Latest / The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast / The Reason for Christmas | a conversation with Laura Richie

Transcript

The Reason for Christmas | a conversation with Laura Richie · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Hi friends, welcome back to the Simply Wholehearted Podcast.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're new around here, I'm so glad you've joined us.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Here at Simply Wholehearted, we provide perspective to define your purpose and create a plan to live a whole-hearted, intentional life.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like you, we desire to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: So if you feel like you're surrounded by a world of half-heartedness, you're welcome here.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Join us as we share inspiring stories and simple ideas from friends as they pursue life on purpose, armed with plans for making the ordinary life extraordinary.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: I want to give a special mention of thanks to Christy Knuckles and her team for allowing us to use her amazing music you're hearing in the background.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Her words and music have been in my earbuds for a little over 20 years now.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've been a listener, then you know I've talked about her podcast and the last couple of albums, which have been our morning soundtracks.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Seriously, you guys, if you do not have this Christmas album, The Thrill of Hope, you must go download it now.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: I find myself worshiping and celebrating along, and I've yet to tire of its beauty.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, and this is track seven on that album.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, I bet you're just wanting to dance along.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Today, we'll be inspired by our guest Laura Ritchie.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll also be sharing more about our wholehearted gift-giving guide for each anneagram type, and give you meaningful minutes to intentionally practice the message of our conversation.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Super excited.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is my second holiday season that I'm doing specials.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so I think it's a little bit tricky to do something unique, you know, each time, because like how much can you talk about the same thing?
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: But I I am so excited about this book because for so many reasons.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm really glad that um I mentioned something to Karen and she right away was like, Oh, you gotta talk to Laura.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so anyway, I I have three kids myself.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now they're a little bit older than what you say.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: The target age range is on this book.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-huh.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: But the one we've been using for years, it's beautiful, it's really well known.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: But we all fall asleep, or I like cringe the whole entire time while my kids are trying to read it.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: And this one we've already looked at, and they're like, oh, a new book.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: We can't wait to start.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they're so excited.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I've already shown it to a couple of friends who are like, oh, I'm gonna buy that.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: This is perfect.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is totally what I want.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: So that's awesome.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I love hearing that.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I'm I'm super excited.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: We really need tools like this as parents, right?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: To I agree.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: So tell me a little bit of why.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I have some ideas of why you may have written this, but share, just share some of your journey in writing the book.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sure.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: I originally wrote it for my kids.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I really, I really wanted um an advent tradition that we could do every year as a family.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: And kind of like you were mentioning, I tried to find another book um that already existed.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: And um, we tried out one of them, and I just found myself really having to edit drastically the text while we were reading it.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I kept looking, and I really I just couldn't find what I wanted.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I have little kids, and I really wanted something that was clear and simple, um, easily understood by little ones, and something that really focused on Jesus and grace and was also historically accurate.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I just couldn't find something that met all of those criteria.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: So at that time I had a three-year-old, a one-year-old, and I was pregnant with our baby.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so things were a little bit crazy.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, um, I was in the same boat.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: I had two 14 months apart, and then so I ended up having three and three and a half years.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: So we were a little bit.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's what we had.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: When my baby was born, I had a three and a half year old.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: So um in the midst of all, yeah, yeah, in the midst of all of that, and my my husband and I were actually working on opposite schedules six days a week because we didn't want to put our kids in daycare, so it was just it was insane.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and in the midst of all of that, I felt like God was telling me to publish it.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: And at first I just kind of laughed.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, really?
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you don't think I have enough on my plate?
