I’ve never used that as a pick up line but there was a short time in my life when I dabbled in astrology. Yes, it was because of a girl. No, I didn’t get sucked into the occult.

Image credit: fyletto / 123RF Stock Photo

Should Christians read horoscopes? Well, I could tell you what I think or I could tell you a story. I opt for the latter. Today I wrote a story about a girl, a big book of astrology and a poem that changed my life in my freshman year of college.

Head over to Prodigal Magazine and read my article called “The Moment of Truth” and let me know what you think.

Do you have any experiences with astrology/horoscopes or know anyone who has?

I write about learning to make decisions in the gray areas of life. I’m not talking about taking a gray area and changing it to black and white, I talk about navigating through these choices based on our walk with God and our life experience on a day to day basis.

It’s not difficult to make blanket decisions about drinking alcohol, watching suggestive movies and how much time we spend on the Internet. It’s more difficult to learn to make daily decisions and learn how those boundaries shift and move as we mature in our walk with God.

If that sounds like something you’re interested in, I invite you to read the first post in the column. I mention the best-selling book “Shades of Grey” but it’s actually not about the book at all, I promise.

Head over to Prodigal and check out my post titled Shades of Grey and let me know what you think!

I’ve been able to write about the most memorable personal aspects of my life like meeting and marrying the woman of my dreams (and a fellow blogger) and quitting my job to pursue a dream.

All in all, I can say that this has been one of the best years of my life. And I know that 2012 will only get better. So with that, I give you my top 9 posts (because who needs 10?) of 2011:

1. The Doctrine of Agreement (March 1, 2011)

This post was about how we elevate the importance of agreement over the importance of relationships. I give a little history lesson in where the importance of agreement in protestant reformation originated and how that problem is still with us today. I came back to this one a number of times this year.

2. Do Not Remove This Label (March 2, 2011)

I learned a lot on the topic of labels this year. I’ve seen how much I’ve used them for myself and others. This was my first post in the direction of reframing the conversation.

3. Creation Is Groaning (March 14, 2011)

This post was exciting for me because it got picked up by Charisma Magazine online and was republished. Getting published in a magazine was on my dream list so it was exciting to cross one of those off.

4. I’ve Got This Friend (April 24, 2011)

This was definitely the most fun post of the year. I had my friend Wes Molebash illustrate a comic strip of the first time Katie and I met in DC. She absolutely loved it and we even used the picture as part of the decorations in our wedding in October!

5. Emotional Justice (May 25, 2011)

This is the first part in my first pseudo-series on the blog. It sets the framework for judgement and how we judge poorly when it comes from an emotional response.

6. Who Are You To Judge? (May 30, 2011)

It surprises me how many Christians (even leaders) continually tell us that we have no right to judge when the Bible clearly teaches the opposite. However it isn’t until we have a right understanding of WHO, WHAT and WHY we are to judge, that we can do it the right way.

7. Balance Is A Pose, Rhythm Is A Dancer (June 20, 2011)

This post marked a pivotal point in my life where I shifted from wanting to balance my life to finding my rhythm in life. Inspired by Bruce Miller’s book “Your Life In Rhythm,” I made some pretty big changes in the way I looked at how I live my life. This post explains why.

8. Life Without Rules (September 13, 2011)

The second mini-series on my blog revolved around a rules-based lifestyle. In this post I explore what life would look like if we completely eliminated rules from our lives.

9. Coloring Inside The Lines (September 15, 2011)

Part 2 of my rules series focused on boundaries. I posit that boundaries are far superior to rules because they are motivated by our heart and therefore much more sustainable long term.

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If you’ve read a few of these, all of these or this is your first time to my blog I just want to say thank you for reading. I’m excited about sharing all the new things that I learn in this next year.

What were your top posts of the year?
Did you create a top posts list? Would you share the link in the comments?

There is a creative renaissance emerging in the body of Christ. More than ever, I see sons and daughters of God finding their identity and fanning the flame of creativity that God has put inside of them.

We need leaders to steward this move. We need those that can relate to creatives and artists. We need those who can guide this young generation as they pursue Christ through their art.

Gary Molander is one of those leaders. He recently published a book called “Pursuing Christ. Creating Art.” I read it as soon as it came out and I was deeply moved, challenged and inspired.

Today I have the privilege of interviewing him about his book. It is just a glimpse of the wisdom he shares in his book. After the interview, I’ll give you more information on how you can order it. I HIGHLY recommend it.

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Can you tell us a little about your background in creative arts?

