Story Warren

Kindling Imagination for Kingdom Anticipation

The Warren & the World Vol 9, Issue 3

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Even with all my digital reminder options, I still have a tendency to jot a note on a piece of paper and set it in front of me until I do what I need to do with it.

My current pieces of paper are orange and square. They’re from this fancy multi-colored spiraling note paper thing my dad got me for Christmas about 10 years ago. I jotted a note on one of the sheets on Tuesday afternoon. A reminder from a conversation in a meeting that I needed to update something on the website.

All our plans changed since that meeting on Tuesday. Circumstances forced us to make other decisions and the note is now entirely moot. I just picked it up from where it was staring at me and dropped it in the trash bin. And I thought, how often is that the way of things? We make our plans, and then they’re undermined before we even act on them. As I watched the paper flutter down to the bin, I remembered a favorite verse, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8). I know one thing I can count on.

Around the Web

How in the world do we adjust to constant loss?

Vaneetha Risner writes at A Holy Experience, reminding us from her own story that loss is an opportunity to lean into Jesus.

  • When the doctors said I should get a wheelchair, I fought it. It meant I’d be viewed as disabled and I’d spent my entire life fighting that label. But now things were different – I needed the chair to maintain my strength and keep me from falling- so I was forced to reframe how I viewed it.
    I had to focus on what was good in my life and see the wheelchair as a blessing. Without it, I risked falling, wasting my energy, and being confined to the house more.
    Read more

12 Children’s Books to Inspire Creativity

A list of picture books that might just make your young artist come to life.

  • Want to share some creative encouragement with your kiddos? We’ve got you covered with this fun list of picture books to inspire creativity! 
    Read more

A Liturgy for Seasons of Uncertainty

The Rabbit Room shares another timely liturgy from the upcoming Every Moment Holy, Vol. 2: Death, Grief, and Hope.

  • We are grateful to get to share another new, timely liturgy from Douglas McKelvey’s upcoming Every Moment Holy, Vol. II: “A Liturgy for Seasons of Uncertainty.” And not only is the text of the liturgy now available—Kristyn Getty has shared a special video reading of the liturgy as well.
    Read more

Annual Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens

Have your young readers been looking for something to keep them motivated? Check out the annual reading challenge from Redeemed Reader.

  • The 2021 Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens is here!
    Read more

Around the Warren

On Fear and Falling

Jessica Whipple rethinks fear.

  • I used to believe that fear was the mark of weakness. I grew up with anxiety that really did weaken me, because of the pain that came with it: the turning stomach, racing thoughts, and hyper-vigilance that made me feel like I’d downed fifteen cups of coffee. Rarely did I have the choice whether to listen to my gut. It demanded that I obey, that I flee the scary thing, owing to the all-too-familiar fight-or-flight response. If I ran from what scared me, I returned to a sense of calm and control over myself. If I didn’t, I remained powerless.
    Read more

5 Picture Books to Brighten Your Winter Days

Diana Barto shares a little light in the darkness.

  • After dumping more than a foot of snow in a 12-hour period, the blizzard we Minnesotans endured last year went into the books as the biggest snowstorm in seven years. Travel was almost completely halted and schools closed early, but lots of folks rejoiced heartily as they shoveled. Snow! Northerners seem to find plenty of ways to take advantage of the snow and ice. Downhill skiing, ice skating, ice fishing, sledding, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing all help fill our long winters with merriment and outdoor exercise.
    Read more

Something to Do with Your Kids

The long, dark evenings of January are a great opportunity to do something together as a family. Check out these activities for ideas!

Something to Watch

It’s a rare thing to find a Funny or Die video appropriate for this email, but you can’t go wrong with Steve Martin, Kermit, and banjos.

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side. 

–The Story Warren Team

Carolyn Clare Givens
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