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but so I started doing some research.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I basically discovered that that really wasn't possible, you know.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um in order to get the the eye of a publishing company, you really have to have a literary agent.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: But I had no way to get one because you have to have a really big platform.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um you have to have a pretty wide sphere of influence.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have that um at all.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think I had about 200 friends on Facebook.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm an introverted nurse.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm just not somebody that could really um catch the eye of even an agent, you know, much less a publishing company.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, well, oh well, you know.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but God, God just kept putting it on my heart.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I knew what he wanted me to do.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, well, I guess I'll look into self-publishing.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I started doing research into that, and illustrations just cost so much money that that honestly wasn't really a viable option either.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I like God would not leave me alone about it.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like he really wanted me to at least try to do this, and I knew that.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I found Ian um Dale, the illustrator, and the first time I saw his illustrations, I just knew that he was supposed to be the illustrator for the book.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we contacted him, and I was honestly nervous to even contact him because I, you know, was a completely unknown first-time author asking about self-publishing.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you knew you were the one it is.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, this is like a crazy dream, you know, it's impossible.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but would you consider it?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and he was actually really interested.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was like, awesome.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but then he told the price of the illustrations, and I was like, oh boy.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: No way.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um this like literally is impossible.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I felt a little depressed for a couple of days.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I just as is the writer's life, right?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: The ups and downs.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, wait a minute, why do you keep telling me to do this?
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's up and down.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm it was yes.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I'm really I'm not somebody who likes to attempt the impossible.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: I like things to be predictable and steady.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know that I can accomplish something and do it well.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so this was all not, you know, in my personality, but God wanted me to do it.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we asked Ian um if he would consider a Kickstarter campaign, kind of a crowdfunding thing to fund the illustration.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, what a great idea.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so we were like, I guess we're gonna self-publish.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we'll try to try the Kickstarter, you know, even though our odds of having a successful Kickstarter were also very small.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we did that.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: And um in the midst of all of this, of like getting ready for the Kickstarter and everything, um, Ian had just met um a man named Chris who kind of ran his own small polling company.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: And um Ian was like, well, let's talk to Chris and see if maybe he would be interested.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so I got my hopes all up and I was excited, maybe this is how God's going to do it.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we talked to Chris and he was like, No, the the book is just too seasonal.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I need something I can market all year, all year long.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: So we were like, okay, but Chris did an editor, a really good children's editor that he knew.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's how Chris connected us to Lara Derrico, um, my editor.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: And it's actually, um, yeah, and so, and then Lara, you know, was looking at the manuscript and she mentioned how much she loves children's books and how she hadn't been able to um work on those as much as she wanted to, um, you know, in her current job.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I was really happy to have somebody that you know had that much experience and that loved children's books, and so I immediately was like, yes, please be my editor.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's amazing.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: And then Lara actually um asked yeah if I would be interested in more of a traditional route.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I, of course, totally was, it just wasn't a possibility.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um but she asked to feel like it with all the different yeah, because I know because a lot of us who are listening or we've talked about with other authors that you know, just you might have an amazing book idea, but to get it in the right hands is such a process.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's crazy, it's really daunting.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, and not very an antithesis of what most of us are wired to be naturally as authors, you know, like you said, a little more introverted and you know, not really focused on social media and all those things.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: Writers' conferences, there was no way I could do anything like that with all of my small children, you know, and work schedule.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: So she just asked if I would be willing for her to kind of show the manuscript to some of her co-workers, and I was just excited that she wasn't embarrassed to show it.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: So she I know.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: So she showed it to people, and she's like, I don't want to get your hopes up.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: I just think this could be a really lovely resource for families.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so all of that was kind of happening, you know, while planning for the Kickstarter was happening, and God really just worked everything out.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: We actually um at the very end of the Kickstarter were funded.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: It was like in the last day or two.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yes, we were so far away, like less than 50% um funded up until the very last few days.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um it was actually funny.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: Ian was traveling and he said that when he got on the airplane, we were at like 46% or whatever.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then he he got off the airplane and we were over 90%.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: It literally happened just that fast.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, so that was cool.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: So the Kickstarter was successful.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so then we could pay for the illustrations.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And what a great idea, by the way.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: I never would have thought to do Kickstarter, but that makes complete sense.