Celebrating Creativity

I'm so happy you've stopped by my blog today.  I'm celebrating a new look and a devotion running called "Rediscovering Creativity."   So welcome!  If it's your first time here, please look around and post a comment.  I've love to hear from you. 

If you are one of my bloggy friends, I've been silent for awhile as I put the finishing touches on my blog.  Or actually, I should say the brilliant and creative Carol Poortvliet put the finishing touches on it.  If you are ever in need of someone to redesign your blog, or do any graphic design work, I highly recommend Carol.  She's a hard-working mother of two, running her business from home to be there for her family.  She's an amazing Christian woman who does almost all the design work for Proverbs 31 Ministries, including our magazine.  I adore her. And she always inspires me with her creativity.

Anyway, this blog truly reflects me.  I love anything cottagey,  romantic and vintage.  I know that's not very popular these days, but it's really who I am.  If I could transplant an English cottage to my current city, I would.  Except for the fact I live in Phoenix, and it will probably hit 110 degrees today, and all those vines that would be growing over my cottage would die in this heat.  A girl can dream, right? 

On to creativity ...

If you've read any of my past blog posts, you'll know I don't consider myself very creative - even though I think I should be, given I'm a writer.  You can catch up on my oddities in this post.   If you read it, you'll see that I've always been confused by myself, specifically my strengths and weaknesses.  Years ago, when I worked in public relations, we often had to set up special events.  Don't you normally think of PR people as creative?  I did, and I thought I should be. However, the truth was if anything creative came out of me, it was because I worked with very creative people.  But I always compared myself to them, and came up short.  Recently, I've taken a different look at creativity. 

It happened when I read the book "Linchpin" by  Seth Godin.  While it's essentially a business book (which I love being left-brain uber-dominated) Godin throws out a challenge to this generation of people wanting to make a difference.  He says that the world is looking for artists - in every genre of society. But sadly, we've had the artist baked out of us.  And it's happened, he says, because of schools.

Now don't get upset.  I love schools and I love teachers.  I come from a family of teachers and professors. But he's got a point.  We get very good at learning to take a test.  We learn what the teacher wants, and then give it to him or her to get the grade we need to pass the class and move on to the next teacher.  I'm a great student.  But it has hindered my creativity.  

I see this same phenomenon on some of my favorite reality shows, like American Idol or Next Food Network star.  The judges are looking for the performer or chef to show them their unique style.  But so many of them don't know what that looks like.  I cringe when I hear them say something like, "What kind of music do you want me to do?"  "What do you think my culinary point of view should be?" 

Be authentic!   Be yourself!  Let yourself go and be your own remarkable self!

God planted art and creativity in each of us.   Maybe we need to shake off the fear of the test, and discover the artist within us.  And we can be artistic in any given area of our lives - cooking dinner, caring for children, sewing clothes, managing an office or teaching school. You probably don't want to be creative with your taxes, though. 

To celebrate creativity in the kitchen, I'm giving away a really cute apron by Mary-Lake Thompson with a beehive design on the front.  Just leave a comment WITH a way for me to contact you, and I'll pick a winner at random and announce it on Wednesday.

Thanks again for visiting!

In Christ's love,

Glynnis

Worship in Truth

I bid you a warm welcome on this lovely April day.  Today I've got a devotion running on Proverbs31.org and Crosswalk.com about worship.  God has taken me on a journey to transform my worship.  If you've got a few minutes, I'd love to share my testimony about worship.   Let's go back in time 10 years, when we started attending our church, Vineyard North Phoenix. 

I stood in worship, arms raised, with tears and mascara streaming down my face, and dripping onto my shirt. This wasn’t a new response. When my husband and I started attending our church, worship brought me to tears. My husband stopped asking what was wrong. After weeks of handing me tissues, he knew I was fine, just emotional.


At first, it embarrassed me to be emotional in worship. After all, I wasn’t a new Christian, having accepted Jesus as my Lord over 35 years earlier. And I wasn’t new to contemporary worship. In fact, I had led the worship singing at a previous church. But this was different. I was new to this level of openness and intimacy with God, and it touched me in a very deep place.

