Podcast Summary

Podcast: The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
Episode: 1KHO 636: My Call Is To Bring Joy To Children | Sally Lloyd-Jones, Jesus, Our True Friend: Stories to Fill Your Heart with Joy
Date: November 30, 2025
Host: Ginny Earth
Guest: Sally Lloyd-Jones

Episode Overview

This deeply heartfelt episode centers on the power of childhood, storytelling, and the role of faith and joy in healing and transformation. Host Ginny Earth talks with acclaimed children’s author Sally Lloyd-Jones about her new book, "Jesus, Our True Friend: Stories to Fill Your Heart with Joy," the legacy of her best-selling "Jesus Storybook Bible," and her calling to bring joy to children. Together, they explore how stories – both biblical and everyday – shape, comfort, and empower children and families, especially amidst adversity and disappointment with institutions like the church.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Sally Lloyd-Jones’ Childhood & Calling

• International Roots Influence Her Writing

  • Sally was born in Uganda and raised in East and West Africa while her British parents worked there.
  • She credits early cross-cultural experiences and being sent to boarding school at age 8 (which was both magical and wounding) as formative for her writing.
  • Quote:
    • "It often takes being put into a different culture or having an early wound...to make a writer." (Sally, 02:25)

• Sense of Calling

  • Sally feels her work transcends “Bible” vs. “secular” stories; all are united by her call to bring joy to children.
  • Quote:
    • "I just know that my call is to bring joy to children." (Sally, 05:10)

2. Range and Impact of Sally’s Works

• Broad portfolio including the "Jesus Storybook Bible", "Handbag Friends" (inspired by her niece), and many more.
• Interconnectedness of Joy:
  • Whether a Bible retelling or a whimsical story, her intent is to uplift children and point to hope.

3. What Makes a Great Children’s Story

• Sally aligns with Madeleine L’Engle that stories infused with redemption and hope will naturally resonate (“there's going to be hope in your stories” – 06:52).
• She strives for stories “simple but not simplistic”—distilled from deep understanding, never dumbed down.
  • Quote:
    • "If you take the time to really soak yourself in the theology...then you can distill down and make it simple but not simplistic." (Sally, 27:07)

4. Collaborations and Live Events

• Sally describes unique events she does with musicians (Amy Grant, Ellie Holcomb, Andrew Peterson) where story and music are intertwined, crafted for older children and adults.
• Memorable Moment:
  • Reading the introduction of the "Jesus Storybook Bible" at the Ryman Auditorium with music underscoring key lines – a moment she describes as giving her "goose pimples." (Sally, 09:49)

5. Honest Conversation about Church Hurt

• Ginny vulnerably shares how her family was kicked out of their church after raising concerns about a predatory youth pastor, detailing the pain, ostracization, and subsequent journey of healing (11:20–18:34).

  • Quote:
    • "I don't think anyone should ever be kicked out of Church for raising concerns about someone who works with children." (Ginny, 16:30)

• Sally listens empathetically, affirming that such wounds are not the last word when faith is centered in God, not human institutions.

  • Quote:
    • "God is not letting death and brokenness and sin have the last word. He never does." (Sally, 18:43)

6. The Healing Power of Story

• Ginny’s youngest daughter, through reading the "Jesus Storybook Bible" story of Joseph, found perspective on their church experience:

  • Quote:
    • "But God would use everything that happened to this young prince, even the bad things, to do something good, to forgive the sins of the whole world... Mama, this is what happened with us in the church." (Ginny relaying daughter’s words, 18:30)

• Sally emphasizes:

  • Trust children to encounter God directly through stories.
  • The writer’s job is to faithfully and beautifully convey truth, knowing God will use it as He wills.

7. Writing Techniques & Language

• Sally’s works are marked by playful, poetic language and humor to bring scripture to life for both children and adults. Terms like “the extra super holy people” make ancient stories relatable and invite self-reflection.
  • Quote:
    • "I love using words so ‘extra super holy people’... It just a way to say that’s really their identity, is they’re better than everyone else, which is so not what Jesus came to bring us." (Sally, 25:49)
  • Using familiar, contemporary parallels allows children to see themselves and their world in the stories.

