My latest thoughts on
faith, family, disability,
privilege, and healing
A Note on the Terms in White Picket Fences
White Picket Fences addresses the topic of privilege, giving particular attention to race, class, and disability. I chose to use the term “African American” most
Hope for Healing: Engaging with the Problem of Privilege
Hope for Healing When I started to really engage with the problem of privilege, I wanted to figure out how to fix it. I studied
Revisiting: Deep Calls Out To Deep, But I Long To Stay Shallow
Candy, mindless scrolling through my phone, checking email instead of working on something of substance, avoiding exercise and time outside, keeping conversation light instead of
On Political Correctness and Learning the Language of Love
On Political Correctness and Learning the Language of Love Today was Halloween, and Halloween is now a holiday, like many others, that brings up the
7 Non-Fiction Books I Recommend for (White) People Who Want to Understand Our Racial Divides
Lately I have been getting a lot of questions about books that I recommend for people who want to further understand our racial divides, and
For Those Who Worry
For Those Who Worry I used to have a hard time calling myself a sinner. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in sin. Conceptually, I’m
An Erroneous S and the Power of Language: Why My Book Had to be Reprinted at the Last Second
For the past few years, I’ve been working on a memoir about race, class and disability called White Picket Fences: Turning toward Love in a
Why I Wrote White Picket Fences
One of the questions I get asked a lot about White Picket Fences: Turning toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege is why
When Serving Others Means Letting Yourself Be Served
So there’s this famous verse in the Bible where Jesus says he came “not to be served but to serve.” It’s a verse that crept
Why Instagram?
A few years ago, I stopped blogging. I had never been great on social media. I like to take time to think about things. (Which
Penny, Seventh Grade
Everyone told me that seventh grade is just the worst. The nadir of self-consciousness and social awkwardness and everything horrible about tween-dom. And it
What Our Summer Vacation Taught Me
Over the summer we took a family vacation in Europe. It was a wonderful trip where we met up with old friends in a simple
The Invitation to Confess
I shared this short thought on Facebook over the summer, but also wanted to share it here…. Historically speaking, I am not good at confessing
Trust Your Love Instead Of Your Fear
A few days after the Presidential election of 2016, I wrote this post. Looking back on it now, it seems like a great introduction to
New Rules For Screen Time Pt. 2
I mentioned a while back that I wanted to revise our family’s policies regarding screen time in response to a podcast I heard with Heather
New Rules For Screen Time Pt. 1
When I was a kid, we spent two weeks at my grandparent’s beach house every summer. It was a simple cottage with painted wooden
Thoughts from May 28 – June 1, 2018
Here are some of my thoughts from this past week, which include my thoughts and questions about hardship and suffering, a video about what it
The Difference between Hardship and Suffering, and Why It Matters
Recently I have been thinking about hardship and about suffering and how often we confuse the two and how that can get us into trouble.
Thoughts from May 21-25, 2018
Once a week I compile the thoughts I’ve shared on my Facebook Author Page into one blog post. As it happened, last week on Monday
Why I Won’t Tell You What Happened When Penny, Our Daughter with Down Syndrome, Went to the Middle School Dance
I’ve read a few comments over the years about how parents stop writing about their kids with disabilities once they are out of the
Thoughts from May 14-18, 2018
May 14, 2018 This video is another 6-minute take on Luke 15, the story of two sons who don’t understand their father. Greg Boyle, author
Is the Word “Buddy” Helpful in Programs for Kids with Disabilities?
The word “buddy” comes up a lot in programs for people with disabilities. When Penny was a toddler, our church said they’d like to get
Thoughts from May 7-11, 2018
Once a week I compile the short reflections I’ve offered on my Facebook Author Page into one blogpost. If you benefit from these thoughts, please
Thoughts from April 30- May 4, 2018
Once a week I compile the short reflections I’ve offered on my Facebook Author Page into one blogpost. If you benefit from these thoughts, please
Thoughts from April 23-27, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, April
Thoughts from April 16-20, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, April
Thoughts from April 9 -13, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, April
Eight Ideas to Help Your Child Develop a Love of Reading
Here are 8 ideas for how to help your child enjoy reading more than they do right now. (Lots of people asked me how
Thoughts from April 2-6, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, April
Practicing Easter Every Day
Monday morning arrived, and with it another snowstorm. We’ve had ten snow days so far this year. But I looked outside, and for once
