RECENT POSTS

Tired of Myself, but God Is Not Tired of Me
I make the same mistakes, commit the same sins, turn back to the same unhelpful habits over and over again. For me, these repetitive issues

Draw Near to Disability, Draw Near to Humanity
“When you push away disability, you also push away your humanity. When you push away any fissure of vulnerability, you also push away the tender

Body Prayer: Nose
I started sneezing when we were driving home from an end-of-the-summer vacation. I sneezed maybe a dozen times? I said out loud, “Am I suddenly

To Be Made Well Has a Cover!
We have a book cover for To Be Made Well! I love it. It makes me think of water and cleansing and responding to the

3 Things I Learned on Family Vacation
We took a vacation out west recently to the 5 National Parks in Utah and then to a ranch in Wyoming. In addition to startling

AJB Recommends: The Gifts of Imperfection
As a recovering perfectionist, I don’t know why I had never picked up Brené Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection. I wrote my own memoir about

When You Say the Wrong Thing
I messed up in my last conversation about social justice and racism. I was talking with a white man from New York who grew up

Truth Can Feel Miserable
“Before ‘the truth sets you free,’ it tends to make you miserable.” —Richard Rohr, Falling Upward Truth can feel miserable. I don’t like seeing the

Body Prayer: Back
A few months into the Covid-19 pandemic, my back became a board. So tight I thought it might just crack open. And all my friends

Pain Is Like a Flashing Light
Pain is like a flashing light, and sometimes, if I pay attention to the message it is sending, the light stops flashing. My physical pain

Christianity Today: Independence Day Calls Us to the Holy Work of Repair
As we approach this Fourth of July, I am thinking about those tattered and threadbare flags that led to an empty flagpole. I am thinking

AJB Recommends: Resources for How to Stop Pain Loops
Sometimes pain gets stuck in our bodies when it doesn’t need to. Our brains try to protect us by telling us we are in pain,

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) and Mammograms
Is everything about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) these days? That’s the claim—or accusation—a lot of parents are making across the country when it comes

Body Prayer: Eyes
Last summer, a few months into Covid, my eyes started itching. Soon, little dry red patches appeared around them. In terms of connecting my body

How to Go Deeper with God
A friend of mine asked me recently what she could do to go deeper with God. I was tempted to offer her 3 steps to

An Introduction
There are so many wonderful new people in this space these days, so I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to you. In

AJB Recommends: 3 Newsletters That Offer Wisdom and Insight
We all have way too much information coming at us all the time on way too many channels and platforms. In the midst of this

In Her Own Words: Penny’s Advice to a Student Beginning Ninth Grade
I asked our daughter Penny to take a few moments to reflect on her experience in ninth grade. We talked about how there are all

The Quartet of the Vulnerable and Justice
Derek Chauvin will come before a judge for sentencing later this week. He, and we, will learn how much time he will spend behind bars

Body Prayer: Shoulders
When I was in high school, my shoulders were so tight that I asked my mother if we could go to the doctor. I wanted

Revelation: I Have Needs
It has been a revelation to me to discover that I have needs. Not just that my kids have needs and my husband has needs