My latest thoughts on
faith, family, disability,
privilege, and healing
Thoughts from January 8-12, 2018
Monday, January 8, 2018 I can’t remember why we were talking about the Garden of Eden last night at dinner, but in the midst of
What I Gain from Having a Child with Down Syndrome
I had the privilege of talking with a mother who has received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome with her third child today. I told
AJB Recommends: Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to the Choir by Father Greg Boyle
I’ve listened to Father Greg Boyle speak a few different times, but I only recently read his books, Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to
Thoughts from January 1-5, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past week: Wednesday, January 3,
Thoughts from December 17-22, 2017
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Sunday, December
Love Shows Up on Christmas
How do you know that someone loves you? Whole books have been written on this subject, but I think it’s pretty simple: the people who
Thoughts from December 10-15, 2017
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Sunday, December
Thoughts from December 3-8, 2017
Thoughts on Advent from the Past Week & Preparing Room for God Sunday, December 3, 2017 Twelve years ago, I was pregnant with Penny at
Would You Like to Be Like Auggie Pullman?
Last Wednesday, we took the kids to see the movie Wonder. All three of them had read/listened to the book more than once, so they
Thoughts from November 27-30, 2017
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blog post. Here are the thoughts from the past five days, including
Ditching the Label “Evangelical” Without Opposing Evangelicals
Last month, I wrote an article for the Washington Post about the label “evangelical” and why I no longer identify as an evangelical. It struck
Digging into my Family’s History with Native Americans
My family has been in the United States since before the United States existed. Distant relatives on both my mother’s and father’s sides arrived in
Thoughts from November 13-18, 2017
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, November
Thoughts from November 6-10, 2017
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days, including dealing
The Lord’s Prayer is Not for ME
“Give US this day OUR daily bread . . . Forgive US OUR debts, as WE forgive OUR debtors.” Sorry for the all-caps, but I’ve
Thoughts from October 31-November 3, 2017
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days, including some
When Fear Becomes Gratitude
When Fear Becomes Gratitude A few weeks ago, Penny and my mom had a conversation where Penny shut down. It happens every so often. We
3 Resources to Help Us Overcome Polarization
Yesterday, John Kelly made the news when he said the Civil War could have been avoided through compromise. Many people pointed out that decades of
Thoughts from October 23-27, 2017
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Tuesday, October
A Day in the Life with Down Syndrome
What is a day in the life of a kid with Down syndrome like? I wake Penny up at 6:30 on the dot. She squeezes
The Screen Time Question: Is there a right answer?
The Screen Time Question: Is there a right answer? Anyone out there concerned about how technology is affecting us? Personally? As a family? For our
Why I Dropped the Label Evangelical
For those of you who are Christians, do you use another label to describe what type of Christian you are? I used to. I wrote
How Observing Sabbath Frees Us From Anxiety
Marilee slept late this morning. At 7:30, I rubbed her shoulder as she lay curled up under the covers on her side. When she opened
Thoughts from October 9-13, 2017 on Anxiety, Sickness and Friendship
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Friday, October
Missing Out on Beautiful: New Free Ebook about Down Syndrome and other thoughts
Dear October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and I’ve created an eBook called “Missing Out on Beautiful: 7 Essays about Raising a Child with Down
Thoughts from October 2-6, 2017
As many of you know, I stopped blogging two years ago, mostly because blogging consumed the time that I had for writing, and I chose
Thoughts from September 25-29, 2017
As many of you know, I stopped blogging two years ago, mostly because blogging consumed the time that I had for writing, and I chose
Thoughts from September 18-22, 2017
As many of you know, I stopped blogging two years ago, mostly because blogging consumed the time that I had for writing, and I chose
AJB Recommends: Free of Me by Sharon Hodde Miller
My friend Sharon Hodde Miller has written an essential and excellent book. It comes out next week, and I had the privilege of reading
AJB Recommends: Becoming Friends of Time by John Swinton
Earthquakes and hurricanes have brought many of us back to the age-old questions about how a loving and powerful God could stand by and not
