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
The Vocation of Parenthood
Hannah Anderson reframes parenthood from choice to vocation.
- Understanding parenthood as vocation, rather than choice, also helps us understand what happens after a child comes into our lives. It’s no surprise that a society that views parenthood as personal choice would also be a society of helicopter parents and adults scheduling children’s waking hours full of organized play and intentional activity. If we believe that we can control and manage when and how we bring children into the world, we’ll also believe we can control and manage them as they navigate it.
Thursday Night Meal: Cassoulet
- I had been to New York three whole times, but this was my father’s first time, and he was clearly out of place. He was afraid, from the first second he stepped off the plane, to ride the subway, to get in a cab. The streets were too crowded for him as we walked down 5th Avenue. He worried about pickpockets and street performers and people dressed as hot dogs handing out pamphlets.
Meals were hardest.
At restaurants, he tried to get me to order for him—a request for help which, in my snobbery, I refused. So he eventually just started saying, “I’d like a steak,” when the server would come to take his order.
Come to Jesus with the Details
Jillian Anderson writes at Risen Motherhood on living the example of asking Jesus for help when it comes to the details
- “Mom, I was calling for you very quietly. It was hard to wait, so I prayed.”
I rocked my infant daughter to sleep, hoping my three-year-old would play quietly without interrupting. “What did you pray for?”
“I asked Jesus to help me wait and he did!” My heart overflowed with joy as we praised God for his answer to this prayer, because sometimes it’s hard for me to tell if my example is making a difference.
Are the endless repetitions of prayers and practicing and talking really registering with her? Today, I had renewed vision and encouragement because yes, she is starting to “get it.” Many times we’ve prayed with her to ask Jesus to help her obey, be kind, calm down. In this one instance, she took the initiative to do this on her own.
10 Favorite Spooky Chapter Books for Middle Grade Readers
If you’re a family that wants a a spice of spookiness in your October, then this list is for you! Check out this recommendations from Kathie MacIsaac at Imagination Soup.
- Do you like to read a book that makes you pull the covers a little tighter around you? Do you enjoy a story that gives you goosebumps, or requires you to sleep with the light on? Many kids love scary stories with ghosts and supernatural forces, but I also like a dark and emotional tale that tugs at my heartstrings. Here are my all-time favorite spooky reads, some which are downright scary, but all of which leave the reader wanting more.
Around the Warren
Comfort from the Author
Tyrel Bramwell explores the comforting feeling we get when we read certain books.
- There is a warm feeling that I sometimes get when reading a well-written story. It’s a comforting feeling that comes with the curiosity of not knowing what might happen next. It comes with it, but not from it. It comes from the recognition that though I don’t know what is going to happen next, someone does—the author.
Have you ever had that feeling while reading a story? It’s buried in the understanding that even in the midst of confusion and chaos, while the antagonist causes disruption and disorder in the lives of the characters, you’re safe.
Making the World More Beautiful (with Miss Rumphius)
You know we love a beautiful book around here, and Laura Peterson is with us again today recommending one of her favorites.
- Are you acquainted with the Lupine Lady? She lives in a small house overlooking the sea, and goes by the more proper name of Miss Alice Rumphius. I’ve known her since I was a child, and I love introducing her to new friends. The Lupine Lady is the central character in the picture book Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney, and it’s one of my favorite stories. As a little girl helping in her grandfather’s shop, Alice hears his stories of faraway places and adventures. Young Alice vows to also visit faraway places and have adventures, and then to come home and live by the sea. “That is all very well, little Alice,” says the grandfather,” but there is a third thing you must do. You must do something to make the world more beautiful.”
Don’t Forget to Pre-Order The Wreck & Rise of Whitson Mariner
S.D. Smith’s newest book, The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner, is available to pre-order now! This thrilling follow-up to The Black Star of Kingston is another swashbuckling adventure featuring the intrepid #RabbitsWithSwords. Set sail for high adventure in Tales of Old Natalia 2! Order yours today!
Something to Do with Your Kids
Looking for some fall fun? I think the season is really starting now, so here you go!
And Something to Watch
When I lived up in Alaska, I got to know a lot about moose and they quickly became one of my favorite animals. Here’s a fun video full of moose facts and some entertaining moose antics.
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 12, Issue 31 - September 7, 2024
- The Warren & The World Vol 12, Issue 30 - August 31, 2024
- The Warren & The World Vol 12, Issue 29 - August 24, 2024
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