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
Finding Joy in Strange Places
At her blog, Rachel Wojo reminds us where we can find joy, even when things are hard.
- Poverty is no stranger to me. Growing up, my father made sure that I knew what it was like for poor country folk. He drove the church bus on Sunday and for years, we visited folks on Saturday to encourage them to ride the bus to church on Sunday.Illness is no stranger to me. My daughter, Taylor, is 19 and she was diagnosed at age 4 with a terminal disease, MPS. For 15 years, I’ve pondered and wrestled with the concepts of contentment and joy, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances.
And I’ve discovered that finding joy in strange places is not a NEW concept. In fact, since the fall of man, humanity has worked at seeking happiness. Only we haven’t gotten very good at it.
Genius Mom-Office Ideas
Your office may be the kitchen counter or a desk in a corner of the living room. It may be filled with your own projects or the homework sheets of your kids. But whatever it is, here are some great ideas for keeping everything in order.
- Every house has that area where they collect school work, bills, and random tasks that help keep a family organized. This space is even more chaotic if you, like me, work from home!Here are some Genius Mom-Office Ideas to help you organize your office space, and your lives.
God’s Not Really That Holy, I’m Not Really That Bad
Tim Challies reminds us that a right view of the gospel is all about amazing grace.
- If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you, too, have known people like this. Over time it became clear that their faith had been a mirage. They had deceived the people around them, but they had first deceived themselves. And any time I see these people fall away I am left asking, What would have marked them as true believers? How could I have known that they really got the gospel? How could they have known that they really got the gospel?Maybe it would have been this: You know that you really get the gospel when it is God’s grace rather than God’s wrath that amazes you.
The Gratitude Project
Church at Charlotte has partnered with us to host Inkwell in the past, and leading up to Thanksgiving this year they’ve asked members of their congregation–from some of the youngest among them to some of the oldest–to reflect on what they are grateful for. The Gratitude Project is a sweet reminder of how beautiful it can be when we take time to be thankful.
- Sometimes He needs to remove the distractions and the din of the world so that we can hear his voice. Sometimes, it’s cancer. My joy, my blessings all come from a God that cares so much that He walks me through the difficult times, exposing their purpose and extracting their truths.
Around the Warren
Let There Be Play
Glenn McCarty calls us back to play.
- This summer, thanks to a timely inquiry with the utility company, we had a large, mostly-dead pine tree in our side yard chopped down. I arrived home from work one afternoon to see the chunks of stumps and logs jumbled in the yard like oversize Jenga pieces. Well, boys being boys, it didn’t take long for the climbing to begin. Soon, my sons clambered over the fortress of logs like it was Morder itself. One day, they undertook to plot the swiftest course around, up, and over the logs in an activity they dubbed their “ninja training.”From our kitchen window, with our adult eyes, my wife and I saw clutter in need of cleaning up; my children saw a golden opportunity for some epic play. When it was time to finally clear up the stumps, we capitulated and hauled them to an old garden plot in the backyard, where we constructed a proper ninja training ground.
“It is never too late…”
Words from George Eliot, graphic by Paul Boekell.
For the Love of Our Girls: A Voice that Carries
Julie Silander introduces us to a valuable project: a documentary about dads and daughters.
- When I married my husband, I married a single dad of two young children. One of my earliest memories of our time together was observing a weekly routine that he had with seven-year-old Ashley. Every Sunday evening, they had a standing date for David to paint her fingernails. Hair still wet from the shower and wearing her nightgown and slippers, she’d stretch out on the floor of their family room like superman. Head down. Arms outstretched. Fingers spread and ready for the perfect shade of pink to be applied by a dad who “had no idea what he was doing”, but who intuitively knew he needed to lean into this little girl’s world.
The Stag Who Lived Forever
Sam Smith brings this Story Warren short from Bryana Johnson, illustrated by Zach Franzen, back to our attention again.
Something to Do with Your Kids
As we prepare for Thanksgiving later this month, it might be time to see who in your family had the best handle on their turkey trivia.
And Something to Watch
If you’ve ever spent any time near a cat–whether you liked it or not–you will likely find the humor in this.
Thank you for reading. We’re on your side.
Carolyn Clare Givens is a displaced Northerner exploring the foreign ways of the South. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her literary cat, Lord Peter Wimsey. She's the author of The King's Messenger and Rosefire and in her free time helps run Bandersnatch Books.
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
Latest posts by Carolyn Clare Givens (see all)
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 16 - May 10, 2025
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