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Thin Places-Faith, Family and Disability

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Family, Parenting and Religion

2011-09-09T17:19:49-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What I’m Reading: Sperm Donors, Religion and 9/11, and the Images of Down Syndrome

Last updated on: September 9, 2011 at 5:19 pm By Amy Julia Becker

Three articles I recommend for your reading this weekend: First, a New York Times piece about the impact of artificial insemination as more and more children discover their “half-siblings.” When one man “fathers” 150 children, the chances of those siblings accidentally meeting and even, theoretically, having children of their own, increases. What ethical guidelines should inform these decisions. Read the article here: “One Sperm Donor: 150 Offspring” Second, another Times article about the ceremony that has happened for the past ten... Read more

Articles

Disability

Down Syndrome

2011-09-09T08:24:39-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Does Every Man Use Porn? Really?

Last updated on: September 9, 2011 at 8:24 am By Amy Julia Becker

I have a new post on her.meneutics, MIA: Men Who Don’t Use Pornography. It begins: I don’t remember much about sex education in 10th grade, other than anxiety about what topics I might have to discuss with peers. But I do remember a woman who came to our private, secular school to talk about “chastity.” She kept me enthralled as she explained we had been deceived by adults to believe that sex was an inevitable part of adolescence. She said,... Read more

2011-09-12T13:30:08-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When Your Friend Finds Out She’s Having a Child with Down Syndrome . . .

Last updated on: September 12, 2011 at 1:30 pm By Amy Julia Becker

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to talk with Diane Markins of Words in High Def about A Good and Perfect Gift and having a child with Down syndrome. You can listen to the interview by visiting her website and listening to the MP3. While you’re there, you’ll find a guest post I wrote in conjunction with the interview about how other people can respond when a friend receives an unexpected diagnosis of Down syndrome (or, I... Read more

2011-09-08T09:30:38-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

On Bambi, Disabilities, and Becoming Super-Great Friends

Last updated on: September 8, 2011 at 9:30 am By Amy Julia Becker

William and I were watching Bambi together last week. Penny was already asleep. Near the end, when spring comes, all the little animals fall in love. Owl calls them “twitterpated.” William was very confused. “Well, it’s kind of like they become super-great friends. Like your dad and I are super-great friends.” He got a pensive look on his face and then nodded slowly. “Oh. Like Penny and I are super-great friends.” I didn’t explain the nuances between super-great friendship and... Read more

2011-09-07T10:15:56-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Penny’s First Day of Kindergarten

Last updated on: September 7, 2011 at 10:15 am By Amy Julia Becker

Penny’s first words when I picked her up from her first day of kindergarten: “I didn’t miss you, Mom!” That probably says it all. I missed her. William missed her–he spent the morning asking when she would get home from school. But she was ready. She marched right into that big school and lined up with her class in the multi-purpose room and told me all about the man on the stage who was loud and funny. She can’t remember... Read more

Down Syndrome

first day of school

kindergarten

2011-09-05T21:06:01-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Two Minutes with Rachel Simon

Last updated on: September 5, 2011 at 9:06 pm By Amy Julia Becker

I have a brief interview with author Rachel Simon in this month’s Books and Culture magazine: “Two Minutes With Rachel Simon.” She wrote Riding the Bus With my Sister and The Story of Beautiful Girl. You need to subscribe to Books and Culture to read the whole thing (and I highly recommend subscribing–it’s a great publication). I will also be posting some of the questions that didn’t make it into the magazine on this blog in a few weeks. Read more

2011-09-12T11:22:18-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hopes and Fears for Our Children (and another chance to win a copy of A Good and Perfect Gift)

Last updated on: September 12, 2011 at 11:22 am By Amy Julia Becker

My new memoir, A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny is out in stores now. I’ve been rereading it myself and revisiting many of the themes in the book. In the beginning of each chapter of the book, I share an excerpt from the journal I kept at the time all this was happening. In several of the journal entries I share my hopes and fears about Penny and Down syndrome. Here’s an excerpt... Read more

Down Syndrome

Faith

family

a good and perfect gift

2011-09-05T09:19:04-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why Is it that People with Disabilities Have so much to Tell us About Being Human?

Last updated on: September 5, 2011 at 9:19 am By Amy Julia Becker

I just read a post by the author Ian Brown, “The Absence of Normal Frees Us” about Brown and his son, Walker. Brown’s book, The Boy in the Moon, describes their relationship in greater detail, but this essay alone is well worth reading, and perhaps a good place to start thinking with Brown about the meaning (or absence of meaning) in Walker’s life: I couldn’t tell, and so I spent a lot of time looking for some way of justifying his life,... Read more

Disability

boy in the moon

ian brown

2011-09-05T09:21:21-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What Public Schools Have to Do with a Full Life

Last updated on: September 5, 2011 at 9:21 am By Amy Julia Becker

Last Friday, Family Life broadcast a conversation between Martha Manikas Foster and me about why Christians should consider sending their children to public schools, even “failing” public schools. It was based on a post I wrote for her.meneutics, the Christianity Today women’s blog, last year, “How Christians Will Save America’s Public Schools.” Click here to listen to the interview. You’ll get to hear what I was labeled by my peers in high school (for better or worse), and hopefully you’ll... Read more

2011-09-02T10:51:25-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Some Thoughts on Amazon and A Good and Perfect Gift

Last updated on: September 2, 2011 at 10:51 am By Amy Julia Becker

A number of you have written me to ask, “Will A Good and Perfect Gift be available on Kindle?” YES! Unfortunately, neither I nor my publisher has any control over when Amazon will make the book available on Kindle. I have been told that it usually takes two to three weeks. I will post an announcement here when it becomes available. Meanwhile, visit the Amazon site and click the button that says, “I’d like to read this book on Kindle.”... Read more

Books

Down Syndrome

a good and perfect gift

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