Hey guys!

Today, I turn 40. Besides it being "over the hill," this age marks a really special occasion for me. It will be 20 years of following Christ. Given this, I thought I'd spend several weeks highlighting some takeaways about God's work in me as a Christian and as an artist. Check out the Ages 21-25 and Ages 26-30. Below is the next 5-year segment (age 31-35, or 2016-2021):

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💥 INSPIRED BY

Age 31 (2017)

2017 was a pivotal "bridge" year where I pivoted from the disappointment of not going overseas toward a proactive season of gift-discovery and ethnographic study. I transitioned from a passive institutional mindset to a worldview focusing on unleashing others' gifts while beginning to intentionally architect my own family culture.

Check out this song arranged by my late Grandpa Taylor. This year, I asked a friend, Justin, if I could record him playing some of my Grandpa's hymn renditions. Check one out: What Wondrous Love Is This (Olin Taylor, played by Justin Vander Ark).mp3​

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Age 32 (2018)

2018 was the year I traded the safety of hiding behind leaders for the responsibility of owning my own decisions and confrontations. I began dreaming of Ethnodoxology's role in Church Planting and building the specific training frameworks I still use today.

I began learning how to give away my artistic gifting to others. On a trip to Europe, I found that trust can be built when you use your arts to serve others.

And...my wife gave birth to our second daughter!

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Age 33 (2019)

2019 was my year of intellectual and artistic expansion, where I crystallized my identity as a "trainer of church planters" through the lens of imagination and cultural exegesis.

My journaling worldview shifted from Puritan-type entries to generating transferable concepts (thanks Steve Leston for this framework!), committing me to the principle that everything I learn I must give away.

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Age 34 (2020)

Like most, 2020 was my year of adaptability. The pandemic was just beginning while I was overseas. We had our third born during this year. I shifted to becoming the Training Director for To Every Tribe. Amidst the chaos, I refined my artistic philosophy. I moved from an art-as-propaganda worldview toward a contextual culture-making one.

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Age 35 (2021)

Another closed door for the mission in 2021. Our family had invested four years building trust into another overseas network, anticipating a big move. But that door closed hard on us. I swear, Paul could have written Acts 16:6-10 about our family. But where one door closes, others open. We began investing into a local church plant where I was given opportunities to facilitate various kinds of arts trainings. I would learn that by cultivating your giftings, you'll discover many creative and unexpected ways God can open doors.

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🛠️ EQUIPPED BY

From Propaganda to Play (Takeaways from 2017-2021)

Between 2017 and 2021, I moved from the disorientation of closed doors to the clarity of becoming a mission architect, trading a "manager" mindset for a leadership style that focuses on unleashing others' gifts. This era was my "gift-discovery" season, where I stopped hiding behind leaders, stepped into the mediator's role, and realized that my "fruit truly grows on other people’s trees." I transitioned from seeing art as evangelical propaganda to embracing it as contextual culture-making and "play," finally integrating my identity as a thinker-artist who doesn't just execute tasks but designs the frameworks and family culture that make the Kingdom visible. By the time I officially said "no" to Europe, I was learning and committed to the idea that everything God teaches me must be turned into transferable concepts and given away. Life is found in faithfulness to this idea way more than forcing God's hand into my man-made career or mission.

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🎨 WHAT I MADE THIS WEEK

I binged a bunch of Cal Newport videos on habits and scheduling. I've enjoyed time-blocking, but I realized that our move to Chicago made me feeling overwhelmed in just about all areas of life.

So, this week I created (tweaked) my family's life/work 90-day goals based on our mission, values, and long-term desires.

I absolutely consider this stuff making!

What did you make this last week? (email me and I'll share it with in my next newsletter)

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🚀 SENT WITH

Andy Crouch:

-Matt

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