podcast

A key component of the creative life is willingness to change direction. I’m not talking about flip-flopping and running in indecisive circles, rather the readiness to assess the situation and make changes as required. 

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We’ve been touching on some really uncomfortable subjects in this series. We’ve been drawing from Genesis Chapter 26 and talking about, like taking some lessons and some principles for that to expound on the entrepreneurial creative journey that many of us are on together. And I’m going to continue down that way now. Honestly, I promise you, this journey has a happy ever after, just in case you were wondering, but I want to talk about something else that is not quite as unpopular as rejection, but nevertheless still just as challenging sometimes. And that is change. Some people embrace change, some people are really averse to change. But a key component of the creative life is often a willingness to change direction. And by that, I’m not talking about just flip flopping and running in indecisive circles, rather a readiness to assess our situation and make the changes that are required, obviously in consultation with the Holy Ghost. And sometimes we can get very stuck on certain things and not realise that loosening our grip a little may be exactly the answer to help us move forward. Sometimes pushing harder, working harder, whipping the horse is not really going to get you over the line.

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Sometimes we’ve got to get out of the saddle and really give consideration to okay, that may have been good for that leg of the journey, but maybe there’s a different mode of transport that’s going to take me the next step. Maybe I need to change my strategy here for this next leg of the journey. If an idea doesn’t work out, being willing to assess the situation and ask the Holy Ghost, what needs to change is an important skill that we learn. And being stubbornly stuck on outcomes can sometimes be a strength. Obviously, that pushes us through resistance, but it can also be a weakness if our heart is not sensitive all the while to the possibility that maybe there’s a better or a different way to approach things. And that’s why this wonderful work and work that we have been invited into with God is not just a simple kind of five step. You tick the boxes. It’s not just a checklist, it’s a relationship. And with every step and every Lee of the journey and every nuance of our growth, we have to be sensitive. My wife, Larna, when we used to have differences, which we have had over the years, at times she would come out with a statement that used to be a complete mystery to me and was like, just so wound me up.

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She would say, Honey, it’s a heart issue. I didn’t want it’s a heart issue. I wanted something that I could say, do this, do step one, two, three, and everything will be resolved. But instead it was a heart issue. Oh, Lord, what do I do with that? It required me to go to a place where I connected with something deeper than just the practicalities of what was before me. And I believe it’s the same with us because our creative and even our business life as creatives. I’m not saying this for everything. I mean, if a factory works a certain way, you press a button at one end, it goes through and something pops out the other end. But let’s face it, the creative life is not like that. Sure, there are principles that we can put into place. Sure, there are certain things that we can learn and apply, and we should. But at the end of the day, the creative life is one that is much more fluid and much more flexible than that. And I guess in some ways a little less tangible as to what is required at any given stage or step of the journey.

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So being sensitive is so important and being willing to change. I love this. Here in Genesis 26, we read verse 16. Last time where I spoke about rejection, Abimillak said to Isaac, Go from us, get away. We don’t want you around here anymore. Like, just like flat out rejection. But then we read in verse 17, and I’m glad that this is written here. Isaac departed fence. Isaac moved on from there. He didn’t get stuck in that place of rejection. He didn’t get stuck in that place where he felt like he had failed. He didn’t get stuck in a place of no one likes me, no one wants me. My work is not good enough, I’m not good enough, or whatever other lies the devil may want a plaster on your heart for all of your earthly life. No. Isaac departed since he moved on from feeling rejected. He moved on and away from feeling unwanted. And there are, of course, times to stand our ground and stay, but there are also times to go. This was not a stand and stay moment for Isaac. He was fluid and flexible enough to move and ready to just dig again if necessary.

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He never wavered from his overall goals, but he realised that there were a number of different ways to get there. And the creative life can be like that. We’re going to try different things. Oftentimes we fail forward, as John Maxwell once coined that phrase. I thought that was great, man fail forward. Yes, I can relate to that. We kind of stumble oftentimes into success. You hear many of the voices and read many of the stories of those who are considered, I guess, successful now, but somewhere in their backstory is always a not that I believe in fate or fortune, but you’ll understand what I’m saying. There’s generally a fortunate accident. They tried something and it worked. Wow. And then they built this huge Empire off of that fortunate accident. Something actually worked. Praise Jesus. And then from that place, they learn to share that story and share that value and build up on that value to help others walk into similar experiences. But let’s not be caught up in the Lee that if something didn’t work quite the way we wanted, that’s the end of the story. It’s literally, it is a page turn to the next chapter, and all of the lessons learned in the previous chapters spill into the new one and provide a foundation.

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Yesterday’s ceiling is today’s floor for me. This in Isaac’s journey here as we know, I find it a great picture of entrepreneurial creativity. We’ll pitch our tent when the water is flowing and the work is working, everything’s happening. But I do want to note this. Isaac pitched a tent. He wasn’t laying 100 foot foundations and erecting a tower in his own honour. We are, however successful we may be, whatever stage of the journey we’re on, we are pilgrims. We’re passing through. And even if the Lord is pleased to prosper us and prosper the work of our hands, it really does behave us to dwell lightly in the ways of the world and weigh heavy in the heavenly world, to be eternity minded in all that we do. And a part of that is being ready to innovate to iterate, to move, to change. It is an entrepreneurial essential. It’s a creative essential. Guy called Jimmy Dean just did a search for some quotes on change, and this chap, Jimmy Dean said, I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sales to always reach my destination. And I think that that sums up the attitude that will carry you forward in times of change and challenge.

