Overview

A celebration of motherhood, creativity, and the faith that binds them In our Pinterest age of handcrafted children's parties, artistic Instagram photos, tutorials for renovating old furniture into new treasures, and blogs filled with poetry, prose, and other creative expression, it is clear that a brand-new generation of creative women is rising up. It is a renaissance born not in Italian cathedrals or Harlem jazz clubs but in kitchens and nurseries and living rooms around the world. But when Christian women become mothers, they often feel expected to lay down their creative pursuits in order to properly parent. Wendy Speake and Kelli Stuart know that struggle. While they acknowledge that some seasons of mothering require setting artistic pursuits aside, they also argue that these seasons don't have to last until empty nest time. Instead, mothers with creative gifts are called to actively use them in order to bless their families, their communities, and everyone they encounter. Inspiring and encouraging, Life Creative celebrates the ways mothers can live their art in the midst of their mothering. They tell the stories of women such as author and speaker Angie Smith, recording artist Ellie Holcomb, and jewelry designer Lisa Leonard who do just that. By following God's leading to embrace His gifts, renaissance moms can model the joy of obedience for their families.

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9780825444104

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Reviews

Few things are as disorienting as the feeling that you have lost yourself in the midst of your own life. When demands of performing as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, chef, medical aid, teacher, disciplinarian, theologian, artist, and more all pile up in even one day, it can seem nearly impossible to extract a true self from the many roles demanding your attention. A true Renaissance woman isn't torn in a million directions but is instead able to recognize the creative ways that God works in and through the various channels of her life. In motherhood and in ministry, Wendy and Kelli are women who have felt the tension and found the beauty of God's creativity through the changing seasons. <i>Life Creative</i> isn't simply an inspiration to embrace the seasons but a manual to continuously celebrate the creativity of God at work in you. --Logan Wolfram, speaker & author of Curious Faith: Rediscovering Hope in the God of Possibilit (07/18/2016)

