#randomdevothoughts with Amber: Reflections on the Jesus Heart from the ADHD Mind

Amber Weigand-Buckley
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Christianity

Because life never fits in a Rubbermaid. Join me, Amber Weigand-Buckley, for unfiltered reflections on faith and the messy middle of real life. I should know—even my actual boxes are spilling over, and I literally can't see the floor sometimes. These are the random thoughts that show up in everyday moments—the ones that live in the paradox, the gray areas, the questions without easy answers. No perfect formulas. No step-by-step solutions. Just biblical truth mixed with the kind of vulnerability that comes from wrestling things out loud. These devotionals won't tell you exactly where to land—they'll walk with you as you figure out where you stand. Whether you're navigating difficult seasons, sitting in tension between two truths, or just trying to keep your faith anchored when nothing feels certain—this is for you. Perfect for your morning coffee, evening wind-down, or whenever you need a reminder that faith and questions can coexist. All those wrestling moments? They don't mean your faith is failing—they mean you haven't left your brain behind when you open your Bible. About Amber Weigand-Buckley: Author of the #1 Amazon bestselling, award-winning book Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success and the Discovery and Next Steps Journal (co-authored with Lisa Burris Burns)Author of Flowers Find a Way: Resilient Blooms of Relentless FaithFounding Editor of Leading Hearts magazine (leadinghearts.com)Upcoming: #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time (Abundance Books, May 2026)Co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa podcast with Lisa Burris Burns Connect with me: shortyellowpencilRX.com | @shortyellowpencilRX | Amber Weigand-Buckley, Author #sisterhoodoftheshortyellowpencils #randomdevothoughts

  1. Aug 29

    Ping Traumatic Stress Disorder ( How I’m Learning to Stop Salivating Every Time My Phone Buzzes)

    I have a confession: I get a full-body flinch every time my phone lights up. I've decided to call it Ping Traumatic Stress Disorder, and I'm blaming the cell phone companies, not myself. In this episode, I'm digging into why we've all become Pavlov's dog — reacting to every ping with the same panicked urgency, whether it's an ER text or someone telling me they lost a sock. I talk about my triple-tap coworker, why Missouri had to legislate me off my phone in traffic, and the actual framework I use now to sort my pings before they sort me. It's funny until it's not — because underneath the jokes, I found a verse that was preaching this exact message thousands of years before smartphones existed. Grab your coffee (mine's already on my shirt) and let's talk about reclaiming our humanity, one less ping, one more pause at a time. [00:00:00] Intro — Welcome to Random Devo Thoughts Alexa's welcome, then Amber's intro into today's noodle thought. [00:01:05] Diagnosis: Ping Traumatic Stress Disorder Naming the condition, the symptoms, and blaming the cell phone companies. [00:02:10] We've All Become Pavlov's Dog The reflex vs. response problem — why an ER text and a lost-sock text feel identical. [00:03:00] Even Missouri Agrees With Me The hands-free driving law, plus the Apple Focus mode bit. [00:04:00] The Triple-Tap Coworker Email, then Slack, then a knock at the door — four minutes apart. [00:05:00] What Ping Culture Actually Costs Us Coffee-stained shirts, forgetting things, alarms for eating and the bathroom. [00:06:00] The Sorting Framework — Four Questions to Ask Every Ping Essential, important-not-urgent, an idea for someone else, an idea for your vision board. [00:09:00] A Quick Aside — Sisterhood of the Short Yellow Pencils The psych ward mention and book reference. [00:09:25] Five Ways to Hold the Pause Turning pings off, using Focus mode, the one-breath rule, letting silence mean "busy," remembering the person. [00:11:05] The Scripture: James 1:19 Quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger — the pre-smartphone blueprint. [00:13:00] Prayer [00:14:00] Outro — What the Pause Actually Is "Not a productivity hack... the space where your humanity actually lives." [00:14:45] Book Award Announcement + Sign-Off Sisterhood of the Short Yellow Pencils' honor, plus the standard close. Amber Weigand-Buckley is an Amazon #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and the founding editor and art director of the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. She's the #shortyellowpencilgirl living in a neurotypical world — navigating life with a beehive brain, a lot of sticky notes, and an unwavering belief that God wired her exactly right. Host of #RandomDevoThoughts — where she unpacks the Jesus heart from the ADHD mind — Amber brings raw, relatable, and often hilarious insight to faith, mental health, and neurodivergent life. She's also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Her newly released book, #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time, is out now — a humor-packed, gut-punch honest look at her own mental health journey that's equal parts laugh-out-loud and life-changing. Follow her @barefacedgirl and @shortyellowpencilRX for the real, the raw, and the ridiculous.

