The Monday Memo from John Stanko

666: Your Role in Creativity

Do you consider yourself a creative person? What creative outlets do you have, or rather how many do you give yourself permission to have? For most of my adult life, I did not give myself permission to pursue creativity and I wasn't open to the fact that I may be creative. My self-image was that of an administrator and creativity and administration were at odds with one another -- or so I thought.

Are you creative? If your answer is no, then perhaps you need to expand the way you view creativity and, consequently, view yourself. If you are open to that possibility, then I urge you to read on.

ADAM'S CREATIVITY

Adam was made by God to be creative and we are Adam’s children. After God created Adam, He invited Adam to enter into the creative process by naming the animals: “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field” (Genesis 2:19-20). Adam decided what the animals were to be called; it was an expression of his creative dominion in the Garden.

Now this is not what happened. God brought an animal and Adam stared at it, dumbfounded. After an awkward silence, God leaned over and whispered in Adam's ear: "Zebra," and Adam said, "Zebra! God said, "Very good." Then God brought another animal and the same scenario repeated itself, with Adam simply giving back to God what he heard God say.

That is the image some believers have of creativity. God "lays it on their hearts" and they respond. What's wrong with this picture of creativity? It makes man simply a receiver, sort of like antenna for heavenly broadcasts. I just don't think when I make someone laugh that God put that humorous comment 'on my heart.' I think God gave me my humor gift and I use it creatively when I observe some situation, see the funny side to it and express it. God determined I would make people laugh, brings me the situations and then I creatively interpret them.

YOU ARE OH SO CREATIVE!

I hope you get the picture. Like Adam, you are creative and God wants and needs you to express your creativity in everyday life. Stop saying you aren’t creative—you are! And stop seeing yourself as simply taking dictation for God's creative thoughts. That is part of your creativity, but it's not all of it. To help you along, I have assembled a sample of creative expressions from past studies on creativity and that list is posted on my website. Take a look at that list and see how many expressions are present in your life and then, settle once and for all your take on your own creativity.

Perhaps then you will see yourself as creative, which is just how the Lord wants you to see yourself. Once you see yourself as creative, you will give yourself permission to pursue and release creativity in ways not possible up to this point in your life. As you do, I know you will have a great week!

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KENYA UPDATE: I have no Kenya update again this week, but I still have an urgent need. I am heading over to Kenya on July 31 and I know our ministry friends there are counting on our help when we come. There are needs in the orphanages, at our library and among the widows. Will you help me put together a financial blessing to take with me? You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. 

I have a sense that someone out there reading this is considering a large gift to Kenya. If you are that person, I can only encourage you not to be afraid. Have faith, trust God and be obedient. I promise we will put it to good use.

STILL HAVE AN URGENT LOCAL NEED: We are in need of new warehouse space in which to store our year-round Kenya collections. Space that is climate controlled and forklift accessible is preferred. If you have any leads or space, please let me know.

NEW BOOKS: I released another new book this week, a devotional entitled A String of Pearls: Wisdom for Productive People. A few weeks ago, I released two other devotionals: A Daily Taste of Proverbs and earlier this year What Would Jesus Ask You Today?  All three of these books are available in Kindle or paper version and make great gifts for individuals or study guides for small groups. 

BASEBALL GAME: The annual fundraising baseball game at PNC Park to benefit Kenya widows and orphans will take place this year on Tuesday, August 19. For the mere price of $1,000, you will be treated to great food, wonderful fellowship and a great baseball game (we hope) between the Pirates and the Braves. Perhaps you can't attend but you can give so that someone can represent you that evening. Perhaps your organization can contribute and buy a ticket for someone. Contact me now to reserve your ticket(s) for the game. So far I have sold six, so make sure you respond soon to be part of the big night.

665: Creativity Turned Tradition

If you have ever heard one of my purpose presentations, you probably heard me start at Acts 6:1-7, where the apostles chose men to carry the burden of the work among the widows. The people elected these men to serve or minister to the widows in the church, and the Greek word for service here is diakonia, from which we derive our modern church office of or word deacon.