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: I know musicians do it all the time.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-huh.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I had never really even heard of Kickstarter, but my husband had.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: He'd participated in a few, and Ian had heard about it too.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: So that was kind of a Matt and Ian, you know, idea, and I was like, okay, and so I kind of did my part, you know, to get stuff ready for it.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, that paid for the illustrations, and then um a little bit later, Laura was like, Hey, David C.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: Cook does want to partner with you, with you guys to make this book happen.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: So it ended up being and they are such a great publishing house.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: I've been working, I feel like, with a lot of authors lately.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I used to live in Colorado Springs and know people who work for them, and yeah, through and through, they're I mean, they are a business for sure, and but they I mean their heart is ministry, and it's just a really beautiful publishing.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: I love the information, and you know, I don't know many of the people.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm meeting more, you know.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, but I have so much respect for Laura she's just been so great to work with.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and she highly recommended, you know, David C.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Cook as well.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: So it really has been a huge blessing.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but so it was kind of a hybrid publishing thing where we paid for the illustrations and all of that, and then we gave the completed files to David C.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: Cook, and they took care of actually turning it into a book and all of the distribution and marketing and everything.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: So that's amazing.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's been really awesome to watch God do everything because I knew it was impossible.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: I knew I couldn't do it, I just knew I was supposed to try, and so I took you know steps forward knowing that it was basically impossible, and he's just really worked everything out.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I love it.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think the story behind the story is always so good.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because I mean nowadays, I mean, not that it was, I mean, you know, we authors of old had to write it in pen.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: So that was no easy you know feat to get over, but then all the things that as 21st century authors we have to get through to get a book, it's all an amazing process, and undeniably oftentimes the Lord.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, only God could have done this.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's beautiful.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, give us some of the ideas, a sneak peek into how you um what kind of uh formulates the theme of the 25 days because you wrote it out in 25 days, so someone could start at December 1st and read through it.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we talked to you about the illustration.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: So give us just a more, you know, a picture of it, what parents could expect.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: So all the stories are organized chronologically, so it starts with creation and then journeys through ancient history, um, kind of trying to explain why Jesus came.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so the whole theme of the book is basically tracing God's recurring promise to rescue us.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um so, you know, in the beginning, God made everything good, and there was no evil or pain or suffering or death.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but Satan crept into that garden and started whispering lies.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: And when people believed those lies, uh everything shattered.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: And that's actually the first time that we have um a promise of Jesus coming because everything shattered and everything seemed lost, but God did spoke, God spoke a promise, and uh he said that a son would come to to crush the head of the serpent.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: He would come to crush evil and make everything good and new again.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: So all of the stories kind of trace how that developed over time and how God made that happen through the specific people in the Old Testament.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, we have people, um, I have Adam and Eve, and then we have Abraham and Sarah, and then Jacob and Joseph, and all the way up until some of the main characters, right, that we read that are historically backed up and all along the way that kind of lead our road to Jesus, right?
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: Our road and our need for Jesus.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Friends, I'm interrupting this holiday conversation to tell you quickly about something I think you'll find super helpful for the new year.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: I know, I can't believe we're only a month away from 2019.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: I have been following Beth Ann from The Brilliant Business Moms and her planner tips and tricks for a while.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: And right now, her 2019 planner is on sale.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: And for those of you working a side hustle, working from home, or desiring to be more intentional with your time, you'll want this planner.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I admit, one of my mini dreams is to create my own planner for Simply Wholehearted.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: But in the meantime, this planner is beautiful and gives me plenty of room for everything, almost everything, going on in my brain.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: Check it out for yourself in the link on your show notes.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: And if you order, Simply Wholehearted gets a portion of the sales, which helps produce this podcast.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for your support.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, each person, you know, that that's included in the story um either received a special promise from God or played a key role in his plan um to rescue us and to bring people close to each other and to himself again.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: So that's kind of how everything is organized.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: And then um all the stories are just one page, so it's short enough for little ones to be able to enjoy and sit through.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um to be able to read to the rest of the family, which um that's kind of where my kids are at.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: And this is they're so excited because like if we can read this, and it won't take an hour.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: Right, exactly.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: I've actually had several people talk about how even their older kids are enjoying it.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they're reading it as a family, and so it's it's um simple enough for the little ones, but um deep enough for the older ones.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: So that's exactly what I was hoping for.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um so it's just so exciting to see God working everything out, and people are actually able to use it, and um like God has just made everything, He's just made it happen.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: So awesome.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm gonna do it.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: What about for you when you read it with your kids?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: What are some of your tips and tricks to engage kids along the way?
