Creativity | LUKE HUMBRECHT

The Responsibility of Dreaming Pt. 2

April 3, 2013 — Leave a comment

Every morning when my son wakes up and comes out of his room I say to him “Good morning buddy, what did you dream about?” Most of the time he answers me by repeating everything I mentioned in my prayer for him the night before or he says “nothing”. But sometimes he tells me about water buffalos and Easter eggs and Mariokart.

Either way, I’m trusting that as he grows up, he knows I care about his imagination.

I would be annoyed if I asked him that question every morning and he responded…

“My dreams don’t matter. I only want to know your dreams.” or
“Not my dreams, but yours be done.”

But so many times, this is how we approach the Father in prayer. We can easily default to a place of assuming he’s not interested. Even if we do tell him what’s on our heart, we quickly change the subject back to His glory in case He forgets that we really do love Him.

In Creativity, Family, Kingdom Living

Good Friday Worship Reflections

March 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

Photo by Matt Gruber, Creation Swap.

I’ve been a little quiet this week while preparing for Good Friday and Easter services at Vinelife.

Today is Good Friday and I’m struck by the idea that the Good News never gets old. Every morning, this News is there waiting for a moment to humble us with love and electrify us with joy. Our awareness of this News ebbs and flows, yet it remains constant in the trials and the triumphs.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

As you take time today to reflect on Jesus and the cross, here are a couple great worship videos created by some dear friends of mine.

The first is by Anthony Skinner from Franklin, TN. It’s a visual montage set to one of his live performances. Anthony writes, “It was inspired by the last weeks of a dear friend’s life. I wanted to create a soundscape for my beloved friend to be swallowed up in the beauty of her salvation through Christ.”

It’s a bit longer, but beautiful all the way through. You can download the video here.

The second video is a song called “You Cover Me” written by Asher Seevinck from Loud Harp. This guy bleeds tone and fights for the perfect melody. You’ll like this one…

In Creativity, Kingdom Living, Music, Resources, Worship

Creativity is giving the world something it didn’t know it was missing.”

– Daniel Pink

On Creativity

Posted on March 27, 2013 In Creativity

Gap Finders vs. Gap Standers

March 22, 2013 — 2 Comments

It’s a concept I heard from my pastor, Walt Roberson, earlier in the year. We can see this applied in community and organizational life. But I also believe it can be helpful in understanding our own creative perspectives. I took a some time to write out ways we see this play out. Maybe you have more to add to this list…

Photo by Brenton Clarke, LightStock.

What are the differences between Gap Finders and Gap Standers? Continue Reading…

In Creativity, Kingdom Living

Yeah, I know this is an older video but it still gets me every time.

I love how as this man listens to music from his era, there is clearly something in him that is unlocked. The music brings him back to the time when he was fully alive.

It makes me wonder what music and art I am currently experiencing that will leave that kind of imprint on me. I wonder what I’ll look back on in my old age and remember of today. What soundtracks will unlock my heart.

Posted on March 20, 2013 In Creativity, Music

2 Comments

The Imagination of George Washington Carver

March 19, 2013 — 1 Comment

As I’ve been diving into stories of people who took on the Responsibility of Dreaming and dared to approach God with bold faith and “big asks”, it was hard to overlook the story of George Washington Carver.

You may remember him from fifth grade science class, but few people know some of the fascinating details of his life. I don’t have time to offer an exhaustive biography, but here are a few notable details. You can learn more here.

Born into slavery in 1864, Carver went on to offer some of the most significant contributions to agricutural science as a black man living in the post-Civil War south. Specifically, in a time when cotton crops had ravaged the fields of the South, Carver was able to take the peanut (a trash crop) and derive over 300 uses for it – including paint, ink, and milk. Also, he distilled over 200 uses for the sweet potato.

Most Americans have a cursory understanding of Carver’s scientific contributions, but few people know about the spiritual overtones that were true of his life and imagination.

In Creativity, Kingdom Living

The Responsibility of Dreaming Pt. 1

March 15, 2013 — Leave a comment

While the American idea of “chasing your dreams” can lead to an endless series of romanticized and unsatisfying pursuits, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a certain responsibility for those in Christ to be filled with dreams and remain in a posture of confident hope.

Where many of us readily espouse that there is a God who knows and loves us, it’s more difficult to determine whether or not He cares about what we care about. Or, more importantly – whether we care about what He cares about. On a broad scale, we’re OK with that idea. But when we start to get specific, it can get uncomfortable.

Photo from LightStock.com.

We light up when we read the prophet Jeremiah’s declaration that God has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” But when I sit down with friends and ask them about those plans, this is when we start to get a little squeamish. We start to get a little nervous and uncomfortable when talking about the actual ideas, dreams, and callings that stir within us. Continue Reading…

In Creativity, Kingdom Living

Does God Care About Your Ideas?

March 7, 2013 — 1 Comment

One of the most revolutionary things Jesus did was reveal God as “Father”. Where it would have seemed more appropriate to reveal God as a CEO or cosmic ruler, Jesus made sure to eliminate any possibility in our minds that God is distant from us. In fact, not only is He closer than we thought, but He cares for us just as any good father cares for his children. Though obedience is important, no good father demands a life time of compliance. Good fathers pay attention to the desires, dreams, and joys in the hearts of their kids.

Several weeks ago, the family and I were in the car on the way to have dinner with our good friends, Nick & Jackie. While we were driving, an idea surfaced in my son’s three year old brain. In a moment of silence, he chimed in from his car seat in the back, “Can we bring Jackie flowers?” At first, Megan and I looked at each other confused. Then after realizing what he said, we chuckled and and commented at how impossibly cute Noah had become.

In Creativity, Family, Kingdom Living

Here’s the thing, though: if we’re not failing once in a while—or for some of us, all the time—odds are good that we’re not living a life that presses us into the possibilities and risks necessary to grow into the people we want to become. If we haven’t failed, we won’t know how to handle someone else’s failure, making us harder to be trusted during some of the most fragile and vulnerable periods in people’s lives.”

From Unexpected Gifts by Christopher L Heuertz

Why Failure Is Good for Community

Posted on March 1, 2013 In Creativity, Kingdom Living

Creativity and Failure Are Twins

February 28, 2013 — Leave a comment

Somewhere along the line we were fed the lie that failure would be the end of us.

This is why there are more half-written books in the world than there are published ones. It’s why there are hundreds of thousands of people stuck in miserable jobs. It’s why that song of yours is never quite finished. It’s why there never seems to be a “right time” for your small business or non-profit to be launched.

Because over all these ideas is that looming question – What if it doesn’t work?

You want to create, but what if you fail?

One of my life mantras was born out of statement made by Erwin McManus in an interview I read. He said, “Unfortunately, many churches are so afraid of making mistakes that they don’t; that’s why the creative process dies. Creativity and failure are twins.”

In Creativity, Kingdom Living