Many churches have taken this passage in Acts 6 and turned it into a model for church governement and service. In some churches, the deacons are the ultimate governing position; in others they are people who serve by doing practical things in the church like building care, women's ministry and the like. The goal of this Memo is not to debate which approach to deacons is correct; the goal is to show that any approach to deacons as a church institution misses the point altogether.

The original deacons were not about church government or tradition; they were simply a creative solution to a new problem.

THE BACKGROUND    

As best I can tell, there was no biblical concept upon which the apostles drew to elect and commission the deacons. Jesus had instructed them to care for the poor. Most widows were poor in the early church if they had no other family to care for them. As the church grew, the number of widows grew from those outside the ranks of the Hebrew residents in Jerusalem. The apostles were being called upon to address this problem that had never before been faced.

They addressed this problem creatively and used wisdom to come up with a solution. I don't believe they were instituting a church office in Acts 6, but rather an approach the church should take to life's problems and challenges, whether in or outside the church. The were setting a precedent, not establishing a tradition.

THE IMPLICATIONS

When I think of creativity, I think of the verses in Proverbs 8:22-31. Wisdom was there at God's side when He created the universe. As we discussed last week, wisdom is closely related to creativity, which leads to my definition of creativity: the wise application of knowledge to existing problems or opportunities in such a way that something new emerges.

In Acts 6, the problem was the widow care. The knowledge or biblical precedent that existed was when Moses appointed helpers when he was overwhelmed; elections were also common in Israel to elect synagogue leaders. So the apostles applied existing knowledge in a new way - a wise way - to address a current problem and the result was creativity: a group of men who we call deacons today.

We looked at the creativity of bottled water last week. Plastic, plastic bottles, and water already existed. Someone put them all together in wisdom and voila - the elegant creativity of bottled water.

What is my point? The church should be the bastion and vanguard of creativity. We have the Creative Spirit of God in our midst. We should not be looking to solve new problems with the solutions of the past. We are bound to our traditions when we don't see creativity as a function of the church and believers, or when fear causes us to retreat to the tried-and-true procedures rather than experiment with new applications of tried-and-true wisdom principles.

I urge you not to settle for what's been done, but pioneer what's been done into what has never been done. The world is waiting for your poetry and your business ideas. The world is not waiting for us to debate the role of deacons, but to find 21st century solutions to modern challenges that are the equal of what the apostles did in Acts 6. When you do, you will be working with the wisdom of Proverbs 8 that was present when God created and structured the world. There is no greater creativity with which you and I can work. Have a great week!

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KENYA UPDATE: I have no Kenya update this week, but I have an urgent need. I am heading over to Kenya on July 31 and I know our ministry friends there are counting on our help when we come. There are needs in the orphanages, at our library and among the widows. Will you help me put together a financial blessing to take with me? You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. 

I have a sense that someone out there reading this is considering a large gift to Kenya. If you are that person, I can only encourage you not to be afraid. Have faith, trust God and be obedient. I promise we will put it to good use.

STILL HAVE AN URGENT LOCAL NEED: We are in need of new warehouse space in which to store our year-round Kenya collections. Space that is climate controlled and forklift accessible is preferred. If you have any leads or space, please let me know.

NEW BOOKS: I released another new book this week, a devotional entitled A String of Pearls: Wisdom for Productive People. A few weeks ago, I released two other devotionals: A Daily Taste of Proverbs and earlier this year What Would Jesus Ask You Today?  All three of these books are available in Kindle or paper version and make great gifts for individuals or study guides for small groups. 

BASEBALL GAME: The annual fundraising baseball game at PNC Park to benefit Kenya widows and orphans will take place this year on Tuesday, August 19. For the mere price of $1,000, you will be treated to great food, wonderful fellowship and a great baseball game (we hope) between the Pirates and the Braves. Perhaps you can't attend but you can give so that someone can represent you that evening. Perhaps your organization can contribute and buy a ticket for someone. Contact me now to reserve your ticket(s) for the game.

664: Wisdom for Creativity

Last week I wrote that we would look at creativity for the next few weeks, and I was tempted to dip into the archives for some past material. This week, however, I was reflecting on several passages and thought i would share something new - although I have written on the concepts before. This week, let's look at a passage about wisdom from Proverbs 8:30-31: "Then I [wisdom] was constantly at his sideI was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind."

