I grew up in a Southern Baptist church, where my dad was a deacon and my mom sang in the choir. I remember sitting by myself, drawing with my best friend, or taking a nap in those Louisiana pews. I learned the Bible early – all the stories and the “right” things to say. I…
Tag: Joy
Presence Not Withheld
I tend to avoid New Year resolutions, but I do want to continue living here in this heart posture: just as I have been promised, so will I try to extend.
Keep the Receipts
It was one year ago today that everything changed. We were putting in a full day of work and training a new employee. We attended an event that evening… and an hour after we left, the building and surrounding neighborhoods were hit with tornadoes. Mere weeks later, the country quarantined from COVID. Everything was different….
Count It All Joy
Two years ago, my word for the year was Brave. The word Savor found me heading into 2020. I’d been wondering what this year would hold and what word I’d cling to. (After all we’ve been through, how do you even plan?) It sounds silly, but I asked God for a word at the end…
007 – Song of Humor
Today, we’re celebrating April Fool’s Day on the podcast! I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve, but I do have someone who makes me laugh (and sometimes roll my eyes) for his puns and affinity for Dad Jokes. Either way, he’s the perfect choice for today… and the perfect one for me. I hope you enjoy this special April Fool’s Day conversation with my husband, Jason Mazzo.
Loving Better
What. A. Week. For the Nashvillians who were here during the flood of 2010, our community response to this natural disaster is no surprise. There’s a good reason they call Tennessee the Volunteer State. After an F3 tornado ripped through Germantown, North Nashville, East Nashville, Donelson, Hermitage, and Mt. Juliet, the devastation surrounding our neighborhoods…
Timelapse
The New Year came and went without any year-in-review social updates on my end. I thought about it as I scrolled through the feed of my friends’ memories, but opted to sit in the silence. When I opened my journal this morning and wrote 2020 for the first time, I noticed a sizable gap from…
Starting with a Song
I stopped scrolling when I saw this post. My friend re-posted this and suggested we think about where we started 10 years ago. Sure, the decade realization is enough to make my head spin, but I love how she used the word started. A decade ago, 28-year old Amanda was living in a very different…
Spanning Decades
My office is a short commute from where I live… approximately 15 steps upstairs. It was one of the first things that drew us to this house: separate workspaces for both my husband and myself, plus extra room for guests. There are days when I stop to drink it all in. I am doing what…
Who Needs a Map?
“The lies still come. Sometimes they are a whisper when I am walking onto a stage, sometimes they are a quick cut when I see a picture of myself, and other times, they scream. They scream in a way I cannot describe – they are constant and vulgar and violently unkind. And when the lies…
A Liviting Life 