My latest thoughts on
faith, family, disability,
privilege, and healing
Responding to the Immigration Crisis with Your Head, Heart, and Hands
This post, one in a series about my time in El Paso (check out the other posts here and here), offers ways that you can
The Kids are Not Okay – Reflections from the Southern Border
The kids are not okay is the quickest way to say it. Despite changes, when it comes to the impact of US policy on immigrant
How the Spiritual Imagination Moves Us Towards Hope
There’s a lot of goodness in learning how to be present, how to sink deeply into this moment, how to let go of the regrets
Good Samaritan – Welcome the Stranger
The United States’ immigration crisis is on the forefront of my mind after a recent visit to El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. In this
Back to School for the Becker Family – Fall 2019
We celebrated going back to school last week with a dinner out at our local tavern. I used to ask the kids pretty regularly how
In The News: Refugee Admissions May Be Drastically Reduced or Eliminated
I learned this morning that the Trump Administration is considering drastically reducing and restricting the refugee admissions program, a program that has established our country
Backstage Thoughts on Privilege: Q Ideas
I had a chance to share “backstage thoughts” at the Q conference. After I shared with the crowd, I spoke more about living life behind
Inclusive Blessing – How to Express Gratitude and Lament
How do we acknowledge, confess, and lament the sorrows and crimes of our heritage while also honoring and expressing our gratitude our forebears? I heard
Q Ideas 2019: The Harm of Privilege
My Talk at Q Ideas 2019: The Harm of Privilege It was a tremendous honor to speak about privilege in front of the audience at
First Day of School: Penny Starts Eighth Grade – In Her Own Words
I always thought middle school would be the time when life for a child with Down syndrome got hard. The infant and toddler years held
Understanding The US Immigration Crisis: 14 Recommended Resources
I feel very disconnected from the immigration crisis at the US southern border. I live in Connecticut, far away from detention centers and checkpoints. So
Defining Privilege Part Two: What Privilege Is
In my previous post, I discussed what privilege is not. In this post I will define what privilege is. What exactly do we mean when
Defining Privilege Part One: What Privilege Is Not
As important as it is to understand what privilege is, it is also important to clarify what privilege is not. Privilege is not an accusation
Summer Rewind: How Christians Should Talk About Sex
Last year the Atlantic reported on the fact that people are having less sex across all demographic sectors in America. Meanwhile, the sexualization of everything
What Training for a Half Marathon Teaches Me about my Soul
It still surprises me to note that I am training for a half marathon. Last year, I ran one for the first time and it
Review: The Peanut Butter Falcon | by Amy Julia Becker
This weekend was the opening of the movie The Peanut Butter Falcon. As parents of a child with Down syndrome, my husband Peter and I
The Porter’s Gate Worship Project – New Single “Nothing to Fear”
I got to participate in the The Porter’s Gate Worship Project in Nashville back in January, where a diverse group of singer/songwriters joined together to
Summer Rewind: Why We Still Go To Church
Summertime is the hardest time for us to convince our kids, and ourselves, to go to church on Sunday mornings. They want to go to
Sitting in Silence
I stumbled across a new podcast today called Encountering Silence and started with an interview with Richard Rohr on the topic of silence. I’ve been
Love in the Midst of the Mess
You may be familiar with the words of 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast.
Summer Rewind: Five Books that Have Challenged Me about Race and Justice
I’ve offered a number of book lists related to race and justice this past year since the publication of White Picket Fences (like this list
Remembering Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison was a mentor from afar to me, first as a writer of fiction, later as a professor for a course I took at
Scary Mommy Post: When My Daughter Wanted to Quit Dance Class, We Did This Instead
So my daughter wanted to quit dance class, and I wrote about it for Scary Mommy. You may already be familiar with the Scary Mommy
What My Blog is About
If you are new to my blog, welcome! I blog about family, faith, disability, privilege, culture and the intersection of all of these realities. I
Reflections on Suffering… and Love
Last week, I spoke with a group of women about the age-old question of how a good God could allow acts of senseless terror and
Guest Sermon: Salem Covenant Church
The 4 Things John 5 teaches us about healing, which is to say, about God “Biblically speaking, health isn’t the absence of illness. Health isn’t
Vacation Recipe: Gazpacho
I am not a chef. I do not make complicated dishes. I repeat tried and true recipes to the point that guests will say things
Normie – A Down Syndrome Coming of Age Film
I experienced such deep joy at the Normie screening at the Five Senses Festival. Not only did I get to sit outside under the stars in
Guest Podcast: White Picket Fences at Mockingbird Conference 2019
One of the great joys of being invited to speak from White Picket Fences about the power of love to heal social divisions is getting
Summer Rewind: Learning what happiness is (and isn’t) from my daughter with Down syndrome
I started thinking about the words in 1 Corinthians 13–Paul’s famous passage about the nature of love–many years ago when Penny was first born. I
