Advertise on podcast: Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia Becker

If you’ve struggled with questions about God, suffering, or whether faith can make sense of the world’s brokenness, you’re not alone. Poet Christian Wiman joins Amy Julia Becker to talk about pain, joy, doubt, and the lifelong hunger for God. Together, they explore a faith honest enough to hold both questions and hope. S10 E10: 00:00 The Genesis of Glimmerings 04:41 Navigating Differences in Faith 12:24 The Role of Personal Encounters 18:45 The Intersection of Suffering and Longing for God 23:33 The Relationship Between Love, Suffering, and Hope 36:37 Sustaining Faith in Everyday Life 39:53 Cutting Through the Noise: Faith Beyond Differences MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian by Miroslav Volf and Christian Wiman My Bright Abyss by Christian WimanMiroslav Volf on Reimagining the Good Life: The Cost of Ambition _ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Christian Wiman is the Clement-Muehl Professor of the Arts at Yale Divinity School. He is the author, editor, or translator of fifteen books, including Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair and Hammer Is the Prayer: Selected Poems.  His work appears regularly in Harper’s, The New Yorker, and Commonweal. More about Chris: https://divinity.yale.edu/profile/christian-wiman Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

When a child grows up with a sibling with a disability, what defines their childhood? Author Brian Trapp reflects on life with his twin brother with cerebral palsy. Brian shares how his childhood was a source of unexpected gifts, deep connection, and lifelong formation. He joins Amy Julia Becker to consider: Limits of labels like “glass child” and “mental age”Family and flourishing togetherThe complexity of identitySibling and caregiving relationshipsRange of Motion by Brian TrappS10 E9:  00:00 The Bond of Brotherhood: Growing Up with Disability  08:55 Glass Child Syndrome and Sibling Experiences  18:23 Analogies for Family Life with Disability  23:27 The Complexity of Identity within Relationships and Caregiving  32:07 Fiction vs. Memoir: Exploring Personal Narratives  35:31 Understanding Mental Age and Its Implications  40:23 Reimagining Disability: A House of Laughter MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Cognoscenti essay by Brian Trapp: My twin brother was disabled, but I don't consider myself a 'glass child'Julia Miele Rodas’ essay: “Limited Visibility; Or Confessions of a Satellite”Range of Motion: A Novel by Brian Trapp_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Brian Trapp is the author of Range of Motion. He is director of Disability Studies at the University of Oregon, where he also teaches creative writing and edits the Northwest Review. His essay about being a sibling to his twin brother Danny was featured on NPR’s Here and Now. Find out more at: https://briantrappwriter.com/ __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

Difference exposes our tendency to rank people as “better” or “worse.” Theologian Brian Brock, PhD, joins Amy Julia Becker to explore a life rooted in connection, creatureliness, and love. They consider: Social hierarchy and disability stigmaDietrich Bonhoeffer, community, and moral responsibilityHuman worth and personhoodJoining Creation's PraiseS10 E8: 00:00 Introduction: Joining Creation's Praise 04:35 Human Beings Are Creatures 11:57 Human Exceptionalism and Disability 16:00 Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Disability, Moral Responsibility, and Community 21:19 Euthanasia and Historical Context 24:07 Creation, Redemption, and Human Worth 32:22 Understanding Personhood in Modern Ethics 40:59 Reimagining the Good Life Through Creation MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Joining Creation's Praise: A Theological Ethic of Creatureliness by Brian Brock _ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Brian Brock (DPhil, King’s College, London) is Chair of Moral and Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He has written scholarly works on the use of the Bible in Christian ethics, the ethics of technological development, the theology of disability and the doctrine of creation. He is founder and managing editor of the academic monograph series T&T Clark Enquires in Theological Ethics, is Managing Editor of the Journal of Disability and Religion and President of the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics. He is also a husband and father of three children, including Adam, who is 21, a delightful human being with Down’s Syndrome and autism. His most recent book is Joining Creation's Praise: A Theological Ethic of Creatureliness. Professor Brian Brock | The University of Aberdeen __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S10 E7—Saying "I'm sorry" isn't enough to repair personal or institutional harm. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of On Repentance and Repair, joins Amy Julia Becker to share an ancient framework for repentance and repair that challenges our culture's obsession with quick apologies. Together they discuss forgiveness, institutional responsibility, and breaking cycles of harm. 00:00 Defining Repentance and Repair 04:29 The Current State of Repentance in Society 07:10 Maimonides' Process of Repentance 17:00 The Influence of Distorted Protestantism on American Culture 22:50 The Complexity of Forgiveness and Purpose of Repentance 28:45 Institutional Harm and the Challenges of Repair 41:59 Repentance as a Path to a Good Life MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg is the award-winning author of eight books who now makes her primary writing home at LifeIsASacredText.com  She has received the Lives of Commitment Award from Auburn Seminary, and the Rabbinic Human Rights Hero Award from the human rights organization T’ruah, was named by Newsweek as a “rabbi to watch,” and as a “faith leader to watch” by the Center for American Progress. Her newest book, On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World is a National Jewish Book Award winner and an American Library Association’s Sophie Brody Honor Book. It was hailed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley as “A must read for anyone navigating the work of justice and healing.”   __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S10 E6—Is disability a tragedy to overcome, a burden to bear, an inspirational lesson for everyone else? Or is there a different story to tell, and who gets to tell it? Craig Thomas, co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, joins Amy Julia Becker to discuss That’s Not How It Happened, his novel written from nearly two decades of growing up with a son with a rare genetic condition. Together they explore:  Disability representationOverprotective parentingIndependence and agencyThe power of authentic storytelling00:00 The Story Behind "That's Not How It Happened" 08:15 Character Perspectives and Empathy in Storytelling 10:50 Disability and Family Dynamics: Parents and Siblings 15:26 Exploring Agency, Independence, and Shared Humanity 20:55 The Complexity of Emotions in Disability Narratives 27:42 Challenging Myths Around Disability 29:30 The Importance of Authentic Disability Representation in Media 38:45 Reimagining Life with Disability MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Novel: That’s Not How It Happened by Craig ThomasTV Show: How I Met Your MotherMovie: Champions_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Craig Thomas is the co-creator of the Emmy-winning comedy series How I Met Your Mother. His prose has appeared in The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, McSweeney's, and The Iowa Review. He lives in New York City with his wife, Rebecca, his daughter, Celia, and his son, Elliot, whose unique journey has had a huge impact on his life and work. That’s Not How It Happened is his first novel. https://www.instagram.com/craigtthomas/ and https://craigthomaswriter.com/ __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S10 E5—Where does racism come from? Many of us assume it's rooted in hatred or fear, but what if it’s actually rooted in greed? As we approach Juneteenth, a day that commemorates freedom while reminding us of the work still before us, pastor and historian Malcolm Foley, PhD, joins Amy Julia Becker to talk about his book The Anti-Greed Gospel. He traces the roots of racism to economic exploitation and invites the church to respond with solidarity, truth-telling, and tangible love. 00:00 Introduction to the Link Between Greed and Racism 10:56 Ida B. Wells and the Power of Economic Appeals 18:11 The Cycle of Exploitation and Status 22:54 Creative Resistance to Exploitation, Violence, and Lies 29:05 Economic Solidarity in Contemporary Church 35:23 Examples of Creative Anti-Violence in Action MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money Is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward by Malcolm FoleyBook of RevelationMatthew 6:24Acts 2 and 4Philippians 2_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Malcolm Foley (PhD, Baylor University) is a pastor, historian, and speaker who serves as special adviser to the president for equity and campus engagement at Baylor University. He has written for Christianity Today, The Anxious Bench, and Mere Orthodoxy. Foley copastors Mosaic Waco, a multicultural church in Waco, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Desiree. Insta & threads: @revdocmalc @BrazosPress We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S10 E4—Do you ever wonder what your life would look like if you had made different decisions a long time ago? Author Karen Swallow Prior joins Amy Julia Becker for a conversation about regret, human limitations, and her experience of not having children. Together, they explore what it means to face the losses of the past while remaining open to the unexpected opportunities and possibilities that can emerge alongside them. 00:00 Introduction to Personal Narratives 04:22 Navigating Infertility and Ethical Dilemmas 07:10 The Role of Faith and Community in Decision-Making 11:01 Control, Risk, and Reproductive Technologies 17:30 The Intersection of Calling and Life Choices 20:57 Navigating Regret, Limits, and Choices 25:07 Historical Context of Childlessness 29:07 Imagination and Reality in Family Dynamics 37:25 Reimagining the Good Life Without Children MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Christianity Today essay by Karen Swallow Prior: “The Birds and the Bees, Babies and Me”Institute for Family Studies essay by Amy Julia Becker: “Confessions of a Middle-Aged Mother”You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful by Karen Swallow PriorThe Midnight Library by Matt Haig_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Karen Swallow Prior, Ph.D. is the 2025-26 Karlson Scholar at Bethel Seminary. She is a popular writer and speaker, a contributing writer for The Dispatch, and a columnist for Religion News Service. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vox, The Washington Post, Christianity Today, and many other places. Her most recent book is You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful (Brazos 2025). CONNECT with Karen: karenswallowprior.com Facebook: Karen Swallow PriorInstagram: karenswallowpriorX: @KSPrior Substack: @karenswallowprior__ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S10 E3—The return of the R-word is about more than language. The words we choose both reflect and shape our moral imagination. When disability becomes an insult or a political weapon, it influences how we understand human worth, vulnerability, and belonging. In this conversation, Christina Cipriano, PhD, joins Amy Julia Becker to explore her research on political language and disability, including the return of the R-word. They discuss what these patterns reveal about the systems shaping care, education, and belonging, and they consider: how can we resist dehumanizing language and  choose words that move us toward justice and joy? 00:00 Introduction to Disability Discourse Matters 06:53 Asset-Based vs. Deficit-Based Perspectives 10:27 Personal Narratives and Language Choices 19:49 The Rise, Fall, and Rise of the R Word 23:42 Dehumanization in Political Rhetoric 28:47 Historical Context of Disability Discourse 33:00 Disability Language and Future Generations 40:48 Reimagining Disability and the Good Life MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Disability Discourse MattersThe Education Collaboratory at Yale | Child Study CenterSpread the Word – Special OlympicsMontclair University: Use of the Slur [r-word] Triples on X After Elon Musk Shares the Word in a PostBe Unapologetically Impatient by Christina CiprianoEuphemism Treadmill article_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Christina Cipriano, PhD, is currently an associate professor of applied developmental and educational psychology at the Yale Child Study Center in the Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Education Collaboratory. This fall Dr. Cipriano will transition to be the inaugural Joseph W. and Alma W. Keilty Endowed Chair in Education and Professor with tenure at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Education Collaboratory will be moving to the College of Education at UMass Amherst. An award-winning scholar and internationally regarded expert in the science of learning and development, Chris received her PhD from Boston College, her EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and her undergraduate degree from Hofstra University. Dr. Cipriano has published over one hundred and twenty papers, commentaries, and reports, spanning top-tier journals such as Child Development and the Review of Educational Research as well as media outlets including The Washington Post, NPR, The New York Times, PBS, and Education Week. Her award-winning and best-selling new book, Be Unapologetically Impatient: The Mindset Required to Change the Way We Do Things (2025), is the latest must-read for every educator, provider, parent, and person interested in improving the lives of children and families, right now. A prolific public scholar, educator, and speaker, Chris privileges her positionality as a first-generation high school graduate and mother of four children in her science. https://www.drchriscip.com/ https://www.disabilitydiscoursematters.org/ https://www.beunapologeticallyimpatient.com/ https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/christina-cipriano/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinacipriano/ LinkedIn @ChristinaCipriano Instagram @DrChrisCip BlueSky @DrChrisCip Twitter @DrChrisCip We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S10 E2—What do you do when you’ve done all the “right” spiritual things and still feel exhausted? Tish Harrison Warren, a writer and Anglican priest, joins Amy Julia Becker to explore burnout, spiritual dryness, midlife weariness, and the practices that help us stay rooted when God feels distant. For those who are tired, discouraged, or wondering why faith feels harder than it used to, here’s hope for the long middle of life from Tish’s latest book, What Grows in Weary Lands. 00:00 Introduction to Tish Harrison Warren 03:29 Exploring Spiritual Weariness and Doubt 14:47 Understanding Fortitude and Resilience 23:23 The Imagined Good Life 30:20 Navigating the Desert of Faith 35:10 The Practice of Stability 44:04 Community in Seasons of Aridity MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Books by Tish Harrison Warren:  What Grows in Weary Lands Liturgy of the Ordinary Prayer in the Night _ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Tish Harrison Warren is an Anglican priest and the author of several books, including Liturgy of the Ordinary, which won Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year, and Prayer in the Night, which won Christianity Today’s 2022 Book of the Year and the 2022 ECPA Christian Book of the Year. She formerly wrote a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, which focused on faith in public discourse and private life. She was also a columnist at Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Comment Magazine, The Point Magazine, Religion News Service, and elsewhere. She currently serves as the C.S. Lewis Theological Writer-in-Residence for The Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. She is a senior fellow with the Trinity Forum and an assisting priest at Immanuel Anglican Church. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children. https://tishharrisonwarren.