I was a pastor for seventeen years. I was a creative arts pastor, leading creative initiatives every week in my local church. I served in an established turn-around church, as well as a start-up cafeteria church. After discovering how much I still had to learn, I enrolled in the Southern California Worship Institute, under the leadership of Monty Kelso and David Timms. In 2003, I received my MA in Creative Arts. After leaving local church ministry in 2004, I founded Floodgate Productions, where we create media that tells stories. During my days, I create inspirational short-films, and lead other artists who work alongside me.

What was it like using a creative process to write a book about creativity?

To be honest, I didn’t use any strict creative process to write my book. For me, the creative process always grows out of a need to push through a project. I think we can too easily serve the process, rather than allowing the process to serve our art. That being said, writing a creative book about creativity was weird! I’m so happy that my friends wrote the chapter introductions, created the cover art, and the internal hand-drawn images. It would have been awful to write a book about creativity with a bunch of text from one guy. Boring.

You contrast creatives vs artists in your book. Why is this distinction important?

I think artists can become their own arrogant community. Christian artists aren’t exempt from that. We can come to believe that we’re the only ones with creativity. We even call ourselves “creatives”. Without knowing it, we’re creating an “us and them” mentality – those with creativity, and those without creativity. The fact that we serve a creative God, and that we’re created in the image of that creative God, should serve as a wake-up call to us. Every person on the face of the earth has the ability to create – they see a void, then fill it with themselves. That’s what God did in Genesis 1-2. Are all artists creative? Yes. But are all creatives artists? Nope.

A key point you bring home in your book is that art is a response to God. What have you seen happen when Christian artists try to create art for God?

I think it’s easy for artists to fall into the trap of trying to impress God with their art. I can fall into this. When I try to impress God with anything I create, it’s a slippery slope into a works-based relationship. I worry about artists living for God, but not living with God. God gave His Son for the world (John 3:16), and I feel like it’s better for us to create our art from that perspective too. The most liberating thing a holy God can give artists is the freedom NOT to create art for Him.

As one who explores the subject of identity, I loved the section of the book titled “You Are Not Your Ministry”. What has been your journey in separating your identity from what you do?

When I stepped away from local church pastoral ministry, I quit the role of “pastor”. No one called me “Pastor Gary” anymore. Unknowingly, I had allowed the word “pastor” to become my identity. That word works great as a title, but not as a core identity. So when it was stripped away from me (by God, I believe), I had to rediscover my identity as a child of God. That journey was painful, and involved a lot of kicking and screaming on my part. It’s been almost seven years since then, but there’s not a day that goes by when I don’t forcefully remind myself, “You are not an artist or an author. You are a child of God who creates stuff.”

Many creatives experience extreme highs and lows. There is a line in your book that says “The best art is borne in the joy of heaven, or the pain of hell.” Why is it important to embrace these extremes?

When we’re depressed or going through a painful time, our tendency is to get out. We pray to get out. We craft our days to get out. For me, 2010 was the most painful period of my adult life. I lost both of my parents to weird diseases, I blew out my back, and Floodgate almost went under. But I forced myself to come to grips with the pain I was feeling (new pain I had never felt before), and to ask, “What is God asking me to create as a result?” The answer was my blog – the same blog that eventually become my book.

On the other side, there’s a real joy in living the abundant life Jesus has called us to. Many artists (and Christians) I know are actually scared of exhibiting any true excitement about their lives, because they’ve been taught to live a “balanced life” (which is crap, in my opinion). I wonder if the same people who criticized David for dancing in his underwear are the same people encouraging artists to become “a little more balanced”? No one wants to experience neutral art. The world isn’t changed with anything borne from safety.

A powerful section of the book explores the dichotomy you call “The Prison of Freedom”. What does this mean to you and what emotions were you feeling as you stepped away from formal pastoral ministry?

Artists want freedom. We all want freedom. But for most of us, we think real freedom means living with no constraints. But that’s just not how it works in Scripture, or in real life. We need to willingly place ourselves into daily prisons. By that, I mean we need to perform tasks that we’d rather not be doing, to gain some goal we want to achieve. When I stepped away from formal pastoral ministry, I didn’t understand that. I just wanted complete freedom, without the prison. I just wanted to create my days, doing whatever I wanted to from dawn until dusk. I wanted to collapse, have coffee, and get paid for it. I labeled it “freedom”, but I don’t think it was freedom. And as God was reforming my identity, He was also redefining a life of freedom for me.

As you discuss creative blocks, you mention one simple step for keeping yourself accountable. How does a deadline help you break through creative blocks?

