WithoutWax.tv by Pete Wilson | Archive | September, 2011
Archive - September, 2011

10 Proven Ways To Be More Creative

September 30, 2011 in Leadership with 64 Comments

There’s a deep desire in me to continue how learn how to be more and more creative in my work, family and life in general. The other day I stumbled across THIS POST entitled  “10 Proven Ways To Be More Creative.”  Here’s the 10 they listed. My thoughts are in parenthesis.

1. Get on a plane. Travel, moving and exposure to other cultures improve creativity. (No doubt)
2. Don’t surround yourself with the color red, stick to blue. (Have no idea what this has to do with creativity but I’ll try it)
3. Get rejected. (I’ve seen this over and over in my life. I’m currently re-working a manuscript I had rejected and I think it’s going    to be 10x better in the long run)
4. Buy a potted plant. (I garden and it’s a great mental break)
5. Pretend you’re solving problems for someone else. Or pretend you’re a child. (Love the idea of thinking like a child)
6. Learn another language. (I’ve always wanted to learn Spanish)
7. Think about love, not sex. (Ummmmm, Okay, I’ll try)
8. Hopeful employees are more creative, as are overconfident CEO’s. But being creative won’t get you the CEO job.
9. Take a break and stop being so hard on yourself. (I wrote about this in detail HERE)
10. Smile. Or frown while happy. But either way, be happy. (Is anyone else humming a certain song right now?)

So, I thought these 10 were great but let’s add to it today. I would love to get a list of 50 or even 100 ways to be creative.

Leave me 1 thing that helps you be more creative and leave me a link to your blog or twitter or facebook (whatever you want me to link to). Next week I’ll do a post listing all the creative ideas and linking them back to you.

It will be a great way for us to compile some new ideas on creativity as well as meet a few new people in the process.

Ready? Set. Go.

58: The Film

September 29, 2011 in Missions with 4 Comments

 

 

I’m really excited to tell you about a new movie premiering this October. It’s called 58 and it’s  the inspiring true story of the global Church in action. Witness bravery and determined faith in a journey from the slums of Kenya to the streets of New York. Confront the brutality of extreme poverty and meet those who live out the True Fast of Isaiah 58 and create stunning new possibilities for the future.

Travel from the sun-scorched plains of rural Ethiopia to British shopping centers, from Brazilian ganglands and the enslaving quarries of India to western churches, businesses and conferences.

58: invites audiences to discover the incredible work of God through His people in our hurting world. Meet ordinary people, hear their stories, and see their struggles and their victories as 58: shows the relentlessly loving God at work through His Church bringing hope to the darkest challenges of our day. Experience eye-opening reasons to lift our expectations of the future.

So here’s the scoop:

I really want to encourage you to go HERE to request a complimentary screening kit for your church or group. There are a host of resources, photo galleries, and tips on planning and promoting available to you immediately.

And I just found out I get to extend a really cool offer to you guys. You can now also attend one of the 50 premiere event screenings happening in theaters nationwide. Just go HERE to register and use the access code: PETEWILSON to get your tickets.    

Check out this trailer:


Just A Steward

September 28, 2011 in Family with 25 Comments

 

One of the best things Brandi and I have done  since day one of our marriage (we’ll be married 15 years in December) is keep a budget. Man, this has saved us from making so many stupid financial decisions over the years and relieved us of a ton of financial stress.

In fact, one of the main reasons we get to support so many different Kingdom ministries these days is because of this discipline. I can brag on this one because, honestly, I’ve had very little to do with it. Brandi is brilliant with our finances. I don’t even know how much money I make. :)

I bring all of this up because my friend, Rachel Cruze, wrote a great article for Relevant Magazine you can READ HERE that talks about the importance of a budget.

But change doesn’t just happen. If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, then you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting. Change starts with a plan.

In Luke 14:28-30, Jesus makes it pretty clear. He says, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?”

Proverbs 27:23 puts it like this: “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds.” In other words, have a clue!

That starts with a budget. Whether you’ve got a lot of debt or you’re cruising through life debt-free, you’ve got to have a plan. A budget is simply telling your money what to do instead of wondering where it went.

A lot of people get into financial trouble because they don’t keep track of what’s going in and coming out of their checking account. They just wander through life without a plan, until one day they get smacked in the face by a bunch of crazy collectors on the phone or a foreclosure notice from the bank. That’s not a situation you want to face.

With a budget, you’re spending everything on paper, on purpose, before the month begins. And if you believe you are simply a steward of everything that passes through your hands—that it all belongs to God anyway—then you understand budgeting really isn’t an option. It’s a necessity.

So, do you have a budget?

