The Warren & the World is Story Warren’s weekly newsletter, providing a round-up of our favorite things from around the web as well as a review of what was on our site over the past week. We’re glad you’re here!
Around the Web
Plato, Aristotle, and Writing Close to the Earth
- Chesterton, that great Aristotelian, said we’re all like castaways who have survived a shipwreck and wake up on the beach. We don’t remember much about where we came from, but we’re surrounded by the broken pieces of our beautiful ship and its broken contents, and we set about the work of trying to put it back together. That’s what storytelling is like. It’s also what the teaching of storytelling is like. All these broken pieces of truth and beauty are lying about: how do you begin to put them together into something that is a little truer, a little more beautiful than what we see every day?
Picture Books About Birds
- A while ago I posted a review of King of the Birds (which I loved). It got me to wondering what other great books about birds I could find.I found some great picture books about birds!
My kids and I loved each of these picture books about birds! Read them for fun or supplement your science or nature study with them.
Too Busy for Friends
Whether it’s the busyness of work/family balance or the busyness of the stay-at-home mom life, we all know how easy it is to let friendships fall by the wayside because they are not our priority. Diane Paddison writes at Today’s Christian Woman about the value of friendships and challenges us to make room for them.
- In the crunch of priorities in your life, where do your friends fall?
For busy, working women with countless demands on their lives, keeping up with friends often gets pushed to the side. It might be because there isn’t enough time in a day, or because “friend time” feels like too much of a guilty pleasure. But you can’t treat friendships like a hobby you’re waiting to take up when you have more leisure time.
Friends must be a priority because they’re an integral part of God’s plan for our lives.
6 Truths I Want to Teach My Kids About Faith
Heather Riggleman writes at the Mom Initiative about some essentials she wants to teach her children.
- A quick web searching on “Teaching Kids About Faith” will pull articles like Parenting Magazine where faith, spirituality, and post modernism are combined to give parents ideas on how to send good thoughts in terms of faith.Sadness crept into my heart for my classmates because they didn’t know what it meant to be in a relationship with God. They haven’t been introduced to grace or the promises of being imperfectly perfect, yet—radically loved by God. They don’t know the wild, passionate, deep love Jesus has for us—nor have they ever tasted freedom in the form of bread and wine in those precious bittersweet moments of communion. And sadly enough, they’ve never encountered God whispering answers or direction to prayer. Instead, they’ve encountered unchristian behavior and know everything we stand against.
Around the Warren
A Freeing Sort of Love
James Witmer explores the balance of constructive criticism and unconditional love.
- Is it hard for you to praise your children’s work without adding a bit of constructive criticism at the end?It is for me. I usually sound like this:
“You cleaned your room? Good job, it looks so much better. Except for the stuffed unicorn butt sticking out from under the bed – just put that away, and then you’ll be done.”
“You set the table? Thank you, that’s a big help! But could you come back for a second? The forks are upside-down and we need napkins.”
“Bring me the sunset…”
The poetry of Emily Dickinson. The artwork of Paul Boekell.
Toothbrush Tales
Loren Eaton tells the tale of telling tales while tooth-brushing, and how it helped him learn the fun of storytelling once again.
- It’s 7:34 p.m., and I’m tired. My day is nearing the 14-hour mark. There are still dishes to be done, checkbooks to be balanced, and shirts to be folded.But first, I need to brush my oldest’s teeth.
The pediatric dentist has told us that while kids can technically manage their own oral hygiene by age six, he sometimes recommends that parents continue to brush for them up until age 10. This is not good for my life expectancy, because trying to polish the pearly whites of my wriggling, giggling, jaw-clenching offspring tends to push my systolic pressure to stratospheric heights. The dental assistant recommends that we “sit on them if you have to, because you do not want them to need root canals.” Which apparently is an actual risk even when one’s age is in the single digits. But I fear such a strategy might prompt a police investigation into the cause of the outraged howling emanating from my house.
Gimkin and the Goblins
Guest author Nick Muzekari brings us an original tale of Gimkin, a dwarf whose job it was to guard the pass that lead into his village. Jamin Still illustrates and with the Soundcloud link, you can listen rather than read if you like!
Something to Do with Your Kids
It’s been a rainy week here in Charlotte and yesterday I had a mom say to me that she was just begging for some clear weather so she could get the kids back outdoors. If you’re still stuck inside with spring rains, perhaps you’ll want to try your hands at marble painting. Learn how at the Artful Parent.
And Something to Watch
I encountered The Bible Project a while ago and have been really impressed with their vision, their creativity, and their ability to tell the story of Scripture using animated video as their medium. I thought about sharing Genesis with you today, but I think this video of Leviticus is where their genius shines. As they say, “We know you’ve been avoiding it ’cause it’s weird, so let’s fix that.”
Thank you for reading. We’re on your side.
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 12 - April 12, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 11 - April 5, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 10 - March 30, 2025
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