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tishharrisonwarren/ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S10 E1—When you walk into a room, what does that room tell you about who you are as a human being? What assumptions go into our restaurants and civic buildings and churches and homes and schools? What do they say about who we are and about how we relate to each other? Artist and design researcher Sara Hendren joins Amy Julia Becker to explore how modern spaces—from office buildings to nursing homes—shape what we believe about dignity, dependence, and belonging. Together they uncover how design can either diminish or restore our shared humanity, and why the good life depends on reimagining how we live together. 00:00 Introduction to Design and Humanity 05:24 Understanding the Machine Model and Anti-Human Design 14:32 What Spaces Communicate About Being Human 29:29 Design Choices and Human Dignity 34:49 Innovations in Dementia Care Design 37:26 Art and Dignity for Individuals with Disabilities 41:32 The Metaphysics of Dignity and Human Connection 51:07 Designing for the Good Life: Relationality and Community MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: What Can a Body Do? How We Meet the Built World by Sara HendrenPrevious podcast conversation: “S3 E15 | Who Belongs? Disability and the Built World with Sara Hendren”Comment Magazine essay by Sara Hendren: “Pattern Recognition: Design for humans in unexpected places.”Short film: Simple MachineBeing Mortal by Atul Gawande_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Sara Hendren is an artist, design researcher, writer, and professor at Northeastern University. Her book What Can a Body Do? How We Meet the Built World explores the places where disability shows up in design at all scales: assistive technology, furniture, architecture, urban planning, and more. It was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by NPR and won the 2021 Science in Society Journalism book prize. Her art and design works have been exhibited on the White House lawn under the Obama presidency, at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Seoul Museum of Art, the Vitra Museum, and many others, and her work is held in the permanent collections at MoMA and the Cooper Hewitt. She has been an NEH Public Scholar and a fellow at New America, and her commentary and criticism have been published in Harper’s, Art in America, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. Website: sarahendren.com __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

What makes a life good? In this new season of Reimagining the Good Life, Amy Julia Becker invites listeners into thoughtful conversations about faith, family, disability, belonging, beauty, repair, community, and what it means to be human. This season features interviews with: Tish Harrison Warren about persevering with grace through midlifeMalcolm Foley about the role of greed and pride in racism and what we can do to respond with loveBrian Brock about disability and creationDr. Chris Cipriano at Yale about politics and language and disability Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg about her book On Repentance and Repair Craig Thomas, author of the book That's Not How It Happened and co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, about how we tell the story of family and Down syndrome.Follow the show now and join us beginning May 19 for a new season of Reimagining the Good Life. WATCH on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

Exciting news! New episodes are dropping on my Take the Next Step podcast, and I’m sharing this one here so you won’t miss out. Be sure to follow Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker wherever you listen so you are sure to get future episodes. https://pod.link/1838911087 More about Take the Next Step: amyjuliabecker.com/step/ ___ What if inclusion in schools didn’t have to be a constant fight? Adrian Wood, PhD, shares what actually helped her son with autism thrive in their public school system. Adrian and Amy Julia Becker explore: Building trust with educatorsCollaboration and creativityNavigating IEPs and transitionsSmall changes that make a big differenceAsk Me Anything: Record (or email) your question for our upcoming Ask Me Anything episode: amyjuliabecker.com/qr/ 04:30 Navigating Public School for Children with Disabilities  06:53 Creative Thinking and Working Together as a Team  15:55 Strategies for Success  __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: VLOG: Tales of an Educated Debutante_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: Adrian Wood is the creator of the vlog Tales of an Educated Debutante. She has a PhD in Educational Research and contributes to Today Parents, The Today Show, and the Love What Matters blog. She lives in rural eastern North Carolina with her family. She is the co-author of Autism Out Loud.   CONNECT with Adrian on her website (talesofaneducateddebutante.com), Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.  __ Take the Next Step is produced in collaboration with Hope Heals. Hope Heals creates sacred spaces of belonging and belovedness for families affected by disabilities to experience sustaining hope in the context of inclusive, intentional, inter-ability communities. Find out more about our resources, gatherings, and inter-ability communities at hopeheals.com. Follow on Instagram @hopeheals. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S9 E9 — Our culture feels like a battlefield, but perspectives and actions change when we see it as a garden we’ve forgotten how to tend. Artist and author Makoto Fujimura shares with Amy Julia Becker how art, wonder, and imagination can restore our capacity to love, hope, and tend culture with care. Together they explore his book Art Is: A Journey into the Light, slow art, spiritual imagination, and a gentler way to live faithfully in a fractured world. 00:00 Introduction to Makoto Fujimura and the Process of Art 07:08 Stewardship Responsibility for Imagination and Creativity 13:34 The Importance of Slow Art and Observation 19:19 Engaging with Darkness in Art 22:15 The Role of Artists within the Darkness of Society 29:07 Giving Away Beauty: The Heart of Art 34:07 Imagination, Faith, and Love 42:58 Culture Care: Changing the Metaphor __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Art Is: A Journey into the Light, Art and Faith: A Theology of Making, and Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life by Makoto FujimuraEmbers InternationalAmy Julia’s episode with Justin Giboney: “How the Civil Rights Generation Can Lead Us Out of the Culture War” with Justin Giboney Amy Julia’s Take the Next Step podcast - new episodes beginning February 4, 2026_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist whose process driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time”. In addition to his work as an artist, Mako is an author whose latest work is entitled Art Is: A Journey into the Light. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts. He is a celebrated speaker and advocate for the arts and has received five Honorary Doctor of Arts degrees. https://makotofujimura.com/ https://www.instagram.com/iamfujimura/ ___ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S9 E8 — We're living through a season of deep division, political unrest, and global instability. Justin Giboney, political strategist and author of Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around, joins Amy Julia Becker to help us recover a moral imagination shaped by faith—one that resists polarization, refuses hatred, and offers a better way forward in public life. 00:00 Guidance from the Civil Rights Generation 07:18 The Black Church's Public Witness 10:00 The Civil Rights Movement vs Progressive Activism 13:52 Forgiveness and Redemption 17:28 Navigating the Culture Wars 25:39 The AND Campaign: Bridging Divides in Politics 28:51 Cultivating Moral Imagination 31:51 The Impact of Social Media 37:52 Practices for Living Out a Moral Imagination __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: • Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church's Public Witness Leads Us out of the Culture War by Justin Giboney  • AND Campaign: andcampaign.org  • Church Politics podcast  • Amy Julia's Take the Next Step podcast: amyjuliabecker.com/step/ _ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Justin Giboney (JD, Vanderbilt University) is an author, ordained minister, attorney, and political strategist. He is the founder and president of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization focused on raising civic literacy, promoting civic pluralism, and equipping Christians to engage politics with the love and truth of Jesus Christ. Justin is dedicated to promoting Christ-centered values as the basis for engagement in politics and social issues.  BOOK: Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/justinegiboney/ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!

S9 E7 — Your body is trying to tell you something. Are you listening? In this episode, corporate lawyer Justin Whitmel Earley joins Amy Julia Becker to explore how spiritual life is also embodied life. As you reflect on the year ahead, this conversation invites you to think not in terms of resolutions, but in terms of habits that nurture health and wholeness. Justin and Amy Julia reflect on: How breathing can reconnect body and soulHow fasting, feasting, and everyday meals contribute to the spiritual lifeHow to understand pain and sickness in a world that is both beautiful and brokenWhy sleep matters spiritually00:00 Intro: Anxiety Journey 05:20 The Body and Soul Connection 09:25 Cultural Disconnect 14:46 Breath: A Practice to Reconnect Body and Soul 23:35 Food: Fasting, Feasting, and Ordinary Fare 32:08 Understanding Pain and Sickness in a Broken World 38:18 The Spiritual Significance of Sleep _ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Bible verses: Ephesians 2; Genesis 1-2; Genesis 2:7; Genesis 2:9; Psalm 23Kelly Kapic interview with Amy JuliaEmbodied Hope by Kelly Kapic_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Justin Whitmel Earley is a writer, speaker, and lawyer. He is the author of The Common Rule, Habits of the Household, and Made for People, though he spends most days running his business law practice. Through his writing and speaking, Justin empowers God’s people to thrive through life-giving habits that form them in the love of God and neighbor. He continually explores both how physical habits are more spiritual than we think and how spiritual habits are more physical than we think. He lives with his wife and four boys in Richmond, Virginia, spends a lot of time around fires and porches with friends, and is a part-owner of a local gym. You can follow him online at justinwhitmelearley.com. ONLINE: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinwhitmelearleyauthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/ X: https://x.com/Justin_W_Earley YouTube: www.youtube.com/@justinwhitmelearley1630 Website: https://www.justinwhitmelearley.com/ __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!