Teaching Kids Faith Through Adventure and Mystery with Jen Weaver & Gayle Veitenheimer

In this episode, authors Gail Veitenheimer and Jen Weaver discuss their children's book series, The Mystery of the Missing Falls, which combines engaging detective stories with Christian discipleship themes. They explore how storytelling can teach kids about hearing God's voice, identity in Christ, and faith in everyday life, making complex spiritual concepts accessible and relatable for young readers.

https://kingswellkids.com 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Dynamic Duo

02:25 The Inspiration Behind Kingswell Kid Detectives

05:04 Character Dynamics: Luca and Ember

07:41 Exploring Faith Through Fiction

10:12 Hearing God: A Central Theme

13:26 Future Books and Themes

17:14 The Power of Story in Discipleship

20:16 Looking Ahead: Upcoming Releases

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Transcript

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How Children's Books Can Foster Discipleship and Spiritual Growth with Jen Weaver and Gayle Veitenheimer

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity but reflects the full conversation from the BookWorthy Podcast. Grab a cup of coffee, listen, and read along.

The blog version of this episode is available at www.valeriefentress.com/blog

Valerie - Welcome to Bookworthy, where we discover children's books from board books, YA, that your kids will love and you can trust. Today, we're talking with a dynamic duo, Bible teacher and host of the Good God Talks podcast, Jen Weaver, and also author and host of the Christian Grandparenting podcast, Gayle Veitenheimer. These podcasting powerhouses discovered a shared love of kids' books and mysteries in a critique group, which led them to team up on the Kingswell Kid Detectives series, a middle-grade adventure with their first book titled The Mystery of the Missing Falls. This is the first quest to rival Sherlock Holmes in their own hometown of Kingswell Falls. Welcome to Bookworthy, Gayle and Jen.

Gayle - Thank you, Valerie. Appreciate you having us.

Jen - Yeah, it's so good to be here.

Valerie - Thank you, guys. I'm glad to have you. We all met together at the Novel Marketing Conference back in January. But Gayle and I met back in 2022 at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. So it's kind of been fun to watch her journey and to get to finally invite her here, and to have you, Jen, alongside is super exciting.

Gayle - Blue Ridge Christian Writers’ Conference.

Valerie -But to get us started, we have to do our random question of the week. And the question is, if you had two minutes to give a speech on anything non-book related, what would your topic be?

Jen – We actually had fun with this question, trying to figure out what my answer would be. And I would talk about the mantis shrimp, which is my favorite animal. It's a very colorful, like rainbow colored shrimp that has a bunch of cones in their eyes. So a human typically has three cones in their eyes, so we can see different colors. Mantis shrimp have 12 to 16. And so I'm just fascinated by wondering what they can see, what colors we have in our world that we just don't have the perception of ________. 

Gayle – I would speak on partnering with God. That's a topic that's very close to my heart, partnering with him not only in life but in work and in all that you do, which is definitely something that Jen and I try to portray in our books of helping kids walk with God, do life with God, real life in real time right now.

Valerie - I love that connection of what you are passionate about, as well as what you, the two of you, have been working on in this series. Well, Jen, why don't you start by telling us a little bit about this book series?

Jen - So it really started from a need that I had for my own kids. So my boys are currently ages eight and 11. And this started a few years ago because of the whole book-writing process. But I thought I was just gonna jump onto Amazon and buy a bunch of books that helped distill what we know in faith into real-life stories and circumstances to help them start grasping some of the different things, like prayer and hearing God. And I found a lot of really great books, but nothing that really spoke to the need that I was trying to meet with my family. And so, as you mentioned, Gayle and I knew each other from a critique group. I'm a Bible teacher. I love helping people experience life with God and hear God's voice, but I had never written for kids before. And so I approached Gayle, and I said, " Hey, would you want to consider writing kids' books with me? And that's how our mystery series started.

Valerie -Too fun. Well, Gayle, tell us a little bit about these characters, Luca and Ember, and the trouble that they get into in their hometown.

Gayle - Luka and Ember are cousins. They are 11 years old. Luca is growing up with a single dad who is a police detective, and this dad is training him. So Luca is very scientific, very logical, very justice-oriented. He's also very liturgical in his faith, which really makes it fun in book one as he and Ember begin to explore prayer.

And Jen, I'll hand it over to you for Ember because Ember is your specialty. feel like Luca is more mine, and they're opposites, and we have a lot of fun with them in book one.

