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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: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks 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: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks 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/@justinwhitmelearley163 We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

S9 E6 — In a season of parties and entertaining, it’s good to remember that hospitality means something very different—welcoming the stranger and caring for one another. In The Hospitality of Need, Kevan Chandler, born with a progressive disability, explores how dependence can expand life and deepen community. His story points us back to our shared human neediness, reflected in the baby lying in the manger.  00:0 Reimagining the Good Life 06:12 Gift of Interdependence 12:52 Understanding Need and Hospitality 17:37 Proximity and Need 21:43 Peer to Peer Caregiving 26:39 A Journey to Skellig Michael 32:53 Spiritual Realities of Need 38:12 Invitation Into Need MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Amy Julia’s interview with Kevan on Take the Next StepThe Hospitality of Need: How Depending on One Another Helps Us Heal and Grow Together by Kevan Chandler and Tommy SheltonWe Carry Kevan I John 1_ 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: KEVAN CHANDLER is the founder of the nonprofit organization We Carry Kevan and speaks worldwide about friendship and disability. He and his wife, Katie, enjoy doing everything together, including growing vegetables and reading to each other. Kevan was the second of his siblings to be diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, type 2, a rare neuromuscular disease. In 2016, he and his friends took a trip across Europe, leaving his wheelchair at home, and his friends carried him for three weeks in a backpack. An avid storyteller, Kevan is an author and speaker worldwide about his friendships and unique life with a disability, being a featured speaker for Tedx and Google, as well as various conferences, pharmaceutical companies, and universities. __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

S9 E5 — There is a lot of conversation right now about the role of women and men in society. Whether we’re talking about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal or the viral essay "The Great Feminization" and all the commentary it sparked, it’s clear we’re in a cultural moment where we don’t quite know how to talk about men and women. Should we see men and women as interchangeable? What does equality look like when our bodies are not the same? Can we admit our neediness and maintain our dignity as women or as men? These are some of the questions I'm asking Leah Libresco Sargeant as we talk about her new book, The Dignity of Dependence. 00:00 The World is the Wrong Shape for Women 6:14 The Lie of Autonomy and How It Harms Everyone 21:09 Building a Just Society: Dismantling False Anthropology 22:52 Understanding Disability and Unemployment 25:43 Societal Examples of Dependent Communities 30:15 The Dignity of Dependence 32:51 Legacy of Care in Society 38:20 The Costs of Devaluing Vulnerability 41:14 Practices for Embracing Dependence MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto by Leah Libresco SargeantSara Hendren’s What Can a Body DoAmy Julia’s interview with Sara Hendren: Who Belongs? Disability and the Built World with Sara Hendren_ 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: Leah Libresco Sargeant is the author of several books, including The Dignity of Dependence. She runs the substack Other Feminisms, which focuses on how to advocate for women as women in a world that makes an idol of autonomy. She lives in Maryland and works in family policy in D.C. Other Feminisms: https://www.otherfeminisms.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/leahlibresco __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

S9 E4 — What if real freedom doesn’t come from more self-esteem—but from self-forgetfulness? Amy Julia Becker and author and pastor Sharon Hodde Miller explore the difference between the false self and the true self—and how thinking about ourselves less without thinking less of ourselves leads to healing, humility, and purpose. 00:00 Introduction 01:58 Defining Self and Self-Forgetfulness 07:33 Understanding the Self and Healing 09:50 Noticing Ourselves 14:12 False Self vs. True Self 16:31 The Concept of Self-Denial 19:18 The Role of the Body in Self-Understanding 22:08 Embracing Insecurity, Humility, and Limitations 29:33 The Role of Self in Parenting 31:34 Beyond Self: Purpose and Community 38:12 Practicing Humility in Daily Life MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Free of Me and Gazing at God • Books by Sharon Hodde MillerThe Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim KellerTo Be Made Well and White Picket Fences by Amy Julia BeckerAmy Julia's new podcast: Take the Next Step 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: Sharon Hodde Miller (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) leads Bright City Church in Durham, NC with her husband, Ike. She writes, travels around the country speaking at churches and conferences each year, and holds a PhD on women and calling. Sharon is the author of three books: Gazing at God, Free of Me, and Nice. Sharon lives in North Carolina with her husband and 3 young children. To read more of her writing, you can visit her site, SheWorships.com, and you can connect with her on Instagram at @sharonhmiller.  We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

