According to Steven Pressfield, author of 'The War of Art' and 'The Legend of Bagger Vance', it's the thing that 'keeps us from sitting down'. For we'd all do what we'd love to if only we'd just sit down and do it. Don't think so?

Ever quit a diet? Or quit smoking more than once? Do you own a treadmill that doubles as a clothes rack? Do you have the heart of a writer, but never write? A painter who doesn't paint? An entrepreneur who never starts a venture?

Then you know Resistance. "It's the root of more unhappiness than poverty, disease, and erectile dysfunction." (The War of Art, p.12) It deforms our spirit. Stunts our growth. Dwarfs what we were/are born to be. In all its evil, Resistance prevents us from the life God intended when He endowed us with life itself. Resistance is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and harder to kick than heroin.

Look in your heart. Some (many?)of you may have a dream of doing something else. Living a life different than what you've settled for. Unless I'm crazy, there's a voice in your head telling you, like a thousand times before, that you have a calling. No one has to tell you. You know it. But you don't quite believe it. And unless I'm crazy, you're no closer to taking action on it now than you were yesterday…or will be tomorrow. You think Resistance isn't real? Resistance will bury you.

You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At 18, he took his inheritance, moved to Vienna, went to the Academy of fine Arts (and to the School of Architecture). Ever seen any of his paintings?

Neither have I. Resistance beat him. My guess is that it was easier for him to start World War II than to face-off with a blank square of canvas.

What do you want to do? What calling has God put in your heart? What dream is so big, you're afraid to even say it aloud?

Talk to me. 

'The intuitive mind is a sacred gift.

And the rational mind is a faithful servant.

We have created a society that honors the servant

and has forgotten the gift."

-Albert Einstein

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My resolutions this year are different than last year. While I do have some specific, personal things I want to accomplish in the next 12 months (getting back to my running regime, never using the words ‘epic’ and ‘fail’ again…), they’re pretty insignificant in the larger scheme of things. So here are my top 5: 

5. Look closely. Life happens all around. I have friends who have travelled the world and  don’t have much to report. I also have other friends who can walk down the street and see the whole world. I want to be the latter. 

4. Listen intently. We all have amazing stories to tell. Stories of love and tragedy. Of heartbreak and redemption. Of grace and growth. God is in the process of redeeming all of creation, but sometimes noise drowns out the tale. In 2011, I will listen more intently to Christ’s story in and around me. 

3. Tell boldly. What good is a story without an audience? What good is tragedy if the triumph is never told? I want to 'tell better'–not in a preacher-on-a-street-corner-kind-of-way, but like a painter who can't help but paint. I want to creatively use every color, every hue, every nuance to tell the story so that it resonates with us and accurately reflects the love God has shown.

2. Love completely. When I die, the only things that will eternally matter are my relationships–with Christ and with His Bride. If I speak with the tongues of men and angels but don’t have love……if I feed the poor and don’t  have love….if I have faith that moves mountains or knowledge that understands crazy, theological secrets, and don’t have love…then what good is it?

1. Spend 2011 awake and wondering. Life gets hectic and it’s easy to autopilot through each day without engaging in the wonder of life and creation. Recreation is re-creation. Wonder begets wonder. Like Neo taking the red pill, I want to see how far the rabbit hole goes…

What about you? What are you striving towards in 2011? Did you make any resolutions? I'd love for you to share…perhaps together we can spur each other on towards living 2011on purpose. 

Thanks to @mrcrum for the graphic! 

But it's deeper than that for sure. 

Sir Ken Robinson makes a compelling case and challenges the way we challenge our children. He wants us to rethink an environment than cultivates (rather than undermines) creativity. But the BIG question is how this affects creativity in your own life, ministry, etc. 

Watch and give me your thoughts!  VIDEO NOT DISPLAYING CORRECTLY? Click here…

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офис обзавеждане

His playing and arrangement have shades of Eric Johnson, but still a style all his own. 

…things really take off around 3:25…

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The Power of Time Off

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What is it about creative ventures that makes us nervous about each other’s mental health? Those who inhabit the far end of the creative spectrum are often known for their unstable, capricious moodiness that often leads to depression, manic tendencies, and even suicide. The question Gilbert raises is: as a ‘creative’, are you OK with that? If you create (songs, poetry, art, fashion, design, or ANYTHING), you’ll relate to the capriciousness of creativity and the oftentimes fleeting and frustrating process of creativity…and you’ll identify with her story I have no idea of Gilbert’s religious belief system, but her time in the video is spent trying to convince at least some of her audience that the creative process is fueled by some kind of ‘divine’ or ‘spiritual’ force that can inhabit and direct us as we create something.

It’s not a new concept, and certainly WAY too long to encompass on a blog like this one, but many great works of art (songs, paintings, etc.) have been documented as having been created effortlessly…as if the Spirit simply flowed through the artist. The result has been everything from a ‘classic’ work of art to a significant worship song to a watershed writing which helped change the course of history.

Do you resonate with the story of poet Ruth Stone at 10:20 in the video? Or is that too irrational? Too far out of our civility? What do you think? Have you ever brushed up against something like that? How do you explain it?

And if you’re not familiar with TEDblog (Technology, Entertainment, Design), spend a little time there and become inspired and refueled.

And follow TEDtalks on Twitter.