The Questions Reshaping How I Parent Teenagers
Parenting Feels Complicated In part because of working on Take the Next Step, and in part because of where we are in our family life, recently I’ve been thinking a…
Autism is not a “horror show.”
President Trump referred to autism as a “horror show” in a televised cabinet meeting this week. The language we use to describe disability matters. Speaking in sweeping, negative terms doesn’t help anyone.…
What if Dependence Is a Gift?
Our limits may hold the secret to flourishing. • Before I get into this week’s message, I want to thank all of you who participated in choosing a logo for…
I’m Glad I Made This Choice This Summer
A few months back, I was looking ahead at August and realized I didn’t have many plans. Two thoughts came to mind. I could set a goal of finishing the…
photo by Bryan Johnson
Where Joy and Discomfort Meet
I know many of you are already back to school, or close to it. Here in Connecticut, we still have a few weeks of summertime. Our kids are playing Monopoly…
August 2025 | Things Worth Your Time
Books, essays, podcasts episodes, and more that I think are worth your time, plus recent cultural news that I’m paying attention to… ESSAYS ESSAY: "Canada Is Killing Itself" This is…
Image courtesy of Canva Pro
You Don’t Have to Climb Toward Hope
“What if hope’s not a rope you hold on to? What if it’s the arms that have always held you?” My new favorite song is Ellie Holcomb’s “Hope’s Gonna’ Find…
“Good Genes” and the Gift of Being Human
What if the real beauty of humanity isn’t found in “good genes,” but in the people our culture is most inclined to screen out? Last week in the newsletter, I mentioned…
Super Babies and the Cost of Control
I recently read a Washington Post essay entitled “Inside the Silicon-Valley Push to Breed Super Babies.” It describes the latest technology to screen embryos for genetic differences, technology which claims…
Photos by Bryan Johnson
How Love Disrupts the Hierarchy
You may have noticed that I didn’t write a Substack last week. I took the week off because I was at Hope Heals Camp in Nauvoo, Alabama, with our family.…