S9 E3 — What is the good life? Is it a life marked by money and success and achievement? Or a life marked by love? Author and professor Kelly Kapic joins Amy Julia Becker to rethink our obsession with productivity and self-reliance. They explore: Why “independence” is not the idealHow love—not intelligence or achievement—defines our humanityHow receiving our limits can lead to rest, belonging, and deeper joySubscribe to Amy Julia’s Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.com/subscribe/ 00:00 Exploring Humanity's Limits and Gifts 04:30 The Distinction Between Limits and Brokenness 09:35 Redefining Human Value Beyond Achievement 12:16 The Role of Love in Defining Humanity 19:45 The Gift of Humble Dependence in Relationships 26:03 Recognizing and Cultivating Gifts 28:21 The Good Life: Beyond Material Success and Happiness 34:33 Embracing Limits within Work, Rest, and Love 39:16 Practices for Accepting Limits and Cultivating Love __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Books: You Were Never Meant to Do It All, You're Only Human, and Embodied Hope by Kelly KapicFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver BurkemanWhen Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert Becoming Whole by by Brian Fikkert and Kelly KapicWorld Happiness ReportI Corinthians 13__ 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: Kelly M. Kapic (PhD, King's College, University of London) is professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he has taught since 2001. He is a popular speaker and the award-winning author or editor of more than fifteen books, including the devotional You Were Never Meant to Do It All, The God Who Gives, and the Christianity Today Book Award winners You're Only Human and Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering. Kapic has been featured in Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition and has worked on research teams funded by the John Templeton Foundation. He also contributes to the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care and various other journals. kellykapic.com ___ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

S9 E2 — What if disability isn’t something to fix, but a way to see God and one another more clearly? Theologian John Swinton joins Amy Julia Becker to explore how our ideas of perfection, healing, and humanity can distort—or deepen—our understanding of the good life. Together, they imagine a church and a world that welcomes every body as good, beloved, and whole. They explore: How culture shapes (and distorts) our perceptions of disability and beautyWhat it means for a world to be both wounded and belovedWhy the difference between goodness and perfection mattersHow interdependence includes both beauty and a cost__ TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST: amyjuliabecker.com/step/ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia’s newsletter: amyjuliabecker.com/subscribe/ __ 00:00 Introduction 02:54 Significance of Disability in Faith 05:50 Cultural Perceptions of Disability 08:50 The Image of God and Human Relationships 11:45 Understanding Goodness vs. Perfection 18:18 Goodness and Suffering 23:55 The Power of Naming and Identity 27:38 Relationality and the Cost of Interdependence 35:38 Resisting Culture's Distortions of the Image of God __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Christianity Today essay: “It Was Good, Not Perfect.”Genesis 1-3_ 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: John Swinton is Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care and Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen. For more than a decade John worked as a registered mental health nurse. He also worked for a number of years as a hospital and community mental health Chaplain alongside of people with severe mental health challenges who were moving from the hospital into the community. In 2004, he founded the University of Aberdeen’s Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. He has published widely within the area of mental health, dementia, disability theology, spirituality and healthcare, end of life care, qualitative research and pastoral care. John is the author of a number of monographs including Finding Jesus in the Storm: The spiritual lives of people with mental health challenges. (Eerdmans 2020) which won the Aldersgate prize for outstanding interdisciplinary work within theology. His book Dementia: Living in the memories of God won the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ramsey Prize for excellence in theological writing.  We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

S9 E1 — Some people get paid to do what they love, but most don’t. How can we find meaning in everyday work that we don’t always love doing? How can we discover our purpose in life? Author Karen Swallow Prior and Amy Julia Becker explore: Why passion is not the same as callingHow vocation centers on service and relationships, not just careerPursuing truth, goodness, and beauty in ordinary lifeHow multiple callings unfold across a lifetimeWisdom for discerning and living into a deeper purposeSubscribe to my weekly newsletter: amyjuliabecker.com/subscribe New! Take the Next Step podcast: amyjuliabecker.com/step 00:00 Introduction 02:04 Exploring the Call to Creativity 05:39 The Myths of Passion and Work 08:55 Defining Calling and Vocation 12:32 The Relational Aspect of Calling 15:31 Pursuing Truth, Goodness, and Beauty 22:28 The Intersection of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful 26:04 The Good Life and Purpose 31:46 The Role of Suffering in Calling 36:55 Navigating New Callings and Responsibilities 40:44 Finding Meaning and Calling in Everyday Tasks __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful by Karen Swallow Prior_ 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: 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: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

What really makes life worth living? This season on Reimagining the Good Life, Amy Julia Becker dives into the ideas, assumptions, and cultural narratives that shape how we live. Upcoming conversations include: Karen Swallow Prior on callingSharon Hodde Miller on self-forgetfulnessKelly Kapic on human limitationsLeah Libresco Sargeant on the dignity of dependence If you’re curious about culture, disability, family, and faith—and how big ideas can change everyday life—this season is for you. __ 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: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

This is the very first episode of my new podcast, Take the Next Step, and I’m sharing it here so you won’t miss the launch. Be sure to follow Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes. (New episodes of Reimagining the Good Life are coming in October!) Follow the new podcast at: amyjuliabecker.com/step/ __ Feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of disability? Katherine Wolf, author, advocate, and co-founder of Hope Heals, joins Amy Julia Becker to explore how families can reimagine disability, build connection, and celebrate life.  From the dinner table to the slow work of recovery, learn how to find delight in the story you have. Discover: How to experience joy in the process, not just the outcomeDaily habits to cultivate gratitude and delightHow to build a supportive, connected communityWhy purpose and contribution matter for every family_ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Katherine’s books, resources, gatherings, and inter-ability communities: hopeheals.com. Luke 14_ 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: Katherine Wolf is an author, advocate, and co-founder of Hope Heals. After she survived a near-fatal brainstem stroke at age 26, her family’s journey through disability has become a public witness that good and hard can co-exist in the same story. Through caregiving, storytelling, and lived theology, Katherine is inviting others into a vision of hope, interdependence, and embodied resilience. She and her husband Jay live in Atlanta with their two sons. Website: www.hopeheals.com  Instagram: @hopeheals _ 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 us on Instagram @hopeheals. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

