"Genius is inseparable from the creative process."

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, from his book, The Genius of Jesus (p. 7). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Genius, maybe there is something here to challenge us.

Erwin says, "The word 'genius' is expressive of the capacity to be generative. The genius gives birth to something new. The genius creates. The mark of true genius is that the impossible becomes possible. The unknowable becomes knowable. The invisible becomes visible. The genius speaks the future into existence. Genius expresses itself in every domain in which humans create. Wherever there is a field of human accomplishment, there is potential for the expression of genius."

He goes on, "The genius does not always have the highest IQ, the best education, or even the most comprehensive knowledge of their field. But their combination of originality, imagination, creativity, perspective, passion, and intelligence merge together to help them see the world differently—and then create a different world. While we often attribute the title of 'genius' to an individual, that designation only comes as a result of the extraordinary nature of their work. There must be something we can point to and describe as a genuine work of genius. Yet these works of genius are rarely acknowledged by their contemporaries. Often geniuses are met with jealousy and resistance from their peers. This is in no small part due to the fact that genius is often accompanied by self-indulgence, irrational compulsion, and perhaps even a touch of madness. And if all genius is touched by madness, then it is also touched by the divine."

Erwin then says, "As I studied genius in college, hoping to unlock my own fleeting sense of purpose, I ran into Jesus of Nazareth. Unexpectedly, my pursuit of genius and my search for God converged in one person: the most transformative human being who ever lived."

It seems like this would be a great perspective to better understand Him, to understand Jesus, wouldn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought

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"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

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“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

Just Continue That Thought...

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