The world is watching the news as I write this, looking to see what’s happening, who’s safe, who’s in danger, which leader has said what. And in the midst of the watching, mothers and fathers are putting their children to bed, reading them stories, and filling their imaginations with visions of better ways than wars and rumors of wars. That’s why we’re here at Story Warren. We’re your allies in imagination. We’re on your side.
Around the Web
A Liturgy for Grieving a National Tragedy
If you need words to pray for Ukraine, Doug McKelvey’s liturgy from Every Moment Holy is a good place to start.
- Leader: O God who gathers what has been scattered,
People: Shelter us now in the shadow of your wings.
O Christ who binds our wounds,
Be our great healer.
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The Hospitable God
Lore Ferguson Wilbert considers how Jesus has made room in himself for us.
- On the window ledge above our sink, leaning against a tiny beeswax candle, is a notecard on which is written some notes I scrawled down during a weekend retreat at Laity Lodge many years ago. The guest lecturer that week was Duke theology professor, Norman Wirzba… The quote above the sink is not a direct one from one of his books, but has elements of all of them, in particular Way of Love—which, if a theological tome is not your cup of tea, you might start reading there.
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Two Truths and a Lie about Being a Working Mom
Laura Wifler writes about finding space to pursue her profession and motherhood.
- It was on an old notepad that I first wrote “be available” on my to-do list. Slotted between “write the article” and “edit the proposal,” “be available” was meant to signal what I valued and hoped to be in my very best moments of motherhood. Work was busier than ever, and because I worked from home, my job consistently bled out of its boundaries. It didn’t help that I loved my work: the measurable productivity, the opportunities, the obvious and quick results—whether by nature, by nurture, by grace, or by sin, these were my natural bent and my work was their playground.
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Picture Books about Transportation
Janie at Redeemed Reader has a picture book round up.
- Check out these picture books about transportation: From Here to There, Rescuing Titanic, and Hope at Sea
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Around the Warren
On Christians Reading Fiction: Developing Empathy
Kelly Keller continues her series on the value of reading fiction.
- “…if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” — Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Here we have a serviceable definition of empathy: considering things from someone else’s point of view. In our current moment of divisive speech and conflict, could empathy get us somewhere better? Biblically speaking, empathy is what assists us to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
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How The West Won Me
Jessica Burke looks back at her own story with Westerns.
- Every Friday night during my childhood, my family ordered pizza and rented a few movies from the local video store. A few of us piled onto the couch and recliners while everyone else made beds on the floor of the living room. After pizza, popcorn was always served. Sometimes we’d watch a new release, but more often than not, Dad would make us watch one of his favorite westerns.
I didn’t get westerns back then.
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Something to Do with Your Kids
There are signs of spring around my neighborhood. Even if your springtime is a bit further off, you can be thinking about how you want to incorporate these garden gnomes in the yard.
Something to Watch
You watched curling last week, right? But do you know how it works?
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 41 - December 9, 2023
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 40 - December 2, 2023
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 39 - November 25, 2023
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