I’m so excited to share something new with you! My new show, Take the Next Step, is a podcast for families experiencing disability—filled with real talk, real tools, and real hope. Tune in over at Take the Next Step each week for conversations with parents, therapists, and advocates about how we can cultivate belonging and build a flourishing future for the entire family. You can find the new show by searching "Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker" on your podcast app, or find it online at amyjuliabecker.com/step And stay tuned - new episodes of Reimagining the Good Life coming in October. __ 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/ _ 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 us on Instagram @hopeheals. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

When Heather Avis says she’s one of “the lucky few,” she means it. In this episode, we talk about growing up with our children with Down syndrome, what it means to delight in our kids, and how all of us can participate in shifting the narrative around disability toward love and belonging. Our conversation highlights her new children’s book, I Like You So Much, and focuses on: Proclaiming the worth of our childrenThe role of children's books in shifting disability narrativesUnderstanding identityExploring mutuality in relationshipsThe importance of spaces of belongingDelight and celebration in parentingMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: I Like You So Much by Heather AvisMore of Heather’s booksThe Lucky Few podcastSmall Talk by Amy Julia BeckerHeather’s SubstackReimagining the Good Life WorkshopSubscribe to Amy Julia’s Substack newsletter_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast. _ ABOUT: Heather Avis is a New York Times bestselling author, public speaker, podcaster, and a Down syndrome advocate. She is the founder of and chief visionary officer at The Lucky Few, an advocacy organization dedicated to shouting worth, shifting narratives, and reimagining what it looks like when we create spaces of belonging. She lives in Southern California with her husband Josh and three kids, Macyn, Truly, and August and two Goldendoodles, Maeby and George Michael. Website: https://www.heatheravis.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theluckyfewofficial/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLuckyFewOfficial/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC99_OFh29y9lVqZyHY2Xztw Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lucky-few/id1349646917 New Book, I Like You So Much: https://www.amazon.com/Like-You-So-Much-Celebrating/dp/0310166594/ Photo Credit: © Camilynne Photography ___ Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

Ambition is the air we breathe—but what is it costing us? In this episode, Amy Julia Becker and theologian Miroslav Volf discuss his latest book, The Cost of Ambition. They unpack the hidden damage of a culture obsessed with competition and invite us to imagine a new way of being, for ourselves and our society, rooted not in achievement, but in love, mutuality, and genuine abundance. They explore:   Striving for superiority in American cultureThe dark side of competitionLonging for what we haveStriving for excellence vs. striving for superiorityThe illusion of individual achievementPractices for embracing love and generosityReimagining human relationships beyond superiority__ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse by Miroslav VolfAbundance by Ezra KleinThe Sabbath by Abraham HeschelLuke 18:9-14, Philippians 2, 1 Corinthians 12:21-26, Mark 10:35-45The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)Works of Love by Søren KierkegaardSubscribe to Amy Julia's newsletter_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast. _ ABOUT: Miroslav Volf (DrTheol, University of Tübingen) is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture in New Haven, Connecticut. He has written or edited more than two dozen books, including the New York Times bestseller Life Worth Living, A Public Faith, Public Faith in Action, and Exclusion and Embrace (winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion and selected as among the 100 best religious books of the 20th century by Christianity Today). Educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, Volf regularly lectures around the world. CONNECT with Miroslav Volf on X at @miroslavvolf. Photo Credit: © Christopher Capozziello ___ Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

What if the perfect family doesn’t exist—and never was supposed to? Theologian Emily McGowin, PhD, joins Amy Julia Becker to explore family life in America and what the Bible really says (and doesn’t say) about family life. They discuss: the idealized version of the American familythe misconceptions surrounding a biblical blueprint for familycreating a home centered on love, not expectationsapprenticing ourselves to love through daily household practices___ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Households of Faith: Practicing Family in the Kingdom of God by Emily Hunter McGowin, PhDAmy Julia's episode with Matthew Mooney about families, disability, suffering, and "the good life'Small Talk: Learning from my Children about What Matters Most by Amy Julia Becker__ WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast. _ ABOUT: Emily Hunter McGowin (PhD, University of Dayton) is associate professor of theology at Wheaton College. She is the author of Quivering Families and Christmas, and coeditor of God and Wonder. Her articles have appeared in Christianity Today and The Week. She is a priest and canon theologian in the Anglican diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others. She and her husband, Ron, also a priest, live in Chicagoland with their three children. Follow her on Twitter: @EmilyMcgowin and visit her website at: emilymcgowin.com. ___ Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!