    Ping Traumatic Stress Disorder ( How I’m Learning to Stop Salivating Every Time My Phone Buzzes)

  2. Aug 9

    Is This Still Good? (Sometimes the Taste Test Isn't Worth It)

    Hey, it's Amber. So there's this thing I do in a moment of not thinking I can, in a reflex moment see something on the table that resembles chocolate and pop it in my mouth. My reflex in faster than my mind flex so I take a bite anyway. Spoiler: it's usually not chocolate. It's petrified ground beef. And honestly? That's basically my whole relationship with old habits, old comfort, and old patterns too. In this episode of #RandomDevoThoughts, I'm digging into why the familiar becomes comfortable, and why the comfortable can quietly turn toxic without us even noticing the shift. We're talking well-worn shoes that don't have the support to get you where you're actually going, a hard reset that felt like getting flushed down the toilet (and turned out to be exactly what I needed), and a pair of yellow-handled scissors I found on a park bench that turned into a full-blown metaphor about new seasons and old baggage. I also get honest about something I didn't expect to say out loud — the pull toward reaching for whatever's closest instead of whatever's actually good for the empty place in me. Even when "closest" is a pattern I already know doesn't serve me. If you're neurodivergent, in ADHD faith spaces, walking through a season of change, or just trying to figure out how to evaluate what's actually good for you versus what's just familiar, I've got three questions by the end of this episode that might help — source, fruit, and direction. Not a rulebook. Just a lens. Grab your coffee (or your milk, if you dare) and let's dig into the mess together. Amber Weigand-Buckley is an Amazon #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and the founding editor and art director of the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. She's the #shortyellowpencilgirl living in a neurotypical world — navigating life with a beehive brain, a lot of sticky notes, and an unwavering belief that God wired her exactly right. Host of #RandomDevoThoughts — where she unpacks the Jesus heart from the ADHD mind — Amber brings raw, relatable, and often hilarious insight to faith, mental health, and neurodivergent life. She's also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Her newly released book, #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time, is out now — a humor-packed, gut-punch honest look at her own mental health journey that's equal parts laugh-out-loud and life-changing. Follow her @barefacedgirl and @shortyellowpencilRX for the real, the raw, and the ridiculous.

    Is This Still Good? (Sometimes the Taste Test Isn't Worth It)

  3. Jul 1

    We Can't Stop Exploding (And Apparently, it's been the Fourth of July for Years)

    It's basically been the Fourth of July for a month straight, and I've got thoughts. This episode started with bottle rockets on my childhood cul-de-sac and ended up somewhere I didn't expect We spend three billion dollars a year lighting things on fire for four seconds of glory, and I think we're doing the same thing with our opinions. This one's not really about politics to me. It's about what happens when we set the bomb down and love somebody quietly instead. No boom, no audience, just the kind of love that's still standing when the smoke clears. 00:00 – Intro: four weeks of Fourth of July  01:10 – Bottle rockets, walking targets, and my childhood cul-de-sac  05:15 – Why we can't stop exploding at everything, 06:30 – Christian nationalism is wrong, here's why  08:45 – The mindset behind the mortar 10:00 – Great deportation vs. Great Commission  11:20 – The "stop it" sermon I needed  12:30 – Who Jesus actually went to  13:40 – Why I stopped saying "thank you for your service"  5:00 – Set the bomb down  16:15 – Prayer  17:30 – PSA Amber Weigand-Buckley is an Amazon #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and the founding editor and art director of the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. She's the #shortyellowpencilgirl living in a neurotypical world — navigating life with a beehive brain, a lot of sticky notes, and an unwavering belief that God wired her exactly right. Host of #RandomDevoThoughts — where she unpacks the Jesus heart from the ADHD mind — Amber brings raw, relatable, and often hilarious insight to faith, mental health, and neurodivergent life. She's also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Her newly released book, #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time, is out now — a humor-packed, gut-punch honest look at her own mental health journey that's equal parts laugh-out-loud and life-changing. Follow her @barefacedgirl and @shortyellowpencilRX for the real, the raw, and the ridiculous.

