Wrapping Up 2023: Lessons I learned and things I loved

Image by @joannakosinka via Unsplash

Adios, 2023! Well…almost. This week between-holidays has me thinking about what I learned in 2023 and what I loved. I’ve got a list of habits that kept me going, great movies, good books, cool services I love, and art and poetry worth checking out.

But first, here’s what you found interesting.

Most Read Blogs and Newsletters

1. The Wallpaper of Your Imagination: Cultivating the Habit of Finding God’s Beauty by Nancy Bartelt

2. Here Are 8 Things To Put You in That Cozy, Inspired Mood

3. The Woman Who Gives Me Hope That the Church Is Waking Up

Lessons I Learned

I’m still learning valuable lessons about self-compassion pacing, even after blogging and writing professionally for over a decade and 20-ish years of ministry work.

1. It’s better to stop something good you’ve started and prioritize your well-being rather than make yourself and your loved ones miserable.

2. In terms of creating in general, it’s my job to take care of quantity. It’s God’s job to tend to the quality. (Thank you, Julia Cameron).

3. Waiting is a grace if I choose to see it as such.

What you listened to

Even though I haven’t released a new podcast in almost 2 years, this episode intrigued quite a few listeners

Things I Loved

Habits that Have Sustained Me This Year

1. Morning pages and artist dates

2. Walking in the quiet of nature

3. Praying the Psalms with Beads and listening to them

Image by @radu_marcusu via Unsplash

Great Reads

1. Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep by Tish Harrison Warren (spiritual non-fiction with personal narrative)

2. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré (fiction)

3. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (non-fiction)

4. A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message by Winn Collier (biography)

Image by @timothyeberly via Unsplash

Fab Movies

1. A quirky spin-off of the classic Groundhog Day my 14-year-old son introduced me to: The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

2. A chronic daydreamer finds the quintessence of life: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

3. An ageless romance that explored the gift of growing old: The Age of Adaline

4. Another fantasy movie rec from my son that surprised me: Ready Player One

5. And I’m throwing in my all-time favorite spy movie: Spy Game

Recommended Services & Products

1. Travel on the cheap while taking care of pets: Trustedhousesitters.com

2. Email and newsletter service (with free marketing training): Flodesk

3. Listening to Scripture: Dwell Bible app

4. Mindful, meaningful work online: Focused

Art and Writing to Explore

Image by @elimendeinagella via Unsplash

1. The portraits and architectural lines in the photography of Evelyn Hofer

2. The raw poetry of Leila Chatti

3. The ethereal art of Laura Makabresku

4. Asian art depicting Christ’s birth

5. The perspective and poetry of Drew Jackson

What lessons did you learn in 2023 and what did you love? I’d love to hear! Send me an email via the link in the page footer.

Happy New Year and thanks for being the best part of what I do!

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