Lisa Belkin posted a really interesting piece about how having money relates to being a good parent: “Money is the Root of all Parenting.” It’s a great summary of a recent study that explains how difficult it is to try to raise kids in poverty. In the same news cycle, I learned that a couple in Oregon has sued doctors for 7 million dollars because they didn’t know before birth that their child would have Down syndrome: “Couple sues over... Read more
I’m working on an essay about recent developments in the national conversation about prenatal testing. I’m not quite done yet, but I thought you all would appreciate reading the conclusion of Joe Klein’s essay in Time Magazine this week. Joe Klein is a political moderate who tends to vote for Democratic candidates. Not exactly the person you expect to defend Rick Santorum. But in “Rick Santorum’s Inconvenient Truths” (which I WISH I could link to in full, but I can’t,... Read more
It might seem odd, but I don’t read very many blogs. I read magazines in the good old-fashioned way, and I read articles from the New York Times on my phone, but blogs kind of overwhelm me. There are too many out there, and I just can’t keep up. So I generally stick to Time, The Atlantic, Christianity Today, The Christian Century, Books and Culture, The New Yorker . . . But I do subscribe to a few, just a... Read more
I should begin by explaining that our kids have initiated a new bedtime ritual. It started at Christmastime. We differentiated between Christmas songs like “Santa Claus is coming to town” and Christmas hymns, which my kids named “Christmas church songs.” And William began to request Christmas church songs before bed. Those requests lasted through most of Epiphany. Come early February, we could all recite all the words to Hark the Herald Angels Sing (I’m not kidding when I say that... Read more
I think my interview last week with Drew Marshall as his weekly “God blogger” might have been my favorite interview ever. Not only did he acknowledge the fact that my name is just plain difficult for interviewers–they either stumble to call me Amy Julia or they shorten it to Amy, which I don’t love, so Drew just went with AJ–but he also admitted that he doesn’t know much about Down syndrome, which led to a really open and honest, sometimes... Read more
I’m supposed to be in New York City today, attending the Q sessions with Eugene Peterson, author of a number of thoughtful and spiritually transformative books, including The Message and my favorite among many, Leap Over a Wall: Earthy Spirituality for Everyday Christians. Unfortunately, I won’t make it there until tomorrow (long story which involves the typical life of a mom–vomit, sinus infections, and thus rescheduled post-surgical doctor’s appointments, in addition to a rightfully-weary husband). Regardless, both today and tomorrow... Read more
Jeremy Lin has overturned assumptions about the ability of Asian Americans to play basketball. So has David Andrews, a teenager with Down syndrome who contributed (with a 40% 3-point throw percentage) to his team’s district championship this year. To see him in action, click here. And while we’re at it, a few other articles I read this past week that might be of interest: David Brooks writes about the rise of Americans living alone in “The Talent Society,” and his... Read more
As a part of the Patheos Book Club, I was asked to reflect upon Jo Saxton’s new book, More Than Enchanting. This book, about women recognizing their calling and ability to lead and influence others within the church, caused me to think about my own role as a female leader. Here’s what I wrote: The lines in her face made her look kind, like someone who would soon be an excellent grandmother. But when she stood behind the pulpit in... Read more
I had a lovely conversation with Susie Larson for Moody Radio last Friday. Somehow in six minutes she got me to talk about being a perfectionist in college, the freedom Penny has offered to me as a mother, where is God in the midst of suffering, and what it means to receive one another as gifts. Click here to listen to the interview. While we’re at it, I’ve seen a few reviews of A Good and Perfect Gift recently. In... Read more
When Bonnie Rochman was writing her article for TIME, she asked me (per her editor’s request) to describe “what Penny can and can’t do.” Here’s what I wrote in response: I’ve been thinking all morning about how to answer your question. It’s harder than you might expect because we don’t think about Penny in terms of can and can’t, although we do think about her in terms of what she loves and what she resists, which is probably close to... Read more
Thin Places-Faith, Family and Disability
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In