Today is the first guest weighing in on the Perspectives on Motherhood and Writing series running every Tuesday this Fall. I connected with Mandy J. Hoffman via mutual blogging buddies and have enjoyed getting to know her better through Instagram. She’s writing a book about reforming social media and recommends a lot of other good reads over on her blog. I appreciated Mandy’s focus on God’s timing – I think you will too!
Why do you blog/write?
This is a really tough question! Originally I began – like everyone else – to share with family and friends when we moved away. But as time passed, and God continued His work in my life, I started to write more because I wanted to share about the amazing transformation God was doing in my life. I also wanted to challenge other women to read books that would help them grow in their walk with Christ and not just for entertainment and escape.
How long have you been blogging/writing?
I have been blogging since 2007 and writing here and there since I was a child.
How has your current season of life impacted your blogging/writing?
My current season of life is being wife to an amazing man and mom to three children, ages 7,9, and 11. We recently moved, making several huge life changes for the entire family. My husband went from full-time ministry to a secular job so that we could be members of a growing church plant that is 10 years old. It changed my life because I now homeschool my children rather then send them to a small Christian school. And of course for the kids, everything is new!
This means that my already crunched time schedule became even more crunched with the added load of homeschooling. Writing has taken a back seat because I have made the commitment to keep God and my family first. That has been SO SO hard for me. I have had to set aside the last work on my book in order to keep my family first. But I trust God that His timing is perfect and that He will allow the book to be published when He sees best.
How has this season of life changed your writing habits?
I seem to have to be “inspired” to write. I have tried to schedule writing and it comes to a halt like frozen honey! Of course when I’m busy and a pen and paper are the farthest thing away from me I have all kinds of crazy good ideas! My goal is to write those things down and then take large chunks of time to organize those ideas, plan them out, and then write.
However, sometimes life still gets in the way. My current series got interrupted by the end of the school year deadlines and the deadline to file for this coming school year. When I see friends writing on a regular basis it’s hard for me not to be jealous, but I have to remind myself that God is in control and His plan for my writing is different than for theirs.
What is your blogging/writing battle cry?
“Connecting God’s grace to the daily grind” is my tagline and my passion is to show women how God’s grace truly impacts every aspect and moment of our days no matter how routine or how crazy.
How does faith, writing, and motherhood intersect in your daily life?
I write about my faith and often times how my faith has impacted those mothering moments.
Mandy is married to her soul mate and favorite pastor – Justin. God has graced them with two girls and one boy – all blonde hair and blue-eyed. If Mandy isn’t homeschooling the kids, cleaning the house, or baking cookies, she can be found cozied up studying theology or counseling teens and women.
Emily C Gardner 