There’s a blizzard on the way through the midwest and a “cyclone-bomb” temperature drop about to hit. Our refrigerators are full of feasting foods and we’re praying our relatives can make it through the weather. Christmas Eve services are planned and prepped, and now all there is left to do is worship the king who we could not see coming, but in this world of sin, he entered in.
Around the Web
On a Silent Night
Kathleen Chapell looks at a favorite Christmas hymn.
- Silent Night is my very favorite Christmas hymn. It speaks to believers AND non-believers around the world. Those who know just who that infant in the manger was heard in this simple song the provision of a Redeemer by a loving Father. And those who don’t know Him as Savior still love this tender song that is steeped in tradition and sentiment.
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Grandrabbit Prayers for Christmas and the New Year
Pete Peterson shares some prayers written for the community by Wayne Garvey.
- Wayne Garvey is a retired Methodist pastor, a neighbor, and a dear friend who leads the Rabbit Room team in prayer each Monday morning. We’ve even adopted him as the unofficial Rabbit Room chaplain and have dubbed him the “Grandrabbit.”
Wayne is always a delight to have in the room, but I especially appreciate the care he takes in writing a unique prayer for us as we start each week.
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Forget Saks 5th Avenue: Revolutionary Christmas
Anne Voskamp shares a story of a revolutionary Christmas.
- She’d never been to New York City before, and was on the cusp of turning 71.
I had to fly again for meetings in New York, after my long year of weariness and grief and loneliness, and just before they turned on the Christmas lights.
So I give her soft, wrinkled cheek a tender kiss, slip the plane ticket into hand, and whisper “Come with me, Mama.”
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Gladys Hunt on Reading Together
Our friends at Redeemed Reader share wisdom from Gladys Hunt.
- Most of us don’t need persuading, but how do you find the time to read together as a family? Gladys Hunt has some encouraging words.
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Around the Warren
Incarnation: The Word made Flesh
John Sommer meditates on the incarnation.
- “Repetition is the mother of all learning” some people say. I’m not so sure about that, but I am sure that Repetition is the father of Acquaintance, and Acquaintance all too often sires the illegitimate child Contempt. Even the most novel and noble ideas become ordinary and mundane when reduced to bare facts and repeated until they produce the feeling that a thing is so familiar that it no longer warrants consideration or worse, is rendered almost worthless. Repetition without consideration and contemplation is just mental white noise.
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My Tech-Wise Life | Amy Crouch & Andy Crouch
Théa Rosenberg reviews My Tech-Wise Life.
- We jokingly called this past summer The Summer of Life-Skills. It was a make-up summer, one in which I determined to teach my kids a bazillion things they might need to know as adults—practical lessons, like How to Ride the City Bus, or How to Order Your Own Italian Soda. For much of the pandemic, my daughters were able to attend their small school in person, and I’m grateful for that. But even so, we continue to find little residual burdens the pandemic has laid upon our daughters.
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Something to Do with Your Kids
As you’re home together during the holidays with a little extra time for clean up, consider making messy art—a valuable part of creating for little ones.
Something to Watch
A sweet story from a Sainsbury commercial.
Thanks for reading. We’re on your side.
–The Story Warren Team
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 32 - September 30, 2023
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 31 - September 23, 2023
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 30 - September 16, 2023
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