My latest thoughts on
faith, family, disability,
privilege, and healing
AJB Recommends: Watch, Read, Listen
Looking for something to watch, read, and listen to this weekend? Here’s one of each that I recommend: 1. We just started watching The Chosen,
Science for the Church: Becoming Like Trees
BECOMING LIKE TREES-“Nine years ago, my family moved near a few thousand acres of protected forest. Hiking the nearby trails has become a weekly practice.
Great or Grateful?
Penny expresses gratitude with abandon. Every Sunday morning throughout the pandemic, we have each written down our thanksgivings on an index card (see picture above).
S4 E13 | Disability, Friendship House, and Interdependent Community with Matt Floding
What does thriving, interdependent community look like? Rev. Dr. Matt Floding talks with Amy Julia about Friendship House, a sustainable housing model where graduate students
Prayer: Mad About, Sad About, Glad About
What are you mad about, sad about, glad about? My friend Sarah told me yesterday that she had started using a new method of prayer
AJB Recommends: Resources for Learning About Genetic Editing and Animal Navigation
Should we edit the genetic makeup of our kids if we can? How do birds and salmon and lobsters figure out how to navigate thousands
Religion News Service: A white woman’s response to the ‘Prayer of a Weary Black Woman’
“Dear God, please help me to hate White people…” So begins the prayer of Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, a Black Christian woman and Professor of Theology
The False Self and the True Self
Talking about the “false self” and “true self” is relatively new to me. But I’m grateful for this language because it helps me make sense
The Expansive Love of God
I used to be afraid of God’s expansive love. When Peter’s mom was sick with cancer, we moved down to New Orleans temporarily to be
S4 E12 | The White Church, Segregation, and Discipleship with David Swanson
Is diversity or discipleship the answer to segregation within the American church? David Swanson, pastor and author of Rediscipling the White Church, talks with Amy
Easter Is for Me
On Easter morning, I woke up with my thoughts and emotions churning. I was worried that my Easter baskets wouldn’t thrill the kids. I was
Lenten Reflection | Psalm 130
This week I’m offering some thoughts on waiting from Psalm 130. We are all waiting for something—whether it is with hopeful expectation, dread, or contentment.
Christ Dying With Us on Good Friday
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live” (Galatians 2:20). I think I’m supposed to be encouraged by these words of Paul.
Love Demands Creativity
“Love demands creativity” –Makoto Fujimura, Art+Faith: A Theology of Making, p. 63 // Love always generates. Always pours forth. Always emanates in abundance. This love originates
Feeling Our Feelings as a Family
So I’m learning about feeling my feelings these days (as you might have noticed from some other posts). And I’m trying to teach our kids
S4 E11 | Making Art in a Broken World with Makoto Fujimura
What is the role of art in bringing hope and healing to the fractures of our world? Makoto Fujimura, a leading contemporary artist and the
Fasting and Justice
We are nearing the end of the season of Lent, this time of intentional fasting within the Christian tradition. I’ve been fasting from chocolate-covered almonds,
Lenten Reflection | Psalm 22
What does it mean for God to be with us? For God to slow down, enter into our pain and suffering, enter into our whole
Girls’ Day With Marilee
Marilee and I had plans in March of 2020 for a girls’ day over her spring break. She had a gift certificate to a local
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and My Feelings
I’ve been reading Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero, and wow is it helpful. I’ve known for a long time that I have trouble feeling
Celebrating Penny
This year, we invited Penny to suggest how we should celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. She decided our day of celebrating Penny would include a
S4 E10 | Why Christians Should Welcome Immigrants with Briana Stensrud
How should Christians welcome immigrants and respond to the divisiveness surrounding immigration policies in the United States? Briana Stensrud, director of Women of Welcome, talks
Fasting from Busyness (Waiting for God)
I don’t like waiting. I don’t like waiting in line. I don’t like waiting for the water to boil in the tea kettle in the
Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day
As I type, our daughter Penny is downstairs on her phone. She might be commenting on an Instagram post or texting with a friend or
Lenten Reflection | Psalm 1
Do you ever get overwhelmed by the injustice in the world? Or feel uncomfortable by the word justice? Or feel paralyzed at the thought of
Hello and Welcome!
Hi friends and welcome. Some of you are new around here, so I wanted to pause and introduce myself. So first of all, I have
Our Unexpected Sunday School Teachers
For the past five years, I’ve been in charge of organizing the Sunday school teachers at our church. It’s always a little tricky to fill
S4 E9 | Choosing Courage in a World Divided with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson and Raymond Chang
How do we respond by choosing courage in order to bridge the divisions facing our country? Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, Raymond Chang, and Amy Julia Becker
Fasting From Podcasts (Listening to God)
I consume information all the time. If I’m driving, washing dishes, brushing my teeth, even walking from one room to another, I am almost always
Lenten Reflection | Psalm 23
What does Psalm 23 have to do with worry? I used to think I wasn’t a person who worried about much. And I didn’t worry
