Thinkers, Makers & Doers unto the Glory of God.
Thinkers, Makers & Doers unto the Glory of God.
"By the time a basketball or football player gets to Division I or Division II, they’ve already been a star in their own town and community. They have been elevated to celebrity status at such a young age, before their frontal lobe has even fully developed. It creates a high confidence level, but also a delusion around what’s actually possible."
– Dan Lebowitz, Exec. Dir. of NE University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
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In 2007, I was asked to preach at a small church in Leavenworth, KS. It was the beginning of an encounter with a collective of people that I now know and love.
Upon my arrival, I was introduced to this jazz drummer who my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) referred to as “Cool Guy.”
“Cool Guy,” was a lighter skinned, elderly, black man. His body was slightly hunched and swayed to one side, bearing most of his weight upon a favored foot. Observing his stance, I noticed that the rest of his weight was held up by a long black cane. Through a quiet voice with a slight rasp, he extended his hand to mine and spoke,
“How ya doin’ there? I’m Brother Arnold.”
Read MoreChurches everywhere are working to maintain relevance in this post-Christian nation, scrambling to survive.
Church attendance in many places is steadily declining as people go outside the church walls for spiritual fulfillment or people have just stopped caring about church altogether.
"One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts."
- Psalms 145:4
Let me ask you, is there anything for this generation to declare?
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I don’t know how to be something I’m not.
Most of us don’t.
Since I can remember I’ve loved 2 things: ministry & art.
In the same way you like unique foods and your own manner of doing things, I can’t imagine not having a passion for these pursuits.
For me, it’s a peculiar combination.
Most of my life I’ve felt too “Christian” for the art world and too “artsy” for the local church.
And so, finding a space to call my own has been a pursuit of discovery.
Its also been an intentional pursuit to carve out more space for others like myself...maybe for someone like you too.
Read MoreRight now, my eyes are heavy and sweet sleep is calling my name.
I am writing this on a borrowed laptop, as we camp out in a nine year old's room while he sleeps on the couch.
This is life on the road for the Shirleys.
The past couples weeks have been filled with incredible experiences, really good food and even better company.
But as our time passes Matt and I find ourselves praying about the future and endeavoring to hold all things loosely.
This time is conjuring in me a belief that grows more firm with each passing day.
Jesus is enough. He is sufficient.
Read MoreI really thought adulthood would be a certain cure to procrastination.
I thought I would arrive to a place where I could inherently muster myself to a place of responsibility, never to leave any of my work undone again.
I was wrong.
It's delusional to think that things will organize themselves.
Have you ever thought this?
Read MoreThe past week has been a whirlwind of activity.
Packing and goodbyes all around.
When it comes to packing, I tend to procrastinate because the moment I start I will have to deal with all the chaos that comes with it and my life is already pretty chaotic. So, I like to do it all in just a couple days. It’s stressful and overwhelming, but it only lasts for a moment.
The goodbyes. Those are hard. But it was a little different this time. I didn’t say goodbye to one person I didn’t feel like I wouldn’t see again. It was definitely more of a “see ya later”.
Have you ever voluntarily pulled all of your junk out of every crevice of your house and asked people to come help you pack it?
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Now you’re in it.
You've set a plan into play and you’re watching it grow.
Maybe it’s just a trickle for now, but it’s been enough to peak your interest.
It’s enough to determine that what you’ve began you should at least continue.
This is just a plug, a nod, a nudge to tell you to keep going.
Read MoreMany of our friends and family already know this, but we wanted to share it here too.
We’re moving.
You know it’s God when your husband comes home and says, “I think we should move in with your mom”.
That’s exactly what happened a few months ago.
Immediately we both knew it was what we were supposed to do.
Read MoreMost of us live too safe.
Most of us live too tired.
Most of us live too bored and too busy.
We are so preoccupied by what we have to do or what we didn’t get done that we neglect to see the joy in the faces of our children, the beauty in the world around us and to just be thankful. (John 10:10)
I’ll just say it this way. We all have the tendency to be a little zombie-like at times.
Read More"So, what should I do next?"
I speak to audiences of people on a pretty regular basis, so this is a question I hear often.
