Month: June 2025

  • What Happened When I Prayed for My Enemies

    Hello, tender friends! Let’s be honest: it’s hard to ask for a blessing for someone who’s wounded you. It requires dying to self, which is probably why Jesus lays its importance out so clearly in The Sermon on the Mount. He knew we wouldn’t want to do it. On really bad days I tell God…

  • This Week’s Mantra: Lord, I Trust You to Sustain Me

    Hello, tender friends! My little Boo Boo, with the smile that shines like a thousand splendid suns. Fun fact: My parents took DIY to a whole new level when I was growing up. They were too frugal to spend money on swim lessons, so my dad devised alternative educational methods. When I was 8 years…

  • Own the Vibe

    Hello, tender friends! I thought I was an expert at fitting in. One of the greatest compliments I ever received was people taking me for a Spaniard when I had lived in Spain for over a year. The common wisdom Europeans shared with me was that an accent is the last thing you lose when…

  • Celebrating a New Publication

    Hello, tender friends! While it fades, the thrill of a new byline is is fun! I have received so much good, free literary nonfiction advice from the Brevity blog that it was a privilege to publish this with them and pay it forward: https://brevity.wordpress.com/?s=Stacey+manganelli I believe in supporting other writers. I believe that God is…

  • June Is Soup Season

    Hello, tender friends! I know June doesn’t seem like soup season, but it is this year! We harvested 14 heads of broccoli and 5 heads of cabbage last week. One family can only eat so many cruciferous vegetables in a week, so I used my bone broth base and revamped my broccoli soup recipe to…