I want people to be pleased with me. Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s psychotic. When I put a date on the calendar, if I don’t finish a creative project (or a phase of a creative project), then I answer to people who are paying me. And I don’t like those meetings at all! So putting a date on the calendar, then publicizing that date to people who are counting on me, works every time. It may be a little neurotic, but it really works for me.

In the book you say that artist and leaders are dreamers. What happens when an artist or leader stops dreaming?

When artists and leaders stop dreaming, they lose their uniqueness. They copy everything they hear at conferences. Honestly, that’s the first sign that someone has stopped dreaming. And in the process, they can lose their heart. I think it’s easier to look at what other artists and leaders are doing, then “modify” that for our own situations. And at an unhealthy extreme, we quit the hard work of constantly pushing into the Creative Source, and modify a template that’s working for someone else, somewhere else. Someone needs to create a shirt that says, “No Templates Allowed”, and give it away at the largest conferences in the world.

What has been the response so far to the book and what is next for you?

The response to the book has been overwhelming for me. I’m not concerned with getting the book into as many hands as possible. I’m concerned with getting it into the right hands. If that happens, then I don’t have to worry about anything.  I’m not sure if there’s another book on the horizon for me, or not. The self-publishing process required that I basically take on a part-time job for a year – above and beyond leading a creative business. My blog continues to provide new thoughts and material, and the readership continues to grow.

If you enjoyed this interview, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of “Pursuing Christ. Creating Art.” I also encourage you to check out Gary’s blog. It is a great resource for creative leaders. You can also follow Gary on Twitter.

Click here to get the book today!

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Do you consider yourself a “creative”? Why or why not?

There’s No Such Thing As Being Overcommitted: I don’t believe in overcommittment. This post is my manifesto on the topic.

4 Words That Changed My Life: I found out how many people are deathly afraid of confrontation. I shared a phrase that changed my whole perspective on how to handle confrontation with the right attitude.

Where Are All The Trophy Husbands?: Sparked by some Twitter conversation, I decided to share my thoughts on being a trophy husband. Great comments on this one!

Blogs I Read

Creativity Is Not Optional by Jason Stasyszen: Jason had some great thoughts on creativity. I really liked his point that God doesn’t use formulas but we always try to use them.

Influencers by Chris Brogan: Chris wrote an excellent piece defining influence and how to use it for good.

Two Very Encouraging Words by Edward Paz: Edward gives us a short exhortation: “say it.” He says that if you’ve never said it, it’s never been said. It definitely encouraged me.

Critique By Creating by Stephanie Smith (via Relevant Mag): Stephanie and I had an exchange  on her blog around the topic of critiquing by creating. I asked her to give me some examples and she came up with this essay that was picked up by Relevant. If you read nothing else, read this one. It was my favorite read of the week.

Share The Wealth

What’s the best thing you wrote this week?
What’s the best thing you read this week? 

These days there is no shortage of voices encouraging you to follow your dreams. Countless books and websites provide strategies to pursue whatever makes you happy. But what if your desires aren’t God’s will? How do you know?

In Expect The Exceptional, I share the key to unlocking God’s plan for your life. The desires of your heart line up with God’s will when your identity is found in who you are and Whose you are. As the truth of God’s word is illuminated, His plan for your life is revealed.

This understanding of identity has the potential to redefine our perceptions of full-time ministry. Whether you’re a missionary, own your own business or are somewhere in between, this book will show you how to line up your life to live exceptionally for Christ.

You don’t have to second guess your passion. You can stop worrying if your dream is an idol. This book will help you reconcile God’s purpose to your passion and give you the faith to expect the exceptional.

Expect The Exceptional
When your dreams meet God’s dreams 

The Hustle Switch: I was having a little writers block and I got some inspiration to push through. I was provoked not just in my writing but in my devotions. Short and sweet.

Amnesiac Grace: I talk about how easy it can be to forget the grace we’ve been given and return to our old ways. I distinguish between when we hear and forget and when we do and act. It’s all about self forgiveness.

My Unfocused Life (guest post): I loved this post by my friend Alise Wright. She approached the topic of identity in such a unique way. I loved her perspective on focus.

Blogs I Read

Love and Justice by Michael Gungor: I had a draft with the same exact title and I planned to write about this very subject. I’m glad I didn’t because Michael wrote more eloquently than I had ever planned. Best read of the week for me.

Are We Writing Things That Actually Help? by Ed Cyzewski: With the barrage of posts that come out for every scandalous event (ahem: Casey Anthony, Mark Driscoll, et al), Ed provides a sobering perspective. Read this!

