Immediately I knew we were in the presence of greatness. Bruce Hornsby came out looking unkempt but proper. He bowed to the audience, sat down, and put his hands to the keys of the piano. The jazz, classical, Motown, and pop influenced tunes were almost unbelievable in their complexity and nuanced diversity. Classical jazz stylings were mixed with pop. When he finally took a break to speak, Horsnby said: “Why spend your life doing the same thing and not growing?”

As a result, he played familiar songs that were now not quite as familiar. He wove songs and styles together. He seemed to be growing in his passion and skill even as the concert moved on.

“Why spend your life doing the same thing and not growing?” Bruce Hornsby made it clear that he is a lifelong student. He can’t stop learning. He adds wisdom and skill to his musicianship and creates something new every time he sits down at the piano. It was a magical night being in the presence of greatness.

I agree with Hornsby. It’s one of the reasons I set aside time each day to peruse my Twitter feed. Every single day I learn something new through blogs, articles, and posts that come via Twitter. It truly is the “educational” version of social media.

The longer you’ve been doing something, the more it will be beneficial to you and to those you serve, or work with, or teach, to do something that will bring growth:

• Read
• Try a new teaching style
• Ask someone who knows nothing about your work to make a suggestion
• Mix genres
• Write something bold
• Listen to a child
• Peruse Twitter
• Start a discussion on Social Media

The more you learn and grow, the more excellent you will be in your skills. You will have something to pass on to someone else. She will be inspired to get away from “doing the same thing” and finding opportunity for growth. It’s contagious.

At least it was for me after I watched and listened to Bruce Hornsby masterfully play the piano and sing.

It’s a great question. 

Why?

Why spend your life doing the same thing and not growing?

What do you every day to “grow”?

As twilight sparkled behind the Tennessee hill, I thought I saw a Union soldier cresting its top. It was either a lantern or a light catching the eye of a deer. Either way, I wanted no part of it. If there were even the possibility of an enemy unit I knew my life was about to be in danger. So, when I was a Civil War soldier, I held my breath, didn’t move a muscle, and kept my good eye fixed on the top of the hill as the re:create twilight turned to night.

Actually, this was just last week. I was at the re:create conference in Franklin, Tennessee. Each evening we came out of the venue to take a breather or head somewhere for dinner. And when we did, I looked at the twilight twinkling behind that stately Franklin hill and imagined I had been living 140 years earlier. I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like to be sitting there staring off into the distance, keeping my guard up, wondering whether this night might be my last.

I think my imagination was running wild because the re:create conference gave me permission to do just that. It was so refreshing to spend a good four days with speakers, musicians, artists, and fellow Christian creatives who didn’t judge, who threw the floodgates of art wide open, who genuinely cared for one another. We were treated to amazing live musical performances of all different kinds. Listened and learned from world class speakers. Spent ample time discussing our art (and church practice), and even got to see a phenomenal Christian “illusionist.”

The purpose of re:create is to “encourage, refresh, and diffuse.” The encouragement came not only from speakers at the podium, it came from friends across the table. The refreshment came not only from songs filled our hearts with grace and our mouths with praise, it came through late night conversations with kindred spirits. The diffusion came not only as we sat in small groups discussing “take aways” from masterful talks, it came in quiet times early in the morning as we reflected on all that had taken place.

I was encouraged and refreshed by live music from the likes of Phil Madeira, Water and Rust, Graham Kendrick, Melissa Greene, and Amy Stroup. Live music, like nothing else, brings a happy calm to my soul. I was lost in so many moments, as I took in the masterful artistry and the compelling lyrics.

It’s no wonder that when I walked out into the twilight my imagination ran wild and I was free to be a Civil War soldier.

Now it’s time to diffuse all that I experienced and use it to practice my art in my time and at my place in life. In my vocation I will be a greater artist because of what I experienced at re:create ’13.

When was the last time you allowed your imagination to run wild? What did you envision?

The other night our church did an “improv night” to raise money for our young adult ministry. Since I am the “new pastor” I was asked to be one of four people who would participate in a series of improv games and sketches.

It was definitely outside of my comfort zone. I’ve seen improv done plenty of times before, enjoyed it, laughed heartily, and even went away from the evening satisfied. But I had never done it.

How does one think so quickly on one’s feet? As I prepared for the evening and looked over the list of games and sketches we were going to do I knew I was either going to think quickly on my feet or I was going to bomb. I don’t mind being in front of people if I can plan ahead what I’m going to say or learn lines from a script. But making up things as I go? That’s a whole different ball game.

So the evening began and the games began to unfold. We started with a game in which I did fairly well. I even ended up “winning” it. After that I became increasingly more comfortable.

I surprised myself. I didn’t succeed at every game. I didn’t think I was always very funny. But there were some things I did that made people laugh, and that was enough for me. We finished the show to lots of laughs and a great deal of applause.

Here’s the lesson: Do something today that makes you uncomfortable. 

• You just might surprise yourself
• You will definitely stretch yourself
• You will grow in ways you might not expect
• You may find skills or talents that you never knew you had
• You might even find a new hobby that’ll bring a certain sense of joy, purpose, or relaxation into your life

What uncomfortable thing will you do today to surprise yourself?