Story Warren

Kindling Imagination for Kingdom Anticipation

The Warren & the World Vol 7, Issue 4

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More than once this week, I’ve seen a post on social media or heard a friend talk about the grief they feel as they look at the world around them. We are living through some hard days–that’s not a new thing, but it’s a true thing. One of the reasons we send you this little collection of links each week is to remind you that you’re not alone in the world. We are on your side, and so many others out there are as well.

Around the Web

What to do When Your Heart Hungers for More Than How Things Are Right Now

Margaret Feinberg explores the hunger that goes beyond physical appetite and what Scripture has to say about it.

  • I’ve always been hungry—ever since I was a little girl.
    Maybe you, too, know what it’s like always feel hungry. Hungry for food, hungry for seconds, hungry for an extra scoop of frozen dessert.
    All too often I’ve found myself at a table and discovered it as a shameful place, rather than a sacred space. Yet God never intended the table or the food we eat to be a source of shame.Rather a place that with each bite we would discover God as our sustainer, our provider, our way maker.
    If we’re honest, each of us hunger for so many things that extend beyond physical appetite.
    We hunger to know and to be known. We hunger for others to accept, understand, and adore us. We hunger to have someone to love and cherish with our affection.
    Knowing we were created this way, I knew I needed to take a step back from what I thought and knew about the table and food and take a fresh look.
    Read more

5 Things I’ve Learned from My “Problem Child”

Ruth at Living Well, Spending Less shares the life lessons she’s learned as her daughter who challenged everything has been growing up.

  • It was a great vacation–one of our best ever–and I was reminded of just how much I love this age, the age where my kids are old enough to be a little independent, but still young enough to still love spending time together.  Old enough to put themselves to bed, but young enough to still like being tucked in.  Old enough to do the dishes, and young enough to not have a bad attitude about it!
    It certainly hasn’t always been this way, especially not with my youngest daughter, Annie.
    Read more

A Booklist from Slugs & Bugs Fans

Our friends over at Slugs & Bugs asked on Facebook this week what people were reading with their kids. The list that came out in the comments is pretty great. Just goes to show that people with good taste in music tend to have it in all areas!

  • S&B: “What books are you currently reading with your kid(s)?”
    Everyone: Awesome stuff

Beyond the Scrolling

The Fuller Youth Blog always has good thoughts for parents of teenagers on helping your kids engage well with technology, social media, the internet, etc. Whether you’re in that stage now or looking ahead to it, this piece has something for you.

  • On a fundamental level, most of us who serve or parent teenagers would agree we want to walk with them in the complexities of technology from a place of loving compassion and empathy.
    And yet, so often our gut response to students’ constant use of their phones, and particularly their affinity for social media, is exasperation and frustration. “Get off your phone!” comes out of my mouth more often than I’d like to admit. I really do want them to get off their phone when they’re at youth group, but there are better ways of engaging with them about it.
    Read more

Around the Warren

Imagination and Hope – The Key to Beyond

Melissa Kline helps us look beyond the current dreary days.

  • Winter skies are heavy and seem to press down a dreary pessimism that is difficult to lift. The skies are gray, the birds are gray, and the ground is muddy. The biting air gnaws at our bodies, bringing aches and sickness to weary our souls. Some days it is difficult to believe that sun, warmth, or health will ever return.
    Read more

To Catch Tumbleweed Thompson

James Witmer reviews a true “book for boys.”

  • I am extremely pleased to tell you that for the first time in years I’ve added a title to my personal list of books that I think of as “quintessentially boy.”
    My list of books for boys, featuring characters that are “quintessentially boy,” runs something like this: The Hardy Boys (classic), The Sugar Creek Gang, Soup, The Three Investigators, Farmer Boy, and Rascal.
    I think of these as books for boys even though girls love them too, because they accurately reflect the things young men care about.
    Read more

Something to Do with Your Kids

Erica over at What Do We Do All Day recommends the game Donuts as her game of the month. Check it out!

Something to Watch

The guys at Dude Perfect started a series called “Overtime” last year, and it’s full of entertaining bits, like: can you crush a diamond with a hammer?

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side.

-The Story Warren Team
Carolyn Clare Givens
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