Dear friend,

Last year flew by way too fast. It was a year full of adventures and growing pains (but then, what year isn’t?).

I love this time of year. The end of the old year and the beginning of the new one is a great time to look back at all that has happened and dream about what might come next.

Speaking of looking back, here are my favorite three articles I’ve written this year. If you haven’t had the chance to read them yet, it’ll take you fifteen minutes and you may even find them helpful. I know I did when I went back and read them again (A bit ironic? Maybe.).

Take A Rest From Creativity

As someone who has struggled with sleep since childhood, rest is an important topic to me. Many famous creative people have struggled with sleep, including Vincent Van Gogh and Emily Brontë. God has a lot to say about rest; who needs it, where you can find it, and the like. This article details what I learned about rest from the Bible.

Do Your Best

The phrase “Do your best” is a good phrase. A simple phrase. It sounds straightforward.

However, I think we misunderstand it or add extra meaning to it.

Sometimes, I’ve thought “do your best” means I should be doing the best, and that is discouraging. Especially when I have a bad day and I feel like I’ve done nothing at all.

Thankfully, that’s not what “do your best” means.

Wonder And Inspiration Are Friends

One of my favorite Christmas-y movies is actually an Easter movie. Rise of the Guardians is a movie about the fun and wonder of childhood. The Santa Clause character, called North, has an interesting line about ‘wonder’ and it got me thinking about the relationship between curiosity and inspiration.

I hope you find these articles helpful as we stride into the New Year. I’m praying for inspiration and creativity and rest for each of you this coming year. I look forward to sharing more of these lessons God is teaching me this new year.

Sincerely,

R.J. Catlin