Something I heard in a sermon at church recently really stuck with me. In Romans 12:2 Paul writes: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Think about this for a moment. When Paul wrote this nearly 2,000 years ago, he had no knowledge of modern neuroscience. There were no brain scans, no studies on neural plasticity, and no scientific language to explain what happens inside the brain when our thinking changes. And yet today neuroscience has discovered something remarkable: the human brain can actually rebuild and form new neural pathways. Our thinking patterns can physically reshape the brain over time. That sounds an awful lot like what Paul was describing. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The more time we spend in God’s Word, the more time we spend with God in prayer and reflection, the more our minds begin to change. Over time our thoughts, attitudes, and perspectives start to shift. Old patterns lose their grip and new ones take their place. Science calls it neuroplasticity. Scripture called it the renewing of the mind. It’s amazing to see how discoveries in modern science sometimes echo wisdom written thousands of years ago. Transformation doesn’t begin with circumstances. It begins with time spent with God and the renewing of the mind.

It’s the essential Question both Men and Women struggle with. Once I had read the book “Wild at heart” and then “ Fathered by God” by John Eldridge I came to the realization that God is always pursuing me. In the late 1980’s I honestly felt like God was calling me into full time ministry. My mom was so excited to tell anyone and everyone her son was going to be a preacher. I was going on 24 in age at the time. I am still to this day a “entertainer” personality which Means I am show off, I crave peoples attention, and I love the lime light. Take that, times it by 10 million and you have a small idea how much more I wanted the attention and the approval of others. I attended a 1 year bible college and during that time I came to the conclusion that I was wanting to be a minister or preacher for all the wrong reasons. I only wanted the attention that came with the title and career choice. So I decided that it would be better for me to not pursue the path I was on. Since then I have carried the heavy weight of guilt I felt for disappointing my mom with my choice to walk away from being a preacher. Recently God freed me of those feelings of guilt. He revealed to me that the passion I have for my art and the mere act of creating art is an act of ministry that speaks in ways preaching never would have had an opportunity to have.

“This new category is all about digging deeper into the heart-level questions that fuel everything else we do: Do I have what it takes? Am I enough? Inspired by John and Stasi Eldredge’s books Wild at Heart and Captivating, this space will give both men and women a chance to explore their identity, calling, and walk with God. Just like our creative passion projects, ministry is about stepping into who we’re truly made to be. If you’ve ever wrestled with these questions, this category is for you.”