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Isaac’s plan may have been scuppered to some degree. He was told to get out of the land he’d settled in, where he dug the Wells, where his life appeared to be flourishing. But even when he was driven out, he knew that God’s plan for him was not in the hands of men. It wasn’t tied to that specific place and that specific way of doing things. And we see a similar attitude in Abraham, Isaac’s father in Genesis chapter 13. When he and Lot parted ways to Abraham and Lot, their herdsmen were in conflict with one another and striving with one another. And Abraham said, Lot, you go whichever way you choose and our head in the opposite direction, even though he was the senior of that transaction, if you like. He saw no compulsion to grab the best pastures because his trust wasn’t in the Earth. It was anchored in heaven’s blessing. It was anchored in the Covenant that he had. So even if you have to change direction, even if you have to some degree divert, even if you have to look at what you’re doing and say, look, this is not working. I need to hear from heaven and find out what’s right for this season.

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It’s not a failure because your success ultimately is not rooted in this planet, is not rooted in just the earthly successes and accolades that we like to stack up so we can brag on our social media or wherever else you might find goal of that parade. It’s actually real rewards are found in heaven. What changes do you need to make? Maybe you’ve been resisting making them. I hope today I can encourage you to settle your heart back. And even as Isaac did think maybe it’s time for me to depart sense to go from here. Maybe you’ve been stuck in a place where you still feel rejected. Where you feel hurt. Where you feel misunderstood. Where you feel overlooked. Where you feel ignored. Where you feel abused. Maybe it’s time to depart sense now there are some alterations in attitude that may help to relieve you of putting all of your trust in others or yourself to secure the outcomes that you seek and allow the Lord a better hand to go to work on your behalf. Heraclitus said only one thing is certain. You’ve probably heard this quote. It’s a bit of a kind of sound bite.

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But only one thing is certain change and we can be certain of it. But we can also be certain of something far more certain than change. And that is that God is true to his word and his call and his anointing and his Covenant never change. My dear friend Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

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Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do please consider leaving a rating and a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book faithful creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can cheque that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the promo code podcast 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first everything else follows.

Praise and criticism come wrapped in the same package. You rarely experience one without the other, and being overly concerned what people will think or say about you if you step out creatively is crippling.

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I want to talk about something today that is a universal affliction of almost every creative who puts themselves out there. And it’s something that we will all face at some point point and oftentimes at often points. In fact, it is a fear that we face every time we press the publish button. Well, at least I do. I don’t know about anyone else. And it’s the fear of rejection. I mean, rejection is such a painful thing to go through, such a very real fear that we have to look eyeball to eyeball and step through every time we put ourselves out to the world, that sting sometimes of not being wanted, that smart of being misunderstood, that question as to how people will respond, or indeed, and perhaps even worse, not respond to what we put out into the world. It is a scary thing. And as we’ve been looking at Genesis, chapter 26, we find Isaac did not just face famine circumstances. He didn’t just face pushback from his contemporaries. He didn’t just face his fair share of inward struggles which are common to man. But he also experience the bloody nose of outright rejection, just that punch in the head that sometimes comes when we set up ourselves and we push ourselves forward and we take the leap and there’s no one there to catch us.

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I don’t know how many of you can relate to that, but I’ve been there on a number of occasions, and I can tell you I do not savour those moments. And here we find in Genesis, chapter 26:16, Bimalek, who was kind of the authority and the leader at that time. He was a man that Isaac was connected to, perhaps even felt contemporary with or looked up to. There was a connection there of some description. And here we find a Bimaleck coming to Isaac and saying, Go from us, get out. We do not want you around here anymore. I’m not saying that rejection is always quite so outright and so blatant, but that spirit of rejection wants to come and wants to prevent us from either number one ever stepping out or number two, ever stepping out again. It’s like once you’ve been on the floor, once you felt that glove on your nose, sometimes you just do not want to stand up and step out again. But honestly, my dear friends, my creative brothers and sisters, my Christian creative comrades, the men and women in this creative army that God is raising up to bring delightful wonder to the world.

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It is something that we need to be willing to do. It is something when someone says, when the world says, when circumstances say, when our own emotions say, because oftentimes rejection is speaking to us, and it is of our own concoction, our own making. People are hearing, people are reading, motion is taking place, you are moving forward. And we cannot bow to that inward voice that tries to diminish what we are trying to accomplish and what we are stepping out to do. And so I want to encourage you, keep going. Get back up. Have another go write another book, put out another blog post, record another podcast, whatever it may be. Don’t back off. Shirakatulamo Kura, Bendi Kingda I break the power of that spirit of rejection and that spirit of fear. And I call forth the mighty Holy Ghost in your heart once again that refreshing stream of life, that light and that life and that love that is God in you, coming forth like a mighty flame. Hallelujah. We don’t want to stand in the crosshairs. Of course we don’t. Stepping into the ring of dreams and making a splash in the world inevitably puts you in the crosshairs.

