Allen Arnold

Aug 8

8 min read ⭑

“I believe God gives us our creativity as a gateway to intimacy with Him. God instills a specific talent in our DNA (knits it into us before we are born), and it acts as a homing device. As we pursue it, we find Him. ”

From economic recessions to mass shootings to global pandemics—we live in a crazy and chaotic world. And we don’t make it any better as we stuff our lives full of work, chasing money and “the next great thing.” But award-winning author Allen Arnold found a way to escape the mind-numbing treadmill of chaos—and it all starts with knowing God as Creator.

Don’t let Allen’s laid-back style fool you, though. He’s a total overachiever (in a good way) as he mentors one of Shark Tank’s most successful companies as well as Dave Ramsey’s core marketing team. And as if that weren’t enough, he’s also the Executive Producer of Content at Wild at Heart. But what gets him the most excited is teaching creatives how to produce art from a place of intimacy with God.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There's much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

I'm a salsa-guzzling, fajita-loving, tequila-sipping guy. My kids razz me because they say I'm too predictable, but I simply found what I love and love staying true to it.

I grew up in Texas and spent my college years waiting tables at the local Mexican restaurant. It's where I met my first girlfriend. She was nice. But my true love was the food and culture of authentic Mexican food.

What I love most are the sensory elements. The authentic music. The sizzling of the fajitas as they approach the table. The smoke from the skillet. The taste of añejo tequila with fresh lime and salt on the rim. The spices in the freshly made salsa. It sets the perfect atmosphere for an equally evocative, robust conversation to savor with a good friend.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So, what are yours? What so-called "nonspiritual" activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

I don't own a cape or a cowl, but I've always been drawn to superheroes. I'll always remember my first encounter with comic books. As a boy, I went with my mom to the local grocery store. But while she shopped, I discovered a portal to another world. Okay, it was a comic book spinner. But it was filled with stories of Batman, Superman, the Justice League, and more.

My very first comic featured Green Lantern. I still have it—and still remember the mantra he speaks to charge his power ring: "In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might beware my power, Green Lantern's light."

At a time when I didn't have a lot of male role models, God invited me into a world of noble strength through these fantastical stories. To this day, I still sneak away to the comic store as much as possible. And on my nightstand right now is a new Green Lantern graphic novel. You know, just in case I need to recharge my power ring before morning's light.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So, what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

Okay, how wild. After my last response about being a comic fanboy, this one begins with a Superman reference! My kryptonite is the feeling that there's never enough time to do all that I want to accomplish.

I'll catch myself saying no to really good things or rushing through important moments ... because, well, time is short. This false belief led to me being hyper-controlling and more focused on minutes than people … which was not life-giving for me or those closest to me.

My rescue was when God reminded me that He was the Creator of time. When I pursued my desires with God as Creator, I had all the time in the world because how could He not give me enough time to do the things He had for me to do? I discovered how to go at His pace regardless of how fast or slow that seemed to the rest of the world.

Because God is always on time and never in a hurry. And that's how I want to be too.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

My current obsession is how the chaos of this world is uniquely targeting our hearts and our art. By "art," I mean the expression of our creative gifting.

So many creatives I work with have commented that they've had more time than ever (while at home during the pandemic) to pursue their gifting. Yet not much happens when they try to create, so they've decided to wait until things calm down.

But that's the opposite approach we should be taking. Chaos is actively, personally targeting our unique gifting because it knows our creativity is the best weapon against it. Our God-given creativity brings hope, life, beauty, and order to a world raging with confusion, offense, hate and disorder.

My new book on this topic reveals the high calling of our creativity, the origin of chaos, how God as Creator approaches chaos, and how we—as His sons and daughters—are being invited to do the same.

When we do, we overcome what overwhelms us through our presence and our gifting. As you can tell, I'm pretty passionate about this because this approach infuses our hearts and our art with greater power and hope.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?

I believe God as Creator gives us our creativity as a gateway to intimacy with Him. God instills a specific talent in our DNA (knits it into us before we are born), and it acts as a homing device. As we pursue it, we find Him. So I always begin my writing with a reminder that my goal isn't to create something FOR God but rather something WITH God.

