Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

Children

  • It is a real blessing to have a family and another year to spend with them. For my birthday, we’re playing with trains. Today, to celebrate the day I and many others were born, I want to give to you a share of my happiness. And, in the immortal words of Bill and Ted, Be…

  • My daughter is allergic to peanuts. I have to confess that the moment I found out, I was upset. Not for her, but for me. Her allergy would deprive me of one of my favorite foods: peanut butter. I got over that (mostly) and we try very hard to be careful for her sake.One of…

  • I do think that sometimes 1+1=5.  That doesn’t make me crazy.  It means that we ought to account for our own blind spots.  To help me explain, I’ve recruited my own daughter. As you can see, she has written an interesting equation on the white board.  She is so proud of it, she wrote it…

  • At a lecture in Atlanta recently, the Rev. Sam Portaro, author of Brightest and Best points out that “Children are actually written into Scripture.” They weren’t supposed to be seen.  They were property.  But Jesus spoke to them, healed them, accepted their donations, and told His disciples to be like them. We never take that last…

  • Some of the stories we read to our children are terrible.  They aren’t just bad, they are actually the very stuff we shouldn’t read to them. And yet… We do.  And they adore them. Now, I’m not just talking about taste, here.  Or stories that don’t translate well.  Or perhaps picture books with unappealing art.  I’m…

  • I began this project a couple of weeks ago to collect some people’s favorite children’s books and talk about some of the ways these stories affect us.  Check out the first post for more info! Now I’m going to highlight some of the titles that were recommended during that time. From Eston: Somebody Loves You,…