Pause. Reflect. Create! A Daily Devotional For Inspired Creativity

So many Christian creative people find themselves challenged to spend quiet time with God and are disappointed at best. Without direction or motivation, their time with God can become stale, routine, and predictable. They may still struggle with the same issues that afflicted them in their pre-Christian days: Is my creativity really that good? How do I deal with negative criticism and rejection without shutting down emotionally? When will I find time in my busy schedule to be creative? Add to this the frustrating obligation of a boring quiet time with God, and new questions arise: Does God have a plan for my creativity? Does being a creative Christian mean I’m limited to interpreting Bible scenes all the time? Are there any artists in the Bible I can relate to? How do I cultivate my anointing when there’s no place for my creativity in the church?

For the creative Christian looking for answers to these questions and more, Pause. Reflect. Create! will be like a refreshing drink of water. This book presents practical steps that creative people can take to increase their devotion to God and maximize their creative potential. This book is not intended to be a substitute for your Bible, Bible study, or prayer. Rather, it is designed as a guide to encourage, inspire and support your spiritual and creative growth. It is designed to help you overcome hindrances to your creativity so you can create from a place of authenticity in your life as a creative Christian. I wrote it to inspire you to actively design your own way of sharing quiet time with God, not just to read from this book in a passive way. It also isn’t meant to force you or lock you into having quiet time based on the way I think you should do it, in a one size fits all kind of way. Be creative, explore, and find what works for you.

Not all of the chapters are the same length, since you may have more time on some days than others. Sometimes you can’t get everything you need from God in the same amount of time each day. Try not to skip over the longer devotions; you may miss out on something crucial. Maybe all you can absorb is reading one chapter per week; that’s ok. Read through it until you have gotten what you need from it.

You will find certain points are repeated several times throughout the book, and Scripture references are plentiful. This is because I want you to see that these are Biblical principles, not something I just made up. I want you to look it up in the Word of God for yourself, not just take my word for it. God’s Word is more important than mine. My suggestions are just that: suggestions. I need God’s Word just as much as you do. In fact, you will find it most helpful to have an open Bible nearby as you read this book. All of the Bible verses are in bold print (but they are not hyperlinked). And please don’t think that just because I wrote this book it means that I don’t have a lot to learn about quiet time! I’m still learning and growing. I still make mistakes and need help.

Here’s a little about my journey: As a child I was very artistic and creative. But several events happened that caused me to question my value and worth as a person. As a result, I spent over 20 years struggling with those questions, with the struggle bleeding into my creativity. I became unsure of my artistic style, trying desperately in art school to define it. For years, my style fluctuated from realistic and detailed, to folk-artsy with an emphasis on simple design and contour line. I would shun my folk-artsy style because I struggled with being labeled as a folk artist, which I had been taught to equate with someone who was untrained and therefore not a real artist. It also made me question my ability: What if I really didn’t have talent as an artist, even after years of training?

In the midst of this confusion, I began searching for God. I knew of Him, but I didn’t know Him. I tried different religious beliefs but none of them were satisfying to me or provided concrete answers that my soul could sink its teeth into. I began to read the Bible, hoping that something would make sense, but at the time it all seemed like a collection of cliché fortune cookie-like proverbs, irrelevant stories and confusing metaphors.

Then it was revealed to me through a series of people and events that Jesus was the answer I had been looking for. But giving my life to Jesus was not an easy decision for me. I was afraid that I would lose my creative spark, and the edginess in my work would disappear. However after much thought, I accepted Jesus as my Savior. As I had feared, my artwork did change. It went through a period where everything was religious: paintings of Jesus, witnessing to fellow students during my art classes, etc. Then it transitioned strictly into graphic design. When I tired of graphics, I returned to fine art only to have a major crisis. What defined my style? This question turned into a major creative block that hindered my work until I got married. My wife reviewed the body of my work and discovered my artistic voice. The folk artsy style I had fought to overcome in art school was actually a unique signature for me. At first I didn’t want to embrace it and accept it. But the more I thought about it and reviewed my portfolio, the more I noticed that style kept repeating itself. I embraced it, and as a result I have produced some of my most powerful and meaningful work. Though I am now divorced, I can appreciate how my ex helped me to find my artistic style.

I would like to thank and acknowledge the following people who have made meaningful contributions to my life as a part of writing this book: First and foremost, thank you Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, the true sources of my inspiration. Thanks to all my family and friends who supported this endeavor. Thank you to the teachers who inspired me: Sr. Jeanette De Sena, Lisa McWilliams, George LaTorre, and many others.