Wisdom was at God's side when He created the earth, therefore if you want to be more creative, you need more wisdom. Wisdom in creativity is not always having a thought or idea that has never existed in the history of mankind. It is the ability to address new challenges and problems with a combination of new and existing knowledge.

Take bottled water, for example. The developers invented neither plastic or water. They simply applied and combined those existing entities to meet a need for portable drinking water. The equation for this process was as follows: need + water + plastic bottle x wisdom = a billion dollar industry.

The implications of this concept to the application of wisdom and the expression of creativity are tremendous, for you have already applied this equation to your life on a regular basis. For example,you take time + tasks + experience = your daily schedule. Or how about words + understanding of grammar + meaning + your unique perspective + your vocabulary combinations = speech. You are a creative person and you express it every day. In fact, someone said that today you will string together some words and utter a sentence that has probably never been spoken in the history of mankind exactly as you will say it.

While creativity does not require totally new concepts, inventions or ideas (although it can), it will involve your unique perspective on life situations that you face every day. No one else on earth looks at life and its events as you do. When you address those things, you will do so in a way that no one else has ever done. If you think, however, that you are not creative, you will miss your chance to contribute something new to the ongoing expression of life as you know and see it here on earth. And you will simply tell others or at least think to yourself, "I am not creative" when you are a creative machine.

Are you ready to face, embrace and express your creativity? What you need is not creativity, but the wisdom to express your creativity and that you can have in abundance, but only if you have faith: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" (James 1:5-6). This week I urge you to stop running from or misunderstanding your creativity, but instead ask for wisdom as to how to express it as you walk through your life assignment. Have a great week!

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KENYA UPDATE: This week I posted an update from Pastor Francis with some new pictures of Mary and the work at Upako Centre. You can read for youself the needs that Pastor Francis mentions. Once you read please give toward my next trip on July 31 so that we can help him in his work with the school and orphans. You can contribute through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.

STILL HAVE AN URGENT LOCAL NEED: We are in need of new warehouse space in which to store our year-round Kenya collections. Space that is climate controlled and forklift accessible is preferred. If you have any leads or space, please let me know.

NEW BOOK: I released a new book this week, a devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. You can purchase it in paper or Kindle format and see all my books on Amazon.com. 

BASEBALL GAME: The annual fundraising baseball game at PNC Park to benefit Kenya widows and orphans will take place this year on Tuesday, August 19. For the mere price of $1,000, you will be treated to great food, wonderful fellowship and a great baseball game (we hope) between the Pirates and the Braves. Perhaps you can't attend but you can give so that someone can represent you that evening. Perhaps your organization can contribute and buy a ticket for someone. Contact me now to reserve your ticket(s) for the game.

663: Books

Last week I sent my corrections and edits off for two new book, which are really compilations of the devotionals from the last two years. One is called A String of Pearls and the other is A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Two weeks ago I published What Would Jesus Ask You Today? They are all on Amazon.com and will be available in Kindle version any day now. 

As I finish this writing and publishing binge, my mind goes to thoughts of creativity, so that may be my focus for the coming weeks (but then again, maybe not!). For now here are some thoughts on writing and publishing for your reading pleasure:

1. Many people don't write because they say they don't have time.  You have all the time in the world - 24 hours a day - so it's what you do with that time that determines whether or not you write and create.
2. Many times the "I don't have time" is just an excuse to cover fear and doubt.
3. Someone once said, "If you don't write when you don't have time, you won't write when you do have time."
4. It has been said that you don't produce a book, that a book produces you. I have found there is some truth to that.
5. Some don't write because they don't know who will purchase it.  f you don't write it, no one will purchase it.
6. Some don't write because they don't know who will publish it.  f you don't produce it, no one will publish it for sure.
7. Where creativity is concerned, Franklin Roosevelt was correct:  We have nothing to fear but fear itself!
8. The idea that you need six to ten weeks of uninterrupted time to write is probably not realistic. You cannot stop your life to write, unless you are prepared to write full-time. Otherwise, you have to learn to write with the time you have available every day.
9. If you write two pages a day, in four months you will have about 150 pages. 
10. Some don't write because they can't spell or don't trust their grammar. Hire an editor to correct that for you, but no one can write what's in your heart to say.
11. If you want to write interesting things, you must do interesting things.

