The Hardness of Life. The Goodness of God.

It’s impossible to REALLY know God if you’ve only known good.

This is the phrase that keeps running through my head these days. Hard days, for more reasons than one. I’ve found myself increasingly attune lately to the hardness of life. My dear friend, probably my best friend, Caroline, has lost two friends in six months. One to disease, another to addiction. Another friend of mine is facing a huge life challenge and spiritual battle that » Read More

To the Man I Thought Was ‘The One’

To the Man I Thought Was “The One,” or my “Almost, Not Quite Love”:

This is the last time I will ever write about you. I’ve given you pages, chapters, BOOKS of my life…but now it’s time for me to write a new story now. One without you in it.

I’m ready to do that now. But to start a new chapter, you must first close the old one.

For years I asked God to bring closure to » Read More

14 Reasons to Celebrate Your Singleness This Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is upon us, and few things send single women running for the Ben & Jerry’s faster than the thought of spending another February 14th alone. From the obnoxious singling gorillas in silk boxers (I mean, c’mon…what self-respecting man (or ape) still wears silk boxers?!?) that assault our ears at Walgreens to the obnoxious “I love my hubby soooooooo much!” posts that wage war on our Facebook feeds…let’s face it: Valentine’s Day is not » Read More

The Top Ten Books All Single Women Should Read

I’ve wanted to write this blog for a really long time. Since I am a bookworm, the #1 way I get inspired in whatever season of life I’m in is through the written word. While there are a TON of books out there that I think send the wrong messages to singles (anything having to do with “make any man fall in love with you” or “get married in 6 months or less by reading » Read More

If An Ex Pokes You on Facebook and You Don’t Respond, Did Anything Actually Happen?

The following is an excerpt from my new book Beautiful Uncertainty, in stores now.

Those of you who are regular readers of my blog have introduced to my long-suffering, on-again, off-again ex, Mr. E. And I’m sure you likely have your own long-suffering, on-again, off-again ex, like Carrie’s “Mr. Big” in Sex & the City. This is what happened when mine reappeared in my life again after two years of silence.

Even though I hesitate to give him » Read More

What (Most) Women Really Want

The following is an excerpt from my new book, Beautiful Uncertainty, in stores now.

In my humble opinion…it’s not a big mystery.

We want to be pursued. Not endlessly asked to “hang out.” (And especially not asked to “hang out” at 3:00 am.) We don’t want to be treated like “one of the guys.” We want to be your LADY. And we want to be treated like it. We want a little time invested into the plans. » Read More

A Beautifully Uncertain 31-Day Challenge: Week 4

Welcome back to the Challenge, everyone! I thought it might be good for everyone to have a couple of days off to reflect on how far they’ve come so far…so technically, this is a 28-day challenge but we’ll keep using the hashtag #31DayChallenge for the sake of conformity.

Day 25: Face a Fear

Okay! On to the business of Day 25!

In Beautiful Uncertainty, you’ll read about a very funny moment (at least it’s funny NOW, it was » Read More

The Fantasy vs. The Reality of Being a Writer (Part One)

This post has been a long time coming. It’s not my typical blog post, so I have no idea if anyone will even read it…but I feel like this topic needs some serious clarity not just for me, but for all writers and all those who hope to be writers. I can only speak for myself and my experiences, of course, but I believe that surely there must be some universal truths here for all. » Read More

It Should Kill You, But It Doesn’t.

The following is an excerpt from my new book Beautiful Uncertainty.

It should kill you, being told you’re not loved.

It should kill you but it doesn’t.

It feels like it’s going to.

In the silence, after words like that drop their weight onto your heart…all you can do is struggle to draw a breath and pray that life will somehow magically rewind to the moment before the person you loved and trusted most in the world said them » Read More

A Beautifully Uncertain 31-Day Challenge: Week Three

Who’s ready to tackle week three?!

To recap: I decided to do things a little differently in 2016 by I’m inviting you to ditch the New Year’s resolutions and instead spend this first month of the year achieving one very simple, attainable goal each day. Since so many of us are in seasons of waiting (waiting for love, waiting for marriage, waiting for babies, waiting for an answer to a prayer, waiting for a cure or a phone » Read More

Something wonderful is on the horizon
Life doesn’t always look the way we want it to look. In Mandy’s upcoming book, Turn Toward the Sun: Releasing What If and Embracing What Is, you’ll find encouragement to live in the moment, sit with your experiences, and trust God with the unknown.
Preorder from Baker Book House for 40% off and free shipping!*
*US shipping only
Something wonderful is on the horizon
Turn Toward the Sun CoverLife doesn’t always look the way we want it to look. In Mandy’s upcoming book, Turn Toward the Sun: Releasing What If and Embracing What Is, you’ll find encouragement to live in the moment, sit with your experiences, and trust God with the unknown.
Preorder from Baker Book House for 40% off and free shipping!*
*US shipping only