Our family favorite ice cream stop is the Pied Piper Creamery. Tucked away in Berry Hill, one of Nashville’s quirky business districts, the PPC expanded on the original version that has blessed East Nashville for years. With flavors like Baklava, Pancakes, Halepeño, Little Debbie Does Dallas or Red Velvet Elvis, we always taste 4 or…
This past Spring, we visited the High School our eldest (Livi) is scheduled to attend this Fall. Beneath a painting, framed in the hallway, I spied this verse: “We are God’s Masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus. So we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” I…
I started writing songs about family life when my kids were tiny. The first songs were lullabies and odes to diaper changes. Then came Slugs & Bugs and songs about lost pajamas, ninjas, and swinging on the swing set. Now, at 14, 12 and almost 8, the content has morphed again. When our oldest (Livi)…
Editor’s Note: Randall Goodgame spent all day at our first family conference, Inkwell, pouring his heart out for our guests, young and old. His featured sessions on songwriting were wonderfully fun and instructive, as well as inspiring. His concert (along with pal, Andrew Peterson) was magical. His new record, Sing the Bible with Slugs & Bugs,…
I have a 12 year old daughter, and sometimes she’s kind of a tom-boy. She loves to be outside in the creek, and she’s not afraid to mix it up with her brothers. However, when she dresses up nice, from time to time people tell her that she is very pretty. She never really knows…
Some time ago, my oldest son did something that got him in big trouble. He received stern discipline, and a few days later, he did it again. I called him into my office and closed the door. I crouched down to look at him, and I asked him if he knew why he was in…
In these early months of 2013, when I’m not busy booking concerts, I’m working on songs for the new Slugs & Bugs CD. If you haven’t heard, almost all of the lyrics will come straight from scripture. I’ve used many suggestions from people out there in internet land and if you have one, don’t hesitate…
A couple of weekends ago I spoke at a conference called Hutchmoot. Hutchmoot is a physical manifestation of the online community known as The Rabbit Room. Around 200 folks from homes scattered across North America left chores, bills, jobs, kids, and the isolated safety of cyberspace, and gathered at Church of the Redeemer in Nashville,…
Hello reader, and welcome to day four of Story Warren’s Andrew Peterson Appreciation Week. If you’ve somehow found yourself here and you’re wondering “Who the heck is Andrew Peterson, and what’s the big deal?” Then today is your lucky day. Andrew Peterson is one of the creative treasures of our generation, and he has just…
I am at my best as a parent when I remember that I am also a needy child. Whether I remember or not, I need my Father in heaven every day for grace, forgiveness, comfort, patience… you name it, I need him for it. When I forget my need for him, it shows up in…
It is early morning. For more than an hour I’ve been up praying, or reading scripture, or checking out ESPN.com, and now I’m sitting down at the kitchen table eating a bowl of Honeynut Cheerios with almond milk, and a handful of blueberries. The birds are now awake and tweeting like a tree full of…
A few years ago, a seasoned parent and dear friend taught me to say ‘yes’ to my kids as often as possible. “No” is every parent’s invaluable weapon against injury, back talk, obesity, apathy, and just plain rottenness, so we’re going to have to use it plenty… but I try to surprise with a “yes”…