There are some thoughts as I wrap up this project on books number 16, 17 and 18. I already know what I do for next year's book project (my current daily devotional The Leadership Walk), and I have already outlined my book after that one - Life is a Garden: Can You Dig It?

Do you have a creative project in you that has yet to be released?  Then join with me on this creative online review the next few weeks and let's see if we can't drill into your creative wells and discover what we can bring to the surface.  Have a great week!

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KENYA UPDATE: The container has been released and I am excited, but the saga continues as you can read in this update.

STILL HAVE AN URGENT LOCAL NEED: We are in need of new warehouse space in which to store our year-round Kenya collections. Space that is climate controlled and forklift accessible is preferred. If you have any leads or space, please let me know.

NEW BOOK: My latest books mentioned above can be ordered through Amazon.com.

BASEBALL GAME: The annual fundraising baseball game at PNC Park to benefit Kenya widows and orphans will take place this year on Tuesday, August 19. For the mere price of $1,000, you will be treated to great food, wonderful fellowship and a great baseball game (we hope) between the Pirates and the Braves. Contact me now to reserve your ticket(s) for the game.

661: Seth Godin

I read something from Seth Godin almost every day and I have also read all his books. I have never met Seth (I hope to one day), but I feel like I know him. He was the one in 2001 who influenced me to start writing this Memo after I read his book Permission Marketing. I try to pattern my writing on his. I admire the influence he has had and his relentless effort to produce relevant material and touch lives. This morning I received his daily blog and I include the content here for your reading enjoyment:

Just ten years ago, what difference could you possibly be expected to make?

How could you make music without getting picked by a record label, or help the local community garden more than showing up on Saturday to pull weeds? How could anyone expect you to change a conversation, or raise enough cash or move the needle more than a little?

Today, armed with Mailchimp and Indiegogo and Vimeo and Meetup and a dozen other nearly free tools, you can make quite a ruckus.

You can organize a hundred or a thousand people and get them in sync with a weekly newsletter. You can tailor goods or services or a cause to a small group of people that really want to hear about it and really want to spread the word. You can self publish to your thousand true fans, you can host an event or a dozen events, you can enable your work to become famous to the crowd that matters.

Pick yourself.

If you care enough.

In other words, Seth is telling you and me, "No more excuses!" There is no reason why you are not publishing, recording or writing, except that you are afraid. You are taking the best of your creativity and weaving elaborate excuses in your mind that justify your inactivity. No more. And don't try to touch everyone. In Seth's words, just find the 'crowd that matters' to you.

I write and publish every day, sometimes twice a day - every day of the year. I determined in 2001 that there would be no more excuses and I have stayed true to my vow. I have produced 661 Monday Memos. I finished a verse-by-verse commentary on all 8,000 New Testament verses. I have written 18 books. I have four weekly radio shows (soon to be six) and one televsion show. That's what I have done. Now what can you do?

Thanks, Seth, for your relentless, ongoing encouragement. It may not have touched everybody, but it certainly touched me. I hope I can be counted among the crowd that matters to you.

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STILL HAVE AN URGENT LOCAL NEED: We are in need of new warehouse space in which to store our year-round Kenya collections. Space that is climate controlled and forklift accessible is preferred. If you have any leads or space, please let me know.

KENYA UPDATE: Read my latest post that includes a report from Pastor Peter and his work at WAPIS where our first library is located.

NEW BOOK: My latest daily devotional, What Would Jesus Ask You Today? is now available to order online in either a paper or ebook format. I hope you enjoy this latest publishing endeavor.

BASEBALL GAME: The annual fundraising baseball game at PNC Park to benefit Kenya widows and orphans will take place this year on Tuesday, August 19. For the mere price of $1,000, you will be treated to great food, wonderful fellowship and a great baseball game (we hope) between the Pirates and the Braves. Contact me now to reserve your ticket(s) for the game.

