Paul penned around half of the New Testament books. He was a man on a mission with God. What could be more important than that?

A close friend recently went through a hard season. We live on opposite ends of the globe, so it wasn’t possible to meet in person. But I did reach out with these words:

I created The Story of With to be a fantastical allegory—part Alice in Wonderland, part Matrix, and part identity tale. My favorite memory from writing it was God’s playful invitation to increase the stakes for the protagonist named Mia.

We want the desires of our hearts. But can't start there or our desires become idols. 

The creative process doesn’t begin with doing. The first step is simply being.

We’re drawn to movies and novels where the protagonist experiences great adventure, romance, and purpose. Our story can seem insignificant compared to that.

The best art simultaneously disrupts and invites. It helps people see something in a new way so they can then experience life in a new way. 

When we don’t create margin in our lives, we inevitably fall into a schedule of scarcity. 

God doesn't give us more than we can do in a day. We give ourselves that burden by overcommitting until we’re overwhelmed. 

In 2011, at a gathering in the redwoods of California, God rocked my world by speaking these words over me: “Your new mission is going after the hearts of creatives.” 

Then God began opening the most unlikely doors. For me to speak and write books. That journey eventually led to these daily messages in a bottle about living and creating with the Creator.  

Every person and everything they create—from songs and movies to businesses and universities—operate from a specific worldview. 

Spend more time with your dreams for the future rather than your regrets of the past.  

If your creativity feels opposed, it's helpful to remember the enemy has opposed the Creator and creation since time began. 

How we see the world is so essential. When God is at the center, our vision is focused. But the farther we get from him, the less we see what’s real. Our vision becomes blurred.

Some things we often confuse as the same, to our great detriment:  

God doesn’t just know what makes you come alive. He gave you those unique longings and desires…for you to pursue together, with him.  

If we wait until we feel completely qualified to take the next step, we’ll forever stay stuck where we are. 

The world demands we align with whatever agenda the entertainment, business, educational, and political leaders hold up as important. We’re told to veer from that script is to risk having our voices silenced.

At the end of an incredibly long day, I told my wife how exhausted I was.  

“What would restore you?” she asked.   

It was the perfect question. And I didn’t have a clue. 

For years, the fastest growing book category has been books on audio. Is that a surprise? 

Sometimes these daily readings feel like notes I write and place into ancient green bottles. I then toss each into the sea and watch the current carry them away.