Jen - Yes, they are opposites that go better together. So, Ember is more charismatic in her faith. She's more conversational in her approach to her relationship with God and to prayer. She's very artsy and creative, people-oriented. And so, as they're solving cases together, as they're going through daily life circumstances, it's really fun to see them play off each other, appreciate each other's strengths, and overcome frustrations when something is easy for one and hard for the other. But they really are partners in solving crime, and they get to use their personalities and their skill sets to solve these fun mysteries. Starting with finding missing waterfalls that have been gone from the town that's named after them. They live in Kingswell Falls. The waterfalls have been gone for over a hundred years, and they want to put their agency on the map by finding the falls that even the adults can't find.

Valerie - That sounds like a lot of fun. It sounds like you've really kind of worked in this charismatic, you know, personal relationship in the liturgical side of the church. What made you guys want to have those, you know, different views? Because I know that a lot of times in Christian communities, there are lots of people who are in all of those different walks of faith. And so even within Christianity, what kind of spurred you guys to walk into that conflict in a sense?

Gayle - I know for me, my own family reflects that. I grew up just a Heinz 57 of denominations as my Southern Baptist dad and my Lutheran mom tried to figure it out. And our children were raised pretty much in a non-denominational way, but have converted to Catholicism. So we're experiencing that range in our own families. So it's something I'm sensitive to.

Jen - Yeah, I grew up similarly. So my dad grew up at Nazarene, and my mom came to Christ Assemblies of God. And so my childhood, we were all over the map, mostly non-denominational as I grew older, but Baptist all over the place. And we wanted to create these stories that any Christian family could pick up and say, okay, not only is this a good read that I know is going to reflect the values of our home with no unwanted surprises, but it's also gonna be an easy conversation starter for me to talk with my kids based on scripture, based on God's character and nature and what we see in the word. And so we wanted to reflect the beauty of all sorts of different personalities and walks of life and denominations. And so it's been fun to explore that together and see how there might be something strong for one person and not as strong for another, but that God grows us all as we're walking through life as his followers.

Valerie - I love that dynamic that you've brought to these characters because I think kids come across, you know, even so many people in their own schools and neighborhoods that are, you know, one might be Baptist, one might be a simile of God, one might be, you know, Catholic or Lutheran. They, you know, give them the chance to kind of walk with these characters and to kind of experience, okay, they're not so different. It's like, no, we, there are very, there are differences, but there is a very core, uh, thing that they all walk. And so it's in our culture that seems to want to ostracize and, you know, make divisions. It's good to see books that are kind of showing that Christianity is not as divisive as a lot of our culture is right now.

Now, what do you hope kids walk away from this book with? At least book one.

 The Heart Behind The Kingswell Kids Detective Series

Jen - So book one, we're sneaking in this discipleship theme of hearing God in prayer. And so every time Gayle and I get on a Zoom call to work through the manuscript, which we do constantly, every time we pray for our readers and we pray for the families and the school teachers and the pastors and the children's ministry directors that will pick up these books. And part of what we're praying for is that a kid reader will finish a chapter and want to talk with God frequently.

Jen - That it will feel accessible and relatable because of how it's shown by the conversations that Luca and Ember have with each other about God, and how they're talking with God, and how they're learning to interact with him, too. And so our prayer is that a kid will put down the book and start talking with God in a way that feels natural and potentially easier if they've been stressed or concerned about it before, just not even quite sure how to hear him or how to listen for him.

Valerie - It seems that it's hard for kids a lot of times to talk to adults that they can see, and can you shake a hand? And so yeah, to talk to God, who is the, you know, was it at our church, we say it's that he's the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing creator of everything. It's like that seems mind-blowing to kids, no matter how long they've been in a church, and still mind-blowing as an adult when you think about it. But it's neat that you're helping kids walk through this. What does this conversation look like? What does it mean to talk with someone I can't see? You know, hearing God is different for everybody. And so what does that look like? Do you guys kind of talk through kind of how Luca and Ember hear from God in different ways?

Addressing Prayer and Hearing from God in the Kingswell Kids Mysteries

Gayle - Absolutely, not only Luka and Ember, but also the Kingswell cousins that they're paired with. Each one begins to talk with God and learns to hear from God differently. And they challenge each other, especially Luka and Ember. And our prayer for readers, as you know, Valerie is a fiction writer who, when children read a book, they see the story through the eyes of the protagonist, and they experience that story with them. And so that's our prayer that Luca learns to pray and learns to hear as Ember, as Jake, and as Kelly, that our reader is doing the same thing.

Valerie- Very neat. question from off the cuff. How does God speak to you, Jen?

