When I went to the spiritual spa last week, I brought a few books with me. I've been slowly making my way through John Stott's The Cross of Christ, and I brought Tim Keller's latest, King's Cross. But I didn't open either one. Instead, I started reading Judith Shulevitz'sThe ...

It happens all the time. Friends talk about our children, their own children, their grandchildren with reference to where they'll go to college. College motivates some seven year olds we know (or, perhaps I should say, motivates the parents of some seven year olds) to play lacrosse, ...

When I was younger and I heard the word disabled, I never really felt that tug at my heart or that compassion I saw so many others portray. In fact, other than Paul, the guitar player at our church with Down Syndrome, I never really had the opportunity to interact with someone ...

Her.meneutics, the Christianity Today women's blog, has posted a list of books that contributers will be reading this summer (myself included). It's a fabulous list. Click here to read it and check back in on Friday for some of my initial thoughts on my summer reading book, ...

A year ago, my agent suggested I spend some time in bookstores looking at covers. "Jot down what you like, and, as much as you're able, why you like it."

It was much harder than I expected. I figured out that I like matte finishes instead of glossy ones. I like lower case letters. ...

We're trying to get William to sleep in the same room as Penny so that Marilee can move into his crib and out of the bassinet and out of our room. We thought it would be pretty easy. We've been paving the way for the move with "sleepovers" for a while now. And on those nights, ...

As we head into Father's Day Weekend, a few posts from the blogging world worth reading:

My friend and fellow blogger/author Margot Starbuck wrote a post for her.meneutics today: Searching for Abba on Father's Day. Margot describes her adoption as a young girl, the struggles ...

Penny will "graduate" from pre-school today. She'll sing songs and receive a diploma and give hugs to her friends and her teachers. And we'll feel a little silly that we're sitting through a pre-school graduation and a little nervous that kindergarten comes next and very proud ...

I wrote earlier this week that I would be taking Tuesday and Wednesday as spiritual retreat days. Some of you offered suggestions for how to spend that time. Others simply wished me well. Thank you!

I spent the past two days trying to avoid my phone (but still succumbing to temptation ...

"You should read your blog," Peter said.

"What do you mean?"  I asked. I had just told him about an hour on Sunday when I considered sitting on the porch and reading a book but ended up putting away clothes instead. He referred me to a post I had written about learning how to ...

As reporters and others cull through Sarah Palin's emails of the past few years, one has surfaced that demonstrates her thoughts and feelings before she gave birth to Trig, her youngest son, who was born with Down syndrome: "How Sarah Palin Imagined God Talking to Her..."

A recent ...

We aren't a dessert-every-night kind of family. In fact, we're more of a dessert-once-a-week-if-you're-lucky type. So it's a big deal when our kids get a cookie or a scoop of ice cream or a cupcake or what have you. A few nights back, they had been primed for chocolate cake. ...

Two articles about caring for the earth in the most recent issue of Christianity Today...

First, an interview by Andy Crouch with Eugene Peterson and Peter Harris, "The Joyful Environmentalists." It's not yet available online (I'll try to remember to post a link when it is), ...

I stayed up late every night this week reading The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. It's no great surprise that I loved it. The plot involves Lynnie, a young white woman with an intellectual disability, and Homan, an African-American deaf man. They fall in love ...

Anyone who reads this blog knows I'm someone who loves order and predictability and productivity and, well, balance. I've written before about my desire for balance and some of the holy disruptions that push me off-kilter. Having a newborn pushes me off kilter. Or perhaps I ...