Posted on

Midnight in Milwaukee (Or, the Midwest’s Version of Midnight in Paris)

In the new film Midnight in Paris, a writer named Gil travels back to Paris of the 1920’s and meets writers and artists like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso. The film itself is an adventure in creativity and a gold mine of ideas for any writer or artist. It shows the effectiveness of blue sky thinking. Suspension of disbelief is an important tool for any creative task, and Woody Allen has led the way with this wonderful romantic comedy.

Gil spends evenings walking in Paris to get away from his annoying fiance and to feed his creative spirit. It is on those walks that he encounters writers and artists of Paris’ past. One evening Ernest Hemingway says to Gil, “You’re a writer. You make observations.” That’s what all artists and creatives do. They observe. Observation and interpretation create great art.

But with nothing new or interesting to observe there is no fuel for the creative fire. In her book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron encourages people seeking renewal of creativity to take “artist dates.” Artist dates are done on one’s own. They consist of a block of time set aside each week to nurture and feed the creative spirit.

Cameron says…

Your artist is a child. Time with a parent matters more than monies spent. A visit to a great junk store, a solo trip to the beach, an old movie seen alone together, a visit to an aquarium or an art gallery — these cost time, not money. Remember, it is the time commitment that is sacred.

Every night at midnight Gil goes out on his artist date. On that date his creativity flourishes. He finds fodder for his art. He gains renewed excitement and passion. He even finds motivation to do re-writes.

You and I will probably never meet Fitzgerald, Hemingway, or Picasso on our artist dates. But, like Gil, our creativity will be energized and renewed if we will only take the time, defeat the resistance (who doesn’t want us to do artist dates), and make observations.

Here are some of things I could do for a “midnight in Milwaukee” artist date:

  1. Stroll upon Lake Michigan’s beach
  2. Visit the Calatrava wing of the Milwaukee Art Museum
  3. Browse at the humongous Renaissance Used Book Store
  4. Shop at Winkie’s old fashioned five and dime
  5. Enjoy the fragrance of fresh produce at the West Allis Farmer’s Market
  6. Observe people at the Milwaukee Public Market
  7. Bike along the Oak Leaf Trail
  8. Enjoy the sights and sounds of one of the many ethnic festivals
  9. See a play at the fabulous Milwaukee Repertory Theatre
  10. Catch the sights and sounds of a walk down Brady Street

What suggestions do you have for a “Midnight in Paris” kind of artist date?

Posted on

Creativity or Gimmick?

A year-and-a-half ago I came back from a three month sabbatical fired up and ready to try out all kinds of new and creative ideas. One of the things I did while I was away was study creativity and the creative process. It was interesting, freeing, and inspiring.

Upon my return we formed a Creative Team at our church. It was the first time in the 80 plus year history of the church it had such a thing. A great group of people got together to plan and execute series’, graphics, visuals, art, and other creative ways to bring “stickiness” to the weekly message and provide ways for it to be remembered throughout the week.

It was an exciting time for me. I felt challenged and rejuvenated. The Creative Team loved planning and executing their ideas. All was going well.

…Or so I thought.

Then someone told me that what we were doing was just “gimmick.” The argument was made that the Creative Team’s efforts were taking away from the Gospel more than enhancing it.

It was a minority comment, and almost an aside, but it nonetheless took the wind out of me. So much sincere time and effort had gone into the planning process and execution of themes.  Now it seemed as though it was a great deal of effort for little return.

I thought many appreciated what was being done. Now I wasn’t sure.

I wondered just what is the dividing line between creativity and gimmick. I’m still wrestling with it. I understand that the Word of God itself is creative, living, and active. The Spirit works in and through the Word.

But I also believe that Christians are both sinners and saints. It is my belief that the “sinner” needs branches of creativity. As they float down the river of the week, perilously headed toward the deadly waterfall, they grab hold of those branches to keep faith afloat.

So help me out.

What do you believe is the fine line that divides creativity from gimmick?

Posted on

How to Use Blue Sky Thinking to Create Your Own Space Ship

I have only just begun to read Phil Cooke’s book, Jolt, and it is already starting to change the way I

  • Think
  • View things
  • Face challenges
  • Tackle problems
  • Set goals

It’s amazing how quickly we grow out of our creativity. Cooke states that if we want creative kids we’d better encourage their creativity, especially between the ages of five and seven. During those ages creativity begins to drop rapidly. Ironically, it’s just about the time kids start to go to school.

When kids are that young they do a great deal of “blue sky” thinking. There are no limits, no restrictions, no confines. Young children haven’t yet been told often enough: “No, you can’t.”

