We’re turning the first corner of the year (there are twelve–or eleven, maybe–I”m bad at math). So look forward to the next eleven (or ten) turns. I can’t wait to see what God will do!

Around the Web

Your Words Will Outlive You

Dustin Crowe reminds us of the weight of our words.

• At Eugene Peterson’s funeral, his son Leif said his dad had only one message. It was a message “whispered in his heart for 50 years, words he had snuck into his room to say over him as he slept as a child: ‘God loves you. God is on your side. He is coming after you. He is relentless.’”
  There is no expiration date on words like that. Their shelf life is long, and their influence is strong.
  Read more

Bible History ABCs | Stephen J. Nichols

Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard teamed up for a picture book on Bible History–a great way to start learning.

• I don’t know what you thought when you saw the title of this book, but I thought, “Yes, a new one!” I have long loved Church History ABCs and Reformation ABCs and, frankly, everything I’ve ever read by Stephen J. Nichols or seen by Ned Bustard, so I had a hunch I’d love this book too.
  Read more

Holocaust Remembrance Day: 50 Mighty Girl Books About the Holocaust

This week was the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and Holocaust Remembrance Day. This book list has a bunch of books about girls during that terrible time, and fiction can be a good way to introduce the difficult topic into your family’s conversation.

• Each year on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we take time to remember those who died — and those who survived — during the infamous Nazi regime. It is a difficult topic for any of us, but particularly difficult to discuss with children. How do you talk about something so beyond most children’s contemplation in a way that respects the experience of those who lived it?
  Read more

Lives Shaped by Beauty: The Goodness of Original Artwork in the Home

At The Cultivating Project, Leslie Bustard reminds us of the true value of art in our homes.

• Our friend Sophia had only been living with our family for a week when she half-jokingly shared this concern. Her question reminded me of similar conversations my husband Ned and I periodically have together. If catastrophe hit, what would we try to save?
  Read more

Around the Warren

Looking for Everyday Wonders

Kayti Phillips explores the world around her and reminds us to open our eyes.

• My Dad likes to go and look for orchids and rare flowers in the mountains around our home and the other day as I looked over some of the pictures I had taken while I was with him last, I realized what a truly magnificent God we serve! The picture I was looking at was one of a Monkey-Faced orchid, which I hadn’t even noticed anything unique about till my dad pointed it out. I thought it was just a white flower, but if you look at it closely you’ll see that it actually looks like a monkey! It has arms, legs, a little head, and even a tail, it’s the cutest thing ever!
  Read more

The Storm

We’ve got a poem by Melissa Kline to share with you.

• The wind howled
  And the sky scowled
  And everything was night.
  Read more

Something to Do with Your Kids

They tell me it’s winter. I’m not sure I believe them, what with the 50 degree temperatures where I live. But if it might be winter where you are, here are some winter activities for your crew to try.

Something to Watch

This language is whistled, not spoken–and it’s disappearing–but this woman wants to keep it alive.

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side. 

-The Story Warren Team