Can you find the words materialist or minimalist in the Bible? They aren’t there, but the concepts are, in even more eloquent ways. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and the man who tore down his barns to build bigger ones was a fool because his soul was required of him that night, and do not assume that gain is godliness. What about the minimalist side? Be content with such things as ye have, for godliness with contentment is great gain. Take no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow shall take care of itself. Behold the lilies of the field.

Do you divide the world into creative people and non-creative people? Which category do you put yourself in? Do you think that creative people are a minority, and that creative endeavors are limited to music, literature and other arts? Don’t be too quick to make these categories too narrow and assume that they don’t apply to you. You acknowledge me as your creator. Do you accept that you are made in my image? This gives you certain inherent traits, and creativity is one of them. As a result, creativity is your birthright. So the question is not whether you are creative, but how?

Do you find that everyone faces the same questions of identity, belonging, and meaning? These questions of existence are a universal expression of spirituality. Have you found answers to these questions through your faith? Blessed are those who walk in the light of truth. Do you find it discouraging when people come up with wrong answers to these questions? Did you get all the answers right on your first attempt? There are plenty of dead ends available. But I promised that those who seek would find, and the door would be open to them.

Do you think that my offended justice is the most powerful influence in the world? You have a theology about atonement for the forgiveness of sins. Is this the central feature of your faith? Do you read the parable of the talents and think that your offenses toward me are greater than anything else? But there is also a story about the sheep and the goats in which the righteous received favor because of the way they treated the least of these, and the goats did not because they did not consider the needs of the least of these.