Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia Becker

Rest is a challenge for almost all of us in our frantic and distracted world. For anyone who is longing to stop and rest and delight but feels stuck in a pattern of never-enough-time, this conversation is for you. Ruth Haley Barton talks with Amy Julia Becker about rest as a healing practice given to us by God that leads to a spacious, generous life. Ruth is the author of many books, including her latest, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest. ___Giveaway: We are giving away a copy of Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest. To enter to win, share this podcast episode on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, and be sure to tag me! The contest will end on Sunday, November 6, at 11:59 pm ET.___Guest Bio:“Ruth has spent over 20 years as a student, a practitioner and a leader in the area of Christian spirituality and spiritual formation. She served on the staff of several churches before founding the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to creating space for God to strengthen the souls of leaders, equipping them to lead transforming communities. Ruth’s voice is courageous, authentic and unique. She is bold in tackling the issues of the day while always inviting us into deep spiritual practices that draw us nearer to God.”___Connect Online:Transforming Center on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transformingctr/ Transforming Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transformingcenterTransforming Center on Twitter: https://twitter.com/transformingctr Ruth’s website: https://www.ruthhaleybarton.comTransforming Center website: https://transformingcenter.orgStrengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast: https://transformingcenter.org/strengthening-the-soul-of-your-leadership-podcast/On the Podcast:Ruth’s booksNewest book: Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back AgainWayne Muller’s Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy LivesMark 2:27-28Podcast: Strengthening the Soul of Your LeadershipPodcast episode: Season 17: Episode 5 | The Power of Unplugging___Transcript & More: https://amyjuliabecker.com/ruth-haley-barton/____Season 6 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my book To Be Made Well.*A video with closed captions will be available on my YouTube ChaWe want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

"The challenge is to trust again the beauty of life together.” Professor and author Willie James Jennings talks with Amy Julia Becker about the beauty, promise, and hope of Christianity, especially if and as we are able to untether Christianity from whiteness and reimagine institutions and relationships built upon mutual dependence.__Guest Bio:“Willie James Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale University. His book The Christian Imagination won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion and the Grawemeyer Award in Religion. He has also published the book After Whiteness. He is an ordained Baptist minister and served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He received an undergraduate degree from Calvin University, his M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D in religion and ethics from Duke.”__On the Podcast:Books by Willie James Jennings:Acts: A Theological Commentary on the BibleThe Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of RaceAfter Whiteness: An Education in Belonging (Theological Education between the Times)Amy Julia’s family trip to New HavenHope Heals Camp__For full show notes, transcript, and more, go to: https://amyjuliabecker.com/willie-james-jennings/__Season 6 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my latest book, To Be Made Well, which you can order here! Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.*A transcript of this episode will be available within one business day on my website, as well as a video with closed captions on my YouTube Channel.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

“You belong here, as you are, who you are. Come be in this place with us.” Down syndrome advocate and author Heather Avis joins Amy Julia to talk about the importance of people with Down syndrome, celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and creating spaces of belovedness and belonging.__Guest Bio:“Founder of The Lucky Few and The Lucky Few Foundation, Heather Avis is a New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, and Down syndrome advocate, working to create a more inclusive world where everyone belongs.”__Connect Online:heatheravis.comFoundation: theluckyfewfoundation.orgPodcast: theluckyfewpodcast.comInstagram: @theluckyfewfoundation; @theluckyfewofficialFacebook: @theluckyfewfoundation__On the Podcast:Heather's books: Everyone Belongs;  Different--A Great Thing to Be!; The Lucky Few: Finding God's Best in the Most Unlikely Places;  Scoot Over and Make Some Room: Creating a Space Where Everyone BelongsPodcast episode: 171. What does belonging actually mean? (Storytelling Tour Recap with Heather + Josh Avis!)Study: Disabilities in Newbery Books Newbery Award Winning Books 1975–2009: How Do They Portray Disabilities?Books: Wonder; Fish in a Tree; Counting by 7s; Out of My Mind; A Storm of StrawberriesCamp: Hope Heals CampVerse: Psalms 139:14For full show notes, transcript, and more, go to: amyjuliabecker.com/heather-avis/__BOOK GIVEAWAY:I’m joining Heather and other moms of kids with Down syndrome over on Instagram to give away our favorite picture books and memoirs in celebration of Down Syndrome Awareness month.You can find all the details on my October 5, 2022, Instagram post @amyjuliabecker.__Season 6 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my latest book, To Be Made Well, which you can order here! Learn more about my writing and speaking at We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

We may sometimes doubt the importance of our questions, but the practice of curiosity is actually a gift. Author Lore Ferguson Wilbert joins Amy Julia Becker to talk about all the questions we are invited to ask of God and of ourselves and how those questions can open up spacious places in our souls. __Guest Bio:“Lore Ferguson Wilbert is a writer, thinker, learner, and author of A Curious Faith and Handle With Care. She writes for She Reads Truth, Christianity Today, and more, as well as her own site, Sayable.net. She lives in New York and has a husband named Nate, a puppy named Harper Nelle, and too many books to read in one lifetime.”__Connect Online:Website: sayable.netInstagram: @lorewilbertTwitter: @lorewilbert__On the Podcast:A Curious Faith: The Questions God Asks, We Ask, and We Wish Someone Would Ask UsPsalm 16:6; Genesis 3:9A. J. Swoboda For complete show notes and transcript, go to: amyjuliabecker.com/lore-ferguson-wilbert/__Season 6 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my latest book, To Be Made Well, which you can order here! Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.*A transcript of this episode will be available within one business day, as well as a video with closed captions on my YouTube Channel.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

