In this special Fourth of July episode, Irish writer Judith McQuoid reads a story of her first arrival in the United States, in the summer of 1976. This beautiful reflection is a love letter to America, and a reminder of what this country can still mean to people from around the world.  

This episode is part of a special summer series called “Leaving Home Stories,” in which writers from The Habit Membership will read personal narratives on the theme of leaving home, literally or metaphorically, temporarily or permanently.

Judith McQuoid is the author of Giant, a fictional retelling of CS Lewis’s boyhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Sponsored by The Habit Membership.

In this special Fourth of July episode, Irish writer Judith McQuoid reads a story of her first arrival in the United States, in the summer of 1976. This beautiful reflection is a love letter to America, and a reminder of what this country can still mean to people from around the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;
This episode is part of a special summer series called &ldquo;Leaving Home Stories,&rdquo; in which writers from The Habit Membership will read personal narratives on the theme of leaving home, literally or metaphorically, temporarily or permanently.
Judith McQuoid is the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/giant-judith-mcquoid/2e23770f70074b76?ean=9781915071828&amp;next=t">Giant</a>, a fictional retelling of CS Lewis&rsquo;s boyhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Sponsored by <a href="https://thehabit.co/join-the-habit-membership/">The Habit Membership</a>.

Conversations with writers about writing, hosted by Jonathan Rogers.

The Habit

The Habit Podcast

Leaving Home: Summer, 1976, by Judith McQuoid

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/d699cc26-51ff-4875-9bdb-aa4e006494dd/clips/7a80c044-05ac-4206-9141-b47c00b9910d/transcript

Andrew Wilson is Teaching Pastor at King’s Church London, and has degrees in history and theology from Cambridge (MA) and King’s College London (PhD). He is a columnist for Christianity Today, and has written several books. The most recent is Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West. Historian Mark Noll wrote, “Andrew Wilson’s book is extraordinary in every way: extraordinary in the breadth of research; extraordinary in the multitude of world-significant events that Wilson identifies for 1776; extraordinary in the depth of his insight on what those events meant (and continue to mean); extraordinary in the verve with which he makes his arguments; and, not least, extraordinary in the persuasive Christian framework in which he sets the book. Remaking the World is a triumph of both creative historical analysis and winsome Christian interpretation.”

Andrew Wilson is Teaching Pastor at King’s Church London, and has degrees in history and theology from Cambridge (MA) and King’s College London (PhD). He is a columnist for Christianity Today, and has written several books. The most recent is <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/remaking-the-world-how-1776-created-the-post-christian-west-andrew-wilson/19686401?ean=9781433580536">Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West</a>. Historian Mark Noll wrote, “Andrew Wilson’s book is extraordinary in every way: extraordinary in the breadth of research; extraordinary in the multitude of world-significant events that Wilson identifies for 1776; extraordinary in the depth of his insight on what those events meant (and continue to mean); extraordinary in the verve with which he makes his arguments; and, not least, extraordinary in the persuasive Christian framework in which he sets the book. Remaking the World is a triumph of both creative historical analysis and winsome Christian interpretation.”

Andrew Wilson on the Spirit of 1776 (from the archives)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/d699cc26-51ff-4875-9bdb-aa4e006494dd/clips/b3fbea99-66f5-4bf3-9564-b4780034c5ce/transcript

Dr. Warren Kinghorn is a psychiatrist and theologian at Duke University, where he holds joint appointments at Duke Divinity School and the Duke University Medical Center. Warren’s work focuses on the intersection of theology, mental health, and human flourishing—and he brings an integrated, humane perspective to questions that too often get reduced to biology or technique.

His new book is Wayfaring: A Christian Approach to Mental Health Care. In this episode, Warren Kinghorn and Jonathan Rogers discuss how the metaphor of the human being as a machine has shaped mental health care—and what is gained by reclaiming the older metaphor of the human as wayfarer; they talk about the ways that Thomas Aquinas’s teleological vision of human behavior opens up a richer account of freedom, agency, and virtue; and they talk about the possibility that the meaning of life is an active participation in blessing.

This episode, brought to you by The Habit's Writer Development Cohorts, first ran in 2025.

Dr. Warren Kinghorn is a psychiatrist and theologian at Duke University, where he holds joint appointments at Duke Divinity School and the Duke University Medical Center. Warren&rsquo;s work focuses on the intersection of theology, mental health, and human flourishing&mdash;and he brings an integrated, humane perspective to questions that too often get reduced to biology or technique.
His new book is <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/wayfaring-a-christian-approach-to-mental-health-care-warren-kinghorn/21003371?ean=9780802882240&amp;next=t">Wayfaring: A Christian Approach to Mental Health Care</a>. In this episode, Warren Kinghorn and Jonathan Rogers discuss how the metaphor of the human being as a machine has shaped mental health care&mdash;and what is gained by reclaiming the older metaphor of the&nbsp;human as wayfarer; they talk about the ways that Thomas Aquinas&rsquo;s teleological vision of human behavior opens up a richer account of freedom, agency, and virtue; and they talk about the possibility that the meaning of life is an active participation in blessing.
This episode, brought to you by The Habit's <a href="https://Thehabit.co/cohorts">Writer Development Cohorts</a>, first ran in 2025.

Warren Kinghorn Doesn't Think You're a Machine. (from the Archives)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/d699cc26-51ff-4875-9bdb-aa4e006494dd/clips/453e6a6e-5b1a-4569-bc5c-b47100d18456/transcript

Russ Ramsey is a gifted storyteller and a trusted guide in the world of art. He is the author of Rembrandt is in the Wind and Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About The Wonder and Struggle of Being Alive. In this episode from October 2024, Russ and Jonathan Rogers talk about sunflowers, the sublime, and the connection between suffering and wonder. 

This episode is sponsored by The Habit's Writer Development Cohorts.

Russ Ramsey is a gifted storyteller and a trusted guide in the world of art. He is the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/rembrandt-is-in-the-wind-learning-to-love-art-through-the-eyes-of-faith-russ-ramsey/ade085eb02f9047f?ean=9780310129721&amp;next=t">Rembrandt is in the Wind</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/van-gogh-has-a-broken-heart-what-art-teaches-us-about-the-wonder-and-struggle-of-being-alive-russ-ramsey/21291915?ean=9780310155577">Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About The Wonder and Struggle of Being Alive</a>. In this episode from October 2024, Russ and Jonathan Rogers talk about sunflowers, the sublime, and the connection between suffering and wonder.&nbsp;
This episode is sponsored by The Habit's <a href="https://Thehabit.co/cohorts">Writer Development Cohorts.</a>

Russ Ramsey on Van Gogh and Friends (from the Archives)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/d699cc26-51ff-4875-9bdb-aa4e006494dd/clips/9944d315-7b4a-4019-b85a-b46a00a56c0b/transcript

Leaving Home: Summer, 1976, by Judith McQuoid

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