CREATIVE THOUGHT
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“The best evidence that we are created by God is that we’re creative.” -Erwin Raphael McManus
CREATIVE THOUGHT Vol. 1 APRIL 2008
COMPETITION AND CREATIVITY
“Guitar groups are on the way out.”
A record company executive comment on turning down the Beatles. Unfortunately for the record company, the Beatles went on to sell more than one billion discs and tapes. But the quote stands as a monument to stupidity of Decca records as well as the other record companies that turned them down. How could the record company executives with extensive musical experience fail to recognize the genius that was staring them in the face? Perhaps, genius was not present at that time. Greg Clydesdale suggests that the Beatles stand as examples, not of creative geniuses, but examples of the power of the creative process. While there is a school of thought that genius is born and soon flows naturally out of the person. Clydesdale points to competition as a key factor to the underlying foundation of the creative process. He also understands that individual creativity is overrated. For anyone to achieve greatness, others are needed in the process.
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Four record companies turned down the Beatles. It was a record label that specialized in comedy that finally signed them. George Martin said, “When I first met them, they really couldn’t write a decent song, yet…they blossom(ed) as songwriters in a way that was breathtaking”. The Beatles early compositions showed no signs of genius. Their first album contained six American songs.
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OPPORTUNITIES AND CREATIVITY
by Rick Yamamoto
“When I paint, it is like jumping off a cliff. I start out but never know where or how I will land.”- Pablo Picasso “What new investment option would you like?” This was the question that I was asking this group. I already knew their answers, but this was a part of the process that I was forced to adopt. They would choose the investment option that had the best historical performance. To test my hypothesis, I changed the time periods so that the best investments changed. Their choices also changed.
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I knew what they wanted was a free lunch. They wanted Picasso’s experience of jumping off the cliff without having to land. Or maybe they just wanted to be able to tell people that they had jumped off the cliff. They wanted upside gain without the downside potential of loss. Their investment default in times of fear would be cash. They thought they would not lose with a money market selection. What most of them did not realize was that the money-eating inflation monster would devour their cash; it is the silent monster that only appears when you want to spend your savings. Then they would realize how far value had declined. Yes, the investment value would be preserved, but the buying power would have diminished considerably. This attitude seems to pervade other aspects of our lives. We move towards riskreducing behaviors rather than exploit opportunities that confront us. Most of us
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COMPETITION and CREATIVITY (Cont.)
John Lennon and Paul McCartney were interested in developing their songwriting. McCartney and Lennon shared friendly competition in their songwriting. Both agreed to share credit Lennon/McCartney on all songs with the Beatles. This balance of teaming and competing was key to their success. The competition would not impact their shares of financial rewards. Although they did write their songs independently, it was rare that they did not mutually collaborate. According to McCartney, the secret to their collaboration was that they liked each other. Even when Paul McCartney wrote and produced Yesterday without any involvement from the other members, the record was released as The Beatles. Furthermore, John and Paul wrote a song for their drummer Ringo Starr to sing for each album. George Martin had the technical knowledge to translate the concepts into a composition. As the writers developed and demanded more of themselves, they also pressed Martin to raise his standards.
greatest rock album ever”. Wilson followed with Pet Sounds that the Beatles said inspired them to make the innovative album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Beatles are an excellent example of the power of teaming in developing creative genius. We tend to overestimate the influence of the creative individual and underestimate the power of others to make us better. From Creativity and Competition: The Beatles by Greg Clydesdale, Creativity Research Journal, 2006
QUESTIONS What can help me to increase my potential? A team? A coach? Competition? What can help others to increase their potential? A team? A coach? Competition? What else can I do to serve my team?