    We Can't Stop Exploding (And Apparently, it's been the Fourth of July for Years)

  4. Jun 25

    Special Episode: When the Refiner’s Fire Takes You To The Psych Ward (to shoot the breeze with Paul Ladd)

    I’m dropping this in lieu of my regular podcast: Paul Ladd’s Refiner’s Fire interview with me from NRB in Nashville. Paul is the senior correspondent for World Christian Broadcasting, a reknown veteran of the multimedia world, and a great friend. We talk about neurodivergence and mental health, what it means when your brain is wired differently, and how that can intersect with anxiety, depression, and burnout. I share the story behind my book #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils—my manic writing spree, my time in the psych ward, and how that became one of the most spiritual experiences of my life when everything I’d built (titles, awards, “having it together”) was stripped away. We also talk about faith-community stigma, why pat answers don’t help, and how medication and real support can be part of God’s healing.  00:00 Abundant Life Misconceptions 00:32 Meet Amber and Neurodivergence 02:13 Manic Spiral and Intervention 04:58 God in the Psych Ward 07:34 Stripped Titles and Forced Pause 10:04 Recovery and Mental Health Stigma 11:32 Bones and Dirt Grace 14:50 Short Yellow Pencil Metaphor 15:16 Medication and Real Support 17:52 Book Impact and Final Encouragement Amber Weigand-Buckley is an Amazon #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and the founding editor and art director of the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. She's the #shortyellowpencilgirl living in a neurotypical world — navigating life with a beehive brain, a lot of sticky notes, and an unwavering belief that God wired her exactly right. Host of #RandomDevoThoughts — where she unpacks the Jesus heart from the ADHD mind — Amber brings raw, relatable, and often hilarious insight to faith, mental health, and neurodivergent life. She's also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Her newly released book, #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time, is out now — a humor-packed, gut-punch honest look at her own mental health journey that's equal parts laugh-out-loud and life-changing. Follow her @barefacedgirl and @shortyellowpencilRX for the real, the raw, and the ridiculous.

    Special Episode: When the Refiner’s Fire Takes You To The Psych Ward (to shoot the breeze with Paul Ladd)

  5. Jun 10

    Love in Five Dimensions (and Why I'll Never Again Settle for Less)

    Yes, I said five dimensions. Stay with me — you'll understand soon. Here's what nobody tells you about intimacy: we mistake it for vibes. And vibes are deceiving. You can vibe with someone for years and never actually be known by them. So what does it look like when someone loves all of you — even the invisible parts? I'm pulling from almost 32 years of marriage to my very reliable cup of Earl Grey (I'm the verb, he's the tea — it'll make sense, I promise). And I'm not giving you the sanitized version, because that's not what we do here. We walked through some genuinely hard seasons to get to this kind of love, and I'm telling you what we found on the other side. And to my neurodivergent people — there's something in this one especially for you. Don't miss this: Philip and I are going live this Thursday (June 11 at 7pm CST) for a Going Yellow (Can the Mellow) night of questions and answers — a real, honest, organic conversation about marriage and the hard seasons.  Just find me @barefacedgirl on Facebook. Come as you are. Amber Weigand-Buckley is an Amazon #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and the founding editor and art director of the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. She's the #shortyellowpencilgirl living in a neurotypical world — navigating life with a beehive brain, a lot of sticky notes, and an unwavering belief that God wired her exactly right. Host of #RandomDevoThoughts — where she unpacks the Jesus heart from the ADHD mind — Amber brings raw, relatable, and often hilarious insight to faith, mental health, and neurodivergent life. She's also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Her newly released book, #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time, is out now — a humor-packed, gut-punch honest look at her own mental health journey that's equal parts laugh-out-loud and life-changing. Follow her @barefacedgirl and @shortyellowpencilRX for the real, the raw, and the ridiculous.

