Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
Choosing Stories for Holy Ghost Stories Season 2:
This weekend, I put out a multiple choice poll on Patreon asking which stories I should include in Season 2. I’m keeping the winners mostly under wraps, but so far it looks like the top three stories are:
Hopeful - When it looks like all is lost, Elisha and his servant get an eyeful of God’s power when they look to the sky
Dark - In spite of being given everything she needs, Yahweh’s first daughter chooses More over Love and death floods the world
Exciting - Three rebels meet a fiery death…but live to tell the tale
Sounds very Holy Ghost Stories, no? :)
Poll closes tomorrow night. If you’re a patron and haven’t voted yet, let your voice be heard!
Leaving England
While there’s great stuff on the horizon, I find myself thinking quite about about how my family and will be leaving England in less than 10 days. We’ve only spent 5 months here, but wow—I will miss this place deeply. This will always be…
…where I began a thrilling new work venture
…where my family began a new chapter of our life together
…where my girls suddenly became young women before my eyes
…where I learned that yes, in fact, I would enjoy walking across the stunning landscapes of Britain as much as I thought I might
…where I encountered the elegant perfection that is a Cornish pasty
…where our family watched our way through the entirety of the MCU catalog
…where we were given much-needed manna in the form of new, dear friends—friends, I suspect, we’ll be connected to for the rest of our lives
…where, just when I thought the days of making up stories for my kids was over, I found them begging over and over for one more chapter of a new tale about summer camp and friendship and a high-spirited exchange student named Marbaluba
…where I saw God in church ruins and in crashing waves and in answered prayers and in a small congregation and in difficult soul work and in the love of my children and in the embrace of my wife and in the provision of old friends and in the encouragment of strangers and—again and again—in the shimmering stories of the Old Testament.
We’ve laughed so much and cried a good bit here. We’ve done good work and walked good walks and tried our best to be brave adventurers. And when we’ve failed, there’s always been more than enough grace.
England (and Weymouth, in particular) has been a wonderful first stop on this ridiculous global journey of ours. We’ll leave a piece of our hearts here (but as my daughter London said yesterday, that’s okay because God is making our hearts bigger.)
For now, we’re buckling down on work stuff during our last week in Weymouth. On Sunday, we’ll hop a train to London and spend a few nights in what may be our favorite city on earth. (Got any recommended spots in London? Lay ‘em on me. A couple things I’m looking forward to: exploring Bloomsbury and taking the kids to the British Museum.)
From London, we’ll fly back to the States for a couple of months before traveling abroad again. While we’re in the good old USA, I’d love to see you at The Storied Family—are you coming?
A Very Happy Birthday
Went on a big ‘ol hike last weekend for my birthday, stopping halfway at an incredible pub that’s been around since the 13th century (and in the 18th cent was a popular smuggler’s haunt). The South West Coast Path, you guys. Amazing.
5 Cool Things
Great Art Explained - I love art, but I feel like I’m not great at seeing it on my own, you know? Accordingly, I’m a big fan of YouTube content like this. (Btw, what YT channels are you digging? Do share.)
Woman Pushes Bear off Fence to Save Her Dogs - Did you see this?!
Next Vacay - If you’re ready to start traveling again, here’s a cheap flights resource I love. We’ve snagged roundtrip tickets to both London and Dublin for less than $500, so the $25/year fee is well worth it to me. (Thanks, Robin!)
Lectio 365 - I’ve really been enjoying this simple ~10 minute daily (morning and evening) devotional. You can listen or read, but I prefer to listen—it’s immersive (with headphones), the voices alternate between male and female, and different nationalities/accents help remind me of the global kingdom of which I’m a part. (Thanks, Jo!)
Waking Ned Devine - You guys. Our family watched this movie the other night and as the credits rolled, my 13-yr-old shouted “That is my new favorite movie! It’s better than all of the Harry Potter movies, the Hunger Games movies, all of them!” And since it’s a wonderfully written, delightfully acted, low-budget film about a bunch of (mostly) older folks in a tiny Irish village…I shed a happy tear, confident my daughter’s taste has been properly shaped.
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Alright—that’s the latest!
Gratefully,
Justin
If you want to join my wife and I this summer for a parenting workshop, we’ll be talking about how to leverage the power of Story to help your kids become sturdier and more strongly anchored to God and each other.
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