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And you don’t want it pointing at you. You don’t want criticism. You don’t want to face those fears. You don’t want to hear oftentimes what people might say or think about what you’re putting out there. And when they say things that are less than positive, it will hurt and oftentimes. See, the thing is, here in Genesis 26, what we find is the ones that were resisting Isaac were those who felt as though there was a fixed pie. If Isaac gets a bigger slice, it means I get less. Yeah, but creative life really demands that we continually come and face that fear and step through that fear of rejection and not worry about others and how they will respond when we choose to kind of step away from living only a half life, living only part way, stepping only so far. It demands that we put our foot in the water and believe for the waters to part. It demands that we step out of the boat and believe Jesus and look to Jesus. It demands that we take a hold of every resource that we’ve got, both within and without, and put them to use in ways that we believe will benefit other people.

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You can’t put your work out there without inviting criticism and sometimes even outright aggression. A message worth hearing will always, to some degree, cause controversy. And part of building an audience is also alienating the folks who don’t belong in your tribe. And of course, I’m not talking about being rude or unmanly or political or I’m just talking simply about being uncompromising and confident in the clear communication that you present and put out to a specific audience. And what I want to bring out, really as part of this podcast, this episode is it comes down to this. You can’t help everyone, but you can help someone. If you try and reach and please everyone, you’ll most likely end up reaching no one. As coaches, creators, artists, and influencers, we come with a message to share, not just widgets to sell. And any message worth it sold is going to be polarising to some degree. Finding your tribe is as much about sifting those who won’t be blessed by what you contribute as finding those who will talk about. Again, I’m not talking about actively repelling people, just knowing that your message will be of such a kind that it will do that work for you.

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And sometimes that is going to hurt. Sometimes when people unsubscribe from your email list, sometimes when people criticise the book that you’ve put out, sometimes when people may speak negatively of you on social media or post a bad review or a bad comment on your blog or whatever else it may be. These all come as part and parcel of this sifting process. I’ve had folks leave scathing reviews on some of my author and software courses because I speak about Jesus in those courses. I’ve experienced the most incredible rudeness on Twitter for suggesting that the theory of origins, known as evolution is somewhat unscientific, among other things. But I’ve also enjoyed the satisfaction of many who resonate with my heart, my message, and even my manner. However odd it may be, praise and criticism often come wrapped in the same package, and you rarely experience one without the other. And being overly concerned about either about what people will think or say if you step out creatively is crippling like an inordinate desire for praise. Always like scrolling to see if someone’s liked whatever you’ve done, or Conversely, like a crippling fear that someone may say something bad.

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Both having a desire for either to a degree is not helpful. We have to be willing to continue and consistently contribute without worrying either way how people will respond as far as building my tribe is concerned, and I know that there’s some question about the world is so tribal, sir. Let’s just say my people. Yeah, the people that I connect with, the people that I resonate with, the people that God has wired me and shaped me to help and bless and build. Yeah, they’re Jesus people. That’s who I’m called to Minister to. I’m a pastor at heart. My wife and I did many years pastoring, and I wasn’t the greatest pastor and I didn’t build the biggest churches or etc. It’s not a brag. I’m not trying to kind of lift myself up and show off my shiny badges, but I do have a heart for people, and that’s been played out throughout my career, if you like. Throughout my life in Christ, I found that, like when I stepped into the marketplace, there was no hiding it. I had no invisibility cloak of respectability or what some call a personal faith that I can crawl behind and just keep quiet.

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I couldn’t help but be who I am, and I’m encouraging you. I’m not saying that you have to be the same way. I guess what I’m saying is you have to become comfortable with who you are and turn up become very comfortable with who you are, the message that you carry, the gifts that you bring to the table and don’t be ashamed. Don’t be fearful. And as I say, that’s not to say that you have to fanfare your faith to be faithful to the creative call of God. I’m just sharing the kind of the sieve, if you like that I use. Yeah. Like, you know, a sieve where you’re doing cooking and you’re kind of sieving flour to get the fine flour and you put the flour in and shake it around a bit. Your message is like that sieve. When you get your messaging right, it will do the job for you. It will sift out what oughtn’t to be left in there and will bring you into contact with the people that you are called to bless. And my whole emphasis really, that my Jesus first. Everything else follows philosophy does shake the flower.

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It does and ultimately finds the audience that I feel most comfortable to engage with and who I feel best equipped to help with regard to my work here online. I love to Minister encouragement and equipping to creative Christians. And that doesn’t mean that I don’t have love for those who don’t know Christ or those who aren’t in the creative spheres of life are from it. But I do know to who I’m called in this season and with the products and training that I create. And I’m content. I’m content. I’m confident that I’m following the leading of the Holy Ghost in this, and I’m ready to turn up 100% and to allow God to lead me and to kind of shape that as I continue to take step by step. And as you begin to take those steps, God will shape things and God will clarify things for you, too. And surely I could reach a broader audience and build a more lucrative business if I adapted my style and kept quiet about some things. Of course I could. But it’s not who I am. That’s not my call and the message that I share. And a lot of the training that I do could certainly serve a wider audience if I close it differently.

