In “On The Edge Of Something Special,” Pastor Steven Furtick discusses how to stop killing your creativity before it has the chance to become something special. #faith #peace #hope #stevenfurtick #elevationchurch Chapters: 0:00 – You ARE Creative 2:36 – Pushing Past Awkward 4:36 – Stop Labeling Yourself 7:39 – On The Edge Of Something Special
one of the things that I’m always trying
to learn though when I’m doing coaching
is with creativity specifically
how do we keep the flow going
when we have moments that we’re not
really overthinking things and we want
to stay in that moment
and I know you’ve had this moment before
even if you’re like I’m not a creative
person I don’t write poetry or
screenplays or I don’t have canvases
lying around in my in my studio I don’t
have a studio but you do you have a
studio you’re the studio
the inside of you
is the studio where God who is the
master artist Creator is making a
masterpiece out of every day so even how
you approach your day can either be
creative or robotic reactive you know I
believe that and I believe that
sometimes when we
when we label something as either
you know good bad
many cases right wrong
um cool corny we miss that thin Edge
where something can become special
I was in a songwriting session recently
and it was a complete joke until a
moment when I said hey slow it down and
we were doing something real fast almost
like a jingle like a joke like a parody
song you know not Weird Al parody that’s
clever just being stupid
and I said Slow Down slow down and all
of a sudden went from stupid silly
to something that was real serious and
heavy and by the end of the two days of
writing
that was the favorite song that we had
created of a couple of the writers
so I wish I could tell you and that song
was
you know Reckless Love well we didn’t
write Reckless Love and that song wasn’t
Reckless love it may not be a big song
but we definitely felt it was good and
it started with something that was
really silly right and then at some
moment we decided to slow it down and I
turned to one of my collaborators I said
if we slow it down this will turn into
something
if we slow it down does it turned into
something and I didn’t mean slow it down
and start talking and overthinking
that’s usually a bad way to create a
creative flow to to slow down and just
to overthink and start taking things
apart
he’s just better to stay in the moment
what I meant by slow it down was just
slow down the tempo like let’s just
bring it down and boom settle into it
and all of a sudden something unlocked
so I wonder how many times in our life
we have been on the verge of something
special but we told ourselves a story
that it was silly this is stupid it
doesn’t matter I wonder how many times
we’ve been in the middle of saying
something to someone and we interrupted
ourselves with judgment here comes the
psychological component okay
I can do it from the Bible too judge
nothing before the appointed time I
could do it from the Bible too
I can do it from the Bible too
um
I could do it from the Bible from Jesus
when the woman was brought to him and
they were rushing to judge her and he
slowed the whole thing down and said
hold on and he did something special
and they were about to do something
stupid
I could preach it from the Bible but I
just want to come at it creatively
psychologically and tell you that
sometimes
you’re on the verge of something special
a moment with your child but it feels
awkward a moment with your wife but it
feels awkward
and you judge it and you go oh this is
awkward oh they might think I’m I’m
cheesy oh you know I’m probably coming
across
like a know-it-all ah this doesn’t make
any sense so you stop I want to
encourage you
for moments today where you push just
past
that point of awkward
hey if something’s awkward because
you’re being obnoxious stop if
something’s awkward because you’re
making somebody uncomfortable stop if
something’s awkward because you don’t
know how to break a contact stop
or if something silly and it needs to be
serious don’t make a joke out of
everything
but when you’re on the verge of
something and it feels like hey I’m in
this
be careful of that pull that pulls you
out of those special moments
where you’re tempted to judge it
when you judge it you disrupt it
and when you disrupt it you kill it
you kill creativity
when you categorize I had a friend
early in our church give me a piece of
advice okay I used to label myself as
not creative what I meant by that is
pretty much I can’t draw
somewhere in my mind I got the thought
that creative people could draw probably
in like
six-year-old Stephen said because it was
called art class and we drew and I don’t
like to draw and I’m not good at drawing
not technically classically
sure somebody likes it thanks thanks for
the thanks for the support
out there for all of you who who are
very non-judgmental but yeah I I I I got
this bad habit of saying I’m not
creative I’m not creative I’m not an
artist I’m not creative I’m not an
artist I’m not creative and one of the
guys you’re starting the church with I
turned one day and I said I’m not
creative I’m not creative and a few
minutes later I shared an idea I had
and this is gonna sound corny but I
wanted to do a little teaching in the
church
where I was talking about
um momentum
and I wanted to use the different
um I wish I could hold up my computer
because I want to use the different
keys on the computer shift return
control option and do the the teaching
around those different buttons
and I was saying it to him almost like I
know this is dumb but you know how we do
it I know this is stupid but
the rolling my eyes at myself before I
even got out my mouth
basically projection telling them why he
wouldn’t like the idea I was about to
present before I even had the chance to
present it saying his no for him so he
couldn’t reject me
and I told him my idea he’s like that’s
awesome I love that and he was a
designer that he did specialize in
visual stuff
he looks back at me and goes I love that
he goes hey and don’t ever say
I’m not creative again
now remember I’m the pastor I’m the
leader I’m the boss in some ways
although he wasn’t getting paid but I
was the boss
and he telling me what to do so first it
hit me
don’t tell me what to say but then I’m
like oh thanks
I kept that with me
I kept that with me he planted a seed in
me
like God told Jeremiah do not say I’m
only a youth he said don’t say I’m not
creative
you should never say that again
you’re very creative
and I hear my wife say that sometimes
I’m not creative like you yes you are
did you see the way that you just made
our whole family feel with that birthday
party that you did
you see the way you just made
Valentine’s Day feel special you put out
those little mailboxes and made us write
all notes to each other and the boys
acted like they didn’t want to do it but
they’ll never forget it
you you made something really special
here I don’t like the term you made a
memory because people make their own
memory out of events we don’t get to
make someone else’s memory but you
created space
for memories to be to be made
and you’re very creative
so
don’t say I’m not creative it’s just
what are you creating
and how do you
psychology term constrict
your creativity
by rushing to judge it while it’s still
in process I want you to think about
that today I’m going to carry that with
me today as I move into this songwriting
appointment
is to not judge something before it has
the chance to be special give it space
to be special
do that by dismissing the critic one of
my friends calls that the security guard
who won’t let something through because
oh this is so stupid
but I think you’d be surprised how many
times something is on the edge of
special
if you don’t interrupt it with the
judgment
all right
if you just let it unfold try it out
today sit in the awkward moments a
little longer
sit with the awkward moments with
yourself a little longer
press through conversationally breathe
see what’s there on the other side of
what feels silly
it might be something special that’s the
title it might be something special hey
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[Music]