That shift—I call it the shift to “with”—changes everything. Because now I can enter the playground of my imagination with God as Creator, expectant for how He'll show up and what we'll experience together. It takes the pressure off as I go at His pace. It’s more of a dance than cranking something out.

In Scripture, we're given this incredible invitation. God says: Call to Me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own (Jeremiah 33:3, MSG). The invitation is to have our minds blown. Great and mighty things we do not and could not know in our own strength … remarkable secrets of things yet to come. But only if we choose to invite God as Creator into the process that makes our hearts come alive rather than thinking we have to do it all on our own.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So, spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?

One of my mentors says that God is the least religious being he knows. I love that thought. The first two words Jesus spoke to His disciples was "Follow me." And whenever we do, we are in His presence. Which means we are on sacred ground wherever we go with God.

Lately, I've spent a lot of time purposely getting to know God as Creator. Doing so reminds me that God created this wild, vast, untamed world of oceans, mountains, deserts, stars, and forests. These elements reflect His personality. I find Him more in His creation than in any buildings we create.

For me, the ocean is one of my favorite places to experience His presence. I think it's because no matter how much the world changes, the ocean pretty much looks like it did at creation. The blue-green hues, the sound of the incoming waves, the scent of water and wind and sky. It feels like eternal space in our temporal, ever-changing world. It refuses to be tamed by man and is teeming with life and a rhythm aligned with the moon.

God is everywhere, but I particularly find Him there.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources—lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?

Here are three resources that have sparked my faith recently:

1) The Chosen series created by Dallas Jenkins (available through VidAngel).

It's the most incredible series I've ever seen on the life of those who came into contact with Jesus. Try it. You'll be glad you did.

2) Ludovico Einaudi's album titled “Seven Days Walking (Day 1)” on Spotify.

I have no idea what his personal story or beliefs are, but God uses his piano compositions to stir my spirit in eternal ways.

3. Stephen R. Lawhead's first book in the Song of Albion trilogy titled The Paradise War.

It’s a modern-day tale that quickly leads into a gateway of another time and place of kings and thrones. But mainly, it is a quest for the main character of his true identity. It’s not Christian fiction—but a work of phenomenal depth by a Christian.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season—and tell us what it's done for you.

If you're looking for a great, under-the-radar-sipping tequila, I encourage you to get a bottle of Herradura (añejo). It's more like a fine scotch or whiskey in its smoothness.

Wait—was that not the question? Okay, okay, that's NOT what I cling to for survival. It just makes the evenings on the back deck overlooking the mountains more enjoyable.

What's been indispensable for me doesn't come in a bottle. It's the first three chapters of Genesis and the book of Revelation. Reading the beginning and end of our story (which really never ends) puts everything else in perspective. That's what I'm doing.

What I'm cutting out is most news. It tends to usher in human chaos rather than God's perspective.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So, give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

What's stirring in me creatively right now are two big ventures. The first is my book on chaos and creativity that I referenced in an earlier question. I hope to have it out late this year (which will likely be a much-needed time for it).

The second is a weekly podcast series I hope to launch the first of 2022 on God and Creativity. It will touch on all aspects of our creativity —from what true success is to dreaming bigger dreams, from understanding why it is opposed to why it matters more than we think.

It's a roadmap for understanding how to actively pursue what makes us most come alive—together with God as Creator.

Are you unwittingly soaking up human chaos instead of time with God as Creator? It’s so easy to overlook how the world’s chaos targets our artistic expression and chokes our creativity. Maybe it’s time to sneak out of that man-made building you feel stuck in and spend time in creation. Invite God into your creative process and watch Him, as Allen puts it, infuse your heart and your art with power and hope.

Allen Arnold is the author of the The Story of With. His mission is to awaken the hearts of creatives to pursue their life and art actively and intimately with God. From the mountains of Colorado, he's the Executive Producer of Content for Wild at Heart—a ministry founded by NYT bestselling author John Eldredge. Before that, Allen spent 20 years in Christian publishing, where he oversaw the launch of more than 500 novels and received the American Christian Fiction Writers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He loves blue oceans, black coffee, hot salsa, and big ideas. Discover more here.

Justin Camp