RECENT POSTS

What a Retreat Taught Me About Slowing Down and Starting the Day with God
The design of both the exterior and interior spaces at Laity Lodge invite peace, contemplation, and connection. Simply being present in that place made me

You Are Needed: Disability, Interdependence, and the Body of Christ
You are needed. You are needy. We need each other. I got to share those words on Sunday morning for our final gathering at a Laity

Disability: Tragedy, Inspiration… or Something Else? with Matthew Mooney
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST E15 — Tired of feeling like you have to “fix” your child—or turn their life into an inspiration story? Parents of

February 2026 • Links Worth Your Time
Books, essays, podcast episodes, and more that I think are worth your time, plus recent cultural news that I’m paying attention to in the month

Reimagining the Good Life: Faith, Disability, and the Way of Love
There’s a moment in the recent Billy Joel documentary, And So It Goes, where he describes writing the song “Big Shot.” He says it came out

How Disability Parents Can Get Organized Without Burning Out with Angela O’Brien
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST Ep 14 — If paperwork and clutter are exhausting you, you’re not alone. Professional organizer Angela O’Brien, mom to a young

How to Strengthen Your Marriage While Parenting a Child with Disabilities
Early in our marriage, Peter and I learned—the hard way—that we do not process stress and grief the same way. We’re not alone. Parenting a

The Dispatch | Finding the Good Life in an Age of Designer Babies and High Achievers
When our daughter Penny was born, I was a student at Princeton Seminary. I stumbled through the basic Greek of the New Testament and enjoyed

From Valentine’s Day Hater to Grateful Parent: Finding Love in Everyday Moments
I used to be a Valentine’s Day hater. Other than our first year of dating (which is to say, many decades ago), Peter and I

Thriving in Marriage as Disability Parents with Todd and Kristin Evans
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST Ep 13 — There’s a myth out there that raising a child with disabilities will doom a marriage. But the data

How to Help Your Child Thrive During School Transitions: Lessons on Inclusion and Belonging from Special Education Success
When Penny was transitioning from elementary school to middle school, the school invited her to come in before the year started so she could walk

Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, and the Power of Entertainment as Art: Finding Joy and Meaning in Shared Experiences
The halftime show was both art and entertainment, and that’s the best kind of both. I am not a fan of Bad Bunny. (I’m also

How The Pitt Gets Disability Right: Realistic Representation in TV Healthcare
I’ve been noticing how The Pitt portrays people with disabilities. As with most everything else, they do a good job. First, there are the disabled

The Pizza Order: A Story of Disability and Belonging at Church, at School, and Beyond
I recently flew to Chicago to the Covenant Church’s Midwinter Conference. I spoke from Luke 14 about Reimagining Church Life with Disability. I’ve now written or

When Special Education Works with Adrian Wood
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST Ep 12 — What if inclusion in schools didn’t have to be a constant fight? Adrian Wood, PhD, shares what actually

January 2026 • Things Worth Your Time
Books, essays, podcast episodes, and more that I think are worth your time, plus recent cultural news that I’m paying attention to in the month

You Know You Belong When… How Churches Can Create Real Community for Families with Disabilities
Belonging is a bit of a buzzword, but I’m inclined to keep it in the lexicon because it speaks to such a core human need. We

Culture Care, not Culture War with Makoto Fujimura
REIMAGINING THE GOOD LIFE PODCAST S9 E9—Our culture feels like a battlefield, but attitudes and actions change when we change metaphors and see it as
