My latest thoughts on
faith, family, disability,
privilege, and healing
In Black History Month, 3 Ways to Change the Racial Wealth Gap
A friend of mine called the other day. She had Covid, so she decided to do some genealogical research to while away the hours in
Heather Avis Endorses To Be Made Well
I am so grateful for the early readers who were willing to endorse To Be Made Well. Thank you, Heather Avis, for taking the time
Delta Air Lines and Disability
Peter recently flew home and noticed that Delta Air Line’s opening safety video included an image of a man with Down syndrome sitting in the
S5 E12 | Racism: Can Learning History Bring Healing? with Lisa Sharon Harper
Learning the history of enslavement and racism illuminates the path to repentance and repair. Lisa Sharon Harper, leading faith and race activist and author
God Gives Us More Than We Can Handle
In her book Suffer Strong, Katherine Wolf writes, “It seems that God does give us more than we can handle—sometimes much more. And yet He
Why a Failed Shopping Expedition Was Still a Great Birthday Present
Marilee turned 11 last Sunday. We drove to Brooklyn early to meet her new cousin, and we had already planned to see Wicked on Broadway
We All Need Healing
Our need for healing is both universal and particular. We all need healing. And yet we carry particular wounds. Shame, guilt, fear. Pain, disease, hurt.
A Few Things I Learned From Writing About Prenatal Testing
24 hours after my essay for the New York Times came out online, I learned it was also in the print edition! So that was
New York Times: I’m Thankful Every Day for the Decision I Made After My Prenatal Tests
Gulp. I got to write an opinion piece for the New York Times about prenatal tests and Down syndrome. There are all sorts of problems
Responsive Parenting
When Penny was three months old, and we were so very new to all things parenting and all things related to disability, we attended a
Anticipating Joy
“Anxiety is anticipated terror. Hope is anticipated joy.” I heard theologian Jürgen Moltmann say this to fellow theologian Miroslav Volf on a podcast a long
Receive Healing: Surrender
As we pay attention to pain and ask for help, we are already taking the third step toward healing. The third step is to, in
Receive Healing: Ask for Help
After we pay attention to pain, the second step to healing is to ask for help. There are two ways we can ask for help.
Receive Healing: Pay Attention to Pain
The first step in receiving God’s healing is to pay attention to pain. Whether it is the pain of an aching back or the pain
How Can We Receive Healing?
How can we receive healing? Pay attention to pain. Ask for help. Surrender to healing. I had a chance to preach at our church last
S5 E11 | Breaking Ground: Renewal in a Pandemic Year with Anne Snyder
In a society reeling from the pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, is it possible to create something new for our world? Anne
What Is To Be Made Well About?
If you’re curious about the topics I write about in To Be Made Well, here’s a sneak peek at the Table of Contents. (And if
The Temptation to Withdraw Rather Than Engage
In our household, we have to fight the urge for each of us to withdraw from one another on our individual devices. We have to
A Glimpse of Heaven
I did not expect to catch a glimpse of heaven in a TIME magazine article about food waste. But then I started reading about Massimo
Would You Like to Join My Launch Team?
Would you like to join my LAUNCH TEAM for To Be Made Well? I would love to have you participate! To be a part of
Able to be Wounded, Able to Love
In my recent essay for Plough Magazine, I wrote, “Penny was diagnosed with a ‘disability’ when she was born, and I still use that word
Order for Abundance
As we turned the corner into 2022, I felt a deep longing for order. I wanted the piles of books in my bedroom turned into
Has Anything Changed?
Fifty-four years after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed outside a motel in Memphis, has anything changed? Two years after the “racial
Let Me Introduce Myself!
For those of you who are new around here (and even for those of you who aren’t), I wanted to take a minute to introduce
Friday Favorite: Don’t Look Up
Have you watched the Netflix hit Don’t Look Up? Did you notice the part about God? Don’t Look Up is a satire that casts Leonardo
A Better Way to Read the Bible
I missed out on something crucial when I learned how to read the Bible. I learned to ask three simple questions: What does it say?
Dreaming for the Future
When Penny was younger, I resisted setting goals for her. The early years of her life were full of measurements and yardsticks and a sense
S5 E10 | How Kids Can Fight Racism with Dr. Jemar Tisby
Can our children really make a difference in the fight against racism? Dr. Jemar Tisby, author of How to Fight Racism Young Reader’s Edition, talks
We Are Made Well by God
What if you have inestimable worth, and you’ve never noticed it before? A few weeks back, I read about a drawing that was purchased for
The Gift of the Magi
This Christmas, I felt like Peter and I were living out our own version of the O. Henry short story, The Gift of the Magi.
