photo of Amy Julia walking towards the camera with her arm around Penny, who is looking up at her

Christianity Today: God Teaches Me Through My Daughter with Down Syndrome

Adults with intellectual disabilities can have robust spiritual lives. Are we learning from them?

Every Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I join a Zoom call with her friend and her friend’s mom, who live a few hours away—for a special time we’ve come to call “God Talk.” 

My 17-year-old daughter, Penny, and her 18-year-old friend, Rachel, both have Down syndrome. A while back, Rachel noticed us praying before meals and asked if she could join us. This led to a few conversations about what it looks like to follow Jesus. And eventually, as Rachel’s mother, Ginny, told me a few weeks later, every night Rachel extended her hands and said, “Thank you, God, for having us.”

Keep reading over at Christianity Today

God Teaches Me Through My Daughter with Down Syndrome


More Christianity Today essays from Amy Julia:

Christianity Today | From Holistic Health to a Holistic Gospel
Christianity Today: Enough to Share in the Land of Plenty
Chritianity Today: The Ministry of the Disabled

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