Those Dragons Underneath Our Bed

I love it when someone explains an idea beautifully, in a way my young children can get their heads around. Matthew Westerholm at Desiring God does just that:

• How we approach a situation reveals what we expect to find.How we approach a situation reveals what we expect to find.

A really good post. Read it.

2014 Children’s Book Award Winners

It’s always interesting to see what books are “making culture” according to the American Library Association. They announced the Newbery and Caldecott winners last week and Seira Wilson at Omnivoracious covers it.

• Think of this as the Academy Awards of children’s books, only early in the morning and minus the red carpet.

Might be some good reads hiding in there. Read more.

Work That Makes a Difference

Tim Challies does a spectacular job talking about vocation and calling. This is so much on my heart for my son and daughter.

• Day after day nothing happened. I had no major projects to inspire me, no big goals to work toward, no clear mission to fulfill. It was a bland and boring existence down there, just waiting for something interesting to happen. But nothing ever did, at least until the day came when they laid me off. I hated that job. I hated going to that office. The eventual pink slip, though intimidating and humiliating, was also something of a relief because at least it promised an end to those days.

He really digs into the issue. So good. Read more.

What Are We Doing to Our Boys

Circe Institute has released their digital magazine. It’s beautifully designed, well-written, and very worth your time. This article in particular caught me:

• When I think of “challenges” to boys becoming men, I seek to identity things that cause boys to either suppress that drive (a true wimp) to take the initiative or that cause them to overuse that drive to power in unrestrained ways (a barbarian).

A really great read. Read more.

Around the Warren:

Imagionality: Understanding Your Child’s Imaginative Personality

Clay Clarkson launches a series oriented toward helping you understand your child’s personality as it plays out in the realm of imagination and family.

• God’s image in us is complex, difficult to define, and mysterious, but at its root it is the part of our human nature that enables us to know that we are not rocks or animals. We are able to imagine our own existence, and our Creator’s. In the beginning, God breathed spirit into our material bodies, and imprinted our spirits with His image.

It’s a very worthwhile read. Read more.

A Poet is a Man Who Is Glad of Something…

Paul Boekell’s artistry continues to grace our Tuesdays.

The Beginnings of a Dark-Tinted, Truth-Filled Reading List

A couple of weeks ago we linked to a great article from N.D. Wilson about what our kids need to read. This week, Julie Silander starts to answer the challenge.

• While reading N.D. Wilson’s article The Dark-Tinted, Truth-Filled Reading List We Owe Our Kids, I found myself cheering. And cringing. Philosophically, I agree with what Wilson has to say. Yay. But practically, I confess that my early years of parenting were marked by the well-meaning building of bomb shelters. Cringe. 

Good recommendations abound. Read more.

Riddle and Tuck

Rebecca Reynolds writes, illustrates, and reads–yes reads–the story to you!

• Once upon a time there were two friends. The first was a red-headed weasel named Riddle, and the second was a mango seed named Tuck. Tuck wasn’t slimy like most mango seeds because he’d been washed in a kitchen sink over and over until all the mango came clean off of him, then he’d been dried out in the sunshine until he was fluffy and light as a four-month-old puppy.

You don’t even have to read it to your kids — let Rebecca do it instead! Go check it out.

Something to Do with Your Kids:

It’s super bowl weekend. If you didn’t know that, you manage to avoid the news much more than I do. Over at HelloLittleOne.com, they’ve got 15 super bowl weekend activities. Pick a couple! Read more.

And Something Fun to Watch

I guess maybe fun isn’t the word. Awe-inspiring, perhaps? I don’t know that there’s anything better than a good bagpipe performance. Check it.

Thank you for reading. We’re on your side.