Can we find—can we grow—goodness, beauty, and kindness in a wounded world? Rich Villodas talks with Amy Julia Becker about what it means to live lives formed by the love of God.___GUEST:“Rich Villodas is the Brooklyn-born lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large multiracial church with more than seventy-five countries represented in Elmhurst, Queens. Rich holds a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.” He is the author of two books: The Deeply Formed Life and Good and Beautiful and Kind.__Connect Online:Website: richvillodas.comInstagram: @richvillodasTwitter: @richvillodas__On the Podcast:S4 E4 | Spiritual Practices That Heal with Rich VillodasTired by Langston HughesBarbara Brown TaylorFleming RutledgeThe Lord’s PrayerFor complete show notes and transcript, go to: amyjuliabecker.com/rich-villodas/____Season 6 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my latest book, To Be Made Well, which you can order here! Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.*A transcript of this episode will be available within one business day, as well as a video with closed captions on my YouTube Channel.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

Welcome to Season 6 of Love Is Stronger Than Fear, a podcast about pursuing hope and healing in the midst of personal and social brokenness.The lineup of guests for this podcast season is extraordinary! I can’t believe I get to talk to these people. A few of the upcoming guests include:🎙Rich Villodas🎙Sharon Hodde Miller🎙Ruth Haley Barton🎙Lore Ferguson Wilbert🎙Haider WarraichAnd more!Our movement toward healing is like a spiral and goes back to some of the same places over and over again, and yet it’s constantly moving upward. Those movements of healing include honesty and humility and surrender and hope, and all of those movements circle around love because love is the center of healing.The first episode—with Rich Villodas—drops  Tuesday, September 6. So please join me for these conversations…you can subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. I’m excited to begin this journey with you!We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

How do we create communities where friendship is a possibility among people of differing abilities? Dr. John Swinton, theologian and author, talks with Amy Julia Becker about mutual relationships of care, the meaning of health and healing, and the speed of love.___Guest Bio:“John Swinton is chair of divinity and religious studies at the University of Aberdeen. He has published widely within the area of disability theology, spirituality and health, qualitative research, and mental health.”___For full show notes, go to: amyjuliabecker.com/john-swinton/___Season 5 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my newest book, To Be Made Well...you can order here! Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.*A transcript of this episode will be available within one business day, as well as a video with closed captions on my YouTube Channel.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

How do we raise children who will stand against racial injustice? Helen Lee, co-author of The Race-Wise Family, and Amy Julia Becker discuss why it’s important for all of us to talk about race, how we can do this well with and for our children, and the postures of celebration and lament.Guest Bio:“Helen Lee has been a Christian publishing professional since 1993, when she began her career working at Christianity Today (CT) magazine. She is the director of product innovation at InterVarsity Press, where she formerly served as an associate editor, director of marketing, and associate director of strategic partnerships.”For full show notes, go to: amyjuliabecker.com/helen-lee/___Season 5 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my newest book, To Be Made Well...you can order here! Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.*A transcript of this episode will be available within one business day, as well as a video with closed captions on my YouTube Channel.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

While Jesus welcomed the disabled, the poor, and the outcast, Christian communities are often spaces of exclusion. Dr. Amy Kenny is a disabled scholar, a Shakespeare Lecturer, and the author of My Body Is Not a Prayer Request. In this conversation, she talks with Amy Julia Becker about disability, the church, ableism, and creating communities of belonging.___GIVEAWAYRate and review this podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Then go here and fill out the form to enter the giveaway for the To Be Made Well audiobook! ___Guest Bio:"Amy Kenny is a disabled scholar and a Shakespeare Lecturer who hates Hamlet. She serves on the mayor’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce in her home city, coordinates support for people experiencing homelessness in her neighborhood, and is currently co-launching Jubilee Homes OC, a permanent supportive housing initiative in her local community. She is a Scribe for Freedom Road Institute and believes that every human is an image-bearer worthy of belonging. "For full show notes, go to: amyjuliabecker.com/amy-kenny/___Season 5 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my newest book, To Be Made Well...you can order here! Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.*A transcript of this episode will be available within one business day, as well as a video with closed captions on my YouTube Channel.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening! 

How do we rest in a restless world? Kate Rademacher, public health expert and author of Reclaiming Rest, talks with Amy Julia Becker about rest, burnout, healing, social justice, and the difference between religious and secular approaches to rest.GUEST BIO:“A graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut and the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kate Rademacher's professional work is focused on international public health. Kate is the author of three books.”For full show notes, go to: amyjuliabecker.com/kate-rademacher/To Be Made Well audiobook___Season 5 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast connects to themes in my newest book, To Be Made Well...you can order here! Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.*A transcript of this episode will be available within one business day, as well as a video with closed captions on my YouTube Channel.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsiteThanks for listening!