The question begged to be asked, “If I was a Christian for decades, why hadn’t I known this level of intimacy through worship?” The answer is simple, yet took me a while to process and fully understand: I’d always focused on serving God, including serving Him in worship. I saw singing as a gift, and wanted to return that gift to God through some sort of music ministry.

However, I was so intent on serving in worship that I missed out on the most important part – actually worshipping. Amazingly, when I stopped “doing” worship, I learned what it meant to “be” a worshiper.

For years I had served God in worship; including singing in a youth choir, then a Christian band, being in the choir as an adult and finally leading. It seemed I’d faced a congregation all my Christian life. However, 12 years ago my family moved across country and I was an unknown in my church. At that time I fully expected to get right up on stage as soon as I could. But during my prayer time, I heard the Lord clearly speak to my heart and tell me not to sing in front of others. In fact, God continued, I wasn’t even to let people know I could sing.

This was a bittersweet time for me. It was hard to face the front every Sunday. I prayed weekly for God to change His mind: “Please Lord, make it obvious when I can sing again on the worship team. In fact, have the worship pastor put something in the bulletin so I know it’s You!” But it didn’t happen. So I settled into being a member of the congregation.

Over time, something happened in my heart. For the first time I wasn’t worried about hitting the right note, or how I sounded, or if I looked properly worshipful while I was singing – I was just worshiping! As the technical concerns of serving in music ministry slipped from my shoulders, God completed the work He intended when He asked me to stop singing publicly. He showed me He much preferred receiving my adoration in worship than hearing my well-blended harmonies.

I think this must have been what Jesus tried to tell the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. Jesus had been traveling, and stopped for rest and a cool drink in Samaria. There He met a woman drawing water for her daily needs. Jesus asked for a drink of water, and in typical Jesus fashion, the talk progressed from H2O to the life of living water He could offer her. This passage is textured with meaning, and one theme is worship.

The conversation continued, and after having her private life revealed by a stranger, the woman asked Jesus about the right place to worship: Was it on a mountain where her ancestors worshiped, or was it in Jerusalem? Jesus’ answer was rich and full. He told her, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24 NIV).

The woman wanted to be right with God, and to make sure she was in the right physical place for worship. But Jesus wanted her in the right spiritual place. It didn’t matter where she worshiped God, but how she worshiped. I was like that woman. God wanted to get me in the right spiritual place for worship, and moved me 2000 miles away from home to do it.

As I look back over my experience, I see how easy it was to let familiar words breeze through my mouth, without my heart being fully engaged in worship. It’s amazing that I could plan lunch and sing praises at the same time. But when I truly worship in spirit and truth, my heart is laid bare before the Lord and distracting thoughts vanish. It’s as if a door opens to the deepest place in my spirit and God steps in and fills me up – my mind, my heart and my soul. In those moments of intimacy, God can work miracles.

Without meaning to, I’d held the Lord at arm’s length during worship for years. It was emotionally easier to concentrate on the details of the music, rather than open myself to God’s work in my spirit. Although it was uncomfortable at first to be that open in the presence of the Lord, I’ll never go back. After seven years of learning to worship, God did have the music pastor put a note in the bulletin, and I’m back on the worship team. But I’ll never sacrifice being a worshiper for serving in worship again.

Let the tears flow!

In His Love,
Glynnis

Do you feel like you don't fit in?

Today my friend Joanne Kraft is featuring an interview with me about writing. If you visit her site at http://www.onesoblessed.com/ you will get a chance to read about my writing journey and some of my thoughts on writing.

I will warn you, I'm not a typical writer. In fact, I've always thought I was a freak of nature, or uniquely and humorously made by a loving God who designed me for a purpose. I'm choosing the second option.

You see, I don't fit any molds ... in any part of my life.

I LOVE to cook and watch Food Network (Paula and I are on a first name basis ... well, at least I am with her - she, on the other hand, doesn't know I exist.)

BUT, I have never created my own recipe.

I LOVE to write.

