Nudging everyone in the initial announcement included my
very strong belief that creative thought is about life and how we think every
day! My commitment is to
give you examples in my daily world where creative skills are used and
important to me.
It has been one week since our Creative Wonders blog
launch. Some might say that
it is a good time to take a break before Christmas and write more after the
holidays. For a nanosecond I
did think about that:) But,
then I remembered that I am getting ready for a Christmas Eve celebration and
absolutely positively using creative thought for more purposes than just
music, which on its own surely will be fun. Ah, here we go.
The two words you will hear again regularly are divergent
and convergent. So, as I
look at the parts of the planning, I look first at ways we took it apart
(divergence) and then at decisions that were made and why (convergence).
It did help to know that our final test would be the hearts
of the people who left the church on Christmas Eve. Had we engaged them in the experience enough to be filled
with the message as they headed home?
So, "take apart" meant meetings, including lots of ideas and
people in the big picture. Pastor
Mike shared a theme, Come to the Stable, and I was filled with thoughts of a
poem on the way home. Graphic
artist, Randy H. was recruited to make an entry banner (O Little Town of
Bethlehem). Many different
possibilities for choices in music and musicians were explored by different
people in the days ahead. Decorations inside and outside of the church needed to be completed. Thinking
about the needs and joy of the people who came really became an important
variable in decision-making.
The part that can seem like work and not fun in this action
is that staying dispassionate is really very hard to do. I had been invited to share my talents
and participate in the process and felt welcomed. Yet, my creative way of thinking does have some
unfamiliar wrinkles to many people.
In the end I think we were able to work out differences, partly because
our leader, Mike, was willing to hear input in choices and personal participation
from everyone and use the guest criteria for final decisions.
It will be a multi-sensory experience in many ways. There will be sights, sounds, smells,
touches, and tastes. There will be
words, music sung and played on instruments, food, candles burning, people,
shared beliefs, and moments of quiet meditation.
I am delighted by the creative process and know that the
experience will be wonderful.
Come to the stable.
The Christ child is born.
We celebrate His new life
Each Christmas morn.
Come to the stable
Be filled with the light;
Radiate peace and joy,
Warm day and night.
Come to the stable
Gift neighbors the love
Sent on this wondrous night
From God above.