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because you have little ones, and I think I know a lot of my friends do too.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you probably know firsthand as you've read the material to them, what is it that keeps them engaged along the way?
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: Mm-hmm.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: So every story has an awesome illustration by Ian, and that's really helpful for little ones, especially.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he just has a lot of detail and a lot of color, and his his faces and his people are so realistic.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: And um just the emotion that he's able to impart through the lighting and the characters and just the relationships, you know, amongst them is fantastic for little ones.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: So my three-year-old is still a little bit um, she she'll sit through the story, but she's not super engaged um unless she's looking at the illustration.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my five-year-old is at the point where he is really into it.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: And um each story starts with a verse that kind of helps show um the the theme of the story and how it connects to the rest of the Bible, and then it ends with a question.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so my five-year-old enjoys the questions because it um it starts a discussion um that helps us really talk about what the story is about and how it connects to the theme of Jesus rescuing us.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's great.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, because they they're okay with you know being told, but they want to be asked, right?
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: They want to be treated as like, oh, you know, I I'm gonna expect you to understand this material.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: So what did you get out of it?
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I know um Ashley and I, um Ashley is my sometimes um co-host right now.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we were talking about admin the other day and you know how we kind of use um maybe bribe is not the right word, but maybe read it during snack time or dessert time, you know, kind of comparing it with another fun activity.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: So it just seems really fun and and have low expectation for them to sit perfectly still.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: But like you said, it's it's short enough, it is no big deal.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: And they probably won't even be finished with their snack or dessert by the time you finished.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: It would be plenty of time for discussion and keeping them engaged.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_01: We also are gonna have um some we're gonna have a little ornament that goes with each story, and all of our Kickstarter supporters are getting that, but we're also gonna make it available somehow on the on the website, Avent Story the Thought.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I'm willing to get that.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: That'd be great.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna have it where you can just print it off.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then each, you know, each story will have its own little ornament as a fun little activity for little ones.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, awesome.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great idea.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think yeah, it's those little activities.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I was even thinking um with younger ones, because the illustrations are so detailed, uh, to engage them a different way is to say, hey, can do you see this thing in the book?
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, do you see the bird?
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see, you know, who do you see in this?
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: And to talk about the illustration as a way to tell back the story as well.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: I know that works for especially younger ones.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I did for years I homeschooled, but um one of my favorite things is when I was encouraged by uh Sarah McKinsey to read picture books to older kids.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: And it was so freeing because I got some amazing books I never would have read.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: And that made it, you know, all the more fun to have engaging illustration along with the story, and we could spend so much more time talking about the big themes.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um have something to engage the eye and all of that.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: And doing something with their hands, I think that's really important, like you said, to have so is the ornaments, are those interactive?
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Is it like paper they can color and cut and form?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: How does that work?
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: Not yet.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: Right now, it's just a little like snapshot of um of the illustration that kind of highlights the key, you know, a key person or or element of the illustration.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um we have talked about maybe making a few like coloring pages, which would be helpful.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I don't think we're gonna be able to do, we're not gonna be able to do every every story right now.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um but some maybe down the future, we you know, in the future we'd be able to do something more like that.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: I can uh work with Ian on that.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: But okay, so the ornament is a snapshot of the illustration for each one or just a few of them.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: What does that look like?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, all of them, yes.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: That can remind you of the stories.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: So that's great.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that's even if if you cut them out ahead of time, it's something that can be passed around, right?
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: If you're several kids who you're reading to.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: I like that.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's really great.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all are so fun.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so inspired too, just by I mean, bless your heart.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I just see how your personality and all of that, but you you like knew God was compelling you and you were obedient to walk it out, and he gave you creative ways and divine opportunity and appointment.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: So inspiring in itself a way to go.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: I just so how are you doing it?
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: How what's working for you as you approach the holiday season?
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: You're a full-time working mama, you've got three kids, your husband's working, you're you know, sharing a really amazing book that you were a part of.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, how what's what helps you during the crazy season to keep things uh sane?