The Cult of Multi-Tasking

September 27, 2011 in Leadership with 33 Comments

 

I confess. I’m a multi-tasker. People rarely, at any one time, have my complete, undivided attention as I’m often checking email, having a conversation, writing a message, answering a text, writing down an idea… all possibly at the same time.

Sometimes I think this is part of the way God has wired me while at other times I realize I’ve been seduced by words such as “quick and efficient.” Sometimes I think I’m addicted to how productive it makes me feel.

In fact,  I often find myself apoloizing to co-workers and family members for not giving them my full attention in what I know are very important moments to them. I’m afraid my lack of focus communicates to them that their time is not as valuable as mine and their ideas aren’t either.

Turns out that not only is it often insensitive, but even if it doesn’t bother the people around you it’s not really the best strategy for effectiveness. I read an interesting article last night on MSNBC entitled “The Cult of Multitasking.” The article said the average employee loses 2.1 hours of productivity every day to interruptions and distractions. Each day a typical office employee checks e-mail 50 times and uses instant messaging 77 times.

It went on to say…

The cult of multitasking would have us believe that compulsive message-checking is the behavior of an always-on, hyper-productive worker. But it’s not. It’s the sign of a distracted employee who misguidedly believes he can do multiple tasks at one time. Science disagrees. People may be able to chew gum and walk at the same time, but they can’t do two or more thinking tasks simultaneously.

Researchers at the University of Michigan found that productivity dropped as much as 40 percent when subjects tried to do two or more things at once. The switching exacts other costs, too — mistakes and burnout. One of the study’s authors, David Meyer, asserts bluntly that quality work and multitasking are incompatible.

So it’s confession time. Are you in the cult?

Impatience Is An Enemy To Spiritual Growth

September 26, 2011 in Spiritual Growth with 35 Comments

I think all too often in Christian circles we view spiritual transformation as something that should always be charted up and to the right. While I wish this was true, the reality is it isn’t, is it?

I love to study the life of the apostle Peter. I’ve got way too much in common with that dude.

Matt 16: 15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it

What a huge spiritual victory for Peter. You’ve been there.

You walked away from a certain temptation.

You loved someone you thought was unlovable.

You forgave someone you thought was unforgivable.

You had a moment of incredible generosity.

But just a few verses later we read…

21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Listen, I don’t care where you are on your spiritual journey, when Jesus calls you “Satan,” it’s a major set back. No matter how you look at it that’s a bad day.

Peter is a great reminder to me that this journey of having Christ formed in me is not an overnight deal. You can’t microwave spiritual formation.

And yet “impatience,” which might be the most accepted sin in our culture today, drives us to constantly want to speed up the process.

Can I encourage you today to slow down? Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve met recent spiritual failure or you just feel stuck. There are seasons to this spiritual growth process.

Today’s a new day full of new opportunities to connect to God’s grace in new ways.

Have you ever felt like Peter, up and down in your spiritual growth?

I Finally Have A Michael W Smith Story

September 23, 2011 in Random Fun with 53 Comments

 

I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of cool people over the past ten years or so. From CEO’s to country music and rock stars to politicians, so there are very few times that I’m star struck.

But I’ll admit last night I was star struck as I finally had the opportunity to meet Michael W Smith (I’m pretty sure we’re going to be BFF’s). The man is simply a legend and I think I’m the only person in Nashville who doesn’t have a “let me tell you about the time I met ‘Smitty’ story.”

A couple observations:

1) He’s the real deal. He graciously hosted and opened up his farm to host a night of awareness for Abolition International (Go check it out). My friend, Natalie Grant, started this organization and they’re doing amazing things to free those enslaved.

2) The dude doesn’t age. At. All. He’s still a beautiful man.

3) I’ll never forget being in 8th grade and sitting in the backseat of my parents station wagon with my headset plugged securely into my personal tape deck blaring “Secret Ambition.” Remember that one?

Nobody knew His secret ambition.
Nobody knew His claim to fame.
He broke the old rules steeped in tradition.
He tore the Holy Veil away.
Questioning those in powerful positions,
Running to those who call His name.
Nobody knew His secret ambition
was to give His life away.

I was going to tell him that story… but I totally chickened out and played it cool as if I knew he did something in Christian music but wasn’t exactly sure who he he was. :)

So if you could meet one person today you haven’t met who would it be?

An Evening Of Worship

September 22, 2011 in Cross Point Church with 10 Comments

Recalibrate.

Renew.

Refresh.

Three things my heart could use.

I’m so excited that this Tuesday, September 27th is our next Worship Night at Cross Point.  It starts at 7:00 PM at our Nashville campus, but get there early for a seat (doors open at 6:30 PM).

I’m so looking forward to an incredible night with you guys. There’s something special about getting together with no other agenda then celebrating God for being God.  Hope to see you there!

Here’s a little taste of our last one.

WORSHIP // The Stand from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

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