It’s been a heavy week. Friends and family all around me are experiencing loss. Every time I get online I’m reminded of the brokenness of the world. Fear is pervading everyday life. And yet–yet–no matter what we are facing, God is still holding the world together. I keep remembering that.
Around the Web
Recover Wonder: A Review of Jesus and the Very Big Surprise
Carolyn Leiloglou reviews Randall Goodgame’s new book.
- When I first read Jesus and the Very Big Surprise by Randall Goodgame, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri, I didn’t expect to actually be surprised. But I was.
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Family Goal Setting (with Worksheets)
Heather Lynne has developed a set of resources for family goals.
- For several years, we’ve been holding a little family meeting where we all sit down and do a couple of worksheets to help us to figure out some goals for the year (and beyond).
We’ve tried several different goal-setting approaches throughout the years and there are a few goal setting worksheets we’ve found to be most helpful for brainstorming what you want your goals to be.
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How To Get Kids As Excited About Easter As Christmas
Carl and Lizzie Laferton share how they strive to help their children look forward to Easter.
- Our children seem to spend their lives counting down the sleeps to something. Birthdays, Christmas, end of term, family vacation… there’s always something for our 5 and 7-year-olds to count down the sleeps to.
It’s their natural response to a day approaching on the horizon of their young lives which they know will be out of the ordinary.
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16 Picture and Chapter Books to Teach Voice
If you’ve got a young storyteller in your family, you can help them develop voice early on.
- The term voice in writing refers to the narrator’s or author’s personality coming through, some call this the author’s style. This list of children’s picture and chapter books provide mentor text examples for you as you teach students all about writing with voice.
In a first-person narrative, voice means the writing sounds like you — the words you like to use, the tone, the authenticity, it feels genuine to readers.
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Around the Warren
Review: A Year in the Big Old Garden
Melissa Kline reviews our own James D. Witmer’s book.
- For two years my home was on ten secluded acres in the mountains of Arkansas. My family’s time there was brim full of adventures, and like any true adventure, they were much more miserable than stories would have you believe. Thankfully, there was also a pocketful of fantastic days and quite a few lovely, humdrum days in between. Humdrum days were my favorite, because those were the days when I finally slowed down enough to appreciate the miracles surrounding me.
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The Hobgoblin Realm
Lauren Tebben brings us an original short story.
- It had been three days since I asked Marianne to marry me and she still had not given me an answer. “Let me think it over, Henry,” she had said. Well, how much is there to think over? The question requires a one-word answer and I would rather have been rejected then and there than endure these days of anguishing uncertainty. I couldn’t stand another moment of my mother’s half-raised eyebrows or my sisters’ muffled giggles, so I decided to go for a walk in the woods behind the chapel.
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Something to Do with Your Kids
This list has some great ideas for observing Lent with your family.
Something to Watch
I love looking at the earth from above.
Thanks for reading. We’re on your side.
-The Story Warren Team
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 16 - May 10, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 15 - May 3, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 14 - April 26, 2025
Thanks for sharing my article on voice!