Middle Grade Fiction for Art Lovers—The Restorationists Series by Carolyn Leiloglou

You can find the blog version and show notes HERE.Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn LeiloglouWhat if famous paintings weren’t just pictures—but portals to other parts of the world?What if your little sister vanished into a painting—and you were the only one who could save her?What if the art you tried to forget held the key to your family's biggest secret?Welcome to The Sword and Story Podcast, where we help Christian families find exciting, faith-filled books for their boys. Our mission is to raise strong, courageous warriors for the kingdom of God. Join us on a quest to discover stories that inspire our boys to grow into godly young men.Our guest author today is Carolyn Leiloglou. AUTHOR BIO: Carolyn Leiloglou is the author of the award-winning middle grade fantasy series The Restorationists. She is the granddaughter of art collectors, daughter of an art teacher, and homeschooling mom to four wildly creative kids. Carolyn and her husband Demetrios make their home in San Antonio, Texas, and you can find her everywhere online as House full of Bookworms.

Find the blog version and show notes HERE.What if there was an ice age in Hawaii? What if your government could see and track your every move? What if the only way to save your sister was to hack into the system that held her captive?Our guest author today is Jeremiah Friedli. Jeremiah writes young adult fiction with a thriller feel, inspired by true stories of spies, chases, battles, and underdogs. He loves reading and writing tales of espionage, intrigue, and suspense. He’s the author of the Core Series and a 2025 Realm Awards finalist for his debut novel Core Deception. Learn more at www.JeremiahFriedli.com

Find the shownotes HERE.It’s no mystery that our boys love fighting and adventure.  They are drawn to TV shows, movies and books that involve blood, battles, bombs and booby traps.  In their play, someone is always getting killed or blown up.  Our boys thrive on fighting evil and taking risks. In our episode today, we’re going to find out why God created our boys in this way.

Find the show notes for this episode HERE.Have you ever asked yourself… Why are my boys so WILD?  Why do they have so much energy? Why are they so loud and rambunctious and aggressive?  In today’s episode, we’re going to find out where this wildness comes from.WELCOME TO THE SWORD AND STORY PODCAST! The Sword and Story podcast is dedicated to helping Christian parents discover exciting, faith-filled books for their boys—stories packed with courage, honor, and adventure. If you’re looking for books for your boys with thrilling storytelling from a Christian worldview, then you’re in the right place.Join us as we explore books that will help our boys grow to be strong, courageous warriors for the Kingdom of God. I’m your host, Laurie Christine. I’m the author of the Dragon Slayer Bible Series, adventure-packed biblical fiction for 8-12 year old boys. I’m also a wife and mom to 4 wild, wonderful young men. My boys are currently 9, 10, 13, and 14.I am busy interviewing and scheduling authors for the new episodes of the Sword and Story podcast. Those new author interviews will be airing later this summer. But in the meantime, I think it’s important that we take some time to understand how God created our boys. Last week we listened to an interview with Mark Hancock, CEO of Trail Life USA. If you missed that episode, go back and listen to episode 2 of the sword and story podcast and you can find that at swordandstorypodcast.com. In that episode, Mark and I discussed how we can let our boys be boys.This week, we’re tackling the question:  Why are my boys so wild? Why are they so loud? Why do they have so much energy? If we want to find books that will help our boys to become strong, courageous warriors for God’s Kingdom, we need to understand some of the core desires that God has given boys. That’s what we’re going to talk about in today’s episode. 

Learn more at www.SwordandStoryPodcast.comRead a transcript of my interview with Mark Hancock here: https://lauriechristine.com/let-boys-be-boys-with-mark-hancock/

WELCOME TO THE SWORD AND STORY PODCAST! The Sword and Story podcast is dedicated to helping Christian parents discover exciting, faith-filled books for their boys—stories packed with courage, honor, and adventure. If you’re looking for books for your boys with thrilling storytelling from a Christian worldview, then you’re in the right place.Join us as we explore books that will help our boys grow to be strong, courageous warriors for the Kingdom of God. Learn more at www.SwordandStoryPodcast.com

Find the shownotes HERE.LINKS:  JesusHelpMeParent.comRedeemingTheChaos.comLaurieChristine.comINTRO“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?” How many of you have said that to your kids before? I know I have!  I would estimate about 95% of conflict and parenting challenges in our household stems from sibling conflict. Welcome to Redeeming the Chaos. I’m your host, Laurie Christine. I’m an author, Bible teacher, wife, and mom to four wild, wonderful boys. I would love for you to join me on this adventure of raising courageous warriors for the Kingdom of God.As moms of young men, we know that fighting among boys often gets very physical. While girls may sulk and hold a grudge for weeks on end, boys tend to explode with big emotions and lash out physically at whichever sibling is nearest to them.  (this is a generality. I’m sure you can tell me stories of your girls who have broken out into fist fights as well)So, what causes these fights and quarrels? If you didn’t pick up on it, this question is a quote from James chapter 4. I’ll read the rest of the passage here:“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.”Does that sound familiar?  Our kids have strong desires. Maybe they want the biggest piece of cake for dessert. Maybe they want the best, squishiest chair for movie night, or the front seat in the minivan. Maybe they want to be treated fairly, maybe they just want to be left alone. (Granted, not all these desires are evil… but often a big desire is the underlying cause of sibling conflict). And look what the verse says… you scheme and kill… you are jealous… you fight and wage war… all this in order to get what you want.  Sound familiar? Now, hopefully the conflict in our homes has not escalated  to the point of killing… however, in the book of Matthew Jesus says “hating” someone is just as bad as “murdering them” in our hearts. So, how do we deal with the conflict that inevitably arises between siblings? How can we teach our kids to show kindness and love to each other, rather than seeking revenge? We have a guest on the show today to help us answer these questions. "B.J. Meurer has worked with families for over 25 years as an elementary educator, biblical parenting coach & presenter, and digital course creator. He has coached families with children of all ages and stages facing a wide variety of emotional, mental, and biological challenges and helped them discover and personalize the practical heart-based tools and strategies that bring about positive change in their families. You can find many more of B.J.’s parenting resources and videos at JesusHelpMeParent.com. This is an episode of Redeeming the Chaos. The newer episodes in this podcast feed are part of The Sword and Story Podcast.

This is an episode of Redeeming the Chaos. The newer episodes in this podcast feed are part of The Sword and Story Podcast.

View the shownotes at https://lauriechristine.com/why-i-dont-make-new-years-resolution/This is an episode of Redeeming the Chaos. The newer episodes in this podcast feed are part of The Sword and Story Podcast.

Boys are different. From the moment they burst into your life, they bring a whirlwind of energy, noise, and adventure that never seems to slow down. If you’re a mom of boys, you know it’s not just a parenting style—it’s a lifestyle. And I wouldn't trade it for the world! Whether it’s the endless supply of dirt in their pockets, the creative use of furniture as a jungle gym, or the unspoken rule that socks never stay on feet, raising boys comes with its own unique (and often hilarious) set of challenges. Here are 50 telltale signs you might be a boy mom—prepare to laugh, nod along, and maybe even roll your eyes in solidarity! This is an episode of Redeeming the Chaos. The newer episodes in this podcast feed are part of The Sword and Story Podcast.