Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love on nurturing creativity. She makes a good case for the idea that greatness comes from without and not from within – and the idea of just showing up. While I haven’t read the book and don’t know the details of her belief system (click here to go to an elegantly stated critique of her book), I do think we can learn from her passion and authenticity. (FYI, it’s an 18 minute video.) I would like us to be to be able learn from others about the important issues of our day and always be willing to ask the questions:  What is redemptive?  And, How will this help me to contextualize God’s good news in my current cultural context?

Finally, I’m a HUGE fan of the TED talks. It began in 1984 as a conference bringing people together from three worlds: technology, entertainment, and design. Since then its scope has become ever broader, bringing together some of the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Check it out here.