This book is dedicated to the memory of my brother Christopher, who would be so proud of his little brother, and to the memory of Pastor Gregory Thompson.

Special thanks to John Tkacz, whose partnership is an essential and supportive part of my life. And thank you for reading this book!

-Gregory F. Huff

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CHAPTER 1: What Do You Believe About Quiet Time?

Isaiah 55:6 ~ Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

When I first became a Christian, studying the Bible was not only a necessity, it was fun. There were so many things to discover about this marvelous, mysterious God I had just given my life to. I was eager to follow the example of Jesus, who made it a point to meet alone with His Father before daybreak (Mark 1:35). I made myself get up early, even though I am not a morning person, just so I could have a quiet time alone with Him.

But after a while, as I grew more familiar with the Bible, my quiet time started to become routine. I wondered, "How could time alone with the God of the universe be so boring?" My mind began to wander so much that I spent most of my quiet time fighting off distractions. I knew I needed help, so I bought a devotional book. And another one. And another one. They were helpful and informative, but they didn’t get to the heart of where I was. They quickly became a substitute for meaningful interaction with God. My eyes glazed over as I read the pages until one day I realized… I needed a fresh start in my quiet time.

Read Acts 3:19 and contemplate: what are times of refreshing? It’s that aaaah you feel when you relax in a hot bath after a long day of honest work. It’s that yessss! you feel after coming from an art museum or exhibit that has excited you, inspired you, and motivated you to create art with passion. It's that deep sigh of satisfaction after a sumptuous meal in good company. It’s that sense of awe you get when you know deep within your spirit that you are standing in the presence of a holy God whose love for you never fails.

It is important to note that the verse in Acts 3:19 reads times of refreshing. This means every time you need new vigor, energy, restoration, and you are sweaty from the toils of this life, you can come to God through repentance and be refreshed again and again.

I came to realize that I needed to repent for taking God for granted. I had neglected the cost that Christ had paid so that I could have a relationship with God. He sacrificed His life, His blood for me and you. I had grown a little too familiar with Him. As a result, my quiet time had become void of life.

My repentance led me to ask myself some key questions:

What do I believe about quiet time? My quiet time never grew beyond what I believed it already was. If you go into it thinking the experience will be dry and boring, guess what happens? Also, if you go into it thinking you already have the answers, it will be boring. Most devotional books seem to take for granted that your belief about quiet time is already Bible-based, functional, and thriving. Mine was distracted, dysfunctional and dead.

What are my expectations of God during my quiet time? Was He there just as a passive listener who would fulfill my requests? Or was He the One with whom I would share an intimate, fulfilling relationship? At that point, He was somewhere between those two. I expected to have a microwave relationship with God: one minute to warm up, then BAM! Instant gratification: prayers answered, problems solved, victories won! But every quality relationship requires an investment of time.

Why was I keeping my creativity separate from my time with God? I had never stopped to think that the two could be combined. I wondered, wasn’t there any way I could integrate my creativity into my quiet time? This book chronicles my journey of doing just that.

I didn’t realize it, but my quiet time had become subject to a set of rules: Quiet time has to be early in the morning. Quiet time has to follow a strict plan. Quiet time has to last a certain amount of time, every time. Quiet time is just another chore to add to the list of things to do. I had forgotten: I don’t have to spend time with God, I get to. Not having time alone with God on a daily basis would leave me vulnerable to the tricks of the devil designed to defeat me, and I don’t want to be defeated by him. Quiet time isn’t about creating a rigid, legalistic new habit to force into your schedule. It is about setting aside a period of time when you can nourish and replenish your life of devotion to God. It’s a journey of discovering what is most precious to you and prioritizing it. Time alone with God is a privilege, not a burden, and I had lost sight of that, until I changed what I believed about it. How about you?

Ask yourself these questions:

What do I believe about quiet time, and how is that belief impacting my walk with God?

What are my expectations of God during my quiet time with Him?

Do I keep my creative talent separate from my quiet time? Why?

As you consider your answers, have a conversation with God, sharing your answers with Him. Ask Him to reveal areas where you have misconceptions about time with Him. Reread Acts 3:19 and repent as needed. Today is your day for a fresh start with Him.

Suggested Prayer:

Father God, I give my complacency to You. I have taken my time with You for granted. I repent and ask that You fill me with a fresh hunger for You, a renewed passion for Your Word, and the power of Your Holy Spirit living in me. Let me always remember it is a privilege to spend time alone with You. Refresh me in Your presence, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL QUIET TIME:

Keep relationship with God as the focus. Don’t allow the time to become ritualized by doing and saying the same things the same way each time.