The external competition came from the Beach Boys. The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” shattered the previous record held by the Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA”. Brian Wilson was the sole songwriter for the Beach Boys. “I Get Around” and “Help Me Rhonda” both went to number 1. The Beatles “Rubber Sole” album took things to new highs. “That album is just blowing my mind” said Wilson. “I want to make the
OPPORTUNITIES and CREATIVITY (Cont.)
live lives of missed opportunities because we fail to change our thinking. We feel safe in our ivory towers. Our problem is we miss opportunities because we cannot see open doors We instead focus on what would be taken away from us if we were to consider seizing the opportunities. I remember an idea that Erwin McManus presented a few years ago: “Let’s close down the Sunday evening nightclub service during Labor Day weekend and take everyone down to Ensenada, Mexico on a short-term mission trip.” Erwin presented an opportunity to seize. However, one could see some immediate problems. First, we don’t take everyone on mission trips. We traditionally take highly committed followers of Christ. Bringing everyone who normally attends our nightclub service on a mission trip would obviously violate the “policy” we have on short-term missions. Second, we traditionally have intensive training for people. How were we going to train 250 people for this trip? Third, we would be exposing ourselves to the probability of someone doing “something wrong.” And of course, you don’t usually shut down your Sunday service. I could probably list several more reasons that this was a “bad idea.” We did shut down the evening service because about 250 twenty-somethings went to Ensenada. The most surprising revelation for me was the conversation on the way home. Even though everyone picked up trash for three days, almost everyone was interested in going back to serve the city. One of the persons that became a follower of Christ later designed the cover of one of Erwin’s books. It was only later that I would realize what we
would have missed, had we not taken advantage of the opportunity. A few years later, when I was handpicking a team for a special overseas assignment, I realized that most of the people I wanted, I had observed in Ensenada. Mexico was new and different, providing an excellent environment to see spontaneous attitudes of service and leadership. Over the years, we have seen that on any given trip, about 50% will be going for the first time, and about one-third are not connected to Mosaic. Ensenada provided a cross-cultural experience that was easy for people to handle. The following year, the number of people on short-term mission teams doubled. The Ensenada experience provided an environment where a different set of knowledge and skills were valued. A new set of leaders emerged that stepped into roles in Ensenada as well as in other positions at Mosaic. One aspect of leadership is thinking about creative opportunities that will provide a higher level of challenge to the organization. We need to engage in more cliff jumping. Without challenges, we grow bored and lethargic. The more radical the challenge, the greater our opportunity for development.
QUESTIONS Who is in charge of your cliff jumping school? What kind of jumping have your graduates engaged in? What is a new challenge that your team should tackle?
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“I have heard about creativity, risk-taking, all that as though it were something that you can plan. But I can tell you,
you cannot plan creativity.
Because as soon as you plan it, it means that you are going to do something that has already been done, and if you are going to do something that has already been done, it is not creativity but a good copy of someone else’s work. That is happening more and more today.” Oliviero Toscani Italian Photographer Creative Director, Benetton Page 213 Guntern, Gottlieb (1998) Risk-Taking and Creative Leadership, Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd., London
LEADERSHIP CONSIDERATIONS IMPLEMENTING CREATIVE IDEAS FOR
Human creativity is the ability to generate new forms
that must meet four criteria of selection (Gottlierb). Because each criteria displaces existing power holders, the leader faces potential conflict in introducing the change. The dilemma is that four aspects of human creativity may cause major conflicts:
1. Uniqueness
This will challenge existing forms that are valued by creators and defenders. SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE SHOULD BE ASKING BEFORE IMPLEMENTING CREATIVE IDEAS:
Although the new form functions better than the old, some will resist using the new service and defend the old.
How can we help people adapt to the implementation of the idea? Who are the stakeholders of the existing idea/product? How will it impact the existing aesthetics – products and services and their stakeholders? How does it impact existing organizational values and practices?
An aesthetically superior new form will challenge existing ideas about what is good, bad, beautiful, etc.
From Gottlieb Guntern (1998) Risk-Taking & Creative Leadership Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd., London
The requirement to adapt to the new product or service will cause some people to avoid dealing with it.
2. Function
3. Formal-aesthetic perfection
4. Value for the organization or society
The new form may challenge the existing forms that are valued by their representatives..