657: Purpose Joys

We are in the midst of a series on joy, and I have asked people to send me their top three activities that generate joy in their lives. You can read the list as it was up to last week, and add to it the responses I got this past week, which were:

1. Listening to music, worship and non-worship; traveling to new destinations with the family; hanging out with friends, especially out to eat/drink somewhere
2. a) Planning- I love the aspect of thinking on paper, wondering what would happen if this and this. There is no risk and it makes me feel responsible not scatter brained as well that I am diligent in looking at the best possible solution. Sometimes it is frustrating not to see the big picture or get clarity at the end but the process of thinking on paper is joy! b) Realising God’s faithfulness- experiencing answered prayer sometimes in unexpected ways, or times when a truth I have only heard from someone else-a book, a movie, a podcast- become true for me in experience. I like the way my horizon’s is expanded and my faith is validated! I like that feeling; c) Closely linked to the previous two is the learning that comes from experimenting and discovering things on my own…or as someone is demonstrating something. It feels so good to have your brain wake up to a reality, a possibility that I had not seen…even though it was there all along.
3. Travel/speaking French (well, anything French really); encouraging others; time for reflection and pondering
4. Learning; traveling; cooking
5. Planning & Organizing; teaching/Coaching/Mentoring; and ministering to the incarcerated
6. Hearing about/Discussing God; reading books or watching documentaries about social issues; writing about God-given wisdom and understanding.
7. Problem solving, language learning, and helping people.

MORE THOUGHTS

Last January 31, I resigned my position at my local church where I was productive and well-liked (I think) to do other things - mostly teaching, publishing and writing. Even though I am 64, I wanted the chance to pursue my three top joys of speaking, media and writing. Here is what I have done since January 31:

1. published one book, with two more due out in the next two weeks;
2. started one new radio show; about to start another, which will make five weekly shows;
3. just finished production of my first TV show, Your PurposeQuest, which I will post to my new Vimeo channel and have submitted for consideration to the local Christian station;
4. have spent more time on my new daily devotional, The Leadership Walk, than I anticipated, but I am learning so much;
5. have developed logos for two new publishing labels I am about to start;
6. teaching 3-4 college classes every week;
7. walking, exercising, spending more time with my wife and family;
8. about to launch a new initative with a training seminar that focuses on cognitive learning principles.

MORE QUESTIONS

My questions for those who submitted their top three joys and for those who did not but are thinking about them are these:

1. what are you prepared to do about them?
2. another version of that question is: what price are you willing to pay to see those joys become a regular part of your daily routine?
3. Are you willing to devote focused, regular energy to creatively see how you can take your three joys and parlay them into a career, or at least a passionate hobby? 
4. how can you take your joys and turn them into purpose joys in ways that will bless and entertain others, or make you some money and/or a career?

I promise to publish any and all comments that are not posted directly to the site where this entry can be found. Have a great week!

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ANOTHER KENYA MATCHING GRANT: Yes, we just finished one matching grant and my friend John in Dallas has used another one. He will match every dollar that comes in up to $500 by May 31. That means you can once again double your gift when you give to help Kenyan orphans and widows.

Keep in mind that it's always possible to give either through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you for your help and thank you for helping us reach the last matching $500 gift. God is good and you are kind to respond to the needs of the work in Kenya.

ANOTHER SEMINAR IN PITTSBURGH: I am hosting another purpose seminar on Saturday, June 7 at Allegheny Center Alliance Church in Pittsburgh from noon to 4:30 PM. As usual, the seminar is free but you need to register by writing to let me know you are coming.

CREATIVITY GROUP: I meet every month with a group of folks who gather to talk about and encourage one another in their creative expressions, whether it is writing, painting, sculpting, photography, business, graphic design or any other artistic work. The next meeting is this coming Saturday, May 24 from 1 to 3 PM on the North Side. We have started a Facebook page, which you can check out here.

NEW BOOK: My latest daily devotional, What Would Jesus Ask You Today? is now available to order online in either a paper or ebook format. I hope you enjoy this publishing endeavor.

