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What Is Church?

I recently read through the book “Pagan Christianity?” and was struck by how much of what we call “modern church” is actually borrowed from ancient non-church traditions, including sermons, clergy, and (you guessed it) modern worship music.

“Does that mean we shouldn’t sing worship songs?” No, that’s not what it means.

What it illustrates is the fact that we are so removed from our traditions, we don’t even question why we (the church) do what we do. Pragmatism abounds, and popularity seems to be the dominant requirement for whether or not a church does something.

Jesus wasn’t popular. Continue reading “What Is Church?”

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Is There Really Hope?

Recently, I was privy to a conversation about the rising economic and political crisis between the United States and everyone else, and it got me thinking.

Can we really be hopeful in today’s society? A lot of evidence points to everything in this world inevitably falling apart. But do we, as Christians, really have to worry about it?

Well, yes and no.

A friend of mine used to say “Some people are so heavenly minded, they’re of no earthly good.” What I think he meant by this is that people can focus so intently on being Godly (and looking towards Heaven) that they can’t be bothered with practical, day-to-day issues. If you tell someone “I’m really struggling right now with this issue” and the only answer they ever give you is “You just need Jesus!” that’s not actually helpful at all. Yes, in the greater sense, we all need Jesus… but I need practical help with a practical problem right now, and praying isn’t going to miraculously fix my hurting back, or my relationship problems, or fill my car’s gas tank.

The Truth

We live in a very broken, sinful world. There’s nothing we can do that will change that. We suffer and groan under the weight of imperfect mortality, and all the pain and joy that comes along with that. Just praying for something doesn’t automatically make it happen. According to the Bible, people since the Garden of Eden are not inherently good. And we live in a society that reflects that. Continue reading “Is There Really Hope?”

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Practice What You Preach

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you probably know that I am very enamored with Minimalism, especially Tech Minimalism.

I have several reasons for this, but mainly it comes down to Privacy, and Mental Clutter.

If I preach against Big Tech, but I’m still using their platforms, does that make me a hypocrite? Yeah, kind of.

Problem is, how do you get out of it once you’re in? And I’m here to tell you, it isn’t easy- by design. Continue reading “Practice What You Preach”

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Purpose Redux

Over the last week, I’ve been examining my Core Values, and let me tell you, it’s been harder than I expected it to be. You might think “What’s so hard about writing down what you value?” Well, give it a try, and see for yourself.

Ultimately, it boils down to what things drive your decisions and relationships, and whether or not your daily actions line up with where you want to go, and who you want to be.

As I wrote about previously, it’s easy to get caught up in feeling like your worth is tied into what you can do. But sometimes that’s out of your control, so why should you feel inferior for not being able to do something you had no control over? Continue reading “Purpose Redux”

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ADHD and Faith

I have spent my entire life not fitting in. When you realize as a child that you’re not like everyone else, it changes the way you think. It leads you down very dark roads, constantly searching for something that will make you feel “normal,” and never finding it.

I’ve been fighting against ADHD my entire life. For decades I saw it as something I had to “work around” or “learn to live with.” I was also smarter than everyone else in my classes (that’s not a brag- I just was). All the school system was geared towards the average learning child, which means it wasn’t suited to me at all. I was constantly bored, ostracized, and miserable. The only time I was happy was in music class. For some reason, my brain absorbed music like a sponge, and I had no problem focusing on it. And then I grew up.

Continue reading “ADHD and Faith”

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Don’t Use Tools As An Excuse

Most people consider themselves “creative” in some form or another. It could be drawing, music, dancing, whatever. And a lot of those creative people use tools to make their creations- paint, instruments, dance shoes, and so forth. They’re the “tools of the trade” so to speak.

Truthfully though, a lot of people don’t create nearly as much as they could because they don’t feel like they have tools that are “good enough.” They might want to produce an album, but figure they don’t have the “industry standard” ProTools, or even a decent computer to run it on. No good studio microphones, no expensive tube preamps, maybe not even a decent guitar.

But defining your creativity by what you don’t have is akin to saying your knowledge is limited because there’s things you don’t know. At some point, you will learn things and expand your knowledge, but just because you don’t know something doesn’t mean you’re not knowledgeable about anything. And saying you can’t be creative because you don’t have the best tools for the job is both wrong, and counterproductive to your development as a Productive Creative. Continue reading “Don’t Use Tools As An Excuse”

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When Things Get Difficult

There are times when you will go through the most unimaginable trials. These are the times when you find out what really drives you.

For the last 18 months, I’ve been going through wave after wave of difficulties, each one progressively harder than the last. I’m halfway expecting to come up on a “Final Boss” and win some sort of game, and then the credits will run and I can finally rest.

“Why so down?” you might ask. You’d be right in assuming I’m struggling with things- it hasn’t been easy. I’m currently writing this blog post on my phone as I wait to be allowed back into my state. We just survived Hurricane Ida, which directly hit my hometown. There’s massive wind damage everywhere. There probably won’t be power there for weeks. I have no way of knowing how bad the damage to my house is.

It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago we were evacuating for Hurricane Katrina. But 16 years to the day, and here we are.

Everyone will face some sort of storm in their lives, and I’m no exception. Mine are oftentimes physical storms, but the principal is the same- you find out what you’re really made of, and your deficits are quickly revealed.

Everyone has shortcomings. But most people are content to just admit they do, and go on with life, never knowing what they could do or be if they’d just admit they need help.

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.“
Psalms 121:1‭-‬2

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Computerless Music Production

As I’ve recently expounded on, my brain is most creative when I’m away from a computer, and the internet as a whole. As it turns out, external influences mostly distract me from creativity, not inspire. Can I get inspiration from a video or song? Sure. But when I’m in the heat of creation, those things pull my attention away from what I’m actually making.

There has been a resurgence over the last few years to make “DAWless” music- i.e. recorded and edited without a DAW, or computer. I’ve seen quite a few Youtube channels using old Fostex and Tascam cassette tape recorders to make albums. If you go on eBay or Reverb, you will see prices for these long-in-the-tooth machines skyrocketing.

Why? Is it the “sound” of analog recording? There might be some validity to that, but what I think is more likely is this: people are learning how to create without computers again. Continue reading “Computerless Music Production”

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Can Background Noise Boost Creativity?

One of the biggest challenges of being a Productive Creative is finding your creative workflow. There are many ways to do this, but one of the methods I’ve used, and have seen others successfully use, is mentally putting your mind in another location. You may have heard of this practice under such names as “Mind Palaces” or “Memory Mansions.” The idea with those techniques is that by imagining yourself in a very specific physical location (imaginary or real) it allows your brain to connect and remember things that it couldn’t otherwise. The brain’s ability to remember things works better with more senses attached to it.

Creatively, this works the same way. If you imagine yourself in the mountains of Alaska, it’s easier to paint them. Or if you are writing about an adventure in a forest, having those smells and sounds will bring the scene alive in your mind. Using all five senses allows your brain to be completely immersed somewhere else, where creativity can more easily happen.

Continue reading “Can Background Noise Boost Creativity?”