I wanted to give all of our readers a quick update about “The Parabolic Chicken Tales.” I began that project during a season of my life that has since come to a natural close, and the work no longer reflects where my spirit or my creativity are currently. Rather than forcing something that doesn’t feel true, I’m choosing to release it.

Thank you for the interest and encouragement so many of you shared. I’m grateful for it. My creative energy has moved in a new direction, and I’m excited to soon be sharing the work that’s growing in this new chapter.

More to come — and I’m glad you’re with me for what’s next.

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For now, here’s Pearl in her full, clear, slightly indignant, always-wise voice — explaining both (1) why I have “egg on my face” and (2) why she insisted on reorganizing The Parabolic Chickens into four main categories with 18 parables.

“Well now, let me fluff my feathers and speak plainly.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching my human, it’s that sometimes the truth lands on you the way an egg does — unexpectedly, a little messy, and with just enough embarrassment to make you wiser.

“You have egg on your face, dear one, because you tried to carry too many parables at once.

“You meant well — you always do — but you kept adding and adding, thinking, ‘Just one more story, just one more illustration, just one more little blessing.’ Before long, the whole nest was overflowing. Even I, a hen with impeccable balance, could see the wobble.

“And when a project wobbles, something is bound to crack.

“So, you ended up with egg on your face. But don’t fret. Around here, egg on the face is not a failure — it’s a sign that something NEW is ready to hatch.

“That’s why I wanted the whole book reworked

“I don’t ask for a full redesign to be fussy. I ask because I could feel the heart of the book beating underneath all that extra straw. The stories were good — beautiful, even — but they weren’t breathing. They needed space. Rhythm. A structure that felt like a walk through the yard at dawn, not a frantic dash around the coop.

“So I told you, as only a hen can, ‘Let’s sort these into four roosts — Calling, Compassion, Discipleship, and Hope — and let each roost hold just the right number of eggs.”

“Eighteen parables. Five on two roosts and Four on two roosts. That makes for a tidy, balanced clutch with enough to nourish the reader, but not so many that the nest collapses.

“And you listened. You wiped the egg off your face, straightened your shoulders, and rebuilt the whole thing with intention. This matters because a book like “The Parabolic Chicken Tales” isn’t just a collection of stories. It’s a coop of meaning, a sanctuary of wisdom, a place where children and grown-ups alike can come to rest, learn, and smile. Surely you, writer of Curious Chicken Tales, know that a sanctuary must be ordered, not cluttered, not frantic, not bursting at the seams.

“You must give the book room to breathe, and in doing so, you give yourself room to breathe. That’s why I nudged you and why you felt the egg crack. Most importantly, that’s why the new version feels so right.

“My advice to you is simply this:

Keep looking at things with new eyes, especially if you’ve got two good chicken eyes to help you see the possibilities and things done in completely new ways!

Thanks to all of our Friends, Family, and Fans for reading, liking, and sharing! We will keep you in our prayers!

Sincerely,

John and Pearl, (with fond memories of Gracie, Bessie, Blanche, Emily, and Amelia) and our newest Little Buddy, Ernest