S.D. Smith's Blog, page 18

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 journey happens, but they do happen. And they happen with our bodies. We don’t only think about what we are reading, or hearing. We feel. Our hearts race, our anxieties deepen, and our hearts swell with love and joy. It is an adventure. It is real. And it is shared. 

I feel so honored that my stories have been an avenue of adventure for many families and friends to share all over the world. The Green Ember began with rabbits hopping in an Appalachian yard and an ordinary dad telling his toddling daughter about their surprising adventures. It was our family story. Now it’s yours too. 

“We read to know that we are not alone.” William Nicholson

This is true. And it is a blessing to learn that we writers are not alone, either. I have my kids—my original audience—and I have you. And your encouragement and enthusiasm has been a life-defining catalyst for me. 

Thank you so much.

God bless and keep you ever in his love,
Sam

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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!

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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 the socials and I am grateful for the time away. I spent about thirty minutes on Sunday afternoon posting a quote. I’m doing some thinking about how to best approach that aspect of my work when Lent is over and Easter comes. More importantly, I pray you are having a blessed Lent (if you practice) and that Easter will be sweet and joyous!

We are also approaching the one year anniversary of the release of Ember’s End, which is kind of an Easter book. I am so pleased with the response we’ve had to that book. It’s been just what I hoped. I’m so grateful for your reviews and notes. (It’s approaching 1,000 reviews on Amazon. Would be cool to push it over the top!) Thank you!

I turned 44 on February 11. That was a cool day. I received a lot of love from my family and I’m grateful! I’m really grateful pretty dang often these days. Life is never without pain and struggle, but I do feel profoundly blessed about the people God has given me to go through those moments of pain and joy with.

This interview I did with Jenn Brogdan used to be behind a pay-wall, but now it’s free. I enjoyed it.

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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 wonderful speakers and I’m stoked to be there. If you know others who you think might enjoy hearing some wonderful talks on writing, let them know.

We will have some folks present and in-person at HopeWords, but it’ll be a much smaller group than usual and all the necessary precautions are being taken. I’m pleased to be going and honored to be speaking.

You going to check it out?

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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 do. It can be a seasonal no (no TV or ice cream for a month), or a permanent no (I’m getting married and now she is my only YES). 

I’ve decided to take time off from social media during Lent, a season where Christians practice fasting (saying “no”) in order to say “yes” to more intentional faithfulness to Jesus in some way or ways.  

I understand the concerns of those who scold people who announce social media fasts, but sometimes it’s kind to let folks know what’s going on. My heart for my readers has always been deeply concerned with hospitality and generosity. So, I’m letting you know I won’t be active on social media except a short time on Sundays, maybe. (Sundays are traditional feast days, even during a long fast.) There’s also the possibility of scheduling posts for a special event, or of someone else posting on my account. (My wife, who sometimes takes over my social media stories to great effect, has always had access to all my social media accounts and so does my brother/partner Josiah. They may post at some point.) 

I won’t bore you with all my reasons for stepping back from social media for a while. I have wanted to for a long time. I will say that I have been reluctant to, because my work is often shared that way and that’s how our small/family business functions. We don’t have publicists or marketers or anything. It’s just us. So, there is a real financial concern, but I believe the YES outweighs the NO in this case. (I also firmly believe that God is our provider.)

I believe that this will allow me to say a better YES to my calling as a storyteller, a better YES to my calling as a husband and father, member of my church and community, and many other crucial areas of my life. 

Most importantly, I am a follower of Jesus Christ and an imperfect disciple who wants to grow more and more faithful to him in his way of love. As Peter says, where else can I go? Jesus has the words of eternal life. There’s nowhere else to go. Jesus is life. I belong to him forever. 

I am aware of the spiritual and mental health costs of regular social media attention, culture-wide, and with me. I am giving up what Cal Newport calls “digital maximalism” for Lent. I feel like it’s important to back up and experience what life is like without a daily habit that includes access to the infinite scrolling always available for any bored moment. 

Boredom is crucial for creativity of all kinds. It is absolutely essential for storytellers. (Ever wonder why you get your best ideas in the shower? No phone.) For the first time in history, we have to really fight to make space for boredom. We have to cultivate boredom. This is a small example of the YES I’m seeking with my NO. There are others. 

I hope this makes sense. I believe I am saying NO in order to say a better YES. I am saying “Goodbye” so I can say “Hello.”

I want to say once again how grateful I am for you. Thanks for reading my books and sharing your enthusiasm and encouragement with me! 

God bless you during this season and always. 

Your friend,
Sam

Recommended Books:

Andy Crouch’s The Tech-Wise Family

Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism (and Deep Work) 

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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 Smith is wonderful. She literally gave me life forty-four years ago (in a blizzard; did I mention that?) and she has been a wonderful mom and the earliest advocate for me as a storyteller. Without her, there would never be a Green Ember or anything else. It’s HER birthday! Happy Birthday. I love you, Mom!

2) Oreos. 

3) The Book of Common Prayer.

4) You. You! Thanks for caring about me and my stories. I probably love you. I’m almost positive I do. 

Thanks, everyone. Happy Birthday from me to you!

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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 in the house pretty often.

Don’t get too hung up on worrying about having a “spot.” Don’t add that to an endless list of why you can’t begin to make. Make space to make, whether or not you have a perfect spot. If you wait for perfection, in your work or in your space, you will never get around to making or sharing your work.

Don’t let honest aspiration become a paralyzing perfectionism. Still less, envy.

You probably have what you need to begin or continue the work of creation you’re called to. Don’t wait for permission, especially from your inner critic—or inner snob.

Start where you are. Make something. Later, make something to help you make things.

Don’t wait. Create.

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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.

The original.

Would you like to see this on a shirt?

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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 my own life and the lives of others, my life with me in charge with an occasional assist from the Spirit. I am trying to practice a way of language that is personal, particular, relational, a language of poetry and parable and metaphor, a language that welcomes mystery and counters the bullying, propagandizing, sloganeering, cliched and abstracted use of language that dominates our schools, our workplaces, our media, and, sadly, our churches.”

Eugene Peterson

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S. D. Smith Talks To Military Family in New Podcast Interview

Sam enjoyed talking with military family adventurers and homeschoolers Nathan and Anita for their podcast recently. I hope you’ll give it a listen.

Note: Here’s a link to a bunch of S. D. Smith interviews.

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