4 RISK LEADERSHIP & AND CREATIVITY
The Magnanimous Gesture of Napoleon to His Rival
The situation was gloomy. The English fleets dominated the waters blockading the entire French nation. The balls and shells of the ships were systematically annihilating unprotected towns. The locust legions of the Austrian army were pouring through the French borders. Marshall Kay led the northern onslaught with heavy artillery and a vast array of cavalry. Another Austrian marshal rushed through the eastern and southern borders of the Republic. The French troops were in total disarray. They were either scampering away from their enemies or were eating their horses and boots in besieged cities. Napoleon pondered his next move. His continued offers of peace were rejected by both England and Austria. Now he focused his energy on unleashing his military genius. His enemies recognized the tremendous energy that he brought to the battlefield. Some would say that his appearance was considered the equivalent of 100,000 men. The rallying cry rang out all over France. “Frenchmen! You have been anxious for peace. Your government has desired it with still greater ardor. Its first efforts, its most constant wishes, have been for its attainment. The English ministry has exposed the secret of its iniquitous policy.
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THE CREATIVE LEADERSHIP OF JOHN by Bill Hicks, UCLA Varsity, 1960-62
WOODEN
One of our top players – maybe our best – got upset about something during practice one day and stormed off the court. This put Coach Wooden in an awkward position because he didn’t want to lose the guy. We didn’t exactly have a lot of talent to spare.
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Coach solved the problem by telling the player who had blown up and walked off the court that he was suspended. However, he then informed the suspended player that our whole team would be allowed to vote on whether or not to let him return. This allowed everybody to save face. It also empowered the team, because it felt like we got in on the decision. Of course, we voted to let him back on. Coach had solved his problem, disciplined the player, and strengthened our team all at the same time. This was typical of his leadership – very innovative. He treated all the players the same – no favorites. He said he was only human and probably did like some of us more than others as people. However, he promised to be absolutely fair in his evaluation of us as players. Coach Wooden wanted us to know that there would be no favoritism on his part. We all had an equal chance. Coach Wooden always had a passion for the little things. He wanted us to tie our shoes the correct way, pivot the correct way. There was a correct way to do everything, and he wanted us to know how. So he taught us how. Page 177
Wooden, John, (2005) Wooden on Leadership, McGraw-Hill,
RISK & LEADERSHIP and CREATIVITY (Cont.)
It wishes to dismember France, to destroy its commerce, and either to erase it from the map of Europe, or to degrade it to a secondary power. England is willing to embroil all the nations of the Continent in hostility with each other, that she may enrich herself with their spoils, and gain possession of the trade of the world. For the attainment of this object she scatters her gold, becomes prodigal of her promises, and multiplies her intrigues.” The French erupted in response to his call. Napoleon raised an army of 150,000 men, the very elite of the troops of France, and the veterans of a hundred battles. Even Napoleon was caught up in the supreme devotion to the State. He pushed aside his own ambitions and with a most magnanimous gesture, placed the army into the hands of Jean-Victor-Marie Moreau, the only man in France who could be called his rival. Furthermore, Napoleon also presented to Moreau his campaign plan that reflected his energy, boldness, and genius. The accomplishment of the dazzling plan would have added surpassing brilliance to the reputation of Moreau. But the cautious general was afraid to adopt it. Instead he presented another, perhaps as safe, but one that would not produce a dazzling impression upon the imaginations of men.
A friend of Moreau told Napoleon that “Your plan is grander, more decisive, and even more sure.” But it is not adapted to Moreau’s slow and cautious genius. Your method of making war is superior to all others. Moreau has his own, inferior certainly (awkward; what does the original document say?), but still excellent. Leave him to himself. If you impose your ideas upon him, you will wound his self-love, and disconcert him.” Napoleon promptly replied, “You are right. Moreau is not capable of grasping the plan which I have conceived. Let him follow his own course. The plan that he does not understand and dare not execute, I myself will carry out, on another part of the theatre of war. What he fears to attempt on the Rhine, I will accomplish on the Alps. The day may come when he will regret the glory which he yields to me.” “I will give Moreau,” said he by this act, “one hundred and fifty thousand of the most brave and disciplined soldiers of France, the victors of a hundred battles. I myself will take sixty thousand men, new recruits and the fragments of regiments which remain, and with them I will march to encounter an equally powerful enemy on a more difficult field of warfare.”
