I read an interesting article in the Washington Post earlier this week about the various influences upon President Obama. I posted some thoughts on it on the Park Forum: "President Obama's Influences: Stories and Statistics."

I wrote a post here over the summer that received a lot of comments, so I turned it into an essay that has been published at Divine Caroline (which, I must add, has a pretty low bar for publishing, but I thought it might get a different audience to read this essay).

The essay ...

Three snapshots of life in our household:One:Yesterday morning, Peter finds Penny and William in the playroom. William in a chair, Penny facing him, sitting on his lap and coloring his face. Yes. His face. She'd already finished his head, neck, and clothing. He'd done a ...

I have a new post on the Park Forum: Are Christians Wimps? talking about the relationship between power and corruption. Is it possible to be powerful without feeling entitled to power and without becoming corrupt? I hope so. Seems to me the only way it can happen is through ...

Some of you will remember this article from two years back, when I was pregnant from William and had an editorial published first for First Things and then the Philadelphia Inquirer. But in case you haven't read it before, here it is again: "All of Life is Fragile and Uncertain", ...

I dropped Penny off at school this morning, and a mom of another little girl in her class pulled me aside. "Alli insisted on wearing sunglasses this morning because she wanted to be like Penny."

I turn around and there's Alli (not her real name), in her raincoat ...

I have a new post on Christianity Today's Women's Blog: Iris Robinson Jesus Loves You More Than You Will Know.

And now a few more thoughts... The important thing about memoir in general is that it not be simply a chronicle of events, but rather a story telling a larger truth. So, for instance, on the surface, Penelope Ayers is the story of my mother-in-law dying of cancer. Which is a ...

I'm hoping to write more about this later today, but the grocery store calls. So for the moment, I'll just quote myself from a recent post on 843 Acres. Check back in this afternoon for further reflections. If, that is, my kids nap simultaneously this afternoon:

Embedded in Daniel ...

I have a new post on The Park Forum: "Pat Robertson Said What?"

Years ago, I was on a weekend retreat with a group of high school students. The speaker was trying to explain the concept of original sin. He used his toddler daughter as an example, saying something along the lines of, "We're selfish from the moment we emerge from the womb!" ...

And if so, what did you think?

I'm particularly curious for two reasons.

One, Peter and I make it to a movie in the theater on average once a year. Literally. Last movie we saw in a theater was Slumdog Millionaire. We saw Avatar last week. Now, again, I never go to the movies. ...

For good reason, the devastation in Haiti is all over the news, and in our hearts and minds and prayers as well. I'm hoping to write more about it, but for now, here is a piece I posted to the Park Forum yesterday: "There is no explanation for why my daughter is going to die..." ...

I'm part of a local network of parents of kids with Down syndrome, and we had a doctor from the Trisomy 21 Clinic at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia come to speak to us last night. She answered questions about potty training and aggressive behavior and communication ...

My new friend Ellen Dollar is looking for people to interview for her new book about faith and reproductive choices. Here's what she has to say about it:

My forthcoming book, No Best Choice: A Christian Perspective on Disability, Genetics and Parenthood in the Age of Advanced ...