Allow God to choose the time, the amount of time and the place. It may be 30 minutes in the morning, it may be one hour before you go to bed, it may be more than once during the day, but let God guide you. Spending quiet time in bed may be ideal for some, but for most it is simply an opportunity to go back to sleep.

Keep variety in your quiet time. Sing praise and worship songs to Him, read His Word, pray, use your creativity to express your devotion, keep a journal of things He tells you, use this book as a guide.

Don’t condemn yourself if you fall short of your goal. Keep making your best effort, and God will honor it. Plan to be consistent.

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CHAPTER 2: Listen to the Quiet

Psalm 62: 1~Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.

Every morning when I get up for work, I hear it. At first I wasn’t sure what the noise was or where it was coming from. But then I remembered hearing it when I lived at home with my parents. They lived near an interstate highway and there was always the sound of traffic going by, the drone of tires whizzing along the pavement. That’s what it was: the sound of thousands of lives hurtling by at breakneck speed. It was the sound of life, ever moving, pulsating, with purpose and a destination in mind (or not). Though there are hundreds of individuals in hundreds of vehicles passing by each moment – strangers who may never meet – they share one thing in common: they are all making the sound, whether they are aware of it not.

And above this din is another sound. At first it appears like a whisper. Then it rings louder and louder until finally it vanishes just as mysteriously as it appeared. It is the sound of the wind caressing the chimes hanging outside. And suddenly, my perspective changes: if I really want to tune in to God during my quiet times, I would need to focus for a moment on the sounds that were creating a distraction in my environment. What were they telling me about my walk with God? Was I allowing my life, like the traffic, to whiz by without taking the time for meaningful interaction with God or with others? Was I on the right path to take me where God wanted me to go? Did I allow God’s Holy Spirit to gently move me like the wind moved the chimes? What sound was my life giving out that I was unaware of? Was it an inviting sound, a sound of praise, a sound of background noise? Was it a sound that God or anyone else would pay attention to, or would they tune it out?

Read 1 Kings 19:1-13. Elijah had just demonstrated the Lord’s authority over the false gods that the people believed in. Now Jezebel wanted to destroy Elijah. Elijah escaped into the wilderness, coming to a cave where he was told to stand before the Lord. As he stood, watched, and listened, expecting to hear from the Lord, there came a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire. But the Lord was not in any of these. Elijah had just seen the Lord use fire and stormy wind as means of communication. It would have been easy for him to think God might be communicating to him again through those things. However there came a still, small voice which Elijah recognized as God. If Elijah had focused simply on what he saw, he would have missed God. But when he grew still and listened to the quiet, He heard God’s voice.

When I was trying to decide what college to continue my art education at, I put God on the spot. I wrote down a long list of colleges and asked Him to pick out the one He wanted me to go to. After praying about it, I felt the Lord was leading me to So & So University (SSU). Without even visiting the college, I started making plans and picking out classes as I mailed my application. After I mailed it, I was talking to a member of my church and explained how God showed me what college to go to. She expressed concern that I should apply to and visit at least 3 colleges before I decided. I thought it sounded unreasonable. Why bother, since I believed God had already showed me the one to attend? But something told me to take her advice anyway. As it turned out, I sensed the Lord’s peace and presence strongly at a college other than SSU. When I visited SSU I didn’t get that impression at all. I didn’t like the layout of the campus and I didn’t feel like this was a place where I could fit in and learn what I needed to learn. I would have missed God’s presence if I hadn’t listened to that still, small voice God sent my way. Once I enrolled in the other college I realized I had chosen SSU because of the program; God chose the other college because of the people He wanted to reach through me. And the program at the other college turned out to be just what I needed.

Think about what still, small voice you may be ignoring in your life because you are too focused on the big things to give you direction. That voice is the one who speaks gently, specifically, offers forgiveness, encourages reliance on God, and draws others to you who can minister to you. There are consequences to failing to listen to God: you may listen to the wrong voices, you may be easily deceived, you may make decisions based on the flesh instead of the spirit, you may suffer or inadvertently cause others to suffer, and you may become prideful. Don’t allow the deception of the enemy to cheat you out of God’s best.

Ask yourself these questions:

As I sit still and listen to my environment, what do the sounds I hear tell me about my life, my walk with God?

In what areas of my life am I watching for God when I should be listening for Him?

Suggested prayer:

Father God, help me to be still and know You are God. Open my ears to the sounds around me and speak to my heart the interpretation of what they mean. Teach me to focus on You and Your Word, so that when distractions come I can keep them in Your perspective. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

CREATIVE EXERCISE

Think about a creative block or important decision you are facing in your life at this time. Now, imagine that your best friend