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The WALL you’ve hit can either be your obstacle-
or it can be your
canvas.
RISK & LEADERSHIP and CREATIVITY (Cont.)
Napoleon, with two-thirds of his troops never seeing a shot fired, did not want to confront the Austrians and English directly. Instead he adopted a daring plan. Napoleon resolved to lead his troops through the rugged and apparently inaccessible Alps and approach his enemies from the rear. He dared to take his men, with ponderous artillery, tons of cannon balls, and the other needed baggage over a mountain pass where secure footing was difficult and no wheel had ever tread. The achievement of such an idea was so ridiculous that his enemies laughed at this report from the Austrian and English spies. Moreau, moderately victorious upon the Rhine, was driving back the invaders. Napoleon’s feat was like an exploding sun, impacting all of France. Moreau’s twinkling star soon faded into utter obscurity. Napoleon’s act of lofty generosity to his rival is incredible – surrendering the noblest army of the republic to the theater of war where apparently the richest laurels could be won. Napoleon’s
action not only rallied the French, but became a landmark in world history – “Napoleon crossing the Alps.” Adapted from Napoleon Bonaparte by John Abbott retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3775
QUESTIONS What risk-taking idea should you be putting into action? What noble act of generosity should you be initiating? What catalyzing action on your part will impact the morale of those you lead? What should you be communicating to rally people together?
6 SUSPENDED CREATIVITY by Hana Shin
To be honest, I am rather wary of artists. Like a child drawn to a mysterious cave, they have always fascinated and attracted my attention, but I have tried to keep a healthy distance. Growing up with a father who was a painter and aunts and uncles who were dancers, musicians, and designers, I have always admired and been in awe of artists. Yet, when those critical models of artists were alcoholics, gamblers, and relationally unpredictable, you might understand my ambivalence toward artists as a whole. Perhaps I was afraid of that which coursed through my own blood, that it would inevitably lead me down a similar contradictory path of beauty and pain. Or, perhaps I was trained to be suspicious of them because, as humans do, they would let me down. Because of this ambivalence, I shied away from my own creative spirit, unsure of the power of this dormant dragon within. I’ve kept my distance by studying psychology and trauma to try to understand the destructive side of creativity. I have been trained to scientifically research human suffering, yet I grapple with the reality and nearness of it every day in my own life and the people around me. I have seen what happens when there is
poverty of creativity or a perversion of it. Its potential is unnerving. Yet, as Creativity was roused awake, she demanded entrance into my work and ministry and would not be relegated to be a mere hobby. Although I have dabbled in poetry and sculpture from adolescence to the present, Creativity has started to infiltrate all areas of my life, not only when I feel like “doing art.” She stirred awake, whipped her tail from restlessness, and exhaled the hot, salty breath of tenacity. She wanted to cross the borders that I and others had placed on myself. Culture has placed me between Asia and America, raised in an immigrant family with glaringly clear roles and expectations. This biculturalism helped me to propel forward and excel within particular boundaries, yet that was not enough for Creativity. She refused to be confined by what I “should do” or “am supposed to do” as a psychologist and researcher who follows Christ and wants to serve internationally. Creativity had led me not only to think, but also move beyond the confines of job descriptions. Somewhere along the journey, I had picked up the notion that I was limited to working for a Christian mission organization if I wanted to pursue psychology along a “Christian” route.
