Something has been growing within me for some time now. View it as a baby announcement. An excited couple has known a secret for a while, but one day the announcement goes public. So, here’s my announcement.
My next book Everyone’s a Genius; Unleashing Creativity for the sake of the world releases in September through Thomas Nelson with the Leadership Network imprint. I promise, the message will leak out slowly over the next four months.
Here are the questions that led me to chain myself to the desk…
How could the church impact communities if we shifted our definition of what “counts” as ministry?
What could happen if the spiritual gifts intentionally left the church building?
What if we honored ‘good work’ as much as we honor ‘good works’?
What if everyone has genius within them just waiting to be activated?
These questions messed with me enough to start writing. I suppose I have always thought like a human archeologist, seeking to carefully unearth how people are wired in order to help them find their spaces of influence. This is the driver behind my leadership coaching and consulting. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us “we are his workmanship” (think poem, creation, craft, masterpiece, song) “created to do good works which God prepared in advance for us”. God invites each one of us to co-create, to join the divine redemptive symphony through the things we get to do.
In the past few years I have intersected with heaps of artists, makers, designers, entrepreneurs, business women, song writers and other creatives who feel under appreciated or unappreciated in the church. They don’t seem to fit into a box. They don’t even care that a box exists. They are wildly talented, but they don’t feel affirmed. They haven’t been given permission to co-create with the Father, and when they have created they haven’t feel like it “counted” as meaningful work. This can be heartbreaking.
While I don’t aim to explore a full theology of work I do hope to present a practical guide to exploring and recognizing your creativity. I also debunk some myths about the creative process that hold most people back. You can grab my free Ebook on the creative process here. It’s full of stories of everyday geniuses and practical ways to recognize genius in yourself and those around you. I present 18 flavors of creatives we have failed to name and recognize. If you can’t tell- I’m really pumped about this project!
Here is what I aim to do to readers…
Affirm good work unfolding through the image of God made within his people.
Challenge church leaders (and I am one) to look below the surface to recognize and release new forms of creativity.
Include creatives in the narrative of God’s people being commissioned for kingdom work.
Relieve creative pressure by reminding people they have a genius, THE Creator, driving their work.
Here’s how you can participate…
Join the launch team to get the message out. Simply email me here and let me know you’d like to join the Genius Launch Crew to help get the message out to friends through conversations and social media.
Read a sample chapter. Email me here and include your physical address, and I will send you a paper copy of the opening chapter. Bonus: it has mistakes, because it’s a rough cut. I’m inviting you into the mess of the creative process.
PreOrder the book here at a discounted rate. This allows the book to launch well in September, and you’ll get it hot off the press.
Invite me to speak on the book to your team or gathering. I love getting the word out about the book, and my fall speaking schedule is filling up. Just fill out this speaking request form.
Share this post on your social media feed or through email. I hope this message can affirm and encourage many folks at a deep level, so I want to get the word out however possible.