I work at a church and it’s been almost a month since I went to church. I remember sitting in a meeting that first week as we began to shut things down, someone asking, “What are we going to do if we’re still closed at Easter?” Here it comes, friends. Easter, huddled in our homes, wondering what God is doing and what will happen next. Oh, wait. Maybe Easter that way isn’t so strange after all. As Gretchen Ronnevik said, maybe it’s the most Easter-y of all Easter things to do.

Around the Web
Do We Really Want to Go Back to Normal?
Trevin Wax takes a moment to evaluate what we’ve lost in these days–and to question whether we want it back.
- Here’s a question that keeps coming up in conversation and online: when will things go back to normal?
It’s natural to long for normalcy during a trial that doesn’t seem to have an end date. If only we knew the future—if only we knew the specific dates when this trial would be over—we could fortify ourselves by looking ahead to that goal. Unfortunately, the aspect of a trial that makes it so, well, trying is that we don’t see as far ahead as we’d like. We don’t know how long it will last. That’s why it’s natural to want what was normal.
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Free Books for Kids: Great Resources for Ebooks and Audiobooks
My friend posted on Facebook today asking for recommendations of where to look for ebooks for her daughter. “She’s finished all the paper ones we have in the house,” she said. I don’t doubt it. The folks at BookRiot are here to help.
- Here ye, hear ye: did you know the internet is packed with free books for kids? A lot of us are self-isolating due to COVID-19 right now, hanging out at home with lots of wide-open time that needs filling, and little-to-no accessibility to bookstores or libraries. On top of our own time-passing needs, this can be an especially difficult time for people with children, who are suddenly attempting to homeschool with no prior experience.
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The Guaranteed, Irresistible, Effortless Introduction to Poetry for People Who Doubt That They Like It
Wondering if poetry is for you? Megan at Redeemed Reader says yes.
- If you or your children aren’t sure how to develop a taste for poetry, especially if you haven’t decided whether you ought to feel obligated to do so, I have a short, painless booklist for you. Even if you can’t access a library right now, most of these would be available digitally.
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Maundy Thursday: Instead of Throwing in the Towel: How to be People of the Towel In (in the midst of hard days)
It’s been a strange Holy Week, with many of our standard routines upset. But it’s still been that week of the church calendar, when we march toward the cross and resurrection.
- After the town florist, Ray, opens our back door, slides a vase of Easter lilies across the floor, after we wave at him through the farm kitchen window, we wildly spray disinfectant on the doorknob, drench the vase.
How did this Easter end up smelling a whole lot more like a hydrogen peroxide cleanse than the soul cleanse I’m desperate for?
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More Resources
There are so many resources out there, it’s a little overwhelming. Here’s a few more for you.
- Smithsonian Learning Lab
- How to Make a Chalk Walk for Your Neighbors to Play On
- Digital Escape Rooms You Can Visit From Your Couch

Around the Warren
There and Back Again
John Sommers takes us on an unexpected journey to the broken places.
- There I was lying in our room, listening to my wife read the Lord of the Rings aloud. It was the first time that I had heard the story. I felt warm and contented inside. The story was moving along just as all great stories should–the unlikely hero Frodo had destroyed the ring, the hordes of evil doers had been swept from the fields of battle, and the author, Tolkien, was ending this wonderful trilogy in a slow and methodical way that fits my sensibilities. Then the Hobbits reached the Shire.
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Ember’s End: An Interview with S. D. Smith
James D. Witmer interviews S.D. Smith on the closing installment of The Green Ember series (not, surprisingly, on their shared middle initial).
- SW: This is a big Spring for you, and—without exaggerating—for thousands of kids and families around the world. That’s because you’re releasing the fourth and final book in your Green Ember series: Ember’s End. Are the cliff-hangers over? Will we finally get all our questions answered?
SD: I am thrilled to be sharing this story with those families.
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Something to Do with Your Kids
Erica over at What Do We Do All Day has a new game to try out with your kids, Queah, an abstract strategy game from Liberia.
Something to Watch
This delightful song was written after hearing a sermon on Matthew 6 a few weeks ago.

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side.
-The Story Warren Team
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 5 - February 15, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 4 - February 1, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 3 - January 25, 2025
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