This Is My Story by Alece Ronzino: I’ve been following Alece and reading her story for awhile now. I can relate so much to her pain in the aftermath of divorce. She gives such beautiful perspective on her story and His story and how they are one in the same.

Is Building Your Social Platform In Conflict With Building Christ’s Kingdom? by Stephanie Smith: Yeah it’s a mouthful of a title but it was a great read. Stephanie dissects whether self-promotion can harmonize with kingdom building.

5 Reasons Why Your Writing Matters by Ali Hale: This is a must read for anyone that writes. Great encouragement for both the veteran and aspiring writer.

Guest Posts Coming Soon

I’ll be writing a few guest posts in the near future. I’m excited about all of them:

@jenluit – I’ll be featured in Jennifer’s #identityseries talking about success and failure.

@popparables – I’ll be writing a Pop Parable for Keri about the movie The Company Men. Yes, of course it’s about identity.

@alisewrite – I’ll be sharing my story for Alise in her Not Alone Series. It is a post on depression. Wait, what?

@Jonathandkeck – I’ll be featured in Jonathan’s site Theology 21 sharing my thoughts on science and theology.

Share The Wealth

What’s the best post you wrote this week?
What’s the best post you read this week?

Blogs I Wrote

With the short holiday week, I only wrote two blogs this week:

On Nouns, Verbs and a Writer’s Identity: This was a special one for me as I discuss the dreaded label of “writer”. I talk about how the verbs of what I do cannot not define me. I look to the nouns of who I am to get my identity. A lot of commenters were able to identify (pun intended) with this one.

How Quoting Can Compromise Credibility: I’m a sucker for alliteration so I loved this title. I talk about my love of quotes but how, if you’re not careful, over relying on quotes can compromise your credibility. There were a lot of great comments and quotes on this post.

Blogs I Read

My True Bollywood Story: Part III by Katie Mae: If you haven’t already heard:

I’M ENGAGED!

My fiancé (is it just me that feels weird saying that word?) Katie wrote a beautiful post about our engagement story. Check it out and give her a virtual high five in the comments.

Everyone’s Frozen by Michael Perkins: New handwritten goodness by Mr. Perkins. I’ve missed these.

Why Good Writing Is Like Good Fireworks by Jeff Goins: Jeff wrote an excellent piece comparing the wonder of fireworks to the thrill of a good read.

Welcoming Special Needs Families by Jason Wert: My buddy Jason wrote an excellent piece for Ministry Matters about dealing with special needs families in the church. He lays out 4 practical and feasible steps that churches can take to minister to these families. I’m proud of Jason for accomplishing one of his goals for the year!

Books I Read

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell: I flew up to West Virginia to drive down to Florida with Katie. I forgot to bring the book I was reading so I looked in my Kindle on the iPhone. Low and behold, I found this book which I got as a free download awhile back. I read it in 3 days. It was actually really good. I definitely would have had BIG problems with this book just 3 years ago but my mindset (and maturity) has changed quite a bit. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it as a great challenge to the status quo. Eat the meat, spit out the bones.

Miscellaneous Blog Stuff

I changed the blog up a bit recently. I moved the navigation up to the top, I removed the categories from the menu and I switched the content over to the left side. I also added a few new pages:

Guest Posting: If you’re interested in submitting a guest post for this site, check out the new page. I provide all the deets which are necessary to contribute.

What I’m Reading: For all my fellow bookworms, this page keeps track of all the books I’m reading this year. I use Shelfari to manage my list. Connect with me if you sign up.

Shameless Promo

What was the best post you wrote this week?
What was the best post you read this week?

KC blogs about parenting pretty regularly so I figured this would be a chance to share my wisdom. What’s that you say? How can I do that when I don’t have any kids of my own? Easy. I watch The Dog Whisperer. End of discussion.

Here’s a little excerpt of the goodness:

Let me go ahead and get this out of the way: I don’t have kids. I don’t even have a dog. I live with my sister. She has a dog. I consider her my niece. These are my credentials. I will now tell you how to raise your kid.

I helped train my niece by using tips from Cesar Milan’s show on TLC, The Dog Whisperer. If you haven’t seen it, your life is incomplete. Not only will you receive tips on raising your dogs, but you’ll also learn how to harness the energy of your own little monsters all in one life-changing show.

Here are some strategies for raising kids I gleaned from The Dog Whisperer:

Don’t Rub Their Face In Crap

Continue reading…

Hop on over and read the rest of the post at KC’s blog. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

If you remember the last time I went to a training, I came back with 5 lessons learned. This time I added 2 more and a special bonus announcement that I’m sure will make you do a Michael Jackson leg kick.

