sacred story time (watch the clouds)
Last time, Pooh had an idea to get honey from the bees. This week is the execution of that plan!
As we read this week’s passage, I hope you’ll let it stir up what plans you had for your life that may have gone in a different direction. Come play, pray, and wonder with me.
They both went out with the blue balloon, and Winnie-the-Pooh went to a very muddy place that he knew of, and rolled and rolled until he was black all over; and then, when the balloon was blown up as big as big, and Christopher Robin and Pooh were both holding on to the string, Christopher Robin let go suddenly, and Pooh Bear floated gracefully up into the sky, and stayed there—level with the top of the tree and about twenty feet away from it.
“Hooray!" Christopher Robin shouted.
"Isn't that fine?" shouted Winnie-the-Pooh down to him. "What do I look like?"
"You look like a Bear holding on to a balloon," Christopher Robin said.
"Not," said Pooh anxiously, "—not like a small black cloud in a blue sky?"
"Not very much."
"Ah, well, perhaps from up here it looks different. And, as I say, you never can tell with bees."
There was no wind to blow him nearer to the tree, so there he stayed. He could see the honey, he could smell the honey, but he couldn't quite reach the honey.
After a little while he called down to Christopher Robin.
"Christopher Robin!" he said in a loud whisper.
"Hallo!"
"I think the bees suspect something!"
"What sort of thing?"
"I don't know. But something tells me that they're suspicious!"
Perhaps they think that you're after their honey."
"It may be that. You never can tell with bees."
There was another little silence, and then he called down again.
"Christopher Robin!"
"Yes?"
"Have you an umbrella in your house?"
"I think so."
"I wish you would bring it out here, and walk up and down with it, and look up at me every now and then, and say 'Tut-tut, it looks like rain.' I think, if you did that, it would help the deception which we are practising on these bees."
Christopher Robin laughed to himself, "Silly old Bear!" but didn't say it aloud because he was so fond of him, and he went home for the umbrella.
Noticing Prompt
Does life ever go in a different direction than you planned? How does that feel? Do you try to correct the course, or do you go with the flow? What would it look like to grow in contentment?
Play Prompt
With a friend or a child, go outside, lay down, and observe the clouds. What shapes do you see? What color are they? What’s inside them? How do they taste? Feel? Do you and your friend see the same things, or something different?
Imagination Prompt
What would you do if you could hold a balloon and float? Would you see how high you could go? What would you like to see from above? What friends might you make up there?
Prayer
Faithful God, sometimes we feel discontent or discouraged, with our lives, ourselves, our friends, and even sometimes with you. But we know that you are the God of good gifts, of friendships and laughter, and we trust that you always know what’s best for us. Help us to grow in contentment and joy, whatever our circumstances.
Download a PDF of this content for a Winnie-the-Pooh coloring page!
Sacred Story time: Behind the Scenes
Creating the Sacred Storytime prompts is one of my very favorite parts of what I’ve been doing. They do take a lot of time, though, so last month I shared in my Instagram stories a bit about the process and the heart behind them. In case you missed it, here’s a look at how they come together and why I love making them.
First, I pull the next section of text from Project Gutenberg, a free e-book site that houses many beloved classics in the public domain. Right now, we’re making our way through Winnie-the-Pooh (for reasons I’ll share another time!). I read through the passage carefully and then create three prompts and a prayer to go along with it.
The first prompt is what I call the Noticing Prompt. This is at the heart of what I mean when I talk about using children’s stories for contemplative play. It’s the simple act of reading a sweet story and letting it stir something inside us. The prompts are there to guide you, but honestly, you can do this without them too! My hope is that as you read (or listen, through the Instagram reels), you’ll pause to notice what’s happening in your heart. Afterward, take a moment to offer that noticing to God in prayer. That prayer piece is essential; it shifts our focus from ourselves back to Him. I usually provide a simple prayer you can use, or you’re always welcome to pray your own.
The second and third prompts are a bit more playful. These are things you can do on your own, with a friend, or with a child—something lighthearted, creative, and intentional. Even when they seem silly, they often spark meaningful reflection too.