Wendy and Kelli have told a beautiful and life-giving story, by telling the stories of many women--just like us--desiring to live the life creative and steward what they've been given. This book will make you aggressively grateful for the generation of women you've been born into, and it will read like a breath of fresh air, a reminder to run in the creative giftings you've been given. --Jess Connolly, author and speaker (07/18/2016) Kelli and Wendy understand that, yes, being a mom is about raising your children. But it's also about fully being the woman God created you to be and expressing His love like only you can. Their words will support, encourage, and cheer you on in the art and adventure of mothering. --Holley Gerth, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of You're Already Amazing (07/18/2016) This is a message that wondering, hungering, hurting, hoping hearts need! --Becky Keife, blogger, speaker, and mom, BeckyKeife.com (07/18/2016) I never expected this life. When I stepped out of the workplace to minister to my boys at home, I didn't know God would also call me to minister to mothers of boys all over the world. For years, I've struggled through these joint callings, simultaneously sure and unsure of myself in both. But I am sure of God, the Master Creative, who doesn't make mistakes as He asks us to use our gifts for His glory. Is there any way to be a mom and be obedient to my creative calling? I believe there is, and I look to moms like Kelli and Wendy to inspire me as I figure it out. If you're a mom struggling through multiple callings, read this book. --Brooke McGlothlin, ocreator of The MOB Society (07/18/2016) I am breathless. These are the things I believe but didn't have words to articulate . . . things that my soul knows are truth. I'm going back to read it all again, slowly. --Mindy Rogers, teacher, writer, mom (07/18/2016) Never has there been a time like this for creative and artistic women to embrace the high calling of motherhood and the unique giftings God has given to each of us. There is indeed a movement--a Renaissance--of the creative woman, the creative mom. I'm grateful that Wendy and Kelli have chosen to encourage this generation of women, right now, to embrace their God-given creativity and steward it to the glory of God. This book is right on time. --Ruth Simons, artist and writer, GraceLaced.com (07/18/2016) As a mom of two wild boys and a new baby girl, I am thankful for authentic moms like Wendy and Kelli who welcome women into this creative world in a manner that breaks down all barriers of comparison and the idea of measuring up. --Amber Tysl, photographer and blogger (07/18/2016) -Wendy and Kelli have told a beautiful and life-giving story, by telling the stories of many women--just like us--desiring to live the life creative and steward what they've been given. This book will make you aggressively grateful for the generation of women you've been born into, and it will read like a breath of fresh air, a reminder to run in the creative giftings you've been given.---Jess Connolly, author and speaker (07/18/2016) -Kelli and Wendy understand that, yes, being a mom is about raising your children. But it's also about fully being the woman God created you to be and expressing His love like only you can. Their words will support, encourage, and cheer you on in the art and adventure of mothering.---Holley Gerth, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of You're Already Amazing (07/18/2016) -This is a message that wondering, hungering, hurting, hoping hearts need!---Becky Keife, blogger, speaker, and mom, BeckyKeife.com (07/18/2016) -I never expected this life. When I stepped out of the workplace to minister to my boys at home, I didn't know God would also call me to minister to mothers of boys all over the world. For years, I've struggled through these joint callings, simultaneously sure and unsure of myself in both. But I am sure of God, the Master Creative, who doesn't make mistakes as He asks us to use our gifts for His glory. Is there any way to be a mom and be obedient to my creative calling? I believe there is, and I look to moms like Kelli and Wendy to inspire me as I figure it out. If you're a mom struggling through multiple callings, read this book.---Brooke McGlothlin, ocreator of The MOB Society (07/18/2016) -I am breathless. These are the things I believe but didn't have words to articulate . . . things that my soul knows are truth. I'm going back to read it all again, slowly.---Mindy Rogers, teacher, writer, mom (07/18/2016) -Never has there been a time like this for creative and artistic women to embrace the high calling of motherhood and the unique giftings God has given to each of us. There is indeed a movement--a Renaissance--of the creative woman, the creative mom. I'm grateful that Wendy and Kelli have chosen to encourage this generation of women, right now, to embrace their God-given creativity and steward it to the glory of God. This book is right on time.---Ruth Simons, artist and writer, GraceLaced.com (07/18/2016) -As a mom of two wild boys and a new baby girl, I am thankful for authentic moms like Wendy and Kelli who welcome women into this creative world in a manner that breaks down all barriers of comparison and the idea of measuring up.---Amber Tysl, photographer and blogger (07/18/2016) -Few things are as disorienting as the feeling that you have lost yourself in the midst of your own life. When demands of performing as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, chef, medical aid, teacher, disciplinarian, theologian, artist, and more all pile up in even one day, it can seem nearly impossible to extract a true self from the many roles demanding your attention. A true Renaissance woman isn't torn in a million directions but is instead able to recognize the creative ways that God works in and through the various channels of her life. In motherhood and in ministry, Wendy and Kelli are women who have felt the tension and found the beauty of God's creativity through the changing seasons. Life Creative isn't simply an inspiration to embrace the seasons but a manual to continuously celebrate the creativity of God at work in you.---Logan Wolfram, speaker & author of Curious Faith: Rediscovering Hope in the God of Possibilit (07/18/2016) -Life Creative extends a hand across the lonely miles of motherhood to every woman who feels like she's lost herself in a sea of diapers and dishes. It breathes beauty and life and purpose into the everyday servanthood of mothering and reminds us that it's up to us to seize those very ordinary moments and turn them into something beautiful. I have never read anything like this, and as both a mother and an artist, I endorse it fully. The world needs Life Creative.---Emily T. Wierenga, author of five books including memoir Atlas Girl (07/18/2016) -As the mom of three kids, I need the wisdom of other moms, but most of all I need their companionship and gentle nod of understanding. Wendy and Kelli have offered that in the pages of this book in the most precious of ways: They've taken our hands, looked us in the eyes, and given us a gentle nod to help us move forward. Life Creative lets me be myself and find my best mothering there. Kudos, ladies. This book is a big exhale, a dear friend, and a powerful teacher.