When I was a kid my friend and I went into the woods across the street from our house where a fallen tree became our space ship. We had adventures that included aliens, asteroids, and atomic bombs. When our space ship crashed we had a grand old time fixing it and making our way to another adventure.

That’s blue sky thinking.

I wonder when I lost that? As I read the beginning of Jolt I was convinced I needed to recover it. Cooke reminds his readers that goals are all about “what ifs”… “so begin thinking about the great what-ifs of your life. No limits, no lids” (p.20).

Cooke recommends “blue sky” thinking to tackle all kinds of problems, challenges, and difficulties:

The only real limitations in your life are in your mind, so break those shackles and look for a farther horizon. Write it down and don’t let your past, other people’s opinions, or the limitations of your experience hold you back. (Jolt, p.22)

It’s an exercise that ought to be made part of a regular “creative workout.” It can be used, Cooke says, as a beginning to resolve challenges at work, at home, or even at church. As a first step “look for solutions without any rules, restrictions, or boundaries” (p.22). At this point there ought to be no thought of budget, time limitations, or past attempts to resolve things that didn’t work.

Often times a solution will jump right off of that list, even if it needs a bit of editing or reigning in. No limits. No lids. New solutions to old problems.

I tried some blue sky thinking as I went to sleep last night and my mind was awash with ideas. It was a refreshing way to count sheep.

How has blue sky thinking helped you view something in a new way, face a challenge, tackle a problem, or set a goal?

Posted on

How Canine Capers Demonstrate Great Grace

Your family either is a “dog family” or is not a “dog family.” Ours is not. So doesn’t it figure that our son, Ben, has had to “dog sit” twice already this summer?

Just this past week he had to tend to a golden retriever who’s family was on vacation. He had to go over to the house every morning and every evening to let the dog out and make sure it had food and water.

Every time he went over to the house the dog had made a mess on the floor, or had torn up a pillow, or had created havoc of some kind. And every time Ben went over there the dog did its best to make things difficult. All he wanted to do was feed and care for the dog, and the dog jumped on him, ran away, and even tried to bite him.

But that dog would have been lost without Ben. It would be stuck in its own filth.It would be hungry and thirsty. And eventually it would die from all of the above.

We are like the dog. Without a Provider, a Savior, a Sanctifier, we make a mess out of our lives; we live in the filth of our sin; we hurt God with our thoughts and actions; eventually we die in our sin, only to die again a certain and eternal death.

But we have a God who provides for us, saves us through His blood, and gives us the grace to recognize and realize that we are nothing but beggars. With His authority, the authority He has over all creation, Jesus calls on the Father to create in us a new creation, He Himself proclaims and declares the forgiveness of all of our sins, and His Holy Spirit takes our faith that is weak and wobbly and, by His teaching, makes it stout and strong.

There once was a woman who came to Jesus because her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit:

The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

It is said that, upon his death, a piece of paper was found in Martin Luther’s pocket. It was his own writing. The last sentence on the page said, “We are all beggars before God.”

There is great grace for beggarly dogs.

How have you seen God’s great grace in your life?

Posted on

Three Friends and a Pencil

A true, romantic story:

Once upon a time there was a girl who had three friends. The four of them went everywhere and did everything together. They were the best of friends and the closest of confidants. None of them had a boyfriend, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

In fact, one evening the four of them went to the local V.F.W. Hall for a night of dancing. The girl who had the three friends figured that she’d spend the evening as a wallflower while the others danced the night away.

There they sat listening to music waiting for someone to ask them to dance. Before long a nice looking gentleman wandered his way toward the four girls. They sat up straight in their chairs, each of them hoping against hope to be the first to find her way to the dance floor.

The gentleman passed one, then two, then three of the girls. He made a bee line directly toward the would-be wallflower. They danced a few dances and had a wonderful time while the other three simply sat. The girl eventually went back to her friends and discovered that they were not at all having a good time. They wanted to leave.

It was a pencil that made the difference of a lifetime. You see, the girl never carried a pencil in her purse. But on this night, for some reason, she had one. She excused herself to go to the bathroom, ripped off a piece of toilet paper, used the pencil to jot down her phone number, and handed it to her dance partner.

“Call me,” she said. And the next day he did.

That same day her friends called and asked her to go bowling. When she told them she couldn’t they wondered why. She told them she had a date with the dancer from the V.F.W. Hall.

