Story Warren

Kindling Imagination for Kingdom Anticipation

The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 40

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My Christmas tree is up, a small light shining in the darkness. Advent begins this weekend, and we are poised to look forward over the coming weeks. When you celebrate the coming joy, remember this moment of the darkness, when the light is all you have to hold on to.

Around the Web

When Hope is Deferred

Jamye Doerfler examines the theme of hope this Advent.

  • Behind every book, there’s a story. When I tell the short version of the story behind my book The Advent Investigator, it goes like this: no one else had written an advent devotional geared toward middle and high schoolers, so I did.
    That sounds nice and tidy, but it’s not even close to the full story. 
    Read more

Traditional Christmas Picture Books: A Roundup

Janie at Redeemed Reader points us to some great picture books for the season.

  • The Chimney Problem, the decorating dilemma, a pesky pigeon, and a reformed Grinch take center stage in four new Christmas picture books.
    Read more

Finding Gratitude in the Days of Parenthood When We Just Get By

Amanda Idleman considers the days when we barely make it.

  • Have you ever had someone stop you with your many kids in tow just to comment on how you want to make sure you enjoy this time because it goes so fast? The idea they are trying to convey is one hundred percent true: when raising kids, the days are long, but the years often feel so short. But I think that when this comment is made in passing, it often places a lot of undue stress and pressure on young moms doing their best to get through the day, let alone make sure they savor every fleeting moment with their young ones.
    Read more

Dear Fam: The Real Reason Why We Make Time for Advent

Anne Voskamp reminds us of the reason for the season.

  • Dear Fam, all my dear, dear, Brave hearts….
    Someone mentioned to me in passing the other day that when they grew up, they actually realized that all the magic of Christmas — is really always the work of some mother. 
    And I laughed – loudly. 
    As a mama, I laughed and smiled and nodded –  and deep within, I exhaled with a relief that my weary bones could actually feel: 
    The Wonder of Christmas is always really the work of our Heavenly Father.
    Read more

Around the Warren

November: Native American Heritage Month

A.C.S. Bird looks at books that celebrate Native American history and culture.

  • Of the books highlighted here in honor of Native American Heritage Month, a number feature values common among indigenous peoples of North America. Traci Sorell’s We Are Grateful is one of these. I, in turn, am grateful for these books and their authors, who have expanded my exposure to Native American traditions and history.
    Read more

Noodles ‘n Goop, Paper Houses, and Love

Isabel Chenot reminds us that there is much richness in the joy of the thing.

  • A little while ago, one of our church’s more exuberantly squirmy members asked me with a hesitance unlike himself – suggestive of the very deepest longings of his interior soul – if at the midweek kid’s class, we could make a city.
    Read more

Something to Do with Your Kids

Have you learned how to fold a dollar bill into a bow tie? I feel like this is a skill you should know.

Something to Watch

Josh and Ollie have made their way to the Big Easy and are trying out American Southern Desserts (with all the joy and delight that they typically bring).

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side. 

–The Story Warren Team

Carolyn Clare Givens
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