Stephen Altrogge of Sovereign Grace Ministries is a versatile guy. And as a pastor, author, songwriter, worship leader and blogger at TheBlazingCenter.com, he knows more than a thing or two about creativity and productivity.
This is fortunate for all of us because Stephen has just released a new eBook, Create: Stop Making Excuses And Start Making Stuff. It’s short enough for you to read in an hour, although you may want to take it a few pages at a time, marinating in its wisdom. You’ll not only learn how Stephen finds the time to create art in multiple formats, but you’ll learn from other skilled creatives as well.
Stephen doesn’t teach you how to be creative — he convinces you that you are. From there, he teaches you how to harness and hone your creativity, turning the ideas in your mind to finished work that can inspire, encourage, equip and admonish others.
The best thing about it is his biblical approach, from start to finish. Create begins in Genesis, then shares scriptural wisdom throughout each stage of the process. Along the way, you’ll also get advice from Anne Lamott, Douglas Wilson, Stephen King, Bryan Chapell, Donna Tartt and Charles Spurgeon. Come on now, you know you want to read a book that sets Spurgeon and King at the same table, even if you have no desire to produce a song, book, sermon, apple pie, quilt or any other creative work.
In Create, you’ll learn how to get started and overcome your fears, how to accept and learn from criticism, how to form habits that will strengthen your creativity, and how to persevere. This will be one of those books that I turn to again and again, when I feel like I’ve gotten stuck on a sandbar. Get Create on Kindle from Amazon.com for just $2.99. Don’t have a Kindle? Get Create as a PDF for the same price here.