It was the start of a relationship that led to a marriage of more than fifty years. In terms of possessions they never had much, but they were always content. He worked hard outside of the home. She worked hard inside the home. They had two children. Those children gave them grandchildren.

Many years later he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. She stood by him and nursed him for more than twelve years. It was truly “in sickness and in health” until death did them part.

The wallflower still misses her man. She still loves him. She remembers with great fondness all the good times spent together, his easy-going personality, and his unconditional love for her.

But since the center of their marriage was Christ, they will one day see each other again.

Thankfully she had a pencil in her purse.

What item, object, or person brought about a significant change in your life?

Posted on

How Social Media Has Helped Me Frame the Human Condition

Maybe I was naive, but I was a bit shocked. I’ll never forget the first time that a young, college-aged member of my congregation, who had “friended” me on Facebook, openly bragged and posted pictures of he and his friends participating in underaged drinking. Certainly he wouldn’t be that open about it, would he?

  1. It’s against the law.
  2. It could get one kicked out of school.
  3. Mom and dad could easily find out.
  4. My pastor is one of my friends on Facebook, and doing this would show that I’m not acting in a way  in which I was trained up and taught to act.

Ever since then I have stared in awe at the things people will reveal about themselves in open forums like Facebook and Twitter. You’ve seen and read plenty about privacy. But, in fact, there isn’t much privacy any more. We might as well get used to it. There are eyes, and ears, and cameras, and recording devices everywhere.

This post isn’t about how stupid it is to put illegal, unflattering, or embarrassing data and media on Facebook (although it could be). It’s not about ways in which these situations could be dealt with from a ministry perspective (although it could be). It’s not about protecting privacy or teaching our children to be awfully, awfully careful (although it could be).

As a pastor, artist, and creative, the thing that has interested and intrigued me about the things that people will make public, is the way in which they give us such a complete picture of the human condition. Social media offers unfiltered conversations, reactions, and opinions. It is fodder for art, for commentary, and yes for preaching Law and Gospel in Sunday sermons.

Here are some of the ways observing the human condition in and through social media can be helpful to creatives, artists, and pastors:

  1. It helps me to see my own flaws so that I can dig deep down and write things with which others will readily identify.
  2. It helps me address, from an eternal perspective, things that really matter in my writing and my preaching.
  3. It helps me to be more specific in writing about, preaching, and teaching Law.
  4. It helps me to apply Gospel comfort in a way that has the potential to be more broadly comforting to those reading or listening.
  5. It keeps my art down to earth and not “pie-in-the sky.”
  6. It fuels my empathy for those who are spiritually lost (…or at least “losing”). Empathetic artists are better artists.
  7. It reminds me that, literally, “there but by the grace of God go I.” When I apply grace to myself, I can be certain that it will be applied to others as well.

How does observing the human condition enhance your art or creativity?

Posted on

A Procession of Miracles

Thinking about that day still almost makes me cry…in a good way. It was literally a procession of miracles.

Our family had arrived in New York City in the summer 2004. Beyond being tourists in the city that never sleeps, our main purpose was to see as many shows on the Great White Way as we possibly could. Our family loves theatre and wanted to see it on a scale that is the best the world has to offer. So when we hit the ground in Manhattan we already had some tickets in our hand.

But the one ticket we couldn’t secure was the one to Broadway’s hottest show: Wicked. It was the show we all (…almost all of us) wanted to see more than any other. The problem was, so did everyone else. It was impossible to get tickets. Well, almost impossible.

It would take a procession of miracles for us to secure tickets. We knew there were two possible ways we might get the most coveted tickets on Broadway:

  1. Wait in the stand-by line early in the day to see if there would be any ticket returns.
  2. Win the daily lottery for two $25 front row tickets.

We knew it was a long shot, but decided to give it a go. I would wait in the stand-by line for a while as the rest of the family did some Manhattan shopping. I got there mid-afternoon and a line had already formed. Then, when the time came, the rest of the family submitted their names for the ticket lottery (I wasn’t allowed to because I was in the stand-by line).

To make a long story short, as showtime neared our daughter Ashlyn won two tickets in the lottery (I heard her name called while I was in line). It was nothing short of a miracle. Dilemma: which two members of our family would see the show? I was still waiting in line to see if two more tickets would free up. I gradually worked my way up to being first in line after a few people scored tickets.

Showtime was less than five minutes away as the ushers began telling people they needed to be seated, or they’d have to wait for the first break. Just then I was called to the ticket window. Two tickets had been returned: orchestra section, twelve rows from the front, right in the center. I bought them, and in we all ran.