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: If we can say time management, you know, tool or whatever, what helps you?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: The thing that works best for me is um I have time in the evenings because my kids go down early.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: Nice.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: They're all early risers and they go to bed early too.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I usually have a good like one to two hours every evening to get whatever I need to do done.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I have a really awesome husband who usually takes care of all of the kitchen and dishes in the evenings.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't have done any of this without him.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because he really does just he takes that on to himself every every night almost.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um so that frees up time for me to write or research or plan for homeschooling because I'm also doing that when I'm not at work.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, Laura.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: You're incredible.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so that's that's my kind of my time for the evenings.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have a soul care practice that you're like, oh, this is this is what I want to do without fail.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: I schedule it, you know, this is what really helps me.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: I love mornings, but my kids all wake up between five and six.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: So it really like everything, yeah.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: I can't I can't really get up before something.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um have time before they wake up.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I think one day again I'll be able to go back to having my time, you know, with Jesus in the mornings, but right now it's all all of it's in the evenings.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's that's just kind of my time.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um even you know, I have a baby that naps, so I can get some things done during that time, but my older two don't nap.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of times we're trying to accomplish things with homeschool or whatever during that time.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: So really those evenings are kind of my sacred time where I can focus and and work on, you know, whatever I'm needing to work on.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: So that's awesome.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: You're doing an amazing job, and um, I I just pray that so many people get this book, and I know that I can be glad and grateful to be a part of sharing your message um presented in this way, and you know, it's God's story, and I think this is so important for our kids to not lose focus, and the real meaning of Christmas is to have a resource and a tool like this to you know be able to kind of ground them every day, right?
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a really easy way to take five minutes, honestly.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's how you know you could give just five minutes to it and read through it and you know, just something.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Even at breakfast, I was thinking for a lot of moms that might be, you know, because of the commitments in the evening sometimes interfere, you know, reading it at the breakfast time, you know, whatever that might be for your rhythm and for your family.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes we think about doing it right before bed when we're all too tired.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and they're already stalling for a million reasons to get to bed.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it needs to be whatever works for your family, but it really doesn't take very long.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: And it's amazing how quick we are to forget.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, a lot of us know that we celebrate Jesus being born at Christmas, but it's a little bit harder to really understand why he came and how crazy it is that people all over the world still celebrate the birth of a first century Jewish man.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: And um, it's just it's really, really important for us to really think about why did why did Jesus come?
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why do we celebrate Christmas?
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's really why I wrote it, to kind of go back into history and just trace that recurring promise that God has given us that all things are going to be made new again.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why people get so excited about Jesus coming, because one day, you know, all of the evil, all of the pain, all of the suffering, it death is going to be gone, and he's our rescuer.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: So it's beautiful.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, I think I I I really I'm gonna read it every year with my family, and I don't think the stories or that message are going to get old just because I'm so quick to forget, you know.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um why it really does matter that Jesus came.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: So and that's the gift of Christmas, right?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: We get to revisit it every year for an important reason because we lose sight so quickly.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's so great.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Laura, thank you so much for your time.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: I again just cheering you on, and I I know that it's gonna um bless so many families for sure.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me and talking with me about it.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate it, Amy.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_00: Wasn't Laura so sweet?
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think she had an inspiring story about being confident of a dream the Lord placed in her heart and persevering through the process.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: I am encouraged.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: The result is truly a timeless classic you'll be so glad to use and have for any of the kids in your life.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, for today's meaningful minutes, I'm talking about practical ideas to practice Advent with your kids.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: So, of course, I'm gonna say choose this Advent storybook resource and the bulk of the work is gonna be done for you.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you already have a family-friendly one on hand.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: Either way, these next three ideas will help you out a little bit.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, decide what other daily activity you're gonna pair your Advent reading with.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like, are you gonna do it during a meal?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe before your bedtime routine, etc.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: Okay?
