Thirty Seconds or Less – Thirty Seconds or Less

Sitting on the subway I encounter the full spectrum of humanity. One person makes six figures, the other is hoping to receive six cents. Families and tourists and life long New Yorkers and trust fund hipsters packed onto the L train and too hip to be called hipsters further out in Bushwick. Black, white, brown,... The post An Incubator For My Creativity appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

I’m making plans for a new tattoo, in fact the next time you see me it will probably be eternally etched into my skin. And every time I dream about the next installation on the art gallery known as my body I find myself reflecting on who I am, on who I’ve been, on who... The post My Life On My Sleeve appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Revolutionary love is failing one another and coming back again. Revolutionary love is hearing what you did not put on your own playlist and coming back again. Revolutionary love is grabbing grace that isn’t cheap and coming back again. It’s tasting bitter herbs and sweet forgiveness and coming back again. It is fighting only honest... The post Coming Back Again appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Let me tell you what love is. Love is an overflowing of self(s), a spilling out and all around, an osmosis of desire. Where the I and the thou blur the borders… and pieces of thou invite a greater I. Where what is of you becomes so important to me that I’ll do all within... The post Love Is A Revolution appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Revelation is about the New Testament’s central conflict: the lordship of Christ versus the lordship of Caesar. In nine visions John describes a God whose power is that of a lamb, who is worthy to redeem the universe. Love unleashes the forces that conquer evil. When human history ends, God’s dream is fulfilled. A sacred... The post Come, Lord Jesus appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Numbers is a bit…complicated. It’s various lists. It’s mess of individuals trying to put on a new identity while wandering for years. It’s filled with talking donkeys, curses, healings, and a judgment on a leader. God doesn’t make sense in this book. A group must trust where God is leading but most won’t get to... The post A Bit… Complicated appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Even though I live, love, preach and practically breathe social justice work, I can’t really imagine the completion of that struggle, this world filled with the justice that I fight for every day. I guess that’s because the change I experience happens in process. Individually and in... The post A Little Secret appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

From the time I was a toddler, when adults asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I knew my answer: artist. And over the years that answer expanded: artist and writer. Creativity surged from my heart to my fingertips. But as I got older, doubts grew. My drawing wasn’t good enough,... The post Words & Color appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

One hallmark of a Four is being attuned to the feelings and emotions of others. I feel deeply, not only for myself, but for other people, and am especially in tune with pain and suffering. When I’m healthy or in a good place, I’m able to focus and hone in on the principals and objective... The post The Feelings & Emotions Of Others appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Sometimes when I see others who do what I do, I find myself wrapped up in envy. It’s like saran wrap – thin, but unexpectedly adhesive. I find myself saying things like, “Wow, they’ve really arrived.” And sitting there, enveloped in my see through envy, I long to “arrive” like they have. But really, to... The post The Here And Now appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

They’re waiting for what seems like an eternity . She’s clutching her one way ticket to heaven. He’s still blaming her for having the ticket that could have been his. “This is your fault,” he says, the first sound to break their silence in hours. “That ticket should be mine.” “I’m sorry,” she says, knowing... The post Heaven And Hell (part 3b) appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Sometimes we’re digesting food, pulling what’s important and life sustaining. Sometimes we’re digesting news, removing bits and pieces that change our life. Sometimes we’re digesting our days with their routines and movements. And often we digest online. We take our daily life, mundane moments and environments, and we consume them, spill them out in our... The post Sometimes We’re Digesting appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

 Ice cream always tastes better after your bedtime. Growing up my grandma would always have Orange Sherbet and Cookies & Cream waiting for me in the freezer. And once my mom went to bed (which meant I was supposed to be asleep too) she would open the freezer and fill a bowl with more scoops... The post Ice Cream After Midnight appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Beard unkempt, so damned unclean Short skirts for gloves his fingers wore His breath lingers high in the chest Lips and face a bright desert floor Unwarm layers cover frozen skin A carapace for holy bones Alcohol scented vellum surround Eyes aflame gazing toward home White snow spray crashing on words Words permanent that fall icy shelves The whispered anthem he repeats, “You are me.” Record your own or leave a comment Words: Justin Heap Image: Jim Kast-Keat Music: Podington Bear The post You Are Me appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Hiking reminds me that it’s not so much about where I’m going but what I’m seeing along the way. Hiking reminds me that I can’t just stare at the ground beneath my feet for fear of tripping but must look up now and then to see where I’ve been and where I’m heading. Hiking locates... The post Hiking appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Creativity is critical to solving the complex problems facing the world today.  I have a dream that the next generation will be the most creative in history and discover amazing ways to protect the environment, find peaceful solutions to our differences, and put an end to poverty and hunger. For my part I want to... The post The Problem Solvers of the Future appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

We are an evolutionary species. Deep within us we feel that we have finally got it for now. Our success is measured my hierarchy and how we did not peak in high school. That we must constantly be improving on what came prior. In creating a culture of creativity we must abandon these constructs, finding... The post The End of Evolutionary Creativity appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

You haven’t graduated from improvisation to composition until you’ve premeditated something based on the materials you’ve already created. That isn’t to say that improve is an intrinsically lower art form than composition but one which demonstrates intuition rather than premeditation. Generative processes can begin from either intuition or premeditation and part of the allure of... The post Intuition or Premeditation appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

We often hear that creativity is “to think outside the box.” But from both the perspective of creativity and non-creativity, this seems incorrect. Perhaps it is better to say that non-creativity, or what we might call “the limitation of what’s possible,” insists that one is always in a box; there is limitation. But creativity, or... The post An Infinite Number of Boxes appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

A young boy upstairs in his bed, eyes stare off into the heavy, unloving darkness. When I think about fourteen year old me who knew he was gay but didn’t know how to believe it, I know that being “out” or “in” is too complex for such small words. Much of my ministry today is... The post Coming Out appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.