And then comes the prayer, which may look like an afterthought, but really it’s the center of the whole practice. Reflection is valuable, but the goal isn’t just self-awareness. It’s connection with God. The prayer is our chance to lift up our hearts, remember who He is, and invite His help and presence into what we’ve noticed.
Once the prompts and prayer are finished, I choose an image from the original book to turn into a coloring page (always available as a free PDF in the blog post). Then, I paint a watercolor version of the same page. That watercolor becomes the backdrop for the Instagram reel. I bring it into Canva to add text, then into LumaFusion where I record the voiceover. My goal is always for the reels to feel like you’re being read to as a child—gentle, cozy, and full of wonder.
It’s a fair amount of work, but I truly love it. And I’m dreaming bigger: eventually, I’d love to gather a whole story, with prompts, prayers, and coloring pages, into a printed booklet you can hold in your hands. Something you could take with you, write in, color in, and share with a child or a friend.
Thank you so much for being part of this journey with me. It means the world.
sacred story time (hide outside)
Last time, we continued our journey with Pooh deciding to visit his friend Christopher Robin for help.
As we read this week’s passage, I hope you’ll let it stir up what you may be hiding (or hiding from!). Come play, pray, and wonder with me.
So Winnie-the-Pooh went round to his friend Christopher Robin, who lived behind a green door in another part of the forest. "Good morning, Christopher Robin," he said.
"Good morning, Winnie-ther-Pooh," said Christopher Robin.
"I wonder if you've got such a thing as a balloon about you?"
"A balloon?"
"Yes, I just said to myself coming along: 'I wonder if Christopher Robin has such a thing as a balloon about him?' I just said it to myself, thinking of balloons, and wondering."
"What do you want a balloon for?"
Winnie-the-Pooh looked round to see that nobody was listening, put his paw to his mouth, and said in a deep whisper: "Honey!"
"But you don't get honey with balloons!"
"I do," said Pooh.
Well, it just happened that Christopher Robin had been to a party the day before at the house of his friend Piglet, and he had balloons at the party. He had had a big green balloon; and one of Rabbit's relations had had a big blue one, and had left it behind, being really too young to go to a party at all; and so Christopher Robin had brought the green one and the blue one home with him.
"Which one would you like?" He asked Pooh.
He put his head between his paws and thought very carefully.
"It's like this," he said. "When you go after honey with a balloon, the great thing is not to let the bees know you're coming. Now, if you have a green balloon, they might think you were only part of the tree, and not notice you, and, if you have a blue balloon, they might think you were only part of the sky, and not notice you, and the question is: Which is most likely?"
"Wouldn't they notice you underneath the balloon?" Christopher Robin asked.
"They might or they might not," said Winnie-the-Pooh. "You never can tell with bees." He thought for a moment and said: "I shall try to look like a small black cloud. That will deceive them."
"Then you had better have the blue balloon," Christopher Robin said; and so it was decided.
Noticing Prompt
Is there anything in your life that you are trying to keep hidden? Is there something you are trying to hide from? Take a minute to name it out loud. Does it feel too big to hold on your own? Do you need a friend or someone else to help you?
Play Prompt
Hide somewhere outside and observe the nature around you for a few minutes. Try not to move and see if any birds or insects will come close to you. Or bring a paper and pen with you and record the movements of the birds or insects. What does your paper look like when you are done? Is it full of movement?
Imagination Prompt
If you were to disguise yourself as something in nature, what would it be? Would it be a stationary tree? A busy bee? A beautiful flower? Imagine what it would be like to be a tree, bee, or flower. How would you feel? If you are with a child, make it into a game and switch pretend disguises every minute!
Prayer
Omnipresent God, there is nowhere I can hide from you, yet with you, I find a safe place to hide when I need it most. Thank you for the gift of your constant presence and your sheltering grace. Teach me to turn to you in every moment.
Download a PDF of this content for a Winnie-the-Pooh coloring page!
sacred story time (befriend a bear)
Last time, we began our journey with Pooh under a tree, listening and wondering. This week, we find him climbing that tree in search of honey, singing little songs, thinking funny thoughts, and eventually taking quite the tumble.
As we read this week’s passage, I hope you’ll let it stir both your gratitude and your grumbles, your imagination and your need for comfort. Come play, pray, and wonder with me.
