Perhaps you’ve let go of what used to bring you such joy. Or you find yourself going through each day in a job that pays the bills, but doesn’t stimulate your heart. Some say it’s impossible or extremely rare to find a job that can do both. Perhaps. But why not be one of the rare ones?

The second vial Mia must fill is labeled Awaken. This vial is essential because only when your heart is awakened will you know what to pursue. Before that, you will be searching endlessly for ways to fill your broken heart rather than offer from a heart that is fully alive.

In the last reading, I shared how keeping a journal with you at all times reveals a heart of expectancy. But I know it can be daunting to stare at a blank journal page, wondering where to begin. So here are six starter questions to help you grow in expectancy. I encourage you to write each question down in your journal. Then spend time listening to what God wants you to know.

In The Story of With, Mia’s dad gave her a leather journal. It stirred a sense of expectancy for what was to come and all they would experience together.

For most of us, our early morning rituals leave us feeling empty. That’s because we start the day without God and then wonder where he went.

In The Story of With, the first vial Mia must fill is the one labeled Expectant. It’s where we must begin as well. Because before we can experience a life of expectancy, we have to release our expectations.

The Story of With has proven a rescue for the hearts of countless creatives. The allegory is part Alice in Wonderland, part The Matrix, and all invitation to experience a better way to live, love, and create with God.

The Story of With has proven a rescue for the hearts of countless creatives. The allegory is part Alice in Wonderland, part The Matrix, and all invitation to experience a better way to live, love, and create with God.

We can limit our creative potential by limiting how we see ourselves.

Creatives often find themselves stuck, not from a lack of ideas but because they keep getting distracted by the next bright, shiny possibility. They aren’t sure where to focus. So they dream big but do little. They dabble in many things yet never slow down to go deep and fully master one thing.

In these daily readings, the focus is on God, story, and creativity.

From the beginning, the enemy has tried to use chaos against the Creator and creation. Today, he also opposes us and our creativity. I’m convinced chaos is fueled by the enemy’s intense hatred for all who are trying to bring life and light into the world.

You. Are. Creative.

What is your first reaction to those three words? Is it something like, “Creative? I’m not creative.” Or, “You’ve got to be kidding. My creativity isn’t valuable or worth fighting for. No one even notices it.”

Imagine being given a creative project that would honor God, had an unlimited budget, that would inspire others in the moment, and that people would still be talking about centuries later.

In the book of Exodus, we’re given a glimpse into how God infuses people with creativity.

Have you ever heard of Bezalel? His name isn’t likely to make the short list of best baby names. But perhaps it should. The name means “in the protection or shadow of God.” Moses wrote that God called Bezalel, who was of the tribe of Judah, by name and then filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and in all craftsmanship.

Now that we know what chaos is made of, let’s see what we’re made of.

In what Scripture calls “the last days” (which feels a lot like these days), God says: I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. (Acts 2:17 NIV)

God wants to show us how to overcome chaos. And he does so in ways that are never quite the same as the time before.

God opposes chaos. Not some of the time. But every time it tries to strike.

The void continuously tries to overcome us. But in every clash, God overcomes

On the seventh day, God rested. But what does that mean? He wasn’t exhausted. God didn’t work up a sweat. He could have created every day for millions of years and never repeated himself. Every day another new creation. .