656: Core Joy

Last week, I asked for you to send me your top three joyful activities, and I promised that this week I would comment on what I got. Here is the list from last week:

1. Researching/Speaking/teaching/brainstorming
2. Giving, traveling and reading
3. Quiet time. Cleaning. Shopping - I do them all regularly; I should not attempt to shop more.
4. Teaching, Preaching, Reading,
5. Speaking, travel, baking16
6. Travel (especially with family); writing; speaking on topics I'm passionate about (God, marriage, family, abortion, empowerment).
7. Teaching, reading, working my businesses (which would include travel since I am a travel agent)
8. Singing; Making people laugh; Watching movies and all the behind the scenes stuff & close after that is Doodling. I may need to grow up and act my age.
9. Time with wife, Samaritan's Purse disaster relief, Bill Glass prison ministry
10. Reading; my business; traveling; and meeting with myself
11. Praying, preaching, bowling

And here is what I got to add to the list:

1. Preaching/teaching - Playing bass in a worship band - Praying for people & delivering words of knowledge
2. Reading/Strategizing/Playing computer games/Meditating/praying
3. Singing in worship/Drawing/Time spent with my wife
4. Reading inspirational material - Coaching/Mentoring - Speaking/teaching
5. Growing vegetables, singing, being with my family and watching movies.

So here are some quick comments from me with more to follow next week.

1. Many items on these lists seem unrelated. To assume that is a mistake when searching for purpose or expressing creativity.
2. Perhaps more people did not respond because searching for purpose is more work than some choose to invest.
3. As you can see from above, some dismiss what they love as foolish, trivial or unrelated to 'real life.' That can also be a mistake, for there are often important clues in what gives you joy in the simplest of things.
4. The basic question to ask for each of these joy activities is: "What is it that I am actually receiving when I am involved in those three? What am I really giving?" In other words, what is the 'core joy' in the activities mentioned?
5. Another question to ask is: "How can I do them all more often than I am now?"

I don't want to make this too long, so let's pick it up again next week. Feel free to send me your top three activities that give you the most joy and I will add them to the list. And also don't hesitate to share your own insights with me about what I have written. Thanks for your help and have a great week!

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KENYA MATCHING GRANT: I just posted an update that someone has issued a matching challenge grant for the coming week with a $500 gift. You can now double your gift to help Kenyan orphans and widows. You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you for your help.

ANOTHER SEMINAR IN PITTSBURGH: I am hosting another purpose seminar on Saturday, June 7 at Allegheny Center Alliance Church here in Pittsburgh from noon to 4:30 PM. As usual, the seminar is free but you need to register by writing to let me know you are coming.

CREATIVITY GROUP: I meet every month with a group of folks who get together to talk about and encourage one another in their creative expressions, whether it be writing, painting, sculpting, photography, business, graphic design or any other artistic work. The next meeting is on Saturday, May 24 from 1 to 3 on the North Side. We have started a Facebook page, which you can check out here.

ONLINE RADIO: I now have three weekly Internet radio shows, to which you can listen live or access all of the archived interviews and download them to listen to on your mobile device or on your computer. Most people can't listen live so they access the shows once they are in the archives. The three shows are:

1. Leadership Talk: Friday at 4PM (U.S. Eastern Time Zone)
2. Urban Heroes: Wednesday at 8AM
3. Ministry Beat: Tuesday at 4PM

FACEBOOK: When you have a chance, please go to my Facebook ministry page and register a like so you can follow me there. I also have a new page, Feeding Widows and Orphans in Africa. Please go there and register a like as well.

645: Ideas to Cash

Yesterday I met with a group of folks to talk about, encourage, showcase and study creativity. This group, which we are now calling G1 (for Genesis 1:1, since we are doing the work of creativity the Creator assigned), has met since last June. Some people bring things to share; some just listen; all speak of their struggles, fears, and breakthroughs where creativity is concerned. The two hours we allot to meet always move by quickly.

I did not have a chance to share an insight I recently had about creativity and Jacob, so since I could not share it there, I will share the first part with you today, with the second coming next week. Doesn't that make you feel special?

