Restoring Creativity
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
August 17, 2025
Good morning Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections. Today, we continue our series on creativity. The scripture I have chosen is from Colossians 3:23 from the New Revised Standard Version.
“Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans…”
I want to start this morning by reminding us that creativity is not categorized by being right or left brained, it is not just for artisans, musicians, or performers, rather it is part of every one of our lives – and I would go a step further and say that its part of “That of God” within each of us.
When we think of the Divine, it is hard not to also think of the Creator. And when we meld those thoughts, we are able to acknowledge that creative spirit within us and tap into it for whatever task we set out to do - just as our scripture for today reads.
Since as Quakers we believe that our Meetings are not just physical buildings or institutions but are rather made of people. I wonder how often we forget that this creative spirit is always present right here within our Meeting.
For example, I often wonder in our Yearly Meeting if one of the reasons that other Meetings have had to close their doors or be laid down is because they no longer are able or willing to tap into their creativity.
Even here at First Friends, we can get into our ruts or find ourselves in times of plateau. Often those times are marked by getting into a routine or getting comfortable with what we are doing.
This comfort can enwrap us for a long time without us ever even noticing. At some point we come to realize not much has changed, not much new has happened, things have become stale or stagnant, this then leads to us becoming myopic and engaged in nasal gazing and the hording of our assets – and I am not just talking about our financial assets, but our individual creative assets as well. Folks, many churches and meetings out there get stuck at this very place and I don’t want to see us end up there, as well.
That is why this morning, I want to talk about how we can restore our creativity before things get stagnant or overly comfortable. And to do that I want to look at something I was taught in my own personal life and then translate that to our Meeting.
A couple years ago, I entered a very personal process of reflecting on my years in ministry. The person that was helping facilitate this time encouraged me to tap my creativity in whatever manner I felt the most comfortable. At times that came out through drawing and painting, at other times through writing sermons, and even on occasion through some poetry. To get to that place of creative expression they suggested I take some time to first “restore my creativity.”
Prior to this, “restoring my creativity” in ministry meant getting more time in my studio, getting out my sketch book and drawing more consistently, taking a road trip to see new sights, journaling everything I was thinking about, feeling, or dreaming, and even reading books that would inspire me or give me new perspectives. Much of what I thought was “restorative” was just doing more, engaging more, or almost forced creating.
My approach to “restoring my creativity” was all wrong. What I have learned is that creativity is a muscle that needs training and care. By approaching it as I did, I found myself overwhelmed just trying to balance everything that I thought would restore me. Instead, it made me more anxious and even at times anything but creative. I found that my mind was cluttered, and I was trying too hard. The joy I should have in creating became a task and at times I did not even want to engage it.
After 30 years in ministry, I notice this happening all too often in ministries and Meetings, as well. The culture around us has taught us that we should want instant outcomes, quick results, and we think that if we are just doing something, all will continue just as it has for many years.
But then complacency, traditions that cannot change, sacred cows, and insider speak, all sets in, and the unique creativity of the group turns to fruitless meetings, arguing over semantics, and forgetting our testimonies as Quakers to speak to the condition of our current world.
If we are going to survive and thrive as a meeting, we will regularly need to spend time “restoring our creativity.” Just as I learned exploring my own personal creativity and ministry, I sense it would be good for us as a Meeting to do some work on this as well. I want us to have longevity, and I want us to be creatively meeting the condition of our world in the present moment – not some golden era of First Friends, Quakers, or Christianity from the past.
Now, more than ever, it is time to allow our creativity to flow from us out into our community, and ultimately into our world. Yet before we do that, we need to take some positive steps toward restoring our creativity.
Already in this series, we have talked about the importance of vulnerability, our invitation to co-create with the Divine, allowing our creativity to be our form of prayer, and last week, the inspiration of nature. But this morning I want to step back and look at some practical steps that have helped me to “restore my creativity” and hopefully will help us as a community restore ours. You might just find these uniquely Quaker even though they are adapted from Creative Boom.
Let’s start with the first one:
PAUSE
Like I shared earlier, often our mind goes to “doing” to restore our creativity, but often that leads us into a rut. We try doing the same things repeatedly, while trying to get the same results.
What we really need to do is stop or pause, to re-ground ourselves in the present moment. This is a deeply Quaker idea.
