Story Warren

Kindling Imagination for Kingdom Anticipation

The Warren & The World Vol 12, Issue 13

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As we walk through these days of Eastertide, we celebrate the joy of the resurrection. I’m coming up on one year since the death of a dear friend, and the resurrection feels absolutely necessary to me this year. For if my friend’s beauty can be gone—forever gone—then what hope is there? But if her beauty is just gone for now, and in the resurrection we will meet again, then what joy I hold.

A closeup of a yellow and white windsock floating in the air during daylight

Around the Web

The Wild River and the Great Dam by Simon Boughton

Janie at Redeemed Reader reviews a book about one of the biggest building projects in the Depression.

  • Follow the construction of the Depression era’s greatest building project in The Wild River and the Great Dam.
    Read more

Why We Fast

Ross Byrd explores this practice.

  • Should modern Christians fast? There’s a danger in talking about fasting, because the power of fasting and prayer is almost entirely in the doing, not in explanation, but in bodily participation. We do it, and then we tend to see what it’s for. But since so many Christians in our disembodied cultural moment have perhaps never fasted or never even considered why it might be a good thing for Christians to do, it might be worth saying a few things about it as a way of re-introducing a notion that, perhaps for many of our ancestors, would have needed no explanation at all.
    Read more

How to Dive Back In, Instead of Letting Fear Control Your Story

Craig Allen Cooper shares from his experience of being rolled by the waves of life.

  • Years ago, I watched my nine-year-old son playing in the ocean during a family vacation.
    When we first got there, Joshua didn’t worry at all about the waves. He just dove in headfirst and attacked the sea with full abandon. He wore a life jacket, not because it was comfortable or he thought is looked cool, but only because his parents made him. 
    Then, it happened . . . my son got rolled by a monstrous wave.
    Read more

The Case for Holy Obstinacy

Trevin Wax makes the case for Christian stubbornness.

  • An often overlooked element of Christian witness is holy stubbornness—the unbending refusal to go along with what the world says, no matter the cultural pressures or ramifications.
    Read more

Around the Warren

Frames of Reference: How Early Literacy Helps Our Children See the World

Sarah Dixon Young explores how reading helps children understand the world.

  • While a friend and I watched our children playing on the playground, she confided to me, “The only thing I buy for myself is picture frames these days.”
    We had a comfortable chuckle, and I thought about all the frames hugging the photos in my house: big and small; decorative silver swirls and plain wood; dusty glass and porcelain pink baby shoes. 
    I hardly notice the frames unless I actually look at them. The frames are nice, but what makes me smile are the happy children’s faces smiling back at me and the memories that we’ve made together. 
    The frames simply help me focus on what’s important.
    Read more

The Mousehole Cat

Théa Rosenburg reviews her surprise mail.

  • My favorite kind of mail is Surprise Mail: the packages that I didn’t order, but that arrive on our porch unannounced and full of possibility.
    The Mousehole Cat arrived in just such a package: a friend sent it as a surprise, but also, because the card ended up arriving separately a few days later, as a bit of a mystery. 
    Read more

The Great Brain

Tom Jenkins is the shrewdest ten-year-old in the Midwest; always finding a new money-making scheme with his wit and charm. That’s why they call him The Great Brain. His brother narrates their tales of success and failure, but somehow The Great Brain always lands on top. Reminiscent of Mark Twain or Beverly Cleary, this semi-autobiographical collection of stories describes these remarkable events through a crystal-clear, youthful lens. So often throughout the course of this book, I would think: “that’s exactly how I thought as a child.” I will always remember laughing out loud when my mom read aloud The Great Brain by John D Fitzgerald to me and my siblings. I treasure those memories and encourage you to make some of your own when you pick up The Great Brain! 

Mooses with Bazookas

Mooses with Bazookas is another short, sweet collection of stories that will have you laughing up a storm during your next road trip, read aloud, or solo reading journey! The ineffable Wally Warmbottom shares stories he has collected throughout his many misadventures and keeps us updated on his own whereabouts and condition as he is stranded on a desert island. Even though I hear my dad’s jokes all the time, I can’t help chuckling when I read the intro to Mooses with Bazookas. The audiobook is my favorite way to enjoy these stories because of all the incredible narrators, including my mom! 

Something to Do with Your Kids

Looking for an interesting origami project with your older kids? Try these angels!

Something to Watch

Why are English plural nouns so weird?

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side. 

–The Story Warren Team

Carolyn Clare Givens
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