SPOTTY PAYMENTS

When Jacob was preparing to leave his conniving father-in-law Laban, Jacob proposed a plan that he would take all the spotted and speckled sheep as his payment for years of service. To Laban's surprise, Jacob proposed that all the existing spotted and speckled sheep be taken from the flock and only the yet-to-be-born spotted and speckled be Jacob's. What a strange plan, for how could Jacob expect to gain any not solid colored sheep if they were all removed before they could mate and reproduce? Laban was all to happy to comply and put a three-day's journey between his flocks and Jacob's so there would be no possibility, or so he thought, of Jacob getting any of his sheep.

But Jacob had a divine plan, a flash of brilliance and creative insight, that made him a wealthy man. We read in Genesis 30:37-43:

Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods. He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods; but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

PRAY FOR MONEY

This strategy seems a bit weird, but it worked. Later when Jacob was talking to his wives who were Laban's daughters, he said this in Genesis 31:10-13:

And it came about at the time when the flock were mating that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which were mating were striped, speckled, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Lift up now your eyes and see that all the male goats which are mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise,leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”

I don't understand it all, but God gave Jacob a creative strategy and prospered him with an idea. Jacob had to follow through on the idea to get the blessing. We will look at this again next week to draw some more conclusions, but often I have found that you pray for money and God gives you an idea. You have to convert that idea into action and only then does the money come. There are no shortcuts and no winning the lottery. Jacob got the creative inspirtation, had to implement what he saw and over time he became wealthy.

I will end with this question: do you have any creative ideas that you need to convert into action and then into cash and wealth? Ponder that and I will be back next week to continue the discussion.

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OFF TO KENYA: I depart for Kenya this coming Thursday and will be there for the next two weeks. There is still time (there is never a wrong time) to donate to the cause of helping the Kenyan widows and orphans. You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible contribution to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. You can also subscribe to receive my regular travel blog updates from Kenya by going to this site and looking for the "get email updates" in the box in the upper right.

635: Down But Not Out

I love London. One year while I was there I went to see Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Music Hall. What a wonderful way to enjoy a timeless masterpiece of music and Scripture in the city where it was composed. That visit sparked one of my Christmas favorites from the Monday Memo archives, which I present to you again this year.

MESSIAH

The Messiah is considered by many to be the greatest musical feat in the history of mankind. Commissioned by a charity to produce a benefit concert, Handel wrote the Messiah in only 24 days. A musician once told me that someone trying to copy the Messiah could hardly do so in 24 days— that is the level of inspiration in which Handel operated when he wrote. Handel never left his house for those three weeks. His food trays remained untouched outside his office door. A friend who visited him as he composed found him sobbing with intense emotions. Later, as Handel groped for words to describe what he had experienced, he quoted St. Paul, saying “whether I was in the body or out of my body when I wrote it I know not.”

What’s even more impressive is that Handel wrote Messiah under extreme duress. The Church of England strongly criticized and opposed Handel and his previous Scriptural works put to music. At the age of 56, he had no money, often going out only at night so as to avoid his creditors. Handel performed what he considered his farewell concert and went home, fully expecting to end up in debtor’s prison. Yet the first performance of Messiah in Ireland raised almost 400 British pounds for charity and freed 142 other men from debtor's prison in 1742. Of course the rest is history as countless millions have enjoyed and marveled at this work for more than 250 years. Handel also went on from there to enjoy tremendous success and popularity in his latter years.

So what does this have to do with you? Perhaps you are a person of purpose but you feel frustrated, even defeated in your PurposeQuest. Maybe you find yourself down and out, discouraged and criticized, forgotten and a failure. Perhaps your finances are in poor shape. If that description fits you, read on, for I believe this Memo can restore your hope and faith. If that’s not you, read on anyway, for you will probably enter that phase one day as you pursue your purpose.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE DOWN AND OUT.

What should you do if you are in a season of “un-use,” disfavor or inaction? As we close out 2013, I would urge you to do three things if you are discouraged, disillusioned or dismayed. And if you’re not, I urge you to find someone who is—you shouldn’t have to look too hard—and encourage them in their dark time.

