I believe that a life well lived is not recognized solely by our shining achievements, but rather a mixture of those achievements with a faithful persistence through mundane and through failures. In that space, people get a glimpse of the story God is telling through us.

Have courage to keep walking, have courage to keep creating, have courage to allow God to speak into you, and then speak through you. You are in a unique place in an unfolding story of grace, redemption and restoration. Your life is a body of work, not just a highlight reel.

Keep moving, and keep your eyes up.

If you’ve been following my blog and the progress of my book, you will have noticed a reoccurring theme: I didn’t write the book alone. I worked with 3 designers who created text layout, illustrations, graphic, and cover design. I also have a personal hero writing the afterword. This is no one-man show.

My request today is this:
Will you join me in prayer for those who have had a hand in the project?

You can pray for them by name:
Emily
Anna
Joey
Blaine

Of course, I would certainly appreciate your prayers for me personally, as well. My number one prayer throughout this process is the God would help me guard my heart and maintain perspective. In other words, I don’t want to get caught up in grasping for attention and people’s acceptance.

Of course, this is easier said than done while trying to raise the money to publish the book.

This book is to serve as a call to action, a conversation starter and a gentle nudge into a deeper relationship with Christ. No bestseller list needed, just the book in people’s hands who want to expand their understanding of who God is, and how their relationship with Him is affected by their involvement with, and reaction to, the act of creation. Will you join me in prayer for those who created the book, and also that this book would reach those who need it?

Many thanks!

There’s something really cool going on right now, and I am going to take the liberty of including myself in it.

As I announced yesterday, I am publishing the book I’ve been working on, A Creative Theology, with your help through Kickstarter. But…I want to take a minute in the midst of my panic and excitement to acknowledge that I am not the only one producing material that is worth your while right now. In fact, there are a few people who’s work I follow that have recently put out books, or are working on books right now. We are in the midst of what seems to be a flurry of faith-based writing on creativity, and there are some major players shipping great work. Allow me to point your direction to three projects worth looking into. In no particular order (books are affiliate links):

• Anne Jackson is also using Kickstarter to publish an ebook of poetry, photos and the stories behind them. I love the idea, and the spirit behind this project. Anne cannot do wrong when it comes to creating redeeming art. Support her ebook, and career, HERE.
• Blaine Hogan just recently released an ebook entitled Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process. If there is a guy to speak into your life about the creative process, it’s Blaine. Actor, writer, creative director, the guy does it all. And trust me, this ebook is only the beginning of his writing career.
• Gary Molander just released his first book, Pursuing Christ. Creating Art.: Exploring Life at the Intersection of Faith and Creativity. I have the book on my countertop and cannot wait to dig in. Gary writes about creativity and faith in an inspiring, challenging and refreshing way. He is all things Floodgate, and lives to resource the church.

I have launched a Kickstarter campaign for A Creative Theology. I can’t be more excited, as this is the final step (hopefully!) in the process of getting this bad boy published and in your hands!

You can check out more details over at the Kickstarter site, watch me talk about the book, and find out how you can be involved in funding the project. We have a month…let’s do this thing!

Here are a few pages from the third section of the book, Restoration.

The exciting part about the movements represented in the book (creation, fall, restoration) is that we end, as does our story, not with defeat, but with the invitation to join God in the renewal of all things.