It took a procession of miracles. Just as we sat the overture began and we all witnessed one of the most magical things we had ever seen with our own eyes (even son, Ben, who thought he’d rather be shopping on the streets of Manhattan). It was one of the most enchanting of a days of my life and one I will never forget.

On this year’s Tony Awards Bono of U2 said that every show on the stage that evening was “a procession of miracles.” Indeed. I’ve been in enough amateur productions to know that from the very start of the rehearsal process until the very last performance there are “a procession of miracles” that bring the magic of a live performance to an audience. There are always points where it seems as though the show will never be able to be pulled off. How much more so with today’s Broadway productions that include technology of all kinds. And some never do make it.

But the ones that do are a procession of miracles.

Theatre is a form of art that truly lives and breathes. There is no screen to separate. Audience reaction has an impact on actors. The chance of a forgotten line, missing prop, or malfunctioning set add to the wonderful tension. The applause at the end is an affirmation of of the procession of miracles that has just been witnessed and appreciated.

I, for one, am so very privileged to have witnessed this procession of miracles numerous times in my life…but especially that incredible day in the summer of 2004.

Where have you witnessed a procession of miracles in your life?

Posted on

Five Resources for Advancing Your Life’s Plan

It seems that life often turns out in a different way than one thinks it’s going to. The other day I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in more than four years. The last time I saw him his youngest son was literally the star pitcher of his youth baseball team. The boy was poised to move on to high school and have an impact at a higher level. It looked like all the ducks were in a row and a wildly successful baseball career was on the horizon. That was four years ago.

So  I asked how the boy’s high school baseball career had gone. To my surprise he said that he dropped out of baseball. The kid grew tall, and thin, and sat on the bench…a lot. So he took up golf.

I told my friend we had a great deal of catching up to do, and that we should get together soon. He agreed, and had to be on his way.

It got me to thinking about just how often it is that peoples’ hopes, ideas, and very life sometimes don’t turn out the way they envision it all will. Baseball dreams take a left turn to golf. Dreams of being a doctor take a right turn to a career as a medical assistant. Dreams of motherhood make a u-turn to adoption.

Sometimes it’s the result of uncontrollable or unforeseen circumstances. Finances, friendships, or fear can become obstacles or hurdles that bar hopes and dreams.

But it doesn’t always have to be that way. A will and a plan go a long way toward finding the fulfillment of a dream.

I have recently run across some resources that may be helpful to you in dreaming, planning, goal-setting, and strategizing. These items may help your life follow the direction of your dream and give meaning to your vocation. The first is free; the others are relatively inexpensive. Take some time to dream, plan, find purpose, and follow a definite direction.

  1. Creating Your Personal Life Plan, by Michael Hyatt. This is a free resource that you can get simply by subscribing to Michael’s blog. I’m currently working on it. It is simple yet highly profound in terms of impact on one’s life. It consists of thinking through and writing down outcomes, priorities, and action plans. It provides true direction and great accountability to accomplish things in life you dream of having accomplished.
  2. Linchpin and Poke the Box, by Seth Godin. Linchpin was for me a life-changing (no hyperbole) book. It shows how to be an essential building block of a great organization. Poke the Box is impetus to be an instigator, create initiative, and seek discovery. You will thank me after you read these two books.
  3. The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp. Twyla Tharp is one of the world’s great choreographers. But you can have two left feet and still gain a great deal from this book. With exercises like “Where’s Your Pencil?”, “Coins and Chaos,” and “Do a Verb,” Tharp shows anyone how to make creativity a habit and use it to advance both your career and your life.
  4. The War of Art and Do the Work, by Steven Pressfield. Both of these books give tools to overcome what Pressfield labels “resistance.” Resistance is the inner force that prevents most anyone from accomplishing what needs to be accomplished. Two must reads.
  5. Quitter, by Jon Acuff. The jacket cover says that Quitter is about “closing the gap between your day job & your dream job.” It’s not a book just for people who want to quit their jobs and find something better.  It provides methods to recover your dream, work toward your dream without blowing up your life, and methods to use for finding real direction in your life (all from a Christian perspective).

What resources can you share with me for better planning, goal-setting, and accountability for moving forward?

 

Posted on

Easing the Effects of Heart-Stopping, Stomach-Dropping Emotions

It’s been an emotional week. Between difficult decisions at work, unsettling phone conversations with far-away offspring, and exhilarating weekend worship and leisure activities, my psyche feels drained and my head feels a little heavy.

