RECENT POSTS
![Marilee stands in front of the red brick John Brown home](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-northerncomplicity-1024x402.png)
Northern Complicity in Racial Injustice
There’s a story of racial injustice that still needs to be told in the Northeast. I’ve told a few people about my vision for a
![gradient blue graphic with a cutout picture of Amy Julia, her arms folded in front of her, and text that says: Love Is Stronger Than Fear with Amy Julia Becker](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AJB-featured-season-61560-×-628-px-1-1024x412.png)
Introducing Season 6 of Love Is Stronger Than Fear
Welcome to Season 6 of Love Is Stronger Than Fear, a podcast about pursuing hope and healing in the midst of personal and social brokenness.
![Penny is wearing a dress and stands in front of flower bushes as she smiles at the camera.](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-penny-junior-year-1024x402.png)
Penny Starts Her Junior Year
And all of a sudden, she’s a junior. A junior who set her alarm and woke up without nudging. Who packed her lunch and her
![Amy Julia and Penny take a selfie in the forest. They smile widely at the camera and lean their heads against each other](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-universal-sign-love-someone-with-ds-1024x402.png)
A Secret Sign for “I Love a Person With Down Syndrome”
I wish there were some sort of hand signal or gesture that meant, “I love a person with Down syndrome.” Kind of like “Honk if
![hand holding the book The Song of Our Scars](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-the-song-of-our-scars-1024x402.png)
The Song of Our Scars
So many of us are carrying so much pain in our bodies and minds, which may be why I am loving The Song of Our
![morning sunlight on hazy grasses](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-false-self-true-self-1-1024x402.png)
The False Self is Fragile. The True Self is Vulnerable.
The false self is fragile. The true self is vulnerable. It can be really hard to know the difference. The true self is the part
![grasses against a pale, hazy horizon](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-summer-walk-1-1024x402.png)
Fitting Inside God’s Upside-Down Kingdom
“I needed my life to be upended in order for me to fit inside God’s upside-down kingdom.” At one of the leader sessions at Hope
![Panoramic Photography of Green Field and dark blue sky](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-what-we-value-1024x402.png)
What If We Choose a Different Way?
We live in a culture that values: Productivity over people Intellect over empathy Individual over community Competition over compassion Invincibility over vulnerability Isolated achievement over
![William and Amy Julia stand together in front of the ocean and smile widely](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-summer-walk-1024x402.png)
Summer Sometimes Feels Wasted, and then…
Summer sometimes feels wasted. There are still chores and appointments and broken refrigerator drawers and grocery lists. And then along comes a spontaneous walk on
![Amy Julia stands at a pulpit and preaches.](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-honest-humble-healing-1024x402.png)
Honesty. Humility. Healing.
Be honest. Be humble. Begin healing. Bring healing. I had a chance to preach the final sermon in a series on healing at our church
![graphic with covers of three Bible studies mentioned in blog post](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-bible-studies-1024x402.png)
Bible Studies for Your Group
If you are looking for a way to study the Bible on your own or in a group, here are a few suggestions. Bible Study:
![Amy Julia and family stand together on the beach with their arms around each other and the ocean in the background](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-intro-to-aj-1024x402.png)
Sharing Some Fun Facts Today!
Every so often, I take the time to introduce myself around here, since there are always wonderful new people joining in on the conversation. Welcome!
![crevice in rocks](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-anger-at-myself-2-1024x402.png)
When Anger at Others Is Really Anger at Myself
I was so mad at Peter. I had made pulled pork and slaw for the woman at church who fell and broke her elbow. He
![children's shadows on a sidewalk](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-friendship-1024x402.png)
The Importance of Diverse Friendships
Friendships that cut across social dividing lines matter more than almost anything else in helping people move from one social class to another, according to
![William sits in a van. He wears a blue hat that says, "It's my birthday."](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-william-14-birthday-1024x402.png)
William Is 14!!!
Happy birthday to William, who turned fourteen yesterday! This morning, I read a blessing from the book of Numbers. It’s a blessing that has been
![Amy Julia and Peter sit across from each other at a table in a breakfast nook. They both have laptops open in front of them.](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-most-important-thing-married-couple-1-1024x402.png)
The Most Important Thing We Do as a Married Couple
I used to think it was simply a gift that Peter and I still like each other after twenty-plus years of marriage. That we got
![close up of calendar on the green table background,](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-calendar-spiritual-document-1024x402.png)
Our Calendars Are Spiritual Documents
Our calendars are spiritual documents. In our modern world, time is a precious commodity. And how we use/spend/give that time tells us what and who
![box full of a bulk order of To Be Made Well books](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ajb-video-series-fall-groups-1024x402.png)
Video Series for Your Small Group This Fall
I got a fun DM earlier this week from a woman in California who just received a box of 50 copies of To Be Made