{{2012_12_17_t1.jpg}} {{2012_12_17_t2.jpg}} {{2012_12_17_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2012_12_17|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_iv|| Topics Collection iv ]] ======Spicy - The somewhat different Advent Calender XVII ...====== Monday, Dec 17, 2012. Are you someone working in the creative arts? Do you have the need to generate new things in your job? Perhaps you are a designer, you need to have fancy ideas all the time. Or you are artist, you paint images, or you shape sculptures? But also in science, we need a good measure of creativity day by day! {{2012_12_17.jpg }} **How to stay spicy? ...** How do we stay spicy? How do you stay creative? Creativity is a gift, not everyone can do new things, create a new style, create new images and pieces of art all the time. But even for the gifted creativity can be a challenge. I am full of ideas every morning (and sometimes every evening as well). But how do I keep my ideas spicy? We do not want to have all the old ideas all the time. We want something new, something interesting, something which is different. Some of us just go some ways, because we are tired of the old ways! When we talk about advent, the question of spices is a key question. Perhaps you have heard a lot about Christmas, about advent, about Jesus. Perhaps you are tired of Christmas charols, of the old story which does not seem to contain any new elements. Perhaps some particular art performance about Christmas brings new things? How do we stay spicy? {{ 2012_12_17_2.jpg}} **God is the master of creativity ...** I have my own little techniques, which can enable me to find new things. In science, this has worked out fine so far. I always had interesting ideas and questions, which led to new insight in my field of research. And in the Christian realm that was similar ... I have not been out of ideas and excitement! God, that is what I have learned, is the master of creativity. He is just so unbelievably creative, so full of new ideas and further insight, that I am completely excited and astonished every single time I turn my attention to him. In Jesus, God comes to us ... perhaps that is now well-known to you. But now, look at him. Look at the Lord, and look at what he has done and what he is doing today. It is fantastic. There is so much to find in the Christmas story and its preparation - from 2000 B.C. to today ... There is guidance and excitement for every hour of our life! Advent time is worth it! You can learn new things every day, new things which the Lord shows you. We have been in the worship service yesterday morning, and learned new bits and pieces about the coming of Jesus. We have been on the Christmas market in the afternoon, and saw a lot of creative food there. We looked into some gallery later that day, with very creative pieces of art ... with inspiration and encouragement to put our creativity in and inspire others. God gives us joy and support, to go our way, our way with him! (Roland Potthast) [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_iv|... more texts]]