Some weeks provide more of an even keel than others. But it seems we can ride the wave of the easy-going life for just so long before the roller coaster takes a dip and we find our stomach dropping and our inner child screaming. It can be a bit disconcerting. It can be wearing, wearying, and just plain weakening.

We have been created by God to be emotional beings. We laugh, cry, empathize, sympathize, worry, weep, and rejoice. It makes life interesting. It makes life invigorating, breathtaking, and spine-tingling. And sometimes it makes for fireworks when our emotions intersect with someone else’s.

One comforting feature of Christianity is that the God who created us as emotional beings sent His Son into the flesh to sinlessly live an emotion-laden life. He knows what it’s like to laugh, cry, empathize, sympathize, weep, and rejoice. It is He who now sits at the right hand of the Father and reigns over the world and over our lives with care and compassion, grace and forgiveness.

In the midst of this emotional week I found myself using several different coping strategies to smooth out the twists and turns, dives and drops of my roller coaster emotions:

  1. Prayer. As I lay in bed rehashing the events of each day I reminded myself to place it all before the One who knew every detail of every decision, every conversation, and every emotion. It brought peace that put me to sleep.
  2. Conversation with people I trust. Emotions are emotions, which means that they are sometimes irrational. Getting an outside perspective helps bring a rational outlook and tempers the extremes of emotion.
  3. Exercise. I find that exercise either gets my mind off of my emotional state or provides an opportunity to process the things that are driving my emotions. I always feel better after a heart-pounding mountain bike ride or a slow jog around the neighborhood.
  4. Reading. I’m currently in the middle of a couple of books that fascinate me, stretch my mind, and challenge my thinking. It’s not just a diversion, it’s a productive way to reign in emotion.
  5. Writing. Writing is my hobby, an avocation, a form of art. I agree with uber-blogger Michael Hyatt when he says that writing his blog is, for him, like a painter working on a painting. There is something therapeutic about it. Thus, this post. It has helped me work through the emotions of this week.

Notice that the only one of the three “R’s” I didn’t mention here is ‘rithmetic. Math would only add to my stress. Sorry all you “math geeks.” Math never was one of my gifts.

How do you ease the effects of heart-stopping, stomach-dropping emotions?

Posted on

Wine and Worms

We have some friends who used to own and operate a wine shop. We hadn’t seen them in a while so they had us over for (what else!) some wine, food, and conversation. It was the perfect summer evening to sit outside and enjoy catching up with one another, sampling some good wine, and enjoying some fantastic food.

But another highlight of the evening was our friends’ son, Max. Max is 2 1/2 years old. Max entertained himself for most of the more than four hours we were with our friends. Max is creative.

One of the top ways people end up on my blog is by doing a search of the phrase “creative kids.” I love to observe creativity in kids and encourage creativity in kids. Max reminded me again that creativity begins at a very, very early age.

Max is all boy. He loves trucks, cars, and smashing things. One of his favorite things to do is take a shovel, a bucket, and his dump truck to the back of the yard and dig for worms. He uses the resources he has to create some fun for himself.

So, dig he did. Max probably spent twenty minutes digging in the back of the yard before he found a worm. And when he did he triumphantly came over to the table where the adults were talking, dug into the pile of dirt in his dump truck, and pulled out the tiniest little worm I’ve ever seen. We all decided that he should name the worm Willie, and he did.

Willie was washed with water. Willie was presented to each person at the table. Willie went to jail in Max’s toy police station. And Willie went back into the dirt. Then Max was off to dig for more worms.

Sure enough, this time Max came back with a bigger worm. This one was named Wanda. With a little adult prompting, Max decided that he could go fishing with Wanda.

More worms. More play. More creativity.

Max’s persistence at play reminded me that sometimes that’s just what I need: to be a little more persistent in my “play.”

  • When I start a creative project I need to allow myself more time for exploration and play. Far too often I find myself rushing the creative process. The creative process is more often a slow cooker than it is a flash in the pan.
  • When I’m in the midst of a creative project I need to somehow involve others in the process. The adults helped Max name the worm Willie. It’s a reminder that in creativity two (or more!) minds are better than one.
  • When I’m creating something it is sometimes best to use resources that are readily available. Max used his shovel, bucket, and dump truck. Sometimes I spend more time looking for resources to help me create, than in the actual process of creating. Looking right in front of me for resources is a great place to start.
  • When time is short and creating becomes a burden, I limit myself by only “skimming the surface” of my thoughts or resources. Max spent time digging. I need to dig more. When I do, I will be certain to find more worms.

And in the end…a little wine with friends doesn’t hurt, either.

What lessons in creativity have you learned from children?