I mean, I get it.
You're searching for a blueprint or formula than can carry you in the right direction and ideally, help you secure a more successful future, right?
But what if there's more to it than this?
Motivation is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to how we look at work.
Read MoreA couple years ago my husband and I made a transition out of our jobs at a church and ministry.
Out of this transition we entered one of the most challenging seasons of our lives.
This often left us asking ourselves if we did the right thing. I think that’s a question anyone would ask. When you move on, especially in ministry, there is this belief that things are supposed to be newer, brighter, shinier, that opportunities are supposed to pour from the sky and everything is going to be A-Okay.
There are many reasons we encountered some of the hardships we did and then there are some things I really can’t explain, and that’s okay. But we aren’t going to talk about that right now.
What I do want to talk about is what we learned over the past two years and what we were maybe tempted to question but we are now convinced of beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Read MoreHave you ever shared something you’ve labored over for a long time?
I mean, have you ever really extended yourself to show the fruits of your labor in a way that’s almost uncomfortable?
For several months now, I’ve been working on a side project, and now, it’s finally ready.
Let’s talk for a second.
So, you exposed your ideas to the entire world, but have you ever had a conversation with yourself that went something like:
“Okay, time to write this paper!”
You sit down to write the paper…nothing. Crickets. The thought train has derailed and the memory bank is closed.
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I love cooking.
It’s a fairly recent development. I think it got really serious when I started watching cooking shows and reading cooking blogs.
It hasn’t always been that way. When I first got married I made breakfast burritos with maple sausage. Just one bite inspired my gag reflex. It tasted like Mexican food drenched in syrup.
Matt actually ate one and went back for seconds (because he’s a man and I feel like they will eat anything) but half way through he conceded. It was wretched. But now I think I’m a fairly decent cook. I love to add layers of flavor to my food and I love to make things from scratch.
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Do you remember school dances? I do.
The dress, the hair, the date. All awkward, all the time.
One night after one of these historic dances I decided to corner my date in the car.
He couldn’t escape. He had to hear me out. He didn’t have a choice unless he wanted to tuck and roll out of a moving vehicle. He listened to me rant and cry for a good fifteen minutes because I couldn’t take it anymore.
I had to get out.
Read MoreStudent: “You don’t want me to draw that.”
Professor: “Oh, really? Why’s that?”
Student: “Because I don’t know how.”
Professor: “Art isn’t about learning to draw, it’s about learning to see.”
I had a college professor share these words with me once, and now, I’m sharing with you.
Because art, or more appropriately creativity, is not about learning to draw, it’s about learning to see.
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For the past 3 months I have barely left my house.
Back in December our only car got totaled and it left this stay-at-home mom totally stranded with two small children.
Now, before you start to feel sorry for me let me tell you the truth. I didn’t mind it. For someone who is supposed to be a sanguine extrovert I was oddly comfortable inside my little house for entire weeks at a time. And then it happened...
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Failure is the greatest educator I know.
Nothing sticks or stands out as much as missing the mark. Wins in life are good. But, for me, as an achiever, it’s not long after a high mark that I start looking for another moment to conquer.
Failure, however, reveals ways that I’ve missed the mark. It gives me a chance to get better.
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Here is something that scares me...when people don’t understand.
People won’t always understand our actions.
Why did I do that? Why did I say that? Why did I write that?
It’s seriously frightening. Hands sweating as I type these words, frightening.
There’s a risk we take when we put it all out there.
Read MoreMatthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
The kingdom of God and His righteousness, simply put, is His rule, His reign, and His way of doing things.
Over and over again scripture bids us do the things we aren’t naturally inclined to do and lots of times we just boil Christianity down to good behavior. But, there are a few things in scripture that challenge me beyond “just shut up and be nice to people”. And I’m willing to bet there are times where you feel the same
Read MoreThinkers, Makers, and Doers unto the Glory of God.
We're writers and creators intent on sharing our passion with the world. In addition to each article we share, you can also get a free copy of our book, Everyday.
Infused with blues and folksy roots, Casey Shirley strives to create music that is both eclectic and deeply personal. Listen to the single, Abraham's Song, now.
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