Reading has always held a special place in my heart—so much so that I joke with friends that one reason I had children was to have someone to read aloud to! But beyond those cozy moments under blankets with classic stories, reading serves as a cornerstone for spiritual growth, family connection, and character development.
At its foundation, reading begins with Scripture. "The book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night," reminds us that God's Word must be our primary text. For nearly twelve years, I've maintained a simple habit of reading one chapter from a nonfiction book daily, expanding my understanding of faith, marriage, parenting, and leadership. This accessible practice—just one chapter—has transformed my life while strengthening my ability to discern truth in a world increasingly dominated by fleeting content.
Family read-aloud time creates some of our most treasured memories. We've cried with Wilbur when Charlotte died, celebrated Aslan's return, and my children regularly reenact scenes from our current books. These shared literary journeys provide natural opportunities to discuss character and worldview through a biblical lens. Rather than simply providing approved reading lists, I've found teaching children to evaluate content themselves yields greater discernment. The joy comes in watching them make wise choices independently—putting back books with inappropriate language or discontinuing series that don't align with our values.
As we close Season Three, I encourage you to consider how reading might become a life-giving rhythm in your home. What simple step could you take toward filling your mind—and your family's minds—with whatever is excellent? Subscribe to my newsletter for a framework on teaching literary discernment, and join me September 2nd when we return for Season Four to celebrate a full year of Whatever is Excellent!
Recommended Resources:
Meeting with Jesus- A Daily Bible Reading Plan for Kids
What To Wear - A Kids Bible Study on Looking Like Jesus
Connect with me!
You can find me on Instagram @mrs.leannetuggle or you can email me at leanne.tuggle@gmail.com. I love hearing from you!
Would you like more weekly encouragement? Subscribe to my newsletter Whatever is Lovely and be inspired to open your inbox again.
https://leannetuggle.myflodesk.com/v3r2zwdaik
If this is your first time here and this episode resonated, hit “subscribe” and submit a 5-star rating if you feel genuinely inspired to. Your positive feedback means the world to me!
Episode Sponsors:
Rodan + Fields - Take this brief quiz to find your customized skincare routine!
Red Aspen - Skip the salon appointment and shop here for hands that are hardworking AND elegant.
Whatever is Lovely - Subscribe here to the weekly newsletter designed to encourage you with words of wisdom and relatable content. Be inspired to open your inbox again.
Episode Transcript
Friends, can you believe that this is the last episode
of season three?
What an incredible journey oflearning and growing together
this has been.
Each of these seasons has beenspecial.
I've really enjoyed seasonthree and I hope you have too.
I'm so thankful for each of youand for your support, your
(01:14):
thoughtful feedback, yourencouragement.
It is my hope to keep offeringyou inspiration and continue to
challenge you to think aboutanything that is excellent or
praiseworthy.
Before we jump into today'sepisode, I want to remind you to
send me your ideas or thingsthat you would like to hear me
(01:35):
talk about here.
If there's the topic orsomething that you'd like to
hear more about, please send meyour thoughts.
These episodes are for you andyour feedback helps inform me of
what you want to know moreabout.
Season four will beginSeptember 2nd and together we
(01:55):
will celebrate one whole year ofWhatever is Excellent.
Now, without any further delay,let's get into the episode for
today.
What better way to close outthis season of Whatever is
Excellent by discussing thebenefits of reading for personal
(02:15):
growth and family connection,cultivating discernment and the
biblical call to fill our mindswith truth.
If you know me at all, then youknow I love to read.
It's kind of a joke between myclose friends that one of the
main reasons I wanted to havechildren was so that I could
(02:37):
read to them.
I have a good excuse to keeplearning and reading forever.
I literally could not wait formy kids to be old enough for us
to snuggle up on the couchtogether with cozy blankets and
classic stories beloved by allgenerations.
I remember being giddy withexcitement when my baby girl
(02:58):
first crawled over to a basketof books that I had set out for
her instead of the basket oftoys, and I think that she was
around four years old when Ifirst started reading the Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe toher, and since then we have
enjoyed reading countlessstories and books together.
