QUESTION: When you read The Green Ember books aloud, do you sing the songs? These girls wrote their own melody! The three sisters from the Philippines are back with another lovely song! “My place beside you, my blood for yours. Till the Green Ember Rises, or the end of the world!” #TheGreenEmber #RabbitsWithSwords #SDSmith … [Read more...] about Green Ember Singing Sisters Are Back, “My Place Beside You…”
Enjoy Your Smallness
Be small in a big world, Little girl. Run free and fast and happy, While you have the strength, And stamina, And the painless ease, Of good knees. Run, With the wide stride of an athlete, Competing with the last joy, A lithe, gliding repeat, Of the same song you just sang, In a new key, With a new beat, A familiar innovation, And a singalong chorus. Enjoy your smallness, Before your head blocks … [Read more...] about Enjoy Your Smallness
Why the Resurrection Means So Much
Happy Easter! I love this holiday, this season of hope and resurrection. If Jesus rose from the dead, then everything else comes into focus and balances against that cloud-cresting mountain of meaning. The resurrection of Jesus shows us that our troubles aren’t final and our weakness and failures aren’t eternal. Our sickness, suffering, and sin are a part of our story, not the last, sad … [Read more...] about Why the Resurrection Means So Much
Reading Together: A Real, Shared Adventure
Reading is always more than it seems. What Twila Farmer so beautifully painted here is a vision of what I dream. A child receiving from a parent who is giving, but also receiving. Their imaginations are knit together. They are where they are, but are also off on a daring, shared adventure. The journeys we go on together in books are real. They do not happen in the same sense that an embodied … [Read more...] about Reading Together: A Real, Shared Adventure
Kids Love The Green Ember Books!
I wanted to share a few bits of notes and art from the letters I’ve been catching up on from kids around the world! These letters and the accompanying art often included are so precious to me. I am deeply grateful for the encouragement and love. It’s an unbelievable privilege to write stories for these kids and their families. Thank you! … [Read more...] about Kids Love The Green Ember Books!
Fasting in Public, Green Ember IV, and a Recent Interview
Know how to make a horse fast? Don’t give him any food.I’m still off social media for a while. You can see my blog post about that here. I kind of hated to announce it. Announcing a fast is typically pretty bad form and directly contrary to Jesus’ teaching on it. I consulted with my pastor and tried to do that the most loving/responsible way. I am only about ten days into the break from … [Read more...] about Fasting in Public, Green Ember IV, and a Recent Interview
Andrew Peterson and Me and You–THIS WEEK!
A wonderful conference in my "neighborhood" is happening this week, on Friday and Saturday. Here’s the best part. You’re invited. It’s HopeWords and it’ll be online and I have a discount for my friends (like you). It’s 25% off if you use the code EMBER. Andrew Peterson is the keynote this year. He’s great. I know lots of you are fans of his Wingfeather Saga and you should be! There are other … [Read more...] about Andrew Peterson and Me and You–THIS WEEK!
Saying Yes By Saying No: Taking a Social Media Break
“I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello!” —The Beatles I love saying yes. Yes is often scary, but it’s the way I want to be. I want to show up and be faithful and hopeful in my callings. The main thing “yes” people have to do, I think, is say “no.” Because when you say YES, you are saying NO. You’re saying no to all the things you’re not going to do in order to do what you most must … [Read more...] about Saying Yes By Saying No: Taking a Social Media Break
S. D. Smith’s 44th Birthday is Happening Today On His Birthday (Today)
It’s my 44th birthday! It feels like I am older than ever before. I was born in a blizzard. Interestingly, we are also having weather today! It’s going to be a good day. I want to say four things I’m thankful for because (A) you can’t stop me—nice try, sucka—and (B) forty-four things is too much for me to manage at this age. 1) I am so grateful for my mother! Barbara … [Read more...] about S. D. Smith’s 44th Birthday is Happening Today On His Birthday (Today)
Don’t Wait. Create!
Making. Believing. Make believing. Make Believe HQ for me? The Forge. We converted a little garden shed to a writing hut/office. It’s ten feet from the house, so my commute ain’t too bad. I’m grateful for this modest little spot. I’ve written some books in there (the first, I think, was Ember Rising) and it’s been a good and useful place for me. It’s useful, but not essential. I still write … [Read more...] about Don’t Wait. Create!
Picket Packslayer NES Game?
My son, Josiah (not to be confused with my brother of the same name) made this dope image. If you were a kid in the eighties, you probably recognize the style of NES game design. Would you like to see this on a shirt? … [Read more...] about Picket Packslayer NES Game?
Aspiring Eugene
“I am trying to recover a respect for the life of the Spirit that is revealed in Jesus and the Scriptures in contrast to a life that is defined by consumption and achievement, competition and psychological profiling. I am trying to develop an imagination that is immersed in the operations of the Trinity so that I will not be constantly seduced into thinking that spirituality is a way of managing … [Read more...] about Aspiring Eugene