The Creative Connection With Ed Young

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young teaches that there is no opportunity without opposition, tracing Nehemiah's preparation, simplification, and determination as the wall-building project escalates from mockery to an outright plot to attack, and calls believers to stay on the wall rather than come down to meet their critics on their own terms.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young opens the series by teaching that everyone is an influencer, using Nehemiah's story to show that leaders master the task of "the ask"—questioning others and questioning God—and that as we pursue the target God has given us, we will always face opposition, since envy begins where our influence ends.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young teaches that weekly corporate worship is the believer’s “finest hour,” an appointment with God that should be approached with preparation and participation. He urges listeners to come prayed up, rested up, dressed up, linked up, and fessed up, and to engage worship through singing, generosity, and active response to God’s presence and grace.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young teaches that worship is intrinsic to every person, but that it must be directed toward God as our primary passion rather than toward sports, success, self, or other distractions. He argues that true worship is a whole-life response to God’s identity and activity, expressed in both praise and service, and calls listeners to bow the knee to Jesus...

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young teaches that worship is a whole-life response to God’s identity and activity, not just something done in church. He emphasizes that true worship is expressed through thanksgiving, praise, and obedient action, warning against empty religious emotion that does not translate into a life of surrendered devotion.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young closes the series by sharing openly from his own seasons of shame—including the loss of his daughter—and returns to the parable of the unmerciful servant to teach that forgiveness is uncomfortable, unusual, unceasing, and unemotional, giving five steps to name, own, and release the shame we carry.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young compares unforgiveness to a dog dragging a park bench through traffic, teaching from the parable of the unmerciful servant that forgiveness is more for the offended than the offender, and calls believers to identify who is "sitting on the bench" of their lives and unleash the shame they've been dragging around.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young preaches an ironic "how to increase your shame" through the tragic life of King Saul—talking down about yourself, resisting vulnerability, bragging, following your heart, and criticizing your peers—then flips each one, calling believers instead to God's truth, honest vulnerability, self-awareness, and obedience.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young uses the story of Moses—who murdered an Egyptian and buried him in the sand—to show how shame drives us to hide, cover, and blame, and teaches that God forgives and forgets, turning the "period" of shame into the "comma" of grace as he did in calling a fugitive to become a great deliverer.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young opens the series by defining shame as the all-consuming sense that we've let down ourselves, others, and God, and traces its origin to the Garden of Eden—showing how the enemy lures us into the cycle of the fame, lame, and blame games while God offers humility, vulnerability, and responsibility through the cross.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young uses the life of Simon Peter—who crumbled at crunch time yet became a man of great courage—to show that spiritual, moral, and relational courage flow from walking with the Son, worshiping the Father, and witnessing through the Spirit, reminding believers that Jesus sees their potential and restores them when they fail.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young opens the series by teaching that character is a choice grown in crisis and community, and that courage—the God-given ability to stand for our convictions—can be increased by claiming God's promises, obeying His word, and trusting His presence, using the two "real estate deals" of Israel at the edge of the Promised Land.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young teaches that true Christian character is an outward reflection of an inward connection with Christ—formed and revealed through trials, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and demonstrated more in our actions than in our words.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young uses Jethro's counsel to Moses to teach that organization is a decision followed by a process, showing how believers find balance by realizing their need for help, accepting constructive criticism, minimizing unnecessary responsibilities, and actualizing priorities rooted in God's order.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young uses the story of Hosea and Gomer to illustrate God's irrational, unconditional love—showing how God pursues us even when we run from Him, disciplines us through consequences, and restores us through His grace.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young teaches that creativity is a foundational character quality rooted in the nature of God, modeled by Jesus, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, calling believers to embrace and cultivate creativity as a vital spiritual responsibility and a means of growth in every area of life.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young uses David's defeat of Goliath to teach that vision is the God-given ability to see the unseen, encouraging believers to cultivate vision in obscurity, resist the "vision vandals" who discourage them, and draw on past victories and God's provision to face the giants in front of them.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young contrasts the ten fearful spies with Joshua and Caleb to teach that courage is the God-given ability to stand, and that believers can claim God's promises with spiritual, moral, and relational courage that comes from the inside out—even when peer pressure and negativity surround them.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young uses Noah's 120-year obedience in building the ark to teach that endurance is the God-given ability to stampede through the stopping points of life, calling believers to hear God's voice, trust His timing, and fix their eyes on Jesus as the ultimate finisher.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young teaches that discipline is doing what you ought to do so you can do what you want to do—a God-given, delayed-gratification quality—and uses the life of Daniel to show how advance planning, taking life one day at a time, and biblical meditation put us in a position to be used and blessed by God.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young encourages believers to regularly identify and discard the spiritual and character "trash"—such as pride, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, greed, and slothfulness—that accumulates in their lives, emphasizing the need for specific confession, reliance on God's power for transformation, and the assurance that Jesus, who sacrificed on the cross, is abl...

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young explores the concept of personal dysfunctions as "character stumps"—such as pride, envy, anger, lust, greed, gluttony, and sloth—that keep believers spiritually stuck, urging them to identify, confess, and surrender these issues to God and trusted others in order to experience transformation and freedom in accordance with God's will.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young addresses the struggles of dysfunction and personal baggage that many carry from their family backgrounds and life experiences, emphasizing the need to acknowledge our brokenness, reject denial and blame, and trust Jesus—the one who offers true transformation and rescue through faith.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young addresses the deep impact of family dysfunction and personal baggage on our lives, emphasizing that true change is only possible through admitting our inability to change ourselves and relying on God's transformative power through Jesus, while encouraging believers to face their struggles in community.

In this episode of The Creative Connection, Ed Young explores the reality of depression through the biblical example of Elijah, emphasizing how double-mindedness and isolation can lead to spiritual and emotional struggles, while urging believers to embrace truth, faith, community, and obedience to overcome despair and live a single-minded life devoted to God.