In our personal lives and in our Meeting’s life we can easily become so removed from the present moment that we no longer see the possibilities and opportunities that present themselves. We then neglect to see or recognize the creativity before us or within us. Our present moment is our ground zero.
In religious circles this is often hard, because we often revert to the past or tradition to shape us moving forward. Creativity sparks from the present moment. Pausing allows us to review our thoughts, our unhealthy processing and habits, the things that are no longer working, and those that have become distractions from engaging our creativity.
Every so often, all our committees, small groups, book groups, even our Meeting as a whole needs to take a moment to pause and reground itself in the present moment. The pause allows queries to form that help us restore and reengage our creative spirit in this place.
This leads to…
DEFINE
Once we have paused, slowed down, even stopped and begun to ask some queries, we need to move to some specific queries that define our creative expression.
· What is it we want to create or achieve?
· How can we work to best create or achieve it?
This may seem very simple, but often when creativity flees and we are in a rut or comfortable, we need to get back to the basics. Each of our committees and groups should review in the present moment what it is that they want to achieve or create for our community or world? And how will they create or achieve that? What gifts, assets, and creative gifts are around the room and can be utilized? What does everyone bring to the table?
And when we begin to do this, we then can use this information to define our future - instead of getting stuck in the past. We need to be asking - what kind of committee, group, meeting, people do want to be and what are the goals that we want to accomplish, now – in the present moment. This can act as a line to hold to when, inevitably, circumstances try to blow us off course.
As I thought through this personally, I was reminded that this is part of my creative process every time I begin a project – whether I am staring at a blank canvas, a garden plot, a room full of furniture, or writing a sermon.
Then comes
BE MINDFUL
In our world today, mindfulness has almost become a buzz word and often is misunderstood. As author and creative director Radim Malinic points out,
“A mindful approach doesn't mean sitting and meditating all the time or ideas always flowing freely. What it does mean is that you connect with what's actually happening around you and remain aware of how you're feeling and thinking, but without getting so knotted up in them that you can't see things clearly and objectively.”
To “be mindful” means we need to bring ourselves and our attention to the present moment as often as possible. It's about becoming aware of our thoughts and attitudes as they arise and not letting them carry us off down a rabbit hole or from actually utilizing the creative spirit within and around us.
Because we are such busy people, often what I see happen is that when we do not engage the creativity around and within us, we too easily drop our ideas, forget them, or revert to a default from the past. Nothing new is created, no changes are made, and we no longer are working in the present moment.
When we stay mindful, we stay focused, find clarity, and find again the creative spirit within us and those around us to create and achieve amazing things.
As Quakers we call have a name for this. We call it Minding the Light. Not only does Minding the Light refer to the practice of recognizing and engaging with the divine presence or inner light within oneself and others, but it also means to pay attention to how the Spirit is guiding individuals, groups, Meetings in their moral, spiritual, and creative journey.
This leads to our final point…
MAKE POSITIVE CHANGE
When you and I stay mindful, we are “making an investment” in each other, in our communities, and ultimately in the Divine to make positive change through our unique creative ways. On a side note, I believe this is the groundwork for building the Beloved Community which we are going to be exploring in light of our Testimonies starting this fall.
Folks, to make positive change in our world, we first have to show up to make it possible – we have to bring our creative gifts, talents, and expressions to the table. That means we are going to need to speak up, share our gifts, be willing to allow our creativity to be utilized and seen.
This is vital to remember because you and I love quick fixes and instant solutions, but we know too well, that there is seldom a quick fix or solution to our problems. This is why we need everyone to bring their creativity to the table.
When we have taken the time to restore our creativity, positive changes, opportunities, and possibilities arise! Especially if we are willing to cultivate optimal creative conditions to create within.
I would love to know where you see optimal creative conditions being presented at First Friends, in your community, or in your own personal life, and where we or you might need to work on creating more of this space.
So, just to recap. Restoring our creativity begins with pausing, then defining, then being mindful, and finally making positive change.
As we enter a time of waiting worship this morning, I want us to start by taking that pause. Let’s attempt to re-ground ourselves in the present moment. You may need a couple queries to help as you pause.
· Where might the Spirit be wanting to spark my creativity?
· What thoughts, unhealthy processing and habits, things that are no longer working or have become distractions not allowing me to engage my creativity?
· What will it take for me to stay focused on the present moment?