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But as I say, we need to know who we are and we need to be content and confident to turn up in that manner. I guess my question to you today is this idea of rejection coming from that top point in what we started with and then coming down through this idea of actually any message is going to polarise and not in a bad way. It just simply helps you to define and to become more clearly helpful to those whom God has called you to. I want to ask you, who has God called you to and to whom has he not now being able to clearly answer this question can really help you sharpen the edge of your message. I guess be ready for some kickback as you do that around every statement of certainty, the doubters love to congregate and criticise. And when we begin to get bold with our messaging. Sometimes it can cause some kickback, so be ready for that. But don’t be fearful of rejection. Don’t be fearful of misunderstanding. They never feel nice. They never feel good, that’s for sure. But as you lean in to what you believe God has placed within you, you will begin to resonate with the people that you are called to influence.

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You are called to build and you are called to bless.

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Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you if it was do please consider leaving a rating in a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book Faithful Creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can cheque that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get its for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first everything else follows.

Cultivating creative habits that harness every technological blessing, whilst cultivating a respectful love for reading, silent contemplation, and prayer is all part of digging deep wells from which you can continually draw.

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Let me begin today by reading a verse from Genesis chapter 26. Surprise, surprise. It’s actually a few verses. I’ve just kind of cut it down a little. I don’t keep you for five minutes while I read it all. Verse 14 begins, the Philistines envied Isaac. And then as we go through to verse 18, we find that all the Wells which his father’s servants are digged. In the days of Abraham, his father, the Philistines, had stopped them and filled them with Earth. And then we find as we go on, Isaac, digs again. The Wells of water. The Wells of the fathers had been stopped, absolutely stuffed with jealousy. Essentially, these guys envied Isaac so much, they wanted to drive him out, they wanted to discourage him, they wanted to stop the flow, if you like, and they filled these old Wells. But that didn’t stop Isaac. Don’t let discouragement stop you. Keep moving on, keep moving forward, keep dreaming in your heart. Don’t give up. God’s call is sure and certain and his faithfulness never fails. Sometimes it takes a bit longer for us to see it work out, maybe in the way that we’ve desired and pictured, but in Jesus name, we are on the winning side.

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What about us? What about you? How do you respond to setback? Would you go out there with your spade and start digging again? What emotions block your way forward when your work is criticised and rejected? I know for me, sometimes I really struggle with a low sense of self worth. When I stack myself up against other people, I tend to feel very diminished in my own sight. At times I feel insecure. I feel that I’m going to be ill equipped and inadequate to deliver on the hopes that other people have of me and the promises that I make to them. I like this, forgive my confessional, but those emotions can really block us moving forward. Sometimes they can just completely shut us down. I’ve just learned to kind of keep digging. Even when I feel. Even when I’m sweating, even when I’m thinking, oh my Lord, am I going to even be able to strike water here? Am I going to find my way? You just keep digging. And as a creative Christian faithful prayer, the Wells of our fathers today are waiting to be unstopped in coming to this verse. As we know, the Scriptures are given for our edification, for our learning as examples.

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And sometimes the Holy Spirit will take a scripture, take that picture that’s painted in the Scriptures, in these kind of stories that are told of men and women who’ve gone before us. And he will take that picture to teach us about something quite different. He’ll open our eyes to some other principle or some other facet of truth and utilise that image to help us crystallise the thought that he wants to plant in our heart. And in coming to this verse and this picture of the Wells of the fathers being stopped and coming back to Re-dig those Wells so we can draw water from them and be refreshed by them. My very first thought was of the words that have spilled from the hearts of believers in generations before the men and women who’ve gone before us and blazed a trail, those who have dug deep to bring refreshing, life giving wisdom to the world. As Scripture teaches in Proverbs 1011, the mouth of the righteous is a well of life, and Isaac’s determination to Redig the Wells of old is so encourages me to draw from the lessons learned and handed down by those who’ve gone before us.

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I’ve often found and witnessed, even in myself, that this pioneering, creative spirit can often also be dangerously independent and prone to recreating the wheel when there are perfectly good wheels ready for the taking. If we will draw from those who have gone before us or even have a humble teachable heart and spirit here and now, and learn from our contemporaries, learn from those we look up to, and learn even from those who are looking up to us. We can learn if we have that kind of heart, hungry to grow, hungry to learn, understanding that everyone has something that they can teach us, an input that we can draw from. We will be positioned well to see our lives go further, reach higher, and dig deeper even than many of our fathers thought possible. Drawing on a few popular but nevertheless very profound phrases. I just did a search. I’m thinking what I think is my main well that I dig from when I come to my father’s Wells and I choose to dig and Re-dig those Wells. I think the primary way I do it is through reading through books where men and women who’ve gone before me have written down their thoughts, have captured the revelation, and placed it in a book that I can then drink from.