My twin boys are now in on theaction too, and in fact earlier
(03:22):
this summer we finished readingthe Harry Potter book series and
we celebrated with butterbeers,of course, but I'm getting a
little bit ahead of myself.
I first and foremost want toaddress reading as a spiritual
discipline.
Reading the word every day isthe best place to start.
(03:44):
There is no greater book thanthe Bible, and reading the Bible
renews our minds and aligns ourhearts with whatever is good
and right and true.
If you only have time to readone thing every day, let it be
the Bible.
On the back of my leather Bibleis this verse from Joshua, 1.8,
(04:06):
which says the book of the lawshall not depart from your mouth
, but you shall meditate on itday and night so that you may be
careful to do according to allthat is written in it.
Reading and reflecting on theword of God is where we always
need to begin.
Second, timothy 3, 16 and 17says all scripture is breathed
(04:33):
out by God and profitable forteaching, for reproof, for
correction and for training inrighteousness, that the man of
God may be complete, equippedfor every good work.
Everything that you say and doflows from your habit of reading
and meditating on scriptureevery day, and the more you read
(04:53):
the word, the more you begin tounderstand who God is, who you
are in Christ and that you arebeing equipped for the mission
God has called you to.
From there, make it a goal tofill your mind with whatever is
excellent.
In fact, the entire premise ofthis podcast is based on
(05:15):
Philippians 4, 8, which saysFinally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever ishonorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever islovely, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence, ifthere is anything worthy of
praise.
Think about these things.
(05:35):
We think about the things thatwe fill our mind with, and we
fill our minds with things weread and see and listen to
Cultivate a library of materialsthat reflect all that is
mentioned in this verse.
In kindergarten, or even infirst grade, you learn to read,
(05:58):
and then, around fourth grade,there is the shift and you begin
reading to learn.
This reading to learn continuesforever, and what a gift that
truly is.
Reading for personal growth isone of the main benefits of
reading.
I have shared before that oneof my personal daily disciplines
(06:22):
is to read one chapter of anonfiction book every day, and
for the last, I think, almost 12years, I have read to expand my
understanding of things likefaith, marriage, parenting,
leadership, discipleship,apologetics and so many more
things.
This practice of reading onechapter every day has helped me
(06:47):
to grow into the person that Iam today.
It has also provided me withguidance and clarity during
various seasons in life, and thebest part is that it's only one
chapter a day.
Even if you are not someone whoconsiders yourself a reader,
one chapter a day is a doableand attainable goal In a world
(07:12):
that is quickly losing itsattention span in favor of 15
second videos.
Cultivating the slower habit ofreading for personal growth has
the added benefit of sharpeningyour mind and increasing your
ability to discern what is goodand right and true.
(07:32):
Reading also builds connection,as I mentioned earlier.
Reading aloud as a family hasbeen one of my goals for as long
as I can remember.
Reading together creates sharedmemories and it shapes family
culture.
I remember my mother readingaloud to my sister and me every
(07:55):
evening while we colored anddrew what we heard.
This is most likely why I couldnot wait to do the same thing
with my own children.
I had developed such rich andwonderful memories of this as a
child and it became a part ofour family culture.
Through the pages of thestories we read aloud together,
(08:17):
we get to cultivate imaginationand empathy in our children.
We all cried along with Wilburwhen Charlotte died and we
cheered when Aslan appearedagain after sacrificing himself
for Edmund.
As I record this episode, mychildren are in the backyard
reenacting a scene from ourcurrent read aloud book, the
(08:39):
Borrowers.
There is so much goodness to begleaned from reading stories
together.
Reading aloud to your childrenallows you to plant seeds of
truth as well.
While reading through the HarryPotter books, we often paused
to discuss character traits orsituations that either pointed
to God or didn't.
(08:59):
We could also pick outinstances that pointed away from
truth, which segues sobeautifully into the value of
family devotions.
This summer, we have beenreading aloud Little Pilgrim's
Progress by Helen L Taylor as apart of our morning devotion
(09:49):
time.
