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GET
CREATIVE!
Which way to should I go?
Are you a creative person? If you
answered no, you need to know what's holding you back! Fear of mistakes or
failure may be underlying issues, but for most people it is just unfamiliarity.
The "we have always done it this way," kind of thinking keeps us from
realizing that there is a rapid river full of ideas beyond the trickling stream we find
so often flowing through our ministries. So
here are some tips to get the creative juices flowing:
A creative mind is always asking, "why?"
Why do we do it this way? Why do need that? Why can't we...?
Why? Learning to identify why we do things may shed light on why we
haven't changed them. Change isn't always good, as hard as it is to
say. Traditions and ritual are extremely valuable. They help shape
and spiritually form our kids. The questions you need to ask are results
orientated, for the purpose of working the kinks out. Never wipe out an
entire program just because it is rooted in tradition and never keep an entire
program just because it was formed by tradition. By asking questions to
yourself and seeking out the answers you can gain much insight into the how's
and why's of things. By understanding these things and being aware of
them, we can successfully move, "outside the box," to achieve our
desired results - faith, hope, love...
Creative people are fluid thinkers. That means there
is an unquenchable thirst for new ideas. The best place to get new ideas
is from new people - well people that are new to you. This might mean
talking to and befriending people who are different ethnically or socio-economically, younger,
older, and shyer than you. And I have found, being quite shy, that talking
to new people is difficult. One trick is to ask them open ended questions
about themselves and listen well. People love to tell about themselves,
which is great for getting new ideas.
Some people are artsy and some are not - so noted.
The point of this is to look at the displays and try to see whatever the artist
was trying to convey. You mean this stuff has a point? Usually, yes,
it does - even abstract works. The artist was conveying a vision, emotion,
or sensation they wanted the viewer to react to. Ask more questions that
don't necessarily have answers. This broadens your thinking and will help
you have more insight in the future to think in more creative ways.
Excuse me, what? I can't do that. I don't even know what mold
we are stuck in. Just because things have always been done one way doesn't
mean that they should only be done one way. Explore the ramifications,
both seen and unseen, of being set in one mold, one model. What am I talking about? Well, Sunday School for
instance. It was set up as a program to rid cities of rowdy kids on
Sundays during child labor times in this country (the US). They taught
kids the Bible, but they also taught them how to read and act. The purpose
seemed equally divided between detaining them and teaching them. So we
still use this model, but we switched the intended result somewhere along the way and
expect it to instill faith in our children, give them Biblical literacy, and
make them into model Christians. If the purpose has changed, why hasn't our
model? Those are the types of questions we need to ask. I have
nothing against Sunday School and think it is valuable for several reasons, but
with changed expectations, shouldn't the mold change somewhat too?
Reading will broaden your mind in a blink. The problem is we tend to pick
up what we like and already know. This helps a little, but won't really
stretch our imaginations. If you want to stretch your imagination read
some classic children's literature. True, Disney has made most of them
into movies, but books will always be better. Having imagination
infatuation? Read Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie. Want
something a little more mature? Read The Princess Bride by S.
Morgenstern or The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. And if you
haven't read the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling get moving.
They are well written, easy to read, imaginative like you have never seen, and
the plot is thicker than last Sunday's soup! (A side note here - some
church's think Harry Potter is not a good thing. After all, that is a
valid concern, they deal with magic and sorcery. The church has never
condoned that. In actuality these books are as magical as Peter Pan and no
one condemned him and Tinker Bell. It is "magical" in the same
sense. The author just happened to pick a word that has a stigma attached
to it. In London the 1st book is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
Stone. All the magic is entirely what we commonly call
"make-believe." Rowling did not consort with witches and demons
to get chants verbatim to publish. When you hear "magic" and
your skin crawls...think "Peter Pan magic." Then read it and
judge for yourself). The point is not to be controversialists, but to
widen your imagination. To have a unicorn as a friend, an owl bring your
mail, to see fairies at every glance of the eye, and to know the difference between
half dead and whole dead is a wonderful thing.
Move outside your comfort zone - ask a lot of questions, listen to what people
have to say, see new things, read new things, broaden your imagination.
That way when it comes time to be practical and imagine a future for your
ministry you'll have more than just another blank sheet of paper.
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