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And we find many, many people have this insight that reading is so much more than just informational. It’s not just transactional, you know, we’re not a computer reading code. Something about reading is designed by God to dig so deep into the heart and affect the hearts of men. In fact, he has chosen as his primary means of communication to do so through a book. How much more convincing do we need as to the power of words? Harry Truman said, not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers. Napoleon Bonaparte said, Show me a family of readers and I will show you the people who move the world. Walt Disney said, there is more treasure in books than in all the Pirates loot on Treasure Island. John Wooden said, Drink deeply from good books. Christopher Morley When you sell a man a book, you don’t sell him just 12oz of paper and ink and glue. You sell him a whole new life. Neil Gaiman A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. Ben Oakrey said, Reading is an act of civilization. It’s one of the greatest acts of civilization because it takes the free raw material of the mind and builds castles of possibilities.

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Joseph reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Mary Smith Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere. I like that one. James O’glike said, Reading, even browsing an old book can yield sustenance denied by a database search. That’s a good one, isn’t it? Caught up in sound bites nowadays was so caught up in the information age that to some degree the art of immersion in wonderful, beautiful reading in words that men and women have placed on the page, is in some respects a dying art. Lee it not die in your life. Carl Sagan said, One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1000 years. To read is to voyage through time and then the Scriptures. Let’s look at the scriptures. The greatest book of all, Proverbs 811, says, Wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that can be desired are not to be compared to it. And wisdom is often found and recorded and crystallised on the pages of a book. Be a reader, my friend. Matthew 1352. Therefore, every scribe which is instructed into the Kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a householder who brings forth out of his treasure things new and things old.

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And there is a tremendous treasure. There are Wells of our fathers and our mothers from generations gone, waiting to be digged again. Lots of words there about what lots of people think about lots of words and the power of words. But it can be brought down to just one word, one admonition, one encouragement. Read. An exciting verse, I think, to ponder is found in John Four, verse 38. And Jesus said, I sent you to reap. That whereon you bestowed no Labour, other men laboured, and you are entered into their labours. I remember another quote, I really love this one. I’m probably going to misquote it somehow and I honestly can’t remember who said it. But a writer said, Easy reading is damn hard writing, and forgive me for the use of the word damn there. But when I read that quote, it definitely rang true with me. And we are entered into other men’s labours. These words that have been recorded through the ages have not been easily written many times. Wisdom is something that is strained, sometimes from the heart and sometimes bled onto the page. And in our generation we’ve got opportunities so remarkable that they would have been considered science fiction only a few generations ago.

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We build on a foundation laid by the works and the words of others. In our day, distance has been diminished and we hop nations in an instant in the click of a button. It’s quite incredible the opportunities that have been open to us. Yet even here at the cutting edge of technology, there remains the need to stay connected to the rich spiritual heritage that could so easily be lost in all the noise cultivating creative habits that harness all of these technological blessings. I don’t want it’s not a matter of forsaking them, but it also must be balanced by cultivating a respectful love for reading, for silent contemplation and for prayer. And all of these are part of digging deep Wells from which you can draw from be a reader and then I encourage you to be a writer so others can draw from your Wells in days to come.

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Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do please consider leaving a rating and a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book faithful Creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can cheque that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first. Everything else follows you.

Christian creative Faithful-preneurism is not for the faint-hearted. And it must indeed be of the heart, for only the heart will sustain you through the ups and downs you will face.

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If I had to give this episode a title, I would title it expect resistance. It’s like, maybe not as positive as one might want, but it’s certainly true. If you are going to live a creative entrepreneurial life, it is not an easy option. Now, there are many different ways in which we can approach our lives and we can approach our contribution to society, and all of them have value. And our worth is not based on where we stand in the social pecking order and even in entrepreneurial circles, even in this Internet circus that we’re part of, sometimes we can feel a bit like a second grade citizen if we’re not living on the cutting edge of entrepreneurialism. I mean, it’s almost like the word job is a swear word in the entrepreneurial ecosphere. But honestly, God can use us to contribute to others and to serve his purposes in a multitude of different ways. But if you choose the entrepreneurial pathway, if you choose to go down this route, if you choose to throw all in with your creativity, desiring, to see your creativity furnish your life with all of the things that are necessary for your sustenance here on Earth, and also for your contribution and sowing into the lives of others.

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And of course, at every level, doing so with eternity in view. I want to warn you wholeheartedly turn back, turn back. No, that’s not true. I don’t want you to turn back. I just want you to be aware of what lies ahead. A bit like Pilgrim’s progress. That little gate that the guy went through, that Pilgrim went through Christian went through at the very beginning of his journey, seemed so innocent. Oh, wow. Just a little gateway into a Meadow. But it wasn’t long before the real nature of his decision became very real and very apparent to him. Now, I don’t want to put you off, but I do want to encourage you. Maybe if you’re at the outset, just come into this knowing that you’re going to face significant challenges and that at times there’s going to be inward resistance in your own mindset and your own heartset. And sometimes friend, there will be outward and overt resistance from other people and from circumstances that you fall or stumble into as a result of your decision and your choice to pursue this creative call. And really the journey that you are on as a Christian.