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“To unleash the movement of creativity, the leader needs to become a better listener.” -Erwin Raphael McManus
I thought that being a Christian psychologist set boundaries on what I could do. However, as opportunities open to apply research and clinical services in community settings and serve in international ministry at Mosaic, I have been able to see and step into new ideas and discard old ones. God’s Creative Spirit is both pushing me forward and pulling out the creative reserve within me.
with artists, but artists, scientists, and psychologists are all human, broken and fragmented, capable of being creative or destructive in the span of a moment or collection of moments. We have endless capacity for life-giving creativity, especially when the brokenness is healed and the pieces are integrated. I’ve come to love artists, including the very ones who share my lifeline in history.
There is no clear job description for what I want to do, but there is clarity in who God wants me to be. Creativity will move me forward as I learn from what is out there and create something new, rather than conforming and becoming something that I am not. When I am most depleted from work and deadlines, creativity is at a low and it is just easier to do what’s always been done. So, even though Creativity is aroused, in my ambivalence and busyness, I can make the mistake of suspending her. I have been known to ground her from play, limit her movement, and because of my own brokenness, I can punish her existence. Oftentimes, I am not kind to her.
Artists are cherished, no longer to be feared.
How do I live out creativity in the way I approach the problems of life? How do I encourage creativity in problem-solving and life-living in others? I mistakenly lumped creativity
I am who I am because of the creativity of the ones before me, and though their destruction could have destroyed me, I have the power to forgive because I have been forgiven. Yes, there remains an ambivalence from which I am growing and moving, but I now enjoy the curious fascination. I spend time with that fascination, and I no longer fear that fascination. I release Creativity from suspension, sit with her, and pray that I reflect her. I will welcome Creativity and cultivate her. I will be kind to her.
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“The Interview”
INT. APARTMENT − DAY A small, one bedroom apartment in Burbank, California. The place is well-kept, with modest furnishings ranging from Target to the matching woods of Ikea.
GARETT RATLIFF - late 20s, handsome, intelligent, humble sits on one side of the living room, enjoying a hot cup of pomegranate green tea. Across from him sits the INTERVIEWER, who is ominously kept in the shadows.
INTERVIEWER I’m sitting here today with Garett Ratliff, the writer and producer responsible for the independent feature, “Growing Out.”
GARETT “Responsible?” You make it sound like I’ve done something wrong.
INTERVIEWER That remains to be seen. (clears his throat) Can you tell us what the film is about?
GARETT Sure. It’s about a troubled songwriter who discovers a human being growing out of his basement floor.
The Interviewer takes a moment to process this information, then nods his approval.
INTERVIEWER And where does an idea like that come from?
GARETT Well, it’s actually based on a short film my brother wrote and directed back in college, so the idea was his. I just expanded the story and put in the songwriting element to validate my music degree.
INTERVIEWER Did your brother direct the feature?
GARETT Indeed he did. We pretty much got our whole family involved in this one.
INTERVIEWER How was the creative process for you?
GARETT Well, when it came to dreaming up ideas for the story or figuring out the music for the movie, that wasn’t too bad. I mean, I don’t always know how to fix things or make them
(Cont.)
GARETT (Cont.) -better, but I know when something’s not right. It’s just a matter of trying new ideas until they click. (pause) Actually making the movie, though...
INTERVIEWER You have to be creative in a whole new way?
GARETT Sure. ‘Cause every day is a new set of problems. And instead of just focusing on a given problem, you have to look at what parts of the solution you’ve been left with. You start to piece those together, and in most cases you end up with a better solution than what you began with. (laughs) It’s really important to remain positive, hard as that might be. And it is hard. But there’s always a solution. Always. Just treat it like a puzzle or a game; something to get excited by. (pause) And prayer helps, too. A lot of prayer.
INTERVIEWER Is this a Christian movie?
Garett takes a long drink from his pomegranate green tea before answering. GARETT It’s really one big spiritual metaphor; the movie itself is not overtly Christian. (pause) I actually started writing it before Jesus jumped into my life, so there were changes that had to be made to the original script.
Such as?