    Love in Five Dimensions (and Why I'll Never Again Settle for Less)

  6. May 18

     Top Five Things Your ADHD Friends Want You to Know About Them (and please don't mistake our caring for not caring)

    Hey friends, it's Amber. Ever wonder why your ADHD friend says "me too" in the middle of your story? Why do they interrupt? Why are they always late, even though they swear they care? Honestly? I've been trying to explain this for years, and it keeps coming out wrong. So today, I'm holding the mic for my people—your fully marinated spaghetti friends—because I have something I need you to hear. If you've ever replayed a conversation at 2 AM, wondering if you just lost a friend, if you've ever felt like you wear out your welcome, or if you love someone whose brain works differently than yours—I'm sitting here with all the feels, ready to dumptruck some insight, which is this episode, just for you. Five things. Straight from the heart. No filter. Let's talk about it. 0:00 - Intro: Your Fully Marinated Spaghetti Friends 1:15 - Why We Feel Like We Should Be Adults By Now 2:30 - #1: We're Not Making It About Us—We're Building a Bridge 5:45 - #2: Our Brains Are Overcrowded, Not Empty 9:20 - #3: Exhausted From Trying to Prove Our Hearts 13:10 - #4: The Tragedy Isn't That We Don't Care 16:30 - #5: We Need Both Kinds of Friends (And We're Worth Knowing) 19:45 - For People Who Wonder If Their Brains Are Compatible With Faith 22:00 - Real Life: Keys on My Bra & Sleeping on Chocolate Nights 25:15 - Grace for the Heart that is Misunderstood 27:30 - Prayer for Every Spaghetti Brain Amber Weigand-Buckley is an Amazon #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and the founding editor and art director of the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. She's the #shortyellowpencilgirl living in a neurotypical world — navigating life with a beehive brain, a lot of sticky notes, and an unwavering belief that God wired her exactly right. Host of #RandomDevoThoughts — where she unpacks the Jesus heart from the ADHD mind — Amber brings raw, relatable, and often hilarious insight to faith, mental health, and neurodivergent life. She's also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Her newly released book, #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time, is out now — a humor-packed, gut-punch honest look at her own mental health journey that's equal parts laugh-out-loud and life-changing. Follow her @barefacedgirl and @shortyellowpencilRX for the real, the raw, and the ridiculous.

     Top Five Things Your ADHD Friends Want You to Know About Them (and please don't mistake our caring for not caring)

  7. May 6

    Don't Get Stuck On Your Big But (Is Your Plus-Sized Butt Blocking Your Super-Sized Purpose?)

    Hey, this is Amber, and today I am owning something I kept quiet for a very long time. I had an eating disorder. And just like many of my sisters, I still struggle with body image — every single day. I have to shake it off myself, continually. I'm saying that out loud because someone needs to hear someone else say it first. We're talking about your big but today — the thing hiding behind your purpose — and mine was my body. For years. From the little girl put on her first diet before she even had the words for it, all the way to a grown woman sneaking to bathrooms and stepping on scales three times a day and letting a number decide whether she was worth anything. When I ended up in the psych ward for something completely separate, the medication they put me on changed my body in ways I couldn't control. And every single day I had to make the hardest choice — is my stability worth more than a number on a scale? I chose sanity. Every day I chose it. And I'd choose it again. But I still ended up crying in a makeup chair before my first book headshots thinking if my face was pretty enough maybe nobody would notice the rest of me. And I sat across from my speaking coach and said out loud — I don't think anyone would want to listen to me because of how I look. If any part of this podcast description hits close to home, tune in. If this is your story too, please reach out to the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at 1-866-662-1235. Amber Weigand-Buckley is an Amazon #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and the founding editor and art director of the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. She's the #shortyellowpencilgirl living in a neurotypical world — navigating life with a beehive brain, a lot of sticky notes, and an unwavering belief that God wired her exactly right. Host of #RandomDevoThoughts — where she unpacks the Jesus heart from the ADHD mind — Amber brings raw, relatable, and often hilarious insight to faith, mental health, and neurodivergent life. She's also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Her newly released book, #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time, is out now — a humor-packed, gut-punch honest look at her own mental health journey that's equal parts laugh-out-loud and life-changing. Follow her @barefacedgirl and @shortyellowpencilRX for the real, the raw, and the ridiculous.