1. Renew your faith in God. Your success and purpose expression doesn’t depend on your faithfulness; it depends on God’s. Remind yourself that God can do anything, and then rest in Him. Handel went home to retire and perhaps thought it was all over for him. Yet God helped him, a group found and commissioned him and God can and do the same for you.
2. Keep preparing for your day of success. I don’t think Handel went home to retire and abandoned music. Don't you abandon your love either. Keep writing, reading, learning and practicing. When the phone rings or the mail comes with your opportunity, you will be fresh and prepared, having worked in faith for the day of success.
3. Be generous. Handel wrote the Messiah for charity, even though he was destitute. What can you do for someone else, even though you are down and out?  It is a good thing to do the unexpected in hard times, and giving something away definitely fits the bill when you are in need yourself. What better way to express your trust in God?

I’m grateful for God's help in 2013 and I hope you can find reasons to be as well. If not, then just thank God for His faithfulness. At least you’re still alive! Then take this Memo to heart or share it with someone who needs it. I pray that as you do what I recommended above, you will see a purpose breakthrough in 2014. Thank you for allowing me to come into your life every week and thank you for being a PurposeQuest-er. As I close this Memo, I wish you not only a great week, but a happy holiday season!

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KENYA UPDATES: I just posted two updates from my work in Kenya. Please remember the orphans and widows as you close out your year-end giving. You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.  Thank you and may God bless you as you close out 2013 and get ready for 2014!

634: Creative Collaboration

For the next two Saturdays, I am going to highlight Christmas music on my Saturday radio show (here is the online link where you can listen, or tune in to WPIT 730AM at 8AM if you live in Pittsburgh). Many of the men who wrote the carols of old were theologians who had a deep grasp on the significance of Jesus' birth. If you go past the first verse of some carols, you hear some magnificent truths about Jesus and the implications for mankind of His coming. One of my favorite hymns is Hark the Herald Angels Sing, which will be featured in one of my two shows.

WHO WROTE IT?

All credit for Hark the Herald Angels Sing is usually attributed to Charles Wesley, the brother of Methodism's founder, John Wesley. Charles was a prolific song writer, with almost 9,000 hymns to his credit. Charles only employed sombre, slow and solemn music for his lyrics, however, so this particular carol was sung to a tune other than we know for at least 100 years after it was written in 1739.

In 1840, a man named Felix Mendelssohn wrote a commemorative cantata to honor Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. What does that have to do with this carol? Nothing except that a man named William Cummings heard the cantata and felt that one of the melodies could better serve the magnificent lyrics that Wesley had penned for Hark the Herald. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn's melody to Wesley's lyrics and the result was the version of Hark the Herald Angels Sing! that we know and sing today. So Hark the Herald is the result of a century-long creative collaboration by three men who never met over a period of 100 years!

CHRISTMAS CREATIVITY

This strikes me as a classic example of the simplicity and interconnection of the creative process. Your creativity doesn't have to involve something completely new or original. Cummings took two existing things - Mendelssohn's music and Wesley's words - to create something new again. He improved something that already existed to create something fresh that has impacted the world for more than a century.

As we end 2013, I am planning my creative expressions for 2014, which include a Purpose Bible, my next book, a new daily devotional, and starting a publishing company. I am a creative person, and so are you! The ideas you have can change the world, if you will stop discounting them as meaningless or insignificant. You don't have to invent something totally new to qualify as creative; you just have to act on your ideas and release them to the world. With God as your agent, the world will then act to endorse the very creativity that you may be dismissing or taking for granted.

Do you have any good ideas, even if they are only to improve something that already exists? If you do, take heart and remember Wesley, Mendelssohn, and Cummings. Those three men who never met collaborated to create something memorable. There is no reason why you and I can't do the same.

Feel free to post your comment to this Memo on the site where it is located.

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MATCHING GRANT: By God's grace and with your help, we made our Matching Grant Challenge with some money to spare. That money will be put to good use for Kenya and for my new publishing efforts. Thank you, but please don't think the needs are met where the Kenya ministry is concerned. If you are looking to make a year-end contribution to a ministry that is making a difference among the poor, then don't look any further. You can contribue to my work via PayPal online or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.  Thank you and God bless you!

FACEBOOK: Please go to my PurposeQuest International page and register your like to the 288 others who have already done so. Thank you.

ALASKA CRUISE: I know it seems so far off (next August that is), but now is the time to register for my Alaska cruise next year. Check it out online and then act today to book your space. What a great Christmas present that would make for you or your family.