GARETT Well, I didn’t want to censor the story, but I also didn’t want to include anything that would make me feel ncomfortable. The first thing I did was to pull out anything blasphemous. Nothing creative there.
INTERVIEWER Now I have to ask. As a Christian filmmaker, what do you hope to accomplish by putting this movie out there?
INTERVIEWER
GARETT I hope the film starts a conversation or two, and I’d like to be a part of that conversation when possible. I also see movies as a cool way to have community with people I wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to meet.
INTERVIEWER Do you see yourself as a missionary in the film world? GARETT I like to think of myself that way, yeah. Of course that takes a whole new level of creativity.
Must be difficult.
GARETT That’s putting it mildly.
FADE OUT.
THE END.
INTERVIEWER
The Interviewer reaches forward to shake Garett’s hand. INTERVIEWER Well, thank you for your time, and I wish you the best of luck with “Growing Out” and all your future endeavors.
GARETT Thank you, Mr. Interviewer. I appreciate that.
Garett takes one last drink of his pomegranate green tea, then sets down his mug.
TRANSFORMATION AND CREATIVITY by Grant Sowter
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George Bernard Shaw once said “progress is not possible without change; and those who cannot change their minds, cannot change anything.” When I mention I pastor Mount Mosaic the most frequent comment I get is “oh you’re the church with all the artists”. And if you attended one of our gatherings you could be forgiven for thinking that creativity was an end goal in itself. But its not. Its a by product of something far more profound - transformed lives. Let me first make a couple of observations about creativity. Creativity is not the indulgence of super talented churches in expressing new patterns of worship, neither is creativity exclusively artistry or original thinking. To me creativity is the flash point of what is possible overcoming whatever is impeding progress. Creativity is that moment when the existing reality bends to the will of imagination and since you cannot implement ideas for yesterday and hardly ever for the moment, creativity becomes an essential tool for creating the future and a means for navigating tomorrow. What is the essence of transformation? Its really a fancy way of saying change. For a Christ follower transformation starts with
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LEADERSHIP AND CREATIVITY by Dana Evans
Last week I was on a movie set in Hollywood! Two days earlier I saw one of the stars from the popular American television series, “Grey’s Anatomy.” Later that same week I watched one of the team captains from the Broadway musical, “Wicked,” dance at church. Yet, with all of that creativity swirling around me, I was most inspired to be creative and innovative in another place. I am not an artist, actor, or a dancer but I am creative. I discovered my creativity was not in Hollywood, but in a small house in the middle of a northwest suburb of Chicago. My creativity is in relationships and was discovered while being led, by a woman named Jeanne Stevens, in an internship program at a church in Chicago. My ability to relate to people and my leadership style changed forever. She was a creative master at taking objects and giving meaning to them to represent the movement of God in my life and leadership roles. Jeanne gave me memories of leadership growth that are wonderful and objects that are great reminders of spiritual moments in my life. The creativity that she modeled seemed to open up an untapped part of my heart, an ability to relate to others, and my leadership potential that I didn’t know existed.
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TRANSFORMATION and CREATIVITY (Cont.)
a very fundamental concept “the old has gone” ( 2 Cor 5:17). Transformation is the ongoing activity of God’s Spirit. creating in us new futures, new identity, new character, new possibilities. Transformation is our daily reality and it has an end goal. “Rom. 8.29 God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored”. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.” (MSG).To me no-one lived more creatively than Jesus - it follows then creativity will a natural outcome of allowing God to reshape our lives after his. Unfortunately a basic examination of church history shows how bad we are as followers of Jesus at embracing change. Movement after movement driven by the need to change and inspired by a new idea has eventually frozen into yet another monument to our unwillingness to live with ongoing transformation. How can we avoid repeating this pattern in our lives? One of the core values of Mosaic addresses this issue “Creativity is the natural result of spirituality” because true spirituality involves us in the daily process of walking away from the “old” into the “new”, from the known into the unknown. If we embrace true spirituality we will naturally live creative lives just from following Jesus.
