Faith, Family, & the Beatles (How they've all shaped me)


My strange connection to Ringo Starr

Reader,

I bet that if we were having coffee, we could swap family stories that have become so ingrained in our memories — they've become a part of us.

Today, I'm sharing one of my favorite family stories with you. It has to do with my Mom, Ringo Starr, a jelly bean, and me. (How's that for an enticing and yet random list?)

The passing on of our faith is a lot like the passing on of our treasured stories. In the familiar places of our lives —around kitchen tables, beside beds, in the car, and on the go —one generation tells their stories to the next, and they, too, are shaped by them.

This was God's design for the intentional passing on of our faith. It's in the familiar places of our lives, so much formation happens.

Speaking of passing things on...

My daughter is getting married tomorrow! While we're thrilled about her new life and new husband-to-be, it is the close of a chapter. But we're excited for the new family that's forming and the stories that are to come.

Until next time.

grace & peace,

Cara

P.S. I'm giving away a free chapter to my upcoming book, The Pursuit of Holy Leisure: Enjoying God in Everyday Places (releases March 17, 2026). You can secure your copy here.

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Have you ever said that to yourself? You sinned, and the reality of that sin settles over you like a weight on your chest. You feel a deep sense of regret and remorse, and you groan—sometimes audibly. In Hebrew, there’s a word for this, and it’s nacham. Used over 100 times in the Bible, nacham describes sorrow over sin as a “sighing,” “panting,” or “breathing strongly,” and a change of mind. This is the kind of sorrow over sin that takes your breath away.

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Cara Ray | Writer

The secret to enjoying God's Word is looking at it as a means of holy leisure. Holy leisure is the modern-day answer to our soul's thirst to slow down and savor God and the Bible. Subscribe to receive weekly devotionals about life, leisure, and the pursuit of holiness.

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