March 21, 201618 Comments
My niece Livi drew this picture for her daddy the other day, and it moved me so much, I wanted to share it with all of you. The deep wells of wisdom that little one holds in her 8-year-old soul! As those of you who have been keeping up with my blog over the past couple of weeks know, my brother-in-law Kevin was in a near-fatal car wreck two weeks ago today and lost his … » Read More
November 30, 2015104 Comments
It’s been a hard year.
2015 has been a hard year.
I’ve hesitated to write about it in-depth up til this point because I don’t think I was ready to see it all in words, on a piece of paper. I didn’t want to seem negative or whiny or discouraging. I didn’t want to be that vulnerable. 2015 was the year I became less vulnerable, and I hate it. I’m more guarded now…less open, less trusting. And … » Read More
July 25, 201516 Comments
I’m leaving the ranch.
For those of you who follow my Instagram feed, you know that for the past year I’ve lived at a peaceful little ranch (the road to the ranch is pictured in the photo here) out in the country that is almost too beautiful to be real. And you might be surprised to learn that I’m leaving, given how much affection I have for this place, this magical place, that saw so many ups … » Read More
April 30, 20159 Comments
Today I hereby give you permission to feel exactly how you are feeling without apologizing or stifling or excusing or resisting. I give you permission to drop the politeness and the masks and the sugar-coating and just be REAL. To stop wasting time justifying and rationalizing and analyzing and just say what you mean and mean what you say. To accept yourself in all your brave, broken beauty and to stop trying to pick up … » Read More
September 11, 201313 Comments
“Love is an abstract noun, something nebulous. And yet love turns out to be the only part of us that is solid, as the world turns upside down and the screen goes black.” ~Martin Amis
I was supposed to go to a women’s prayer meeting that morning at the YMCA. I had been up late studying so I had decided to play hooky from the prayer meeting and sleep in a little before going to class … » Read More
April 15, 20131 Comment
Quotes of the Day: “Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test… You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies.” ~Rick Warren “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” ~Unknown “Here’s a tip: If you’re arguing against empathy, no matter the context, you’re on the wrong … » Read More
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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.
