art in a nurturing, Christian setting. They have now expanded the ministry to include, amongst other things, visual arts, writing, stage and screen, food, and creation care.

Andi has written a new article on the Art House America web site entitled Raising Artful Children. It is a masterful piece, and well worth the short time it takes to read it. Although she writes in the article about how to nurture creativity in children, I believe her words speak to all people who have a “creative spark” (which I believe is all people).

Read her article here. Then, please, let me know what you think of it. How does the article encourage your own creativity? How does it encourage you to nurture creativity in others?

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Creative Kids

One of the unspoken goals of our parenting was to bring our children up knowing that they had the freedom to be creative. It has been fulfilling to see them both pursue creative careers, and to be enjoying the creative processes of which they have been a part in college.  One is well on her way to becoming an actor (Ashlyn is a senior at Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, Nebraska).  The other is well on his way to using his musical ability in some way, shape, or form (Ben is a sophomore at Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee).

Ashlyn is currently working on a modern adaptation of the play Iphigenia. Ben is currently working on a 5 song EP that ought to be available a little bit later this fall.

One of the truly gratifying things is that they are both actively involved in their churches in their respective cities. They have given their creative gifts to their local church families. Creativity and Christianity do, indeed, mix.

In fact, Ben blew me away last night with the blog that he wrote about bringing creativity even into “hanging out” time with friends. You can read it here.

In two weeks we get to see Iphigenia. At the beginning of December we get to attend “Christmas at Belmont” where Ben will be participating as a member of the Belmont Chorale.

With creative kids, there’s always something on the horizon to look forward to. I can’t wait to see what 2011 brings.

How do you encourage creativity in your kids? Where do you go to find inspiration in your own life?

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Eager Learning

As I was passing our school’s second grade classroom today, I heard the teacher ask a question and looked in the door just in time to see one of the second graders practically jump out of his seat.  His finger tips were pointing to the ceiling, his knees were up on his seat, and his mouth was curled in a circle saying, “Ooh, ooh, ooh!” That boy was so eager to answer the question he almost fell out of the desk. I had to smile, because I can remember being that kid in the desk wanting so badly to be the one who got to answer the question. What a wonderful picture it was of eagerness to learn.

John is a member of our congregation. He is a pastor. He is a college professor. He is an author. And he is a fantastic teacher. It’s because he is still a learner. While he works out, he watches video tapes of lectures in various disciplines. For instance, he recently watched one on the way the human brain works. John brought what he learned into a Bible class he taught and enhanced the lecture in a way that drew everyone in. He reminded us how incredible it is that God makes things in just the perfect way to serve their perfect purpose.

Then there is Stephen Hawking. He is the renowned physicist who is one of the world’s greatest learners. He used to think that there was a least a possibility that God could have been involved in the creation of the universe. In his most recent book he now says God was not involved in the creation of the universe. I wonder where he learned that?

Hawking’s physics are far above and beyond anything I could understand. I couldn’t even come close to arguing the finer points of quantum theory. But I have learned from God’s own Word that the more I learn about Him, His creation of the universe, His redemption of fallen humankind, His willingness to sacrifice His Son, and His deliverance of forgiveness into my life through Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the more I want to learn.

Eager learning from God’s Word makes all the difference in everyday life. It makes complicated things much more simple. It makes helping others a whole lot easier. It brings peace, hope, and joy into my life. I am always eager to learn more. And I am so thankful for the eager learner’s of God’s Word who have taught me.

I want to be that eager second grade learner every day.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go teach a class called “The Bible” to a group of 30 college students. I hope my eager learning rubs off on them.

What do you do to make learning a priority in your life?

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Words: The Beauty of the English Language

The English language is full of beautiful words that can take on different and various meanings. The video link below is a series of moving pictures that tell the story of  different words. It’s a masterful piece. Thanks to my son, Ben, for sharing it with me.

This video also reminds me how very amazing it is that the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us…and continues to give us the gift of His presence through the Word of the Holy Scriptures. Word and flesh bring life and salvation into everyday situations like the ones you are about to see:

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A Midrash on Psalm 100

For hundreds of years rabbis, poets, pastors, and writers have been writing midrash. A midrash is a story that “fills in the gaps.” It takes something from Scripture, or another story, and fills in what’s missing.  Here’s a midrash I wrote on Psalm 100 as part of a Creative Writing Seminar:

The earth was noisy, but it was a silent kind of noisy. People and animals everywhere were screaming, and yelling, and shouting so loudly that the man could only hear himself speak; the lion could only hear himself roar; the woman could only hear herself cry; the cricket could only hear itself chirp.  The world was so very loud that it was actually quiet.  Ears could only hear the sound of selfishness; and though there was noise, the noise had no purpose.

So the cry went up loud, and long, and bold enough for every one and every thing to hear. It was like a Last Day Trumpet:  “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!”  And there was silent silence.  The man stopped speaking.  The lion stopped roaring.  The woman stopped crying.  The cricket stopped chirping.  The universe was so silent that it was almost deafening.

So the cry went up loud, and long, and bold enough for every one and every thing to hear once again. It was like a full-blown chorus of angels:  “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!”  And you couldn’t even hear crickets chirping.

The silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the tiny ant who, upon the hue and cry, had stopped right in his tracks as he was taking his grain of sand to use in the building of his new hill, let out the teeniest, tiniest, high-pitched “alleluia” you have ever heard.  The universe had become so very silent that even if you were a hundred thousand miles away you could hear it.

Still there was silence. So he shouted again.  This time no longer the teeniest, tiniest, high-pitched “alleluia” you have ever heard, but just a little louder than that.

Still there was silence. So he shouted a third time, at the top of his tiny ant lungs:  “Alleluia! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

And lo and behold, the cricket started chirping a song of praise…and before long a whole herd of crickets did the same. Then the woman started laughing a hearty laugh of joy…and before long all of her friends and family with her.  It wasn’t long before the lion roared a roar that affirmed the True King…and before long all the other lions and all of their subjects did as well.

And the man? The man spoke…no, he shouted…no, he sang…no he danced…no, he pointed his whole voice and his whole being toward the Lord.  Pretty soon the cry that had once been heard only by the one making the cry, came together with insects, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and men, and women…and angels, to form the most beautiful chorus of “alleluias” ever heard.  There was dancing, and instruments, and painting, and song, and weaving, and poetry, and praise…a joyful noise directed to the Lord by all the earth.  It was a noisy noise that was music to the ears of the Lord.

What’s a story that has gaps which need to be filled?  I’d love to see your ideas!