8. Theology and Distillation

• Sally explains her efforts to “distill, not dumb down” complex theology, producing stories with deep preparation invisible beneath their simplicity. (27:07–28:02)
• Stories are not random: every story in the Bible points to Jesus and God’s love.
  • Quote:
    • "The Bible isn’t lots of different unrelated stories, but it’s one story... of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them." (Sally, 42:30)

9. Selected Stories from "Jesus, Our True Friend"

• Sally provides vivid insights on stories like:
  • The Wedding at Cana:
    • Jesus’ first miracle restores joy, showing his mission is to bring abundant joy, not just rules (33:17–35:37).
  • Mary & Martha:
    • Even “doing good things” can distance us from Jesus if motivated by fear and perfectionism rather than love (39:05–42:04).
  • The Stone Throwers:
    • Jesus’ compassion extends even to bullies, and he refuses to participate in judgment; Sally's own experience with bullying shaped the empathetic approach in this story (47:00–51:56).

10. Ultimate Message of Love and Hope

• Refrains throughout:
  • God’s love is unearned, unending, and ever-present.
  • Even adults find healing and perspective when reading these “children’s” books.
  • Quote:
    • "They don’t have to be good for God to love them, but God loved them before they were even born. He loves them with a wonderful, never-stopping, never-giving-up, unbreaking, always and forever love." (Sally, reading from her website, 54:56)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “My call is to bring joy to children.”
  Sally Lloyd-Jones, 05:10

• “God is not letting death and brokenness and sin have the last word. He never does.”
  Sally Lloyd-Jones, 18:43

• “If you take the time to really soak yourself in the theology... then you can distill down and make it simple but not simplistic.”
  Sally Lloyd-Jones, 27:07

• “Try not to judge Jesus by Christians, judge Christians by Jesus.”
  Sally Lloyd-Jones, 29:07

• “There’s no such thing as a book that’s only for children.”
  C.S. Lewis (quoted by Sally), 31:50

• “He doesn’t come with big rules for us to keep – his first miracle is to restore joy.”
  Sally Lloyd-Jones on Jesus at Cana, 33:17

• “What was she doing? She was probably listening to her own demands for perfection in her head, and Jesus wasn’t demanding that of her.”
  Sally Lloyd-Jones on Martha, 41:08

• “God loves you, He won’t stop loving you. You don’t have to do anything to make Him love you.”
  Sally Lloyd-Jones, 44:26

Important Timestamps

• Sally’s Background & Calling: 01:43–05:54
• Writing Approach & Joy-Infusion: 05:54–07:21
• Author-Musician Events: 07:52–10:52
• Ginny’s Church Story: 11:20–18:34
• Healing through Story (Joseph): 18:34–19:45
• “Distill, Don’t Dumb Down” Philosophy: 25:49–28:02
• Discussion of “Extra Super Holy People”: 25:24–28:44
• On Judging Jesus vs. Christians: 29:07
• Children’s Books for All Ages (C.S. Lewis): 31:50
• The Wedding at Cana Discussion: 32:55–36:33
• Mary & Martha (Moms and Busyness): 37:49–42:04
• Unity of the Bible’s Big Story: 42:30–44:26
• The Stone Throwers/Bullying: 47:00–51:56
• Sally on Receiving Letters & Impact: 23:29–24:19
• Closing Reflections and Sally’s Favorite Memory Outdoors: 55:48

Closing Thoughts

Sally Lloyd-Jones’ stories are much more than children’s literature; they are tender, artful distillations of hope that resonate across generations. Ginny Earth’s openhearted hosting and personal stories highlight precisely why works like the "Jesus Storybook Bible" and "Jesus, Our True Friend" are enduring lifelines for families facing life’s hardest blows.

For Families and Listeners:

• Sally’s newest book, Jesus, Our True Friend, offers seven “good news” stories for children—and adults—struggling with fear, exclusion, and sadness, always pointing back to God’s joyful love.
• "You don’t have to be good for God to love you. He loved you before you were ever born."

Additional Resources

• Jesus Storybook Bible
• Jesus, Our True Friend: Stories to Fill Your Heart with Joy
• Sally Lloyd-Jones' website (for further books and resources)

This summary captures the spirit, wisdom, and encouragement woven throughout Ginny Earth’s conversation with Sally Lloyd-Jones—perfect for those seeking comfort, inspiration, or simply the restorative power of a good story.