The Restart of a Blog: Battling Creativity

What’s the point of blogging in 2020? Aren’t there enough opinions? Don’t we have enough words being said in 2020? Yes, that is probably the case, whether on Facebook or Twitter or any other platform. We are inundated with words and information. So the answer is no--another blog is not needed.

But perhaps this space is for myself more than anything. It’s a space for me to write and express the things I am learning, thinking (which happens non-stop), and wrestling through, and if someone reads it, well I guess that’s just a bonus.

We are all creative. First, everyone is made in the image of God. By that fact alone, I think everyone is designed to reflect this amazing God that created the universe. We see creativity expressed around us in so many ways. But then if we are in Christ, we actually have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. The very Spirit of God that spoke galaxies into existence is in us to express the wonderful expression of God.

I have longed to be creative, and I know at times I have been. But I also know that there has been an attack on my creativity that has kept me from pursuing creative outlets. But I do come from a creative family. My Grandma Penner was an amazing oil painter. My dad and his siblings are all super creative. I have creative cousins that do amazing things. My creativity often is expressed through my energy, passion for life, and my love for telling stories. And yet I have longed for something more. In the last year, desire to unleash my creativity has increased. I don’t know how the Lord wants to fully release it all. But here in 2020, it has been expressed through grilling and cooking. I got a new Traeger grill at Christmas and then jumped into the air-fryer world. It is the perfect combination for me. I love new gadgets and love researching and trying new things. Now I am in the process of exploring new food ideas.

But then there is my writing. Oh, what a love-hate relationship I’ve had with writing. You see, I have this problem. First, I am full of words. If I can ever get focused and think clearly enough, I love to journal and get words down on paper. It’s easier for me to be verbal, but if no one is around for me to talk to, then yes, I like to write. But this is where the battle lies. I struggle with focus, I struggle with a foggy brain, and I struggle with grammar. I struggle to think that my writing is good enough, clear enough, etc. Therefore in the last three or four years, I have suppressed this desire to write, only allowing the Lord to raise it up here and there.

But then this time of quarantine happened. I have enjoyed the rest at home. I know that I run hard and am always on the move. I know that creativity doesn’t just happen and that I need to have space to let my brain think. Well, quarantine has allowed that to happen. In the past week I’ve been writing a lot more, and I felt a nudge to restart this blog. So here we go.

What will I write about? If you know me, you’ll know this blog will just be an extension of what is in my heart. I am a pretty open and vulnerable person. My guess is that I will express what I am passionate about and what I’m learning with the Lord, which could cover a variety of topics related to prayer, revival, hearing God, stories of God moving, etc.

I am grateful for our friend Maryn. She will be editing my writing. This gives me a bit of courage to write because I know she can clean up any mistakes. :)

I have no idea how often I will write and how long this will go. I don’t really care. I just know for now I feel the desire to write.

Thanks for reading.