1. Training Is A Lot Less Boring When It’s Interactive

I manage a technical helpdesk for ADT. My department supports IP-based (network) equipment remotely. It’s all very new to the retail world so I’m constantly learning new technologies and how to support them. That means I do training…a LOT.

Many times while sitting there listening to someone lecture for hours on the intricacies of hardware of software, I check out pretty quickly. This trainer finally got it right. It was the perfect mix of about 40/60 lecture to hands on.

I mean, I even stayed awake after lunch! This guy deserves a medal or a trophy…or maybe a pizza trophy.

My Training Setup

2. 3D is Overrated

We saw two movies last week. Thor and Priest. We were bummed that we couldn’t see Thor in 3D but we did see Priest in 3D. I have to tell you, it wasn’t impressive.

I realize this isn’t news to most people but Priest was only the second movie I’ve seen in 3D. The first was the latest Chronicles of Narnia. The only thing that the 3D did was give me a headache. I have yet to hear of a movie where it adds anything…except to the box office total.

Don’t waste your money.

3. Jenny Rain Is Awesome

Katie and I had the opportunity to meet up with Jenny Rain. She’s one of my faves so I was super stoked when we were able to sync up and grab dinner. She actually drove about an hour just to meet us. I was so glad she did because we had a great time. We talked for hours and probably could have hung out all night.

It was an honor to hear her story first hand and get to know her. She’s just an awesome person. I’m positive that it won’t be the last time we get to hang out!

Jenny is also a photographer and recently on her site, she’s been posting her latest shots. They are fantastic. Here’s a picture that she took of us at dinner.

Photography by Jenny Rain

This might be my favorite pic of me and Katie. Jenny even wrote a blog post about meeting up with us!

4. I’m The Smartest Man In The World

At least that’s what Katie tells me. She may be biased but I’m going with it.

I ended up passing the certification exam with a 96. I’m pretty sure it was the highest grade in the class. Now that I know all there is to know about IP video, I’m pretty sure that ranks me up there as the smartest man in the world (if not the most interesting).

5. Don’t Wander Off Too Far In Baltimore

Friday afternoon we drove into Baltimore. We walked around the Inner Harbor, saw a street performer juggle a torch, a huge dagger and a bowling ball and ate some delicious crab cake.

Katie @ the Inner Harbor

We decided to roam around the city and quickly learned that it probably was not the best idea. Once you get a few blocks out from the Inner Harbor, it gets pretty seedy pretty quickly. I clutched my purse (er, European carry-all), made a u’ey and high tailed it out of there.

Baltimore was cool but I can’t say that it’s my favorite city.

6. Annapolis Is Gorgeous

On Saturday, we spent the day in Annapolis. It’s a port city and home to all things Navy. I absolutely loved the feel of the city. The quaint shops and restaurants maintain that small town presence without being overrun with a touristy feel.

Middleton Tavern

While out there, I got a heads up to search for an underground Starbucks. My favorite saint is St. Arbucks so I HAD to check it out. It was tricky to find because my iPhone GPS led me to the wrong place. GUYS PROTIP: It’s always a benefit to have a beautiful and friendly lady with you. She makes you look good and you never have to ask for directions.

The window is right at street level

This was probably the coolest Starbucks I’ve been to. It’s so low-key that people aren’t even sure it’s open. Thrown in the fact that the door gets jammed easily and I could see how people turn away and leave without ever checking it out. I saved about 3 different people from walking away by opening the door for them.

7. I Really Need To Get Ahead On My Posts

I’m not sure how I thought I was going to be able to write while I was away, but I should have known better. If it wasn’t for Jason’s fantastic guest post last week, this place would have been a complete ghost town. I really need to get ahead on my writing. It’s time.

So I hope you were able to glean some of my wisdom from this trip. It was compelling and rich. I had an absolutely amazing time with Katie. It’s the longest number of consecutive days we’ve spent together and we didn’t even kill each other. As if! Seriously, I don’t know if there is anyone out there more perfect for me. We have so much fun together and it’s actually a little scary how well we get each other. She’s a keeper.

And on that note…

Bonus Announcement: Katie is moving to Florida! She accepted a job offer and she’ll be down here by early July! I’m so excited…I’m so excited…I’m so scared? Nope…no Jessie Spano here. I’m really thrilled! I can’t wait.

Heheee!!

So what did you guys do last week? Did I miss anything? I heard something about a rapt…ah, nevermind.