REV. DENNIS MEYER

REFLECTIONS ON CREATIVITY: FINDING CREATIVITY IN ADVERSITY BY REV. DENNIS MEYER When I was in middle school and living in the small town of Falls City, Nebraska, I had no friends. I felt bereft of companions, abandoned when we moved to this small, insulated village. Our former community had been Petoskey, Michigan. I promptly set up shop in the basement of the parsonage, a home owned by the church my father served, had a weather station of sorts, a journal book and my prized library card. Creativity often blooms under adversity. I disliked Falls City, which I later would refer to as “Hell-Touched-Earth, Nebraska.” The solitude of a lonely junior high kid in the 60’s with both brothers away at college was medicine for growth. It seems to me that we all need an inciting incident to bring out creativity. This sabbatical from companions brought me to the cradle of creativity in HTE – the library. There, roaming among the stacks, I would find a corner chair and explore the Andes or the depths of the ocean. I would solve great mysteries of outer space and read what became my favorite book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962). The absence of people would make me keenly aware of the treatment of people. That began to set a course for my life. Jesus, my boss, once condensed the 613 laws of the First Testament into one or two (depending on how you count them): love God and love people. There were all kinds of inciting incidents during that tumultuous decade to be sure. I have come to realize that is the key to creativity. If there isn’t an inciting incident, create one. We must force ourselves into enough discomfort that we create. It was in a real sense that Genesis suggested that it was God who desired not to be alone and thus created the earth. We are conversation partners with God. So now my life’s work has become creating paths for conversation about loving God and loving people. Pretty simple rules but guidance that brings enormous impact and satisfaction. Personal stories are boring if they are only about our own selfish interests. Who wants to know about your long desire to buy a Lexus or travel to Machu Picchu? When your story involves changing and saving lives, that is a different story. Your creativity may involve enormous challenges and obstacles but that are exciting and interesting. Who wants to be boring? Growth comes when the pressure is on. When we serve others and save lives, we are filled emotionally. Selfishness seems appealing but ends up draining our senses and emotions. We are never satisfied. We want the next kick, thrill, purchase, trip – whatever it might be. When a crisis hits, you lack satisfaction because you have never sought creative ways to address needs. The current unique virus has shut down the economy and lives. Yet, look at the creativity it is evoking. People are naturally looking from their isolation for ways to respond. I have moved from trying to get people to attend Church to urging people to stay home. What? Yet, innovation, service and growth are happening. I am learning and others are growing as well. How do we take donations? How do we worship apart? How do we serve the needy? How do we support first responders, medical workers and those without technology to connect? Likewise, science is advancing. Reality has set in after we were warned about a pandemic years ago. Home grown production is finding ways to help. We are building community in ways we never thought possible. I don’t think that this is a complete tragedy. The loss of life is tragic but the creative response is phenomenal. Instead of retiring, I now want to keep riding the wave of innovation and try and get people connected to the basics of those two simple commandments: love God and love people. Rev. Dennis Meyer is pastor at the Bethany Lutheran Church in La Porte, Indiana. This article is part of a series, “Reflections on Creativity,” sponsored by the Center for Creative Solutions, celebrating April’s World Creativity and Innovation Week. Check out CenterforCreativeSolutions.com, #IamCreative wciw.org

Start: 15 April 2020

End: 15 April 2020