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.

Hey friends, it's Amber here!

Ever mix up your art history and accidentally stumble into a profound truth? Yeah, me too. That's basically how this entire episode was born.

I'm digging into what it means to be a person before your time, how to cut off the voices of critics (metaphorically, friends!), and why your "random" brain connections might actually be divine downloads.

If you've ever felt too scattered, too creative, or too different for the traditional path—this one's for you. Grab your shovel. Let's dig in the dirt together and see what God's been whispering through the chaos.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

[00:00-01:00] The Art Book Confession How my British father-in-law taught me to contemplate art, and why getting Van Gogh and Da Vinci historically confused turned out to be the whole point.

[01:00-03:00] The Innovators Were Always Misunderstood Why every person we look back on as a genius was criticized in their own time—and what that means for you and your "crazy" ideas right now.

[03:00-05:00] The Biblical Before-Their-Time Club Noah building a boat with no water. Da Vinci sketching helicopters in the 1400s. What divine inspiration looks like when nobody else can see it yet.

[05:00-07:00] When "Crazy Chaos" Is Actually God Speaking How to tell the difference between random thoughts and divine downloads (hint: you might not know until you dig deeper).

[07:00-09:00] My Van Gogh Moments: The 50-Year Journey Getting real about my journalism degree, my communication fears, my paradox life, and the four big revelations that helped me find my authentic voice.

[09:00-11:00] The Self-Inventory Questions Here's what I want you to take away: specific questions to help you figure out what voices you need to cut off and what God's been whispering that you've been dismissing.

[11:00-13:00] Prayer for the Innovators Praying for everyone who feels alone in their vision, misunderstood in their calling, or crazy for following what God's put in their hearts.

[13:00-14:00] Your Da Vinci Moment Is Waiting The call to action, the encouragement, and my signature chaotic sign-off.

Perfect for: Neurodivergent Christians, creative souls, innovators, anyone who's been told they're "too much," people who need permission to trust their messy brain, and short yellow pencil sisters who are tired of hiding their struggles.

Not for: People who want clean, systematic theology with zero paradox.

Length: 14 minutes

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! Welcome back to another episode of Random Devo Thoughts with Amber. Today, I'm diving into the messy world of writing my book #sisterhoodoftheshortyellowpencils and all the chaos that came with it. I'll share how I almost gave up, the struggles with editing, and why I decided to break all the rules to stay true to my neurodivergent readers. We'll talk about how even Jesus was a rule-breaker with his parables and why it's so important to reach the 'one' person who needs our message the most.

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! In this episode of Random Devo Thoughts, I dive into the universal experience of hitting your limit—that moment when your brain says 'That's enough.' Let's talk about the different ways we react when we're overwhelmed and explore how these moments can be invitations from God to rest in His presence. Instead of fighting our meltdowns, what if we allowed ourselves to melt into God's love? Join me for some heartfelt insights, genuine encouragement, and a fresh perspective on navigating faith and mental health.

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 guys, I'm literally sitting in a Walmart parking lot composing this episode with Stanley, my Great Pyrenees, and he's got his head out the window doing what he does best—seeking discovery. And it got me thinking in the neurodivergent spaghetti of my mind about wonder, about a tiny wooden piano from Christmas 1979, and about how we've lost the art of unwrapping presents in God's presence. This episode is part childhood nostalgia, part theological deep dive, and part dog-inspired revelation. And to be honest, it might be one of my favorite conversations I've had with myself in a parking lot.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Welcome to parking lot theology with Stanley
[00:45] Christmas 1979 and the Holy Trinity of childhood desire
[02:00] The wooden piano that changed everything
[03:15] Stanley's posture of wonder (and why it matters)
[04:00] Unwrapping presents in God's presence (the wordplay that broke me)
[06:00] When the miraculous becomes mundane
[06:45] The astronomer, the Star of Bethlehem
[08:00] Why science doesn't ruin the miracle
[09:15] God made photosynthesis (so stop apologizing for your questions)
[10:30] The box that never runs out
[11:30] When wooden pianos end up in the attic
[12:30] Prayer: Help us keep our heads out the window
[13:30] Stanley needs me to hurry up and end this

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.

Ever feel like we're living in a Planet of the Apes sequel nobody asked for?

In this episode, I'm talking about the spiritual bananas the world keeps handing us and why vacuum-sealing rotten fruit never turns it into something good. Spoiler: fear doesn't become peace with time, and bitterness won't turn into banana bread.

I'm getting real about how to anchor yourself to sanity when everyone else seems to be losing theirs, and what Jesus's approach teaches us about breaking free from primitive mindset.

If you're tired of getting pelted with recycled opinions and ready to cultivate something that actually lasts, this one's for you.

Hint: It involves throwing away the bananas and making room for strawberry preserves.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Don't Invest in the Bananas
01:30 - The Planet of the Apes Problem
03:00 - What We're Getting Pelted With
06:00 - The Right Fruit vs. The Wrong Fruit
07:30 - Why Vacuum-Sealing Rotten Fruit Never Works
10:15 - Jesus's Approach
12:00 - Breaking the Primitive Mindset
14:00 - What to Preserve Instead
17:00 - Prayer
17:45 - Outro

KEY INFO:

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23
Length: ~18 minutes
Topics: Fruit of the Spirit, Cultural Chaos, Discernment, Spiritual Growth

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.