I wanted to close out this article by sharing with you some of the ways God keeps the process of change going in my life. I’ve learned to seek inspiration. To be a voice of hope you have to have some. Inspiration carries hope in its blood. I proactively seek the conversations and environments that inspire me even if that means going half way round the world - its worth it. I’ve learned to build connections. Increasingly I am aware that God seems very content to allow some very large changes in my life to hang on some very tiny threads. The thought to email Mosaic in our early days looking for connection was such a fleeting thought but look at where its taken us. I marvel at how things connect in the bigger picture, Erwin recently met some church planters in Paris through a friend he met in our church in New Zealand who just decided to drop in!!! These threads of connection are all around us, we just need to start following them. I’ve learned to get over myself and learn from others. It’s ok to capture and innovate on the useful ideas of others. I mentioned creativity is not exclusively the realm of the original. Sometimes creativity can be innovating off another idea or just assembling ideas in a better order to suit your situation. I’ve learned to maintain flexibility - to be willing to embrace new ideas and new paradigms. In no way am I suggesting we abandon foundations of the faith but so often we treat as doctrine elements of our faith that in truth are nothing more than a practice
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LEADERSHIP and CREATIVITY (Cont.)
Her ability, not only, to listen to God and look for His activity, but also to creatively help me experience and remember God, changed my life. She told me that she would often walk around craft stores, Target, and hobby stores just quietly listening to what God might be saying to her, the interns in our program. She prayed her way through these stores, with us in mind, simply because she desired us to know God, experience a real loving relationship with Him, and become a leader that helps other people realize their potential. Her creative expression of spiritual leadership and mentoring caused me to lead, and relate to others, differently. Now I look for ways to create moments for people. I always spotted people’s potential quickly, but now this part of me that can help create a moment and a memory for others is alive. I look for objects to represent what I see God doing in their lives. I create meaning out of anything that is relevant to them, the state of their heart or their leadership roles. It is amazing how natural this was for me, but impossible until I saw someone else creatively lead and care for me.
When we take the gifts and talents we have been given and look for ways to serve people with them, the outcomes and impact are beyond our comprehension!
Jeanne could never have known the far reaching influence of her creativity. Her leadership reached a group of emerging leaders when I used the creativity she helped me unleash, after listening to how God is at work in their lives, and gave each of them a Swiss army knife to represent that leadership is much like that knife because you have to know which tool to use when, and be prepared at all times. Jeanne moves people she doesn’t even know forward in their leadership; after listening to God, I took time to bring one of my volunteer leaders a small notebook for her to have a place to record the moments where she can celebrate what God has done in her life, so she can be a leader that reminds her volunteers to see God at work. I watched Jeanne have so much fun serving us and creating moments for us. Jeanne’s creativity made me a better leader, who is better connected to God, and able to relate to people with more compassion and love. What will my creativity spur? What will yours spur?
CREATIVITY (Cont.)
inherited from the past. I’ve lost count of how any times God has shown me something new that has changed everything I was sure of up to that point.
the adult men into slavery and their parting gift to the people remaining on the island, small pox. The people of Easter Island lost everything all for the sake of assumption!
Therefore I’ve learnt assumption is a killer - here’s a piece of history to illustrate my point. You may have heard of the Easter Islands - the one with the statues of the heads on it. For a 1000 years the people prospered. However as they prospered and the population expanded the pressure on natural resources (trees) increased resulting in a reduction in tree stocks. The islanders had always assumed the trees were a gift from the gods and concluded that the dwindling supply of trees could only mean that they have somehow angered the gods who had stopped supplying trees.