Jen - I love this question. So he speaks to me in a lot of different ways. One is an awareness of him through nature. So when I'm out in nature, I love trees. And so that's kind of become a thing between the Lord and me, where I admire his handiwork in a good tree. We'll take a walk, and I'm like, man, Lord, that's a good tree there. And one of the other ways that he speaks to me is an internal knowing. So, like in my heart, in my mind, something that I know is different than what I would have thought of on my own, or is better, sometimes it's harder, but there's a piece that comes with it when I have that thought come where I'm like, okay, Lord, is this you? And one of the things I want to add to that, too, before Gayle gets this fun question, is that we don't just model the successes for our characters. I think that can be really hard. I know for me growing up in the church, I would hear a lot about someone's successes, but we also modeled the wrestling and the questions. And so we have our characters asking these questions of each other, and, okay, well, where do you see that in the Bible? And, okay, we see it this way. So maybe this is part of how we can come to God. And so that also makes it accessible for our reader to come alongside and be like, okay, maybe God could talk with me that way too.

Gayle - In a lot of similar ways to Jen. Definitely a god nudge or an impression. Creation also speaks to me. But there have also been many times I've had a very clear thought or a clear word that I just know without a doubt is him. Which is great. Those are easy to apply because they're clear.

Valerie - I know we all want neon signs like go this way, but God likes to work in our hearts and work with the chaos in our own brains to help us be still with him.

Gayle - But as Jen said, our characters wrestle through the same questions that we adults have. know, for Ember, praying and talking with God is a very easy, relaxed thing. It's not for Luca. And he questions her, " What prayer do we use? What do we need to say? This is the God of the universe that we're talking to. And how do I know it's him answering and not just the thoughts in my own head? And they're good questions- those are valid questions.

Valerie -They are, and I really think kids in that eight to 12 range are really starting to ask those questions. And this generation, they really want answers. They're not okay because I said so anymore. Because of their access to information, they want to know. And I love that you guys are taking these characters and wrestling with those questions that we still have as adults, better or worse, but allowing kids to wrestle in that too. While they're walking through a story in a safe place, in a safe environment, and be like, okay, maybe I could think about this differently. Maybe prayer is this way or that way. And so that's really sweet to offer in these books. Now you have a few more coming out in this series. Tell us a little bit more about the other books and kind of what discipleship topics those will tackle.

Discipleship Topics in the Kingswell Kids Detective Series.

Jen - So, sure. So every book is going through a kid-sized mystery with a God-sized truth. So we're trying to lay this foundation that's useful for families. So yes, they are super fun, energetic, kid detective mysteries. So, the kid is engaged in the story, and then we're sneaking in discipleship through these specific themes. So book one is hearing God in prayer. By the way, we are very grounded in scripture. The Bible is the clearest way that we hear God speak. So we're showing our kids, too, how to engage with God in the word and then how that applies in real-life circumstances. And then book two, we're kind of building on our characters learning how to live life with God. And in book two, we're focusing on identity and belonging through the lens of us as God's kids. So how God is our good father and how we receive identity and belonging from him first before anything else gets to speak into it. And then book three is overcoming fear, which is a really practical thing that kids face day in and day out in big ways and small ways. And then we are actually currently praying through book four. So you guys will have to stay tuned to find out what that theme is.

Valerie - Too fun. That sounds like a very robust conversation, you know, a story to follow. And I love how you have so many fun characters with lots of different personalities to kind of help reach your reader, no matter what type of personality they have. So it's super fun. I love what you said about, you know, how we hear from God is, you know, I think who is it's Charles Spurgeon who said, if you want to hear God speak, read his word out loud. And it's, I love how you're grounding them. And that's kind of been a big part of my parenting, and my writing is reminding kids to always come back to the Bible. Like, okay, we have a question. What does the Bible say about that first, before we go to Google and that kind of thing? And so it's like, okay, what does God's truth reveal to us before we look at what?

Valerie - All AI is telling us, or, you know, even our teachers, and that kind of thing. So it's neat to give them that. That tool to use through fiction.

Gayle - We're both Bible nerds. I'm seminary-trained, so we are well-grounded.

Jen - We are, and I have, I'll add to that too. Something that we find often is that a lot of parents can get intimidated by the idea of trying to bring this kind of discipleship to their kids. And so it's like, okay, well, you're seminary trained, you're a Bible teacher. Like, okay, maybe you could do that, but I don't even know where to start. And Gayle, I'm actually gonna throw this to you, because I love the way you describe the power of literature and discipleship, but we hope to actually make this easy and accessible and approachable for parents in a new way.