    Don't Get Stuck On Your Big But (Is Your Plus-Sized Butt Blocking Your Super-Sized Purpose?)

  8. May 1

    That Sad Girl in a FB Frame— I Know Her But I’ve Forgotten Her Name (From the Cliff’s Edge to Times Square)

    This is the official kick-off of Season 2 — celebrating the release of #sisterhoodoftheshortyellowpencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time. Today I just happened to be doing some normal book promo stuff — digging through old photos — when I found a picture from May 2012 and my whole body just went weird. Dizzy. Like the floor shifted. Because I almost didn't recognize her. Not because she looked different. Because I am different. This episode, I'm taking you somewhere that doesn't have a punchline. No jokes today. Just the real stuff — where I was, what God did with it, and why in 10 days I'll be standing in Times Square in complete awe of how far this story has come. If you've ever walked through something that broke you and wondered whether God could actually do anything with it — this one's for you. In this episode: The photo that stopped me coldA mountain, a cliff, and the truth about where I was in 2012A roommate I'd just met who changed everything without even knowing itWhat "not staying silent" actually costs — and why it's worth itPsalm 139:16 and why every single day was already written, even that one⚠️ This episode talks honestly about mental health and crisis. If you or someone you love is struggling right now, please call or text 988. Licensed counselors are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 📖 Sisterhood of the Short Yellow Pencils is available now on Amazon. Amber Weigand-Buckley is an Amazon #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and the founding editor and art director of the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. She's the #shortyellowpencilgirl living in a neurotypical world — navigating life with a beehive brain, a lot of sticky notes, and an unwavering belief that God wired her exactly right. Host of #RandomDevoThoughts — where she unpacks the Jesus heart from the ADHD mind — Amber brings raw, relatable, and often hilarious insight to faith, mental health, and neurodivergent life. She's also co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa. Her newly released book, #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time, is out now — a humor-packed, gut-punch honest look at her own mental health journey that's equal parts laugh-out-loud and life-changing. Follow her @barefacedgirl and @shortyellowpencilRX for the real, the raw, and the ridiculous.

    That Sad Girl in a FB Frame— I Know Her But I’ve Forgotten Her Name (From the Cliff’s Edge to Times Square)
See All (43)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Because life never fits in a Rubbermaid. Join me, Amber Weigand-Buckley, for unfiltered reflections on faith and the messy middle of real life. I should know—even my actual boxes are spilling over, and I literally can't see the floor sometimes. These are the random thoughts that show up in everyday moments—the ones that live in the paradox, the gray areas, the questions without easy answers. No perfect formulas. No step-by-step solutions. Just biblical truth mixed with the kind of vulnerability that comes from wrestling things out loud. These devotionals won't tell you exactly where to land—they'll walk with you as you figure out where you stand. Whether you're navigating difficult seasons, sitting in tension between two truths, or just trying to keep your faith anchored when nothing feels certain—this is for you. Perfect for your morning coffee, evening wind-down, or whenever you need a reminder that faith and questions can coexist. All those wrestling moments? They don't mean your faith is failing—they mean you haven't left your brain behind when you open your Bible. About Amber Weigand-Buckley: Author of the #1 Amazon bestselling, award-winning book Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success and the Discovery and Next Steps Journal (co-authored with Lisa Burris Burns)Author of Flowers Find a Way: Resilient Blooms of Relentless FaithFounding Editor of Leading Hearts magazine (leadinghearts.com)Upcoming: #SisterhoodoftheShortYellowPencils: Mental Health Mayhem, One Sticky Note at a Time (Abundance Books, May 2026)Co-host of Coffee Chat with Amber & Lisa podcast with Lisa Burris Burns Connect with me: shortyellowpencilRX.com | @shortyellowpencilRX | Amber Weigand-Buckley, Author #sisterhoodoftheshortyellowpencils #randomdevothoughts

Information