In spite of what you’ve been told, you are creative. How do I know? Well, basically because you were created by the most creative being in the world, God.
An yet, you know that one of the hardest things you’ll ever do is to learn to trust your inner “moo.” You know what I am talking about; that inner voice that dares to think differently. It’s that creative you that’s trying to get out. But because of the labels and the categories and the warnings, we’ve learned to ignore that inner moo, that inner creativity, that inner voice.
If you are going to live the life for which you were created, if you’re going to be heard above the herd, you’re going to have to defy convention. You’re going to have to break out of the calls to conformity, and be creative.
In my world, I see other pastors stealing other pastors’ stuff. Sometimes they move it around enough that it’s not so obvious, but it is. Paula and I attended a church service several years ago of a nationally known pastor/teacher, I mean nationally known. And I listened to the talk and it sounded familiar. Afterward I went and got the manuscript of the guy I thought it belonged to, and guess what? Word for word. That’s plagiarism. Why? Because this is a bad guy standing in a pulpit? No, he’s afraid. He’s afraid that his own creativity, his own thoughts and ideas wouldn’t be strong enough or compelling enough to draw a large crowd to his church on a Sunday night. How sad to be in that bondage.
I dare you to throw off the shackles, to stand in the sunlight, raise your head, find your own voice, your own creativity, your own verse, your own sermon, song, book; your own solution, your own company, and moo out loud. And if you moo out loud long enough, and the moo is compelling enough, you’ll eventually gather a hearing. That’s the glory of these days where the gatekeepers are toothless.