Want to know a secret? The more awards I win, the more terrified I become of failing. I know that sounds backward, but it's the truth. Last year, after winning 11 straight awards from Leading Hearts magazine, not winning an Award of Merit from the Evangelical Press sent me into a self-deprecation spiral. In this episode, I dive into this season's disappointing performance from the Kansas City Chiefs and the invaluable lesson it taught me: giving yourself the freedom to make mistakes is the key to staying on top of your game.

Chapters:

The Anxiety Awards Secrets

What the Chiefs Taught Me about Losing Seasons

30 Years of Award (But Why Not this Year?)

Permission to Be Humbled

Reframing Failure

Chiseled by Trial - Proverbs 11:2

Prayer & Closing

Amber Weigand-Buckley is an award-winning author, podcaster as well as editor and art director for Leading Hearts magazine. She is also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Be on the lookout for her May 2026 release #sisterhoodoftheshortyellowpencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time. Follow her @barefacedgirl on socials for more.

Hey friends, it's Amber, and I'm about to get myself into good trouble again.

Fresh off surgery and recovery (praise God for answered prayers!), I've been wrestling with something I can't shake: What does real advocacy actually look like when it costs you something? Martin Luther King Jr. said the biggest obstacle to justice wasn't the hardcore opposition, but people who agreed in spirit but wouldn't pay the cost of action. And man, that convicted me.

Here's what I keep coming back to: Jesus didn't just have a soft heart. He had a soft heart with a backbone. He touched lepers when it was illegal. He defended the woman everyone wanted to stone. He put His body, His reputation, His life on the line—not for the righteous, but for the outcast.

In this episode, we're diving into what it means to keep a tender heart in a world trying to harden us. When people say "do your research," maybe what we really need is a heart search—going deeper to find where we might be waning in compassion.

I'm calling all of us (myself included) to uncomfortable discipleship. Because a soft heart without a backbone is just sentimentality. And a backbone without a soft heart is just cruelty.

Fair warning: Both sides might get mad at you for caring about the "wrong" people. But Jesus calls us to pay that price.

Let's get into some good trouble together.

Amber Weigand-Buckley is an award-winning author, podcaster as well as editor and art director for Leading Hearts magazine. She is also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Be on the lookout for her May 2026 release #sisterhoodoftheshortyellowpencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time. Follow her @barefacedgirl on socials for more.

Hi friends, it's Amber here. In this episode of #RandomDevoThoughts,' I dig into the rich history behind the Watch Night service, which goes far beyond a simple New Year's tradition. Together, we'll uncover its origins from Freedom's Eve on December 31st, 1862, and reflect on how enslaved people awaited their deliverance—the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s an invitation for all of us to step out of our comfort zones, learn from each other, and better reflect the diverse beauty of God's kingdom. Join me as we seek to understand and celebrate the stories that make our faith richer and deeper.

00:00 Welcome to Random Devo Thoughts

00:51 Discovering the Sacred History of Watch Night

03:03 The Significance of Watch Night Service

05:09 Embracing Cultural Diversity in Faith

06:53 A Call to Learn and Represent the Kingdom

09:50 Prayer and Reflection

11:17 Closing Thoughts

Amber Weigand-Buckley is an award-winning author, podcaster as well as editor and art director for Leading Hearts magazine. She is also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Be on the lookout for her May 2026 release #sisterhoodoftheshortyellowpencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time. Follow her @barefacedgirl on socials for more.