Adventures Ahead: Schemes, Dreams, & a Godward Guide

We focus on gratitude this week and I want to thank you for reading here at Story Warren. We’re grateful you’re here and it’s our sincere desire that what you find here serves you as you foster imagination in your family and seek the kingdom of God. We’ve learned a lot in the year and a half we’ve been at this and this has fueled some scheming for what might be the best way to go forward.

We have some plans.

We’re excited about what’s coming soon and I’m eager to tell you a little about it.

Family Advent Art & Reading Guide

Advent begins Sunday and we are delighted to share something special with you. Our own James Witmer has written a guide for families incorporating readings from the Bible and The Jesus Storybook Bible by our friend, Sally Lloyd-Jones. Scattered here and there over the 24 days will be an original reflection by James. It’s wonderful; I can’t wait to practice Advent in our family with this guide. “But wait, there’s more,” said the man in a top hat. James has partnered with artist Melissa Ellen Fink, who has provided beautiful, original art for an ornament which can be created, one for every day of Advent, with your kids. (Details to come, but it’s simple and all you need is a printer and paper.) This will be available as a download on Friday. Please take advantage of this. On the blog here, during Advent, the readings, along with James’ occasional pieces, will be posted daily.

This may seem a little ironic for a website, but we’re genuinely eager to communicate that staying on-line all the time isn’t healthy and taking breaks from social media, blogs, and internet “life” are very likely good things. So, we will be posting the daily readings, but please feel free to just download the guide (PDF) and ignore our blog (etc.) through Advent and focus on the holy season. We won’t post during the twelve days of Christmas either, for the same reason.

We plan to be back to regular posting the week following January 5 (Epiphany).

New Scheme

The other piece of news is that when we do return in January, we’ll be doing some new things. We’ll have new people, new contributors. Wonderful people will be joining the team. I can’t wait! We’ll have a new focus, including what I’m most excited about, the fact that every Friday (beginning in January), will feature something for children. It will be short stories, poems, songs, who knows what else? We have shared things like this from time to time, but the idea is that you can predict it. There will be something for your kids every Friday at Story Warren. This desire has grown out of our eagerness to move beyond theory.

We have tried to occupy a space of service that isn’t crowded. We didn’t know of anyone doing this kind of thing related to families, and we believed it was crucial. But there are so many websites dedicated to talking about imagination, about stories, about art and it’s importance, even from a kingdom perspective. But it’s always been a part of the Story Warren scheme to move beyond talking about things and actually move into creating and sharing. In January, we’ll take a step in that direction. It will be a baby step, so please don’t judge us too harshly. But we shall always be planning to grow up, and I hope you will be there with us as we toddle on toward maturity.

There’s more in the plans. A conference. Books. More. Keep it locked here…except, don’t. (See above.)

Thank you so much for being with us. Thank you for being on our side. Our sincere hope and prayer has been that this little work would inspire or touch you in some small way that translates into something beautiful in your family. We hope that in some small way your imagination has been kindled, that it has been inspired in a Godward way.

We’re on your side.

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S. D. Smith

S. D. Smith is an author, a lover of chocolate chip cookies, and a founder of Story Warren. Sam was born and raised in West Virginia, lived in South Africa as a teenager, and returned to West Virginia for his (so-far) extensive adulthood. Sam and his beloved wife, Gina, have four children, two of whom have embarked on adulthood themselves. It was at their home in the Appalachian hills where he told his children many stories, including some featuring heroic rabbits with swords. These later became the Green Ember Series, a now-popular work of moral imagination that has delighted millions around the globe. Sam is a devoted Christian, a lifelong Mountaineer fan, and an enthusiast of sports, books, and humorous things.

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