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Okay. And in particular, within the context of what we’re sharing this month, your creative calling and entrepreneurial aspirations is going to demand a great deal more of your heart than maybe you first imagined. And if you’re already way into this journey, if you’ve already taken several steps and you’re on the road, you will know exactly what I mean. Oftentimes, particularly if we’re putting our work out to the world, we are putting our heart on the line a day after day as we seek to bring our best to the table for others to benefit from. And quite honestly, you will not always find the heart with which you give is not always the same grateful, generous heart with which your words or your work, however you are manifesting the greatness within your heart that God has planted there. It’s not always going to be received in the same spirit. A bit like parents though if you knew what parenting was like, honestly, would you ever embark upon it? But a bit like parents? I think entrepreneurs have a drive within them that yearns to be fulfilled and we all know the immense joy at the birth of a child.

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I’ve had four kids and every single one of them. Their entrance into the world is something that is burned with intense gratitude and joy on my heart. I can remember their first cry as they came out of Larna’s belly. It was a big deal and something you will never forget and that you would not trade for anything. And I think it’s the same for us to a lesser degree when we birth an idea in birthing, the idea in pursuing this dream, often we have no clue what the cost is actually going to be to realise that dream beyond those first urgent cries. And sometimes I think if we did, we might just choose. I think I’ll just keep this one in the can. I know I’ve been like that sometimes when I’ve come up with an idea, even with the Christian Creative Academy, it’s such a joy, such a delight. But wow, what a journey it has been and what a journey it continues to be as I discover what this baby looks like and what it’s going to take to bring it to the place that I know. This is as I imagined it.

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This is as I saw it in my heart and embarking upon it. Whatever your idea may be, whatever you have purpose to do, there’s going to be a building. That idea, when it comes out is sometimes fragile, it’s less defined than it will become, and there is a journey that we take in order to see that happen. You’ll know what I mean? If you are taking this road, and most likely if you’re listening to this, you’ll be nodding your head saying, Absolutely, David, I know exactly what you’re talking about. And if we keep with this picture of bringing things to birth, once the contractions have started, there’s no turning back. I remember well the panic when Larna would say on all of those four occasions my waters have broken, there’s no turning back. Here we go. And I found the same with this creative adventure. There have been numerous times in my decades of writing and developing and recording and putting things out for others to consume, and sometimes criticise numerous times that every atom in me has screamed for a less challenging pathway, one that is not so exposing. Yet despite those inward protestations of discomfort.

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I keep pushing, I keep believing, I keep contributing, I keep creating. Why? Because I can do nothing else. It’s who I am. It’s who you are. We’re not in this for the money. We do, of course, want to produce an income from the impact that we have. No question. And it’s not wrong to be unashamed in that as one of the goals of your creative aspiration. But seriously, there are easier ways, let’s face it. So creativity is like a fire that Burns on the inside. It’s like a hot sun blazing in our heart. It is God in us, the Creator Himself calling us to radiate his flame wherever we go. As Jesus said, I am the light of the world. And then he says later, and so are you. Go shine. And despite the challenges, it is the most wonderful course to chart. The high seas of possibility. Call us forward, sometimes wondering every day what worlds were going to discover, not knowing what’s over the horizon, and also very aware that there may be storms that we crash into unawares. But there are no securities that are soft and welcoming enough to rest us free from the thought that there’s something worth seeking over that horizon.

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And those kind of adventurous pangs keep us moving forward. Make no mistake, though, resistance will present itself in many ways inwardly, through securities, outwardly, sometimes through embarrassment and criticism, financial challenges, doubts, unrealized desires and hopes that don’t work out. Days of despair peppering the delight of following your dream. We’ve all been there. This is undulating ground. This is not just a skate park. This is not just a golden ocean that we skate across and float our way into the happy, fulfilled life. It’s a mountain range at times and at times, friends, the outright roadblocks seeking to chase you away from your promised land will very evidently turn up. We’ve been looking at Genesis, chapter 26 and verse 15 says, for all the Wells of his father’s servants are digged. In the days of Abraham, his father, the Philistines, had stopped them and filled them with Earth. I mean, seriously, who are these people? Is a well that’s already dug, not worth keeping open so you can draw water from it. But these guys had like one of Abrahams man and filled it with soil, filled it with Earth, stopped it up. They want nothing to do with this anointed calling.

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They want to drive him out and discourage him at every step and embarking on a journey simply following the voice of heaven, believing God for the outcomes may in one way be the most secure of all the paths to choose. Indeed, in the big picture and in reality it is. But on the natural side, I’m thinking of our personality, and it’s craving for certainty, our flesh, and how it craves security and comfort. It can be a fearful proposition. And Christian creative, faithful pranurism is not for the fainthearted and it must indeed be of the heart, for only the heart will sustain you through some of the ups and downs that you’ll face. The question being, when disaster strikes, when the Wells you find them filled with Earth, what will you do when you’re not received with open arms? How will you feel when your book is slated and the one star is slapped upon it by some kind of stranger on the planet? How will you feel? How will you respond when your cherished idea or story is buried in a well of obscurity? The pain of obscurity, the pain of bringing something beautiful to market.