---Lisa Whittle, speaker, author of {w}hole and I Want God (07/18/2016) -In a culture laden with 'mommy guilt, ' Life Creative is a must-read for every mother who wants to hone her God-given creative gifts while encouraging her children to do the same. After feeling torn between mothering my three small children and pursuing my passion for writing during the first six years of motherhood, I finally came to peace with God giving me desires and gifts to bring Him glory. Motherhood and the creative life need not be at odds with each other! Wendy and Kelli's book will help readers realize this from the get-go. New and seasoned mothers alike need to read this book.---Erin Odom, creator of thehumbledhomemaker.com (07/18/2016) -The very first thing we learn about God in His word is that He 'created the heavens and the earth' (Gen. 1:1). We have a magnificently creative God who chose to make the pinnacle of His creation, humankind, in His image. Surely part of our image-bearing likeness to God is our ability to imagine and to create. Yet our creativity is sometimes lost in the busyness of life and mothering. In Life Creative, Wendy and Kelli offer fresh words of encouragement for moms to find natural, creative outlets right where they are--whether it is in a kitchen, on a canvas, through a lens, on a keyboard, or through some other medium. Wendy and Kelli's collection of stories about real-life creative moms is particularly inspiring and has led me to thoughtfully consider how I can best reflect the image of God through my own creative interests, as well as how I can model for my children the creative life that I desire for them to pursue as they mature.---Angie Mosteller, author of Christmas: Celebrating the Christian History of Classic Symbols, Songs (07/18/2016) -Mothers carry deep within them an innate desire to create beauty around them--whether it's with shape or color, words or song. In Life Creative, Wendy and Kelli come alongside the artistic soul inside us all with their wisdom and insight on how to care for our families while also caring for the artist within . . . An absolute must-read for creative moms.---Denise J. Hughes, author of Word Writers and On Becoming a Writer (07/18/2016) -Our creative lives are a dance--fluid and ever changing--rather than one stationary, perfect balance of family and faith. For years I thought creativity was limited to those onstage or at an easel, but a new day has dawned. Life Creative has painted an all-inclusive picture, inviting everyone to embrace their part in this present Renaissance.---Sarah Bragg, podcaster at SurvivingSarah.com (07/21/2016) Few things are as disorienting as the feeling that you have lost yourself in the midst of your own life. When demands of performing as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, chef, medical aid, teacher, disciplinarian, theologian, artist, and more all pile up in even one day, it can seem nearly impossible to extract a true self from the many roles demanding your attention. A true Renaissance woman isn't torn in a million directions but is instead able to recognize the creative ways that God works in and through the various channels of her life. In motherhood and in ministry, Wendy and Kelli are women who have felt the tension and found the beauty of God's creativity through the changing seasons. Life Creative isn't simply an inspiration to embrace the seasons but a manual to continuously celebrate the creativity of God at work in you. --Logan Wolfram, speaker & author of Curious Faith: Rediscovering Hope in the God of Possibilit (07/18/2016) Life Creative extends a hand across the lonely miles of motherhood to every woman who feels like she's lost herself in a sea of diapers and dishes. It breathes beauty and life and purpose into the everyday servanthood of mothering and reminds us that it's up to us to seize those very ordinary moments and turn them into something beautiful. I have never read anything like this, and as both a mother and an artist, I endorse it fully. The world needs Life Creative. --Emily T. Wierenga, author of five books including memoir Atlas Girl (07/18/2016) As the mom of three kids, I need the wisdom of other moms, but most of all I need their companionship and gentle nod of understanding. Wendy and Kelli have offered that in the pages of this book in the most precious of ways: They've taken our hands, looked us in the eyes, and given us a gentle nod to help us move forward. Life Creative lets me be myself and find my best mothering there. Kudos, ladies. This book is a big exhale, a dear friend, and a powerful teacher. --Lisa Whittle, speaker, author of {w}hole and I Want God (07/18/2016) In a culture laden with 'mommy guilt, ' Life Creative is a must-read for every mother who wants to hone her God-given creative gifts while encouraging her children to do the same. After feeling torn between mothering my three small children and pursuing my passion for writing during the first six years of motherhood, I finally came to peace with God giving me desires and gifts to bring Him glory. Motherhood and the creative life need not be at odds with each other! Wendy and Kelli's book will help readers realize this from the get-go. New and seasoned mothers alike need to read this book. --Erin Odom, creator of thehumbledhomemaker.com (07/18/2016) The very first thing we learn about God in His word is that He 'created the heavens and the earth' (Gen. 1:1). We have a magnificently creative God who chose to make the pinnacle of His creation, humankind, in His image. Surely part of our image-bearing likeness to God is our ability to imagine and to create. Yet our creativity is sometimes lost in the busyness of life and mothering. In Life Creative, Wendy and Kelli offer fresh words of encouragement for moms to find natural, creative outlets right where they are--whether it is in a kitchen, on a canvas, through a lens, on a keyboard, or through some other medium. Wendy and Kelli's collection of stories about real-life creative moms is particularly inspiring and has led me to thoughtfully consider how I can best reflect the image of God through my own creative interests, as well as how I can model for my children the creative life that I desire for them to pursue as they mature. --Angie Mosteller, author of Christmas: Celebrating the Christian History of Classic Symbols, Songs (07/18/2016) Mothers carry deep within them an innate desire to create beauty around them--whether it's with shape or color, words or song. In Life Creative, Wendy and Kelli come alongside the artistic soul inside us all with their wisdom and insight on how to care for our families while also caring for the artist within . . . An absolute must-read for creative moms. --Denise J. Hughes, author of Word Writers and On Becoming a Writer (07/18/2016) Our creative lives are a dance--fluid and ever changing--rather than one stationary, perfect balance of family and faith. For years I thought creativity was limited to those onstage or at an easel, but a new day has dawned. Life Creative has painted an all-inclusive picture, inviting everyone to embrace their part in this present Renaissance. --Sarah Bragg, podcaster at SurvivingSarah.com (07/21/2016)

Author Information

Wendy Speake is an actress who appeared on shows such as JAG, Star Trek Voyager, and Roswell where she discovered a longing to tell stories that edify women. Today she ministers to women through storytelling and biblical life applications. Her first book Triggers was released in 2015 Kelli Stuart is the coauthor of Dare 2B Wise and has written for several brands including Disney, American Girl, and Short Fiction Break. She has served as editor-in-chief for the St. Louis Bloggers Guild and as a board member for the St. Louis Women in Media. In addition to her writing, Kelli has spent twenty years studying Ukranian culture. Kelli lives in Florida and blogs at KelliStuart.com.

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