Pooh climbed and he climbed and he climbed, and as he climbed he sang a little song to himself. It went like this:
Isn't it funny
How a bear likes honey?
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
I wonder why he does?
Then he climbed a little further ... and a little further ... and then just a little further. By that time he had thought of another song.
It's a very funny thought that, if Bears were Bees,
They'd build their nests at the bottom of trees.
And that being so (if the Bees were Bears),
We shouldn't have to climb up all these stairs.
He was getting rather tired by this time, so that is why he sang a Complaining Song. He was nearly there now, and if he just stood on that branch ...
Crack!
"Oh, help!" said Pooh, as he dropped ten feet on the branch below him.
"If only I hadn't——" he said, as he bounced twenty feet on to the next branch.
"You see, what I meant to do," he explained, as he turned head-over-heels, and crashed on to another branch thirty feet below, "what I meant to do——"
"Of course, it was rather——" he admitted, as he slithered very quickly through the next six branches.
"It all comes, I suppose," he decided, as he said good-bye to the last branch, spun round three times, and flew gracefully into a gorse-bush, "it all comes of liking honey so much. Oh, help!"
He crawled out of the gorse-bush, brushed the prickles from his nose, and began to think again. And the first person he thought of was Christopher Robin.
Noticing prompt
Who is the first person you think of when you are in trouble? What is it about that person that brings them to mind? Are they helpful? Kind? Comforting? Are you the kind of person that people seek out for help?
Play prompt
Try writing a gratefulness haiku and a complaining haiku (5-7-5 syllable structure). Notice the feelings that each provoke as you write. Here’s my example (I’m not sure if it’s complaining or gratitude! Maybe a little of both!):
Green leaves with bird poop
Out my window as I write.
That means birds were here.
Imagination prompt
What would it be like to be a bear in the town where you live? What would bring you joy? What would be frustrating? Imagine befriending a bear. Where would you go? What would you do together?
Prayer
Welcoming God, help me to take all my feelings to you, whether gratefulness or frustrations. Thank you for always inviting me, even in my unpleasant moments! Thank you for being someone I can go to for help with anything.
Download a PDF of this content for a Winnie-the-Pooh coloring page!
sacred story time (climb a tree)
This week, I’m beginning a new series that uses classic children’s stories—beginning with Winnie-the-Pooh—to spark contemplative play. These prompts are meant to help you slow down, notice the world around you, and engage your spirit through simple acts of creativity, curiosity, and prayer.
In this first story, Pooh hears a buzzing in a tree and, being the thoughtful bear that he is, sits down to think about it. That small act—sitting, listening, wondering—feels like just the right place to begin.
I encourage you to enter like a child, while we read, wonder, and imagine together.
Once upon a time, a very long time ago now, about last Friday, Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest all by himself under the name of Sanders.
One day when he was out walking, he came to an open place in the middle of the forest, and in the middle of this place was a large oak-tree, and, from the top of the tree, there came a loud buzzing-noise.
Winnie-the-Pooh sat down at the foot of the tree, put his head between his paws and began to think.
First of all he said to himself: "That buzzing-noise means something. You don't get a buzzing-noise like that, just buzzing and buzzing, without its meaning something. If there's a buzzing-noise, somebody's making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee."
Then he thought another long time, and said: "And the only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey."
And then he got up, and said: "And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it." So he began to climb the tree.
Noticing Prompt
Find a tree to sit under or climb. What do you notice? Is the bark rough or smooth? What color are the leaves? How does the air feel—warm or cool? Do you hear any sounds? See any animals or insects? Take a moment to simply be, and notice how you feel as you sit with nature.
Play Prompt
Read or listen to a children’s book outside—under a tree if you can. Read slowly, like a child hearing it for the first time. What parts bring you joy or make you smile?
Imagination Prompt
If you were a tree, what kind would you be? What would your bark feel like? What color would your leaves be? Why? Try drawing or coloring yourself as a tree.
Prayer
Lord, help me see your world with wonder. Teach me to slow down and notice even thesmallest things—like the bark of a tree. Help me come to you like a child: curious, open, and full of need.
Download a PDF of this content for a Winnie-the-Pooh coloring page!