I’ve learned to engage in healthy conflict & competition. Hebrews tells us “ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (10:24) The greek word for spur is the same word used in Acts 15 to describe the “sharp disagreement” between Paul & Barnabas. In Prov. 27.17 we are further advised “Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose]. I love it. To rage in a way that lifts my companion to new heights. Nice churchianty, keeping the peace, and “not rocking the boat” will never create the kind of environment that inspires the best in us. Paul was very competitive in the healthiest way. I need people around me who will conflict with me, challenge me and call from me the kinds of transformation and creativity God wants to do in my life. Barbarians don’t sit around the camp fire sipping high tea and passing compliments to each other - they tell bloody stories of great courage and boast about conquests that inspire each other?
The islanders panicked and began to create alternate forms of worship to placate the gods. They build enormous statues then beheaded them in order to release their “mana (strength)”. Today we are still marvel at the creativity of this new form of worship. Unfortunately to build the statues - they consumed even more resources. They were inspired to new creative heights but never addressed the core issue their faulty belief system - they were not open to new paradigms that would have meant profound change but preferred to stay within what they already assumed to be true. The end was sad. On Easter Sunday 1722 Dutch sailors arrived to find the trees completely gone and the islanders lost in a world of human sacrifice and cannibalism. The sailors completed the final act of this sad tale by taking the women for themselves, the last of
So my encouragement to you is to embrace change. The price for not doing so is too high. Creativity really is the true fruit of spirituality but the plant it grows on is called transformation. Iron sharpens iron.
CREATIVE FILMS Run Lola Run (1999) An off-beat German drama with some amazing plot twists and incredibly creative scenarios. Not too much can be said without giving the plot away, but it develops an incredible story line which is worth putting up with subtitles. City of God (2004) Experience Brazil as a local would in this gritty, creative and gut-wrenching story of life the slums; amazing characters and fantastic footage make this a movie worth checking out. Some of the twists will make you cheer and others will make your stomach churn; be warned, it has some gritty scenes of violence and brief sexuality; Amelie (2002) A heart warming, quirky French comedy with a loveable protagonist who meets the man of her dreams. It’s a spellbinding story with rich characters that opens up French life. Contains some brief sexuality.
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RUSSELL’S RECOMMENDATIONS
House of Flying Daggers (2005) Incredible cinematography and a haunting story line make this one of the most amazing martial arts movies; the plot twists are incredible. This feels more like an epic love-story than Kung-Fu flick and the shots of the Chinese landscape are breath-taking, as is the soundtrack
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RUSSELL’S RECOMMENDATIONS (Cont.)
Across the Universe (2007) An epic display of song and story created by fusing together over 30 Beatles songs to create a complete narrative of star-crossed lovers in 1960’s New York. The producers have clearly brought a dream to life, and it’s worth watching if only for seeing the way they pull a plot line together using only Beatles songs. This movie is sure to get the creative juices buzzing.
CREATIVE BOOKS The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Story-telling at it’s best, this short novel provides fuel for thought on what it means to chase your dreams. Coelho is the master of magic novels and this one is sure not to disappoint, a must read for anyone who aspires to communicating . The Art of Possibility - Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander The Zanders are a unique couple with an intriguing take on life; they refuse to be contained by negative circumstances or thinking and this book is all about the art of seeing possibility, no matter the circumstances.
Cirque Du Soleil: The Spark: Igniting the Creative Fire That Lives Within Us All- John U. Bacon and Lyn Heward A behind the scenes look at the magic and make up of the cirque phenomenon, told as a narrative. Especially great for anyone who feels stuck in a rut or routine Purple Cow - Seth Godin Another simple but powerful book for marketing guru Seth Godin on how to live, work and create in ways that stand out. An easy, thought-provoking read. The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life - Richard Florida A book that identifies the new class of workers emerging across the western world-the creative class. This book details what they’re like, why they’ve come to exist and how to develop communities that attract and unleash them.
“The creative spirit
is really emerging and unleashing at Mosaic
when ministries are developing that have no conversations with me.” -Erwin Raphael McManus
CREATIVE THOUGHT VOL 1 Erwin McManus Yamamoto Edited by Lisa Kao Design and Layout by Joby Harris
Executive Produced by
Produced by Rick