BUT, I have never journaled, kept a diary, and if you follow my blog, you will know I am inconsistent at best.

I LOVE to read home decorating magazines, such as Romantic Homes and Victoria. I'm an old-fashioned, romantic girl at heart. Should have been born in an English manor. With servants of course. Who I would have treated very well, like a part of the family.

BUT, I can't accessorize or decorate my home for the life of me.

So, what does a girl like me do?

Trust that God knew what He was doing, stop worrying about what I can't do, and focus with purpose on what I can do. I have realized that the more I'm me, the better I am at it.

I wonder if there are women out there who have decided they are disqualified from something because they don't fit into a mold. I kind of envision Satan as walking around with a big rubber stamp and stamping "disqualified" on the hearts of my sweet sisters around the world.

But today I want to tell you that God has already stamped you "qualified" with the blood of Jesus. Not because of your qualifications, but because of His.

So shake off what the world says, and the lies of the enemy, and embrace your calling, in all your unique and beautiful self. If you don't fit the "mold," that must be because God is creating a new one ... and it's called YOU.

With all my love and His,

Glynnis

Investing in Children's Strengths

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all who have found their way to my blog today. Whether you are visiting for the first time after reading my devotion on www.Proverbs31.org or www.Crosswalk.com - or you've visited her before - Welcome!!

Today I've got a devotion running about investing in children's strengths. As a mom of five children, this topic is near to my heart. The reason is that everyone wants someone to see their potential. I don't think we EVER outgrow this. Do you agree?

I've experienced this personally in a variety of areas. The top two that come to my mind are singing and writing. I'll just touch on singing now. I've been a backup singer for many years, and about a year and a half ago, we had a change in our worship leaders. A new worship pastor joined the church, and to be honest, there was some underlying anxiety for me. I worried about whether or not he would think my voice was good. As he talked about investing in the young musicians, and developing their potential, I wondered, "Does he think I have potential?"

I didn't matter that I am a 40-something woman who has sung most of my life - I still felt like a little girl hoping someone would think I had potential ... that my talents had some value.

As an editor and director of the writer's track at She Speaks, I meet women all the time who have written an article for the first time and are praying that something thinks they have a grain of talent ... and that someone sees their potential. I pray God has used me to encourage many beginning authors in this way - Because I know what they are thinking!

As a mom, I've got five precious children who are hoping I'll see their potential. They really need me to see what's inside, because sadly, the world often overlooks potential unless is already mixed with amazing talent . The musical prodigy or the gifted athlete capture the attention of adults. But the shy girl, slouching her shoulders so no one will see how tall she is, is often looked right past. What God-given talent is just waiting to be discovered and coaxed into fruition?

In the devotion, I told the story of Joshua and his early music experience. Today Josh met with the youth pastor who confirmed his gifting in music, and shared plans for the future that included Josh. It was just what my son needed to hear, and I'm so thankful for a pastor who knows that young people need someone to see their potential.

But I could have told a similar story about each of my children. Dylan's small stature made it difficult to play football once he started high school - but he excelled once he discovered wrestling . Robbie doesn't love playing music like his brothers, but he's got a great ear for music and will be trained on the sound board. Cathrine struggles with academics, but she's a dynamo on the soccer field. And Ruth's attention challenges make many situations difficult for her, but the girl can dance!

I have felt it was my job to become a student of each of my children. I've really evaluated their strengths from the inside out. I've considered the following:

· personality
· likes and dislikes
· talents
· physical ability
· learning style
· spiritual gifting

Every child has a combination of these personal characteristics and not one of them is a mistake. They are a gift from a loving God who already has a plan to incorporate them into His calling on your child's life.

Investing in these characteristics doesn't always take money. There are many ways to build your child's strengths through volunteering, community and school programs and of course, church involvement. But it does take strategic thinking sometimes. And prayers for guidance.

Like I said above, we all want someone to see that we have potential. That's the first gift we can give our children. The second gift is to show them how to develop it. But the best gift, I believe, is to model offering our own gifts and talents back to God for His glory.

I hope someone sees your potential. I know God does.

In His Love,
Glynnis