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Hi Creativity, Meet Ministry... (The UNTITLED Blaine Hogan Interview) Posted: 16 Mar 2012 03:23 PM PDT   Blaine Hogan's UNTITLED: Thoughts on the Creative Process is a declaration of war against the blank page.    Learn More   In this interview with long-time creator Blaine (Creative Director at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL) you will get a taste of his insights on attacking the blank page, executing vision, getting more out of contemplation, and as Blaine writes, "creating beauty from the inside out."   Full disclosure: Blaine's UNTITLED eBook isn't published by Zondervan, but I believe you creators (writers, pastors, teachers, worship leaders, and artists of all stripes) will be encouraged and empowered by Blaine's perspective. I look forward to hearing your comments! -AF   ZBLOG: In UNTITLED you ask, "Is there anything in my work I love so much I would eat it?" That's my first question: What are you hungry for?   Blaine Hogan BLAINE: Movement. Heart movement. In myself first and then in an audience. I'm starving for and always on the lookout for something that I find deeply moving. As I continue to explore this discipline of the creative process, I find that the more I can discipline myself to being open and to exploring various corners of things, the chances for finding things in this vein dramatically increase. And when I find something that moves me, I want to eat it. I want to internalize it, through the lens of my own story — then I want to figure out the best way to tell it.   ZBLOG: You support artistic "fringe exploration" and "rebellion," but you also observe, "sometimes artists get so carried away with their rebellion they begin to wage war with their own center of gravity." What is your center of gravity? And how do you recommend other artists stay centered? BLAINE: Put simply, the continually refining work of Christ in my life. I grew up Catholic so I find myself repeating the Lord's Prayer throughout the day without even knowing it. For me this has always been centering. Contemplation is another thing I use to stay centered. Probably everyone reading this works in a fast paced environment, and the opportunity for silence and meditation I imagine is rare. However, if we aren't quiet, I'm not sure we can stay centered. When we stop we recognize our breath — something we didn't "work" to do. It just happens. This is the cosmic mystery of Christ within us. We center ourselves when we stop.   ZBLOG: A good number of people I know, both non-Christians and Christians, believe that creative thinking and doctrinal thinking are at loggerheads. Do you see a tension between the artist's work and the theologian's? Or can Michaelangelo and Martin Luther sit at the same table?   BLAINE: That's an interesting question since both would seem to work to "enlighten." However, I'm not sure art is ever meant to be understand in the head. To me, art is a heart matter and the theologian's work is often relegated to that of only knowledge. I think someone like Rob Bell or Erwin McManus or even Makato Fujimura are all theologians in that they interpret scripture in varying ways, however they are all true artists as well. I think what's missing in this conversation is instead of creating this binary at all, that we'd be asking if both the artist and theologian are integrated humans. Humans who integrate their past, present, and future, along with their heart, soul, and mind, aren't interested in the artist vs. theologian dialogue. In my opinion, this is the third way Jesus calls us to. So, I suppose my answer to your question is that while I deeply hope they could sit at the same table, I wish they could do so as fellow humans on a journey, rather than two men from separate camps.   ZBLOG: You admit that creative work can sometimes be overwhelming; you write, "Airports dont shut down and neither do big projects. The planes just keep coming." Then you take a suprising turn. You've realized, "This is the creative process — stop complaining! It's messy! It's rarely mappable! It is always dynamic and ever-changing! ... So instead of holding my breath until 'things are done,' I'm starting to breathe while I'm 'doing the things.'" How would you counsel someone who'd like to breathe while doing hard work, but they aren't sure how to begin? BLAINE: I was watching the movie, HUGO, last night with my wife. There a scene between Hugo and his father played by Jude Law, where they are attempting to fix this robot they call an automaton. It seems like they are so close to making the thing work, when they realize they are missing a key that happens to be in the shape of a heart. Hugo is disappointed. They are so close to being finished! Then his father whispers in this wonderfully hopeful tone, "Ah. Another mystery to solve!" This is how you begin to breathe. We've been called by God to help order the chaos of this world, and yet we know the ground is cursed, so we should never be surprised if the work doesn't happen easily. That's the first thing. The second thing is is what an honor it is to get to solve such beautiful mysteries — particularly for anyone who is making something that might be meant for another person. Sure this is going to be hard, but the mysteries to be solved, once done, make the work incredibly worth it. This is how you start to breathe.   ZBLOG: Imagine you're walking down a forest path and you come to a fork. One way is labeled, "For creatives who minister." The other way is labeled, "For ministers who make art." Which path do you choose, and why? Learn More BLAINE: I believe there is a third path being forged. Since we've moved from an agrarian culture; to industrial; to information; and now to an age of invention — creativity is now the dominant currency. Our lives, if lived well, are meant to be creative. And as ministers we are to bear witness to this life in all its fullness. This act of bearing witness, to me, is art. I'm trying not to live in the binary, but to be an artist who ministers and an minister who makes art. In this way, the artist is becoming the new pastor of the 21st century, and I hope to live this out.   Learn more about Blaine Hogan's eBook UNTITLED: Thoughts on the Creative Process.   Find Blaine's blog at www.blainehogan.com. -Adam Forrest, Zondervan   (This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. Want to receive more thought-provoking and spiritually enriching posts? Subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

