My latest thoughts on
faith, family, disability,
privilege, and healing

Turning 46
We celebrated my 46th birthday last week. I have a friend who holds up a sign that indicates his age in every birthday photo now.

I Love Hearing From Groups Using To Be Made Well!
I love hearing from the groups around the country who are reading and discussing To Be Made Well, and it is always a joy to

Addressing our Mental Health Crisis
I am kind of obsessed with Dr. Lisa Miller right now. I read her 2015 book, The Spiritual Child, a few months back. And then

Becoming a Culture of Belonging
How do you know if your community is a place of belonging? Professor Erik Carter has articulated ten “dimensions of belonging.” He created this model

Down Syndrome’s “Exclusive Club”
I remember a day 17 years ago when Peter and I had spent hours with Penny at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We were exhausted.

10 Ways to Practice Resurrection
Yesterday we stood in church and sang Alleluia, and afterwards we gathered with friends and feasted and drank champagne and rejoiced with this day of

Easter| Love Is Life
Love is the strongest power. Love is the core of the universe. Love is the only unending, unshakable, permanent truth. Love is life. Love is

Hope on Holy Saturday
There is a space that stretches between despair and joy. A painful moment. Of waiting. Of uncertainty. Of fear and grief and doubt tinged with

Sitting in the Dark on Good Friday
I would like to skip Good Friday. I would like the cross to not be a part of the story. I would like to ignore

Jean Vanier and the Way of Blessing
Jean Vanier was the storied founder of L’Arche, a global movement of communities for people with and without intellectual disabilities. Vanier won The Templeton Prize.

Recording the Small Talk Audiobook
I had so much fun this week recording the audiobook of Small Talk! Small Talk came out nine years ago, in 2014, and for whatever

S6 E16 | Enchantment in an Anxious Age with Katherine May
In an anxious, rational world, is there a place for enchantment? Katherine May, New York Times bestselling author of Wintering and Enchantment, talks with Amy

The Dignity of Risk
She might cut herself. She might burn herself. She might feel lonely, sad, scared, abandoned. I have read all about the dangers of helicopter parenting,

Protecting Our Children
How can we change a culture of violence and horror and meaninglessness into a culture of freedom and protection and purpose? How are we protecting

Imagining a World Without School Shootings
Three nine-year-old children were murdered in their classroom on Monday morning. Three nine-year-old children. Their beautiful faces captured our imagination through tragedy. Theirs are one

Deficit-Based Language
The only way to receive special education services for kids is by focusing on their deficits. I received a DM from one of you the

Reruns With Jesus
Eleven years ago, we moved to a new town and Peter started a new job. I called it my “year of wine and nachos,” as

What Will Perfect Humanity Look Like?
I used to think I knew what perfect humanity looked like. I thought it had to do with virtues like kindness and honesty. I also