September 2014

How to Talk to Parents of Children With Down SyndromeI am much more inclined to tell the whole truth when you assume she is someone to celebrate.
How to Talk to Parents of Children With Down Syndrome

When people discover that I have a child with Down syndrome, I often receive a murmur and a sympathetic nod of the head. I almost immediately feel something tighten inside my chest, as if I am steeling myself for a fight my opponent doesn’t even know they’ve initiated. ...

Why Men Should Read Sheryl Sandberg's Lean InChange depends upon women and men working together to transform the social structures of work and family life.
Why Men Should Read Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In

When the COO of Facebook writes a book about women and leadership, the world takes notice. Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, turned heads when it came out in March of 2013, and it sparked heavy criticism (see, for example, the Washington ...

Six Books on How Kids Learn Books to help you stay informed about the national debates surrounding character education, knowledge, and grittiness.
Six Books on How Kids Learn
Image: by www.audio-luci-store.it

My husband is the Head of School at The Gunnery, an independent boarding school in western Connecticut, so he keeps himself current on national debates surrounding education and learning. We also, of course, have kids of our own, and because our oldest daughter Penny has ...

Have Christians Made an Idol of Life?Ezekiel Emanuel says he wants to die at 75. Why we can support his reasoning.
Have Christians Made an Idol of Life?
Image: Moyen Brown/flickr

In some ways, the title of Ezekiel Emanuel’s new essay for The Atlantic says it all: "Why I Hope to Die at 75." But this already over-commented (2,500 comments and counting) and widely read article deserves some attention here because Christians have distinct ...

Why I Don't Like Being Called ReligiousAnd how I'm learning to embrace it anyway.
Why I Don't Like Being Called Religious

We moved to Connecticut two years ago. It took nearly as long for people to start telling me that I am “religious.” It usually comes as an explanation for why I won’t like something or why I wouldn’t know about some local gossip. It almost always seems ...

How to Steward the Power of MarriageWhat family breakdown and spiritual friendship have taught me about the family of God.
How to Steward the Power of Marriage
Image: Angelrays/Flickr

I am a happily married mother. Most days, I wake up before the sun, and even with all three kids in school I spend the majority of my waking hours on tasks related to their needs. I pack lunches and help with homework and arrange playdates and drive to soccer practice and ...

Me and Richard Dawkins--Not That Different After All?The temptation of utilitarianism.
Me and Richard Dawkins--Not That Different After All?
Image: Matthias Asgeirsson/Creative Commons

A few weeks back, Richard Dawkins got the Twittersphere up in arms. When a woman asked what she should do with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, Dawkins replied, “Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice.” ...

A Booklist for Grownups Who Wish They Could Go Back to School Thirteen stories for those of us who miss high school English class.
A Booklist for Grownups Who Wish They Could Go Back to School
Image: Ruth_W/flickr

I was talking with a friend who teaches high school English about his syllabus this semester. He teaches junior English, which means he covers largely American literature (although they start with Shakespeare's Tempest). This year includes surprises like Upton Sinclair's ...

Lessons from the Parenting Sweet SpotWhat three kids in between diapers and puberty has taught me about holding on and letting go.
Lessons from the Parenting Sweet Spot
Image: Niko Kähkönen

I’ve been waiting for nine years for this parenting moment to arrive. With children aged eight, six, and three (and no plans for an infant), I have hit a sweet spot. The past summer held the experiences I expected as a mom in the summertime—tennis lessons, skinned ...

God Hasn’t Given Up on ReconciliationSome final thoughts, and a prayer, on how to respond when racial reconciliation seems hopeless.
God Hasn’t Given Up on Reconciliation
Image: Renato Giordanelli/flickr

Earlier this summer, I decided to dedicate some time and space on this blog to the concept of racial reconciliation within the church.

It began as a modest project. I invited a handful of pastors and church leaders from different ethnic backgrounds to reflect upon their ...

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