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: I think you get the idea.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: You could do it on the car ride, but hopefully you have some other readers.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: Two, then put it in an easily accessible, visible place in your home so you use it while your family does the other activity and so you won't forget.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: If it's there, hopefully you remember.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you had the meal, like if you plan to read it during breakfast time and you forgot about it, and maybe hopefully at dinner time, if it's out there, it'll remind you to go ahead and get it in for the day.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: And three, create a way to celebrate participation.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Determine what the expectation is.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: Is it to finish it every day?
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: Is it to finish 10 of the 25?
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_00: You decide.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: Then choose your measurable goal and a way to celebrate.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: The way to celebrate could be easy as just a verbal praise, like, great job guys, I'm so proud of you.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: What did you learn?
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a sticker every time you do a reading.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they get to do a coloring page with you, or maybe they get a small candy or gift.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is not a bribe.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: Really, this is just a way to celebrate, something that's really important to make sure you get in your busy crazy schedule.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now, how many of you struggle with gift giving the right gift to the important people in your life?
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_00: I know me.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you have no idea what they want, and you end up getting them something you'd enjoy, or just something that feels really generic and you hesitate gifting it.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I am here to help you because I have created a wholehearted gift-giving guide by using our knowledge of the Aneagram so instead of accidentally giving the gift you want, now you can give the gifts your loved ones actually want.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'll be giving you ideas for the threes and fours in your life.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: Last week I shared ideas for the ones and two, and then the next several weeks I'll cover the rest of the numbers.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: But if you want all the ideas for all the numbers right now, of course you can download our wholehearted gift giving guide by clicking on the link in our show notes.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, for your Aneagram 3s, you should know this.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: They're going to compare.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: They're going to compare the quality, the quantity, and how much meaning went into the gift.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: Also, you should know if you ask a three what they want, you'll probably be surprised that it looks to something similar on your list.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, something you would ask for.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because here's the thing with threes: they tend to adapt or embrace your interests and they know what you'd like to buy for them.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_00: So they'll ask for it.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you have permission to stick to the list, because they will be satisfied with what they've asked for.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot like the ones in your life, they will ask for something practical, something which makes them more efficient, and even gives a nod to their talents or makes them look good.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe something like a trending electronic fashion piece or an experience that would enhance their social life.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: And gift cards are great.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: They can try out a new interest or have a shared experience with the people they are with whenever they are with them.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: Alrighty, you fours, you know who you are.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: And hopefully you know you have a four in your life because I think they're some of the most important to get right.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: Fours are gonna know you noticed.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: They want to know you noticed.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_00: They want to be noticed as uniquely and perfectly and wonderfully that they're created to be.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_00: So it may be goofy and silly, but it's totally gonna be them.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to figure out what their favorite things are.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: If it's unicorns, well, you're gonna find something with a unicorn on it, and they're gonna love it.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: It does not have to be expensive, it just has to represent something that, you know, represents them.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it also doesn't have to be an experience.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, if they get an experience, they probably want it by themselves.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're gonna get something like a journal, because you know, maybe the fours in your life are, you know, writing music and writing books and they like the more artistic stuff.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you don't just buy some ordinary journal.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: They want something that they like.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: It better be customized to them, artistic, and really nice.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: So spend some money on the journal if that's what you get them.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's also really important to Forge that you know that the day is important.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: And this kind of pertains to birthday, but it's also the Christmas.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: They want to do it on Christmas Day.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's really important to do the gift giving then, to celebrate it fully, and it should be a ton of fun, and it should be the day of.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: And the thought behind the gifts that you give a four, it really does count.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, they're kind of easy to buy for.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to pay attention and know them.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_00: It is the little things that count.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, you can download the whole hearted gift-giving guide so you can know exactly what to get for all the types in your life.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: Next week, I'll be bringing you a conversation with Holy Yoga instructor Caroline Williams.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: And wait, before you decide you're gonna skip that one, don't! Oh please, it's one of my favorites.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, what we are talking about actually has a lot to do with the Advent season.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna want to tune in.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: We love it when you share episodes with your friends and family, so please invite them along for all of our special Advent Season episodes and as we begin again in 2019 with more amazing inspiration.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: Until next week, join us on the socials as we continue to pursue perspective, purpose, and plans for a simply wholehearted life.