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And you’re the only one who knows how beautiful it really is. What are your next steps going to be? How are you going to bolster your bruised ego, your battered heart when the dream leads you through the Slough of despondent? As I say, I don’t want to discourage you. In a sense, I hope you’re encouraged because you’ll be able to say, oh, thank you, Jesus. I’m not the only one. These are all very good questions. Pursuing a creative life of entrepreneurship is as much a journey of the heart as of the hand. You know what you create. The hand side of it is one thing, but why you create it is really the ship that’s going to carry the cargo. Why do you want to live a creative life? Why do you feel compelled to contribute to the world in the way that you do? Why is it so important to follow the call and not throw in the towel? I feel compelled, and so try as much as I possibly can in this season of my life to encourage other Christian creatives to step up, to step out and let their voice be heard.

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It’s a vocation, not an occupation, and absolutely it occupies a lot of my time and thought. But the busy work is not what drives my heart. There is a deep and a living why that undergirds it all. The thought of ringing out another blog post or recording another podcast does not get me out of bed in the morning. It’s the idea that my words might spark courage in the heart of a fellow believer to bring their best to the world that is worth getting out of bed for. Not just another 300 words, not just another few minutes of recording. It’s the idea of what those words can accomplish in the heart of a fellow human being. To cast off the fears that are common to us all and say yes to your creativity. That’s my desire that I would inspire someone to do exactly that. The possibility that a disappointed heart or struggling Saint seeking to do good in the world will read or listen and draw strength from the fellowship they sense through what I share. And I believe that there are many people here listening. It may even be you who feel that same calling and have that same deep.

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Why resonating within your own heart? These are the drivers that help my feet hit the ground and keep my excuses. Why not strictly under those feet? Sure, there may be some Wells that need some work to unstopp the flow, but it’s not going to happen by me or anyone else sitting crying of what might have been. We can look at these Wells and we can think, man, I tried and it didn’t work, or this person slated me, or this person didn’t like me, or this product didn’t sell, or this book was not received or whatever else it may be. What are we going to do? Sit by the well and cry? Just continue to dig a legacy of Saints who have blazed a creative trail before us, cheer us on, and the Wells of worth that have been left behind are waiting to fill us afresh with hope for our future, that all things are possible. We are not on this journey alone. Many have gone before us, and many are walking the highway together with us. In fact, I created the Christian Creative Academy and the key cornerstone of that entire membership and programme is something called The Creator’s Highway.

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With this picture in mind that we are not alone. We are part of a called out creative community seeking to bring great value to the world and to glorify God as we do so now it’s our day to dig those old Wells and draw from them, but also dig fresh Wells for future generations to drink from. Every word spoken, every page Typed, every picture painted, every song sung, they all plumb depths that will spring up for others, many of them for years to come. But even if we were speaking of Wells, and it sounds very grand, but honestly, even if it’s just a cup that we hand to a stranger today to refresh their heart, even that will have its reward in heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 1042, Whosoever shall give a drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, Verily, I say to you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. And so this short podcast is my cup of encouragement to you to carry on drink freely. If you are thirsty, be encouraged, my brother. Be encouraged, my sister Jesus first.

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Everything else follows.

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Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do, please consider leaving a rating in a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book, Faithful Creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can cheque that out@faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo Code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first everything else follows.

Every creative contribution you make to the body of faithful creative work you will ultimately leave behind contains the potential to sprout and flourish – now and for generations to come. You may not know which seed will find its footing, but the odds increase with every bold move you make.

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Leads to growing. That’s what we’re going to talk about today as we continue to follow Isaac in his entrepreneurial journey. In Genesis, chapter 26:12 and 13 of that wonderful chapter says, then, Isaac sowed and grew. And what I want to emphasise today for you as a Kingdom creative, a Christian creative, as a faithful pruner, as I like to call them, growing is a result of sewing. Without sewing, there’s going to be no growing going on. There’s not even an opportunity for growth. We’re, of course, not the ones who determine the increase God is, but we do determine the potential for increase. Oftentimes when we read the parable of the stewards, you got these three stewards. The dude who just dug a hole and buried his talent didn’t see any increase. We got to be careful not to bury our talent. We want to be planting seeds, not burying talents. Let’s face it. 1 Corinthians Chapter 3:6 and 7 says, Neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that gives the increase. Let me emphasise for you. God gives increase. If we so much, we can potentially reap much.

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The math isn’t difficult. You don’t have to be a genius to understand that. The more you sow, the more opportunity you have to reap. But the problem I think with many faithful, that many faithfulpreneurs face is that gestation period. Let’s face it. Between the seed being sown and the sprouting of success, it’s all too easy to give up when things don’t change within the time frame that we consider reasonable. I found this. I don’t know about you. God is not in a rush. He’s working something far deeper than just the outward successes that oftentimes we dream of seeing in our businesses and our lives and ministries, whatever that picture may look like for you. Sometimes, as I say, the gestation period between the seed sown and sprouting of success can seem like, oh, painfully long. At times, even the Bible doesn’t shy away from this truth. I love this verse, Psalm 126, verse five. They that so in tears shall reap enjoy. Sewing is oftentimes lubricated with sorrow. Think of Abraham. He waited decades for the child of promise to be born. Joseph took a lengthy journey from that first dream through to his destiny as the leader and the saviour of his family and his nation.