"That's Just the Way I Am" and Other Self-Deceptions [Excerpt by Craig Groeschel] Posted: 16 Mar 2012 07:21 AM PDT   Excerpt from Craig Groeschel's The Christian Atheist: When You Believe in God But Live as if He Doesn't Exist (eBook).   [The Confrontation] Craig Groeschel At the tender age of twenty-six... several leaders who were overseeing my journey toward [becoming a pastor] were convinced that I was a workaholic and needed help to change. I was convinced they were wrong. This wise and caring panel of ministers asked me to take a week off to contemplate my priorities and consider what changes I could make that would give me the endurance to go the distance. Knowing this was a battle I wouldn't win, I agreed to take some time off, although I honestly never planned to follow through and slow my frenzied pace. When they inevitably discovered that I didn't take the week off but instead continued working feverishly, they assigned me to mandatory counseling to address my workaholic tendencies. I found myself sitting quietly in a little chair, facing a well-intentioned counselor. He reviewed his notes, mumbled a little to himself, looked up at me, and said, "You really don't think you can change, huh?" ... Convinced that this was just the way I was, I explained [how] I couldn't lessen my drive to work. I'll never forget what happened next. He leaned in, and lovingly, not much above a whisper, said, "So ... what you're telling me is, even our God isn't big enough to help you change?" He got me.   Identifying the Lie Many Christian Atheists live year after year under the illusion that we simply can't change. Once we've forgiven ourselves for past mistakes, some surrender to present problems, never even hoping to overcome them. We may openly, even proudly, believe in God, but we honestly don't believe he can change us. And it's not that we've never tried to change. We have — often. Perhaps we prayed and asked God for help, but nothing happened. Or we read a book, listened to a sermon, or accepted advice from a trusted friend, only to end up in the same place we started. Maybe we made a New Year's resolution, joined a support group, even visited a counselor, all hoping to change. But when we didn't succeed, we eventually surrendered our hopes for a different life. Even though I believe in God, I don't really think he can help. After all, this is how he made me. Maybe, like the apostle Paul, this is simply the thorn in my flesh...   Admitting to the Problem The apostle Paul had some strong words for the Corinthian church, which was struggling with all sorts of sinful behavior. He explained that we battle with different weapons than the world uses: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:3–4). The Greek word translated as strongholds is ochuroma (pronounced oak-EWROH-muh), which means to fortify, lock up, or imprison. This is what our enemy tries to do to us. He lies to us until we're convinced that we're stuck and can never escape our problems. That's what happened to me and my workaholism. I believed that this was just the way I was made. I'm driven to work hard. People who don't work hard are lazy and don't care as much as I do. I'll never change this about me. My thoughts made me a prisoner. Like many other Christian Atheists, I believed the lie that I couldn't change. Some can't stop gambling. Others can't stop spending. Many can't stop lusting. Still others can't stop eating. Even technology holds some people hostage... Some are simply bound by a false belief. They think they aren't good with people and never will be. Or they're convinced that they'll always have a negative attitude. Some believe they could never get in good physical shape. Others are convinced they're destined to remain in a meaningless job. They're imprisoned by false thoughts, all along believing they can never escape, never change...   We can always find plenty of excuses why [our addiction] isn't that big of a deal. But if we won't admit our problems, we can't change. Addictions are idolatry. We're trying to meet some need that only Christ can, looking to anything but him. I was trying to prove my worth in production, rather than finding value in Christ alone. Admitting that took more work (and pain) than I can describe. Too many Christian Atheists won't acknowledge their problem in the first place. I wouldn't for years. We can always find plenty of excuses why it isn't that big of a deal. But if we won't admit our problems, we can't change.   God Can Help You Change [Jesus said], 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.' -Mark 10:27 Admitting our problems is only the first step. After that, we must invite God to work, because he is the one who can change any problem... With people, change may be difficult, even impossible — but not with God. God is bigger than our problems, no matter what they are. If you've believed that you simply can't change, acknowledge that that is a lie. With God, all things are possible. If you're not dead, you're not done. God still has something important for you to do. These truths alone make you important. You can change. Capture wrong thoughts and replace them with truth. Can the excuses. If you keep making excuses, you're insulting God's power. With God, all things are possible — even the thing that you think isn't.  - Craig Groeschel   Learn More Learn more about The Christian Atheist eBook.   Suggested Posts Take the Christian Atheist Quiz Are you a Christian Atheist? Take the quiz to find out. Is God Unfair? via Craig Groeschel   (Image and some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of The Christian Atheist. Image attribution: Willow Creek Church Association. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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