A little over 10 years ago, we packed up our possessions, turned in the keys to our apartment in Nashville and moved overseas. We lived in Portugal for a little while before finally settling here in the African country of Mozambique. Living as aliens in foreign lands has shaped our thinking about… well… pretty much…
This is the first of a short series of short posts I’m calling Block Pile Meditations. Like Adam before me, I named them that because I couldn’t think of anything better. –Sam —– —– —– In our family, we play a game with wooden blocks called “Castle Wars.” Maybe you do something similar. In short,…
It’s become a tired punchline that parents are weary of being asked “Why?” a thousand times a day. I get that. We are as tired as the joke is. In frustration, we may say, ‘Because I said so!” That is probably best classified as what scientist call a “crummy” response. But it does hint at…
Jennifer Trafton is the author of The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, a wonderful tale about a girl named Persimmony Smudge (you love it already, I know). It’s a Smith family favorite and we are eager/impatient for her follow up! Jennifer is also a popular creative writing teacher for children, the vocation from which…
Bryana Joy Johnson is a poet, essayist, and more. I asked her if we could feature The War From Where We Are as a guest post at Story Warren and was delighted when she happily agreed. It certainly sings in harmony with our goal of Kindling Imagination for Kingdom Anticipation. Thanks, Bryana. –Sam —– —– …
Kids today are offered many invitations to be shallow. Everywhere they are bombarded with proclamations that reality is self-defined, appetites are sacred, and that self-control is self-defacement. If you examine the children’s books on the shelves of your local bookstore you find that girls are afflicted with books like Teenage-ness: the Teenage years, Glitter Edition…
The Blizzard came and transformed the city. Before the snowploughs and the footprints and the salt and the dirt could arrive, I got up early to capture it. I stepped out of my apartment—and into Narnia. Complete with lampposts. Everywhere, everything was brimming with light. Beauty that catches in your throat. Sudden brightness—shining in the…
O! it is excellent To have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant. Shakespeare, Measure for Measure Paul Bunyan, Roald Dahl’s BFG, and the Jolly Green Giant are not without their charms, but all anti-types derive their power from types. If the types become overrun with exceptions, the exceptions…
“Are there real fairies in the world?” I looked up from the mushrooms I was chopping to study my five-year-old daughter’s face. The cock of her head and squint of her eyes matched the skepticism in her voice. Not long ago, a Christian man who my daughter loves told her that fairies don’t exist. She’s…
“Wonder is involuntary praise.” Edward Young said that and I’m glad he did. What are we doing to facilitate wonder in our families? C.S. Lewis said we need an enchantment to set us free from the bondage of worldliness. How are we working for our children’s liberty? If it is only in books and art and…
Last week our neighborhood lost power for a day. All day long I walked into dark rooms and flipped light switches out of habit. I’m not accustomed to operating in the dark. As the hours passed, I began to worry about all the food we could lose in the refrigerator. No one was allowed to…
Reading through the Old Testament with my kids (via Eegermeir’s Bible Story Book) has taught me a lot. Simplifying things to the bare essentials does much to reveal themes in the greater story. Today I am struck by the reason given for Israel’s frequent slides into idolatry. We are told that, over and over, they…