As we read the passage aboutthe armor of God found in
Ephesians 6, we get toexperience a fictional portrayal
of the armor of God in actionthrough the journey of a little
Christian to the celestial city.
So many wonderful conversationsand discussions have come from
reading this story parallel toour daily scripture reading.
(10:11):
By combining family devotionswith read aloud books, you are
giving your children anopportunity to apply what they
are hearing and learning and tieit back to the truth that we
find in the word.
The ability to make meaningfulconnections like these is a
skill your children will use.
(10:32):
And, speaking of developinglifelong habits and skills, as
my children have grown andbecome better readers, I have
encouraged each of them to studythe scriptures for themselves.
This summer I introducedpersonal quiet times to my
(10:53):
seven-year-old twins.
Teaching my children totreasure personal time with the
Lord is something I feel God hasentrusted to me as a part of
our discipleship journey.
For one of my boys, thispersonal time consists of
reading a verse or two from hisBible and answering a couple of
thought-provoking questions.
I have linked a couple of ourfavorite Bible study resources
(11:17):
for children of different agesin the show notes of this
episode, so be sure to checkthose out.
I taught him how to use thetable of contents to find a book
of the Bible, followed by thechapter and the verse, and for
the first few days of startingthis personal quiet time, I came
alongside of him to offersupport and encouragement until
(11:37):
he informed me that he was readyto be alone with the Lord for
that time.
For my other son, reading apassage of scripture is more
difficult for him as he is notyet a confident reader.
So for him I found theaudiobook version of A
Children's Bible and again Ihave linked it in the show notes
for you to take a look at.
(11:57):
He listens to a chapter of thisbook and since he is more
musically inclined, he alsolistens to a few verses written
in a song format.
I often catch him singing theseverses throughout the day, and
I know that it is a way for himto meditate on the scripture
even at his level.
(12:19):
Beyond reading aloud togetherand reading to learn and grow in
our relationship with the Lord,what about reading simply for
pleasure, for the fun of it?
This is when I feel it isimportant to cultivate
discernment and to talk to yourchildren about filtering the
books they read through abiblical lens.
(12:40):
When your children are young,it's possible to flip through a
stack of books in order todetermine the quality of the
literature before presentingthem to your child.
But as your children grow, sodoes their appetite for books,
and it is less likely for you toread everything before they do.
I know I for sure cannot keepup with my 10 year old and her
(13:04):
voracious reading.
It might feel simpler to justcreate a list of yes and no
options for your children andleave it at that, but I actually
believe it is more impactful toempower your children to make
wise choices for themselves whenit comes to what they read or
(13:24):
watch or listen, to haveconversations with your children
about the books they read.
Discuss things like does thisbook align with what is true and
lovely and pure.
What worldview is this bookpresenting?
Is it encouraging godlycharacter or is it pulling us
away from Christ?
(13:46):
Personally, I have found thismethod of guiding my children in
discernment to be moreeffective than simply telling
them what they can and cannotread.
I have observed my daughterdiscontinue reading a book
series because she encounteredsomething that didn't reflect
godly values.
It made her uncomfortable, andI have noticed my boys put a
(14:07):
book back on the library shelfbecause they found some bad
words in it or disrespectfulphrases used repeatedly and they
knew they shouldn't be readingthat.
In order to provide you withmore support and encouragement
in this area, I've actuallycreated a framework for teaching
discernment through books foryou, a resource that you can use
(14:29):
with your children.
The framework will be includedin my newsletter Whatever is
Lovely, along with many bookrecommendations and resources
for you.
If you are not alreadysubscribed, then you can click
the link in the show notes toreceive this weekly newsletter
straight to your inbox and haveall of those resources in one
place.
To close this episode, I wantto remind you that reading isn't
(14:53):
about perfection.
It is about cultivating andplanting seeds of learning and
growing with excellence.
Psalm 119, 105 says your wordis a lamp to my feet and a light
to my path.
Let the words of scripturelight your path and lead you
(15:14):
toward filling your mind withwhatever is good and right and
lovely and true.
Something that you can ponderthis week.
What is one simple step you cantake to make reading, whether
personal or family, alife-giving rhythm in your home.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.