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Even Jesus. His own journey, if you think about it, was one of virtual obscurity for most of his adult life. In Genesis 26, however, we read of Isaac sowing in the land of famine, and his harvest was remarkably quick. I think he sowed in the land of famine, and in the same year, it says he reaped 100 fold. And sometimes that can be the case. We can have the most unexpected suddenly. As much as the Bible talks about these long periods of faithful, waiting and believing, there are also plenty of suddenly unexpected breakthroughs and we can expect both. We can expect times where God will give us the privilege of our faith being tested. And we can also anticipate times and belief at times of sudden, unexpected, wonderful, life changing breakthroughs that happen. And all of this is there in the scriptures for us. But the thing is, oftentimes those unexpected, if you like, or what we consider unexpected. Those breakthroughs cannot happen if the sowing hasn’t been done. At the same time, there are other times where seeds may fall in the soil and we’re left looking at the dirt, wondering if we’re just wasting our time.

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How many creatives today are scratching their head, wondering if sometimes the strenuous process of sewing their best out to the world is really worth the pain? I’m a sewer as well. I’m like you. I’m here out in the field, and all I can do is offer my opinion. Absolutely. Yes, it is worth it. Every creative contribution you make to the body of faithful, creative work that you will ultimately leave behind contains the potential to sprout and to flourish. We live in a very wooded area of Britain, and some of the trees are glorious. I mean, they really are ancient Oaks. And to think that they began with such a small seed, such a tiny Acorn, and have grown to spread their branches and provide shade and nourishment and security for so many for so many years, sometimes for many centuries. And every seed that we sow is like that, it contains that potential for life giving, life changing potential both now and for generations to come. And we don’t necessarily know which seed is going to find its footing and put its roots down in the ground. But certainly the odds increase with every bold move that we make.

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I love the picture painted in One Kings 19:30. It says, they took root downward, and they bear fruit upward. Roots grow in the unseen. We don’t even see them going down into the Earth, but they are absolutely essential to ensure that the fruit upward can be sustained. So whatever stage you are at, keep digging in. And even if your branches are going up and you are spreading and flourishing, keep those roots going down into your relationship with God. Don’t come away from your dependence upon Him on the other side of that. And I’ve been here. I’ve been on both sides. If one book fails, write another. If one idea flounders, find a different way to present it. If you constantly come and consistently come with an open heart and work as to the Lord alone, really work as to the Lord as if just to Him alone. It won’t be long until it’s not just the Lord alone who’s appreciating what you have to offer. I believe the pathway of the creative entrepreneur is not always an easy one to walk, but it’s far less painful than the frustration of a creative call that is unrecognised and unrealized, where we just back off and just kind of resign ourselves to a life of mediocrity, where we never exercise our gifts and never take the risks of putting our work out to the world.

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That is far more painful than the pain of giving it a go. Having a go. My pastor always used to say, Son, have a go. You never know you might win. And I think that has stuck with me. I’m just going to have a go because you never know I might win. Let’s consider these words from the famous hall of faith that we find in Hebrews chapter eleven. We’re told these all died in faith. This like litany of wonderful examples of faithful living and greatness in God’s eyes. It says, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and they were persuaded of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the Earth. Sometimes we can falsely label ourselves as a failure because we’ve not seen the full manifestation of the promise yet. But from God’s perspective, these failures, whom the world ridiculed and lampooned for their foolish faith, were actually, in God’s eyes, heroes worthy of mention in his eternal word. So let’s not judge things before the day. Let’s not say, hey, that book was a failure, because who knows who will read it in years to come and be impacted by it?

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Who knows that the idea that didn’t work yesterday, maybe its day will come a year from now. You really don’t know. And of course, like Isaac, it says he sold in this field really against the odds and bore this wonderful 100 fold harvest. We can believe for that 100 fold return in the year that we sell. And of course we’re hoping and praying and looking for remarkable breakthroughs, those sudden leaves that I spoke of, those notable miracles of God’s hand up on something that is so evident and so clear, but at the same time, as we’ve seen here in Hebrews, it’s the Mark of faith. The Mark of greatness in God’s eyes is not always the same outward manifestations that we are impressed by. If some of these things don’t come on our timetable, let’s not be too quick to berate ourselves. The men and women mentioned in Hebrews were not reprimanded for a lack of faith, even though they never saw the promises fulfilled, the promises that they carried in their heart, they didn’t see them fully realised even in their lifetime. But no, they were commended, celebrated, and now stand unashamed in the presence, not just of the promise that they’re watching play out and be fulfilled before their eyes, but in the very presence of the promise giver himself.

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And then, when the breakthrough does come, when the ground bursts forth and brings its abundant harvest into your lap with explosive growth, or whatever divinely orchestrated blessing may come your way, let’s not forget whose hand it has come from. Let’s keep our eyes on the one who makes it all possible.

00:12:36.190]
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you if it was do please consider leaving a rating in a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book faithful creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can cheque that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo Code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price.

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Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first.

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Everything else follows you.