Gayle - The fun thing about using this mystery series and just quality fiction in general is that there's no equipping required. There's no prep or homework needed before they can start. They can simply join the conversation with their kid. And the reason that story is such a powerful tool in discipling our children and our grandchildren is that when we speak about commandments, our principles, our precepts, the left brain shuts the door. But when we say the same things through a story, the right brain opens the door and welcomes all that information in. And it's a powerful, powerful way to disciple. because it engages the heart immediately.

Valerie - Yeah, cause when you walk through a story with the characters, you're with them, you're part of them, you're experiencing all their highs and lows alongside them. That's why the story just builds empathy. So in such great measure, and you know, that's the great thing about stories. They can communicate these hard truths in a way that is accessible to all ages. And you know, what is it you think back to CS Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, they were. presenting the gospel and the hard truths of the Bible in these magical worlds. And even people today who may not have a faith, they're enjoying these stories because there's something deeply rooted in us that wants that salvation story, that wants that redemptive story, and wants to know their place in the world. And so I love how story does that for kids and even adults because I love a good middle-grade book.

Gayle - For sure, and I love Tolkien and Lewis, but you're right. They set their stories in a fantastical world, and sometimes I think kids can look at that and go, well, yeah, that's great in Narnia, but what about here? Which is why we chose to set it in a contemporary setting so that as kids read and experience the story with our characters, it's real faith in real life in real time. And here we are right now.

Valerie - I love that. think kids these days really want that. know, while they'll enjoy going to a fantasy world, there is that need for what do I do tomorrow at school, and right now? And so that's a great reason for your books to be in the contemporary space, so that they can be relatable and really applied to the kids in our lives. Okay. Well, what is your most impactful book for the two of you, other than the Bible?

Most Impactful Books for Jen Weaver and Gayle Veiteinhiemer

Jen - Goodness, I feel like that's a hard question. One of the most impactful books for me was actually talking about Lewis, which was The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And I think part of that was that I had misunderstandings about God as a child. And so there were ways that Jesus was portrayed as Aslan that prompted more curiosity in me, prompted questions for me that I could go talk with my parents about, or just kind of sit with before the Lord, where I can look now at the love that I have for that series and the way that God was depicted as planting these seeds early on in my heart.

Gayle - Yeah, actually, it's the same. I love the Lion, the witch in the wardrobe. It still resonates so, so deeply with me. And I think the thing I admire most about Lewis is his ability to sneak in discipleship, which is exactly what we're doing now, too. But yes, to this day, it resonates so strongly.

Valerie - Kind of why it's still a best seller on the shelf, right? Well, ladies, what can we expect next from you? Gayle, we'll start with you.

What’s Next and Connecting with Gayle Veitenheimer and Jen Weaver

Gayle - Well, book two, which comes out in spring 2027, is that correct? It takes place in Lucan Number School, and the action centers around a prankster and a mysterious lone wolf. And as Jen had referenced before, the spiritual angle on that one is identity and belonging seen through the lens of the fatherhood of God. And that in itself was a God thing. We were doing multiple passes, and we're looking for where we could add more spiritual content. And I'm like, Jen, there's a thread, look. And it was the fatherhood of God that we hadn't picked up on, but that we didn't put in. But as we were rereading, it's like, no, that's there. We need to pivot. And that was a fun God moment on that one. And then, I'll throw three to you.

Jen - Yes, so book three is set in the Grand Canyon, and they are actually hiking rim to rim, which Gayle is our resident expert on between the two of us. I've never done that. She's done that multiple times. And so they are invited into a mystery while they're on vacation there that keeps growing while they're trying to solve it. And so there are drones and fellow hikers and suspicious activity, and it's a full-on adventure.

Valerie - Sounds like a lot of fun. Where can people find out more about you guys and your books?

Jen Weaver - So, kingswellkids.com is everything for the series, including bonus resources. We have a book club going on. We have plans related to our characters on the U version of the Bible app. And that also has links there to our own individual website. So the best place to go is kingswellkids.com.

Valerie - That sounds great. We'll make sure to have those in the show notes. Thank you, guys, so much for joining me today.

Gayle - Thanks for having us, Valerie.

Jen - Thank you for having us.

Valerie - And thank you for joining Gayle, Jen, and me on this episode of the Book Worthy Podcast. Hit the follow button wherever you're listening and leave a review to help other Christian families discover more great books your kids will love and you can trust. The blog version of this episode, with all the links and books we discussed, can be found at ValerieFentress.com slash blog. Happy reading.