I bring it up every year, but I'll say it again. If you even think you might like a daily devotional (that doesn't even have to be daily, by the way) during Advent, buy God with Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas. It includes reflections from the likes of Kathleen Norris ...

For the past decade or so, my brain has chipped away at my faith. I believe a credible intellectual defense of the basic tenets of Christianity exists. But I also think a credible intellectual defense of the basic tenets of atheism exists. And when I start to think about these ...

When Penny was born and we found out that she had Down syndrome, one of my earliest emotions was fear. In time, some of my specific fears abated. She didn't have any serious health problems or physical complications as an infant. We lived in New Jersey with easy access to the ...

Our cat peed on our bed again last night.

Marilee had a fever over the weekend.

Penny dropped her glasses in the gravel outside our house last week, and it took all day to find them. She missed her bus.

William got mad that he needed to get dressed this morning and he whacked me ...

Spoiler alert for all my friends who were English majors in college: I'm buying you Karen Swallow Prior's Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me for Christmas this year. Karen is a fellow contributor to her.meneutics, the Christianity Today women's blog, and she is also the head ...

I've written before about my recent experience in a parenting class based on Positive Discipline (rather than authoritative or permissive parenting). Apparently, this approach is really beneficial for kids with special needs. To read more, go to Parenting Style Has Big Impact ...

ab·nor·mal [ab-nawr-muhl]

adjective

1. not normal, average, typical, or usual; deviating from a standard.

A friend of mine recently edited my forthcoming ebook (What Every Woman Needs to Know About Prenatal Testing, Patheos Press) to help ensure medical accuracy, and he suggested ...

I had a bad dream last week. Or maybe I was half-awake in the middle of the night, thinking about what lay ahead. All I know is that at two in the morning, for the first time, I was worried about Penny's upcoming surgery.

I shouldn't have been. It was the fifth time she would ...

Last week, I received the exciting news that A Good and Perfect Gift will be (someday–I'll keep you posted on when...) turned into an audiobook on Audible.

Also last week, a friend posted on Facebook, "When I teach I feel His pleasure." He was referencing Eric Liddell, the Olympic ...

This guest post was written by my friend and colleague Jennifer Grant in commemoration of National Adoption Month. 

Huddled on the bleachers with other parents, thoughts dart around in my mind. What inning is this? Why didn't I bring gloves? Could I be getting frostbite through ...

It's been a season of change. New house. New job for my husband. New schools for our kids. New friends. New computer. There's a list of other things that need to become new—my driver's license, for instance. We all need a new dentist. The car still needs a new not-rusty door. ...

came out in September of 2011, and I embarked on a year of promotional interviews and speaking gigs from Virginia to Washington D.C. to North Carolina to New York City to Michigan to Chicago, and to various local venues in New Jersey and Connecticut. But this year, given our ...

**Leave a comment on this post for the chance to win a copy of Nancy Jo Sullivan's new book, Small Mercies. I will announce the winner on Monday, November 26th.

What does a perfect life look like?

When I ponder this question, thoughts of Sarah come to mind.

She was ...

Our day started at 5:50, with William by my bedside. "Mommy, the only thing that will make me happy is if you give me a movie right now."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "William, is it six o'clock yet?"

"No. It was taking too long."

William knows two things: he is supposed to stay in ...

My husband and I live in Michigan with our two children, Joshua (7) and Eleanor "Nora" (6).  When our son was born everything was perfect. I loved reading the "What to Expect in the First Year" book because Joshua met and exceeded every milestone. He talked early, walked early, ...