Author Archives: Cynthia Mendenhall

About Cynthia Mendenhall

Cynthia Mendenhall is committed to creating and living a life of audacious adventure, and she loves to challenge others to do the same. Once captive to religion, guilt, and fear, Cynthia’s passion is leading others into the true freedom Jesus offers all of us. Her prescriptive nonfiction sits within the context of stories filled with common sense teaching, splashes of humor, and a biblical foundation. She writes with the quiet voice of a friend sharing conversation over coffee. Cynthia is the author of Spunkify Your Life: 8 Secrets to Living with More Focus, Fascination, and Fun (Day Dreamer Books), the Spunkify Your Life Growth Guide (Day Dreamer Books), and Spunkier Yet! 8 Secrets to Living with More Fullness and Freedom (Day Dreamer Books). She has contributed to several anthologies, including three Chicken Soup for the Soul titles. In 2024, End Game Press will release Cynthia’s latest book, Better Because: Create Your Most Incredible Life After Divorce. Her aim is to guide readers to live, heal, and grow intentionally and biblically beyond the trauma of divorce. She is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More and a contributing author to the devotional series Love Knots: Stories of Faith, Family, and Friendships, Volumes Two and Three (VineWords Publishing). In addition to writing, Cynthia is a dynamic and engaging speaker, a Certified Christian Life Coach, a trained chaplain, a writing coach, and professional editor. She is a former high school English teacher and an all-around word nerd. After finally making her move to a coastal town on Florida’s east coast last year, Cynthia lives simply with a growing collection of friends, a shiny blue pitcher, and an unlimited amount of spunky hope. She often sneaks away on all sorts of adventures and indulges regularly in literary novels, coffee, and dark chocolate.

A Tradition of Thanks

VineWords Devotions and More

She needed a tradition of thanks.  A Smaller Thanksgiving An invitation to sunny Florida, and to the cooking of her oldest granddaughter, was the pivotal book-the-flight moment my mother needed. Now, she could abandon the practice of stuffing her entire family and too much food into her small condominium. Yet, this smaller Thanksgiving celebration did not mean the menu was downsized. Mom, my daughter, and I shared the kitchen duties, compared recipes, and revealed personal shortcuts. For a few days, … Continue reading →

Nothing Means No Thing

VineWords Devotions and More

Nothing means no thing. “What if I fail my science test?” one of my daughters asked. “I will still love you,” I said. “What if I get in a fight at school?” “I will still love you.” My daughters enjoyed a made-up game we played on car rides or during downtimes at home. The idea of the game was not to promote misbehavior but to affirm their mother’s unending love and to drive the point home: Nothing you do or … Continue reading →

Prepped and Ready

VineWords Devotions and More

Hurricanes Ian and Nicole hit the Florida coast forty-three days apart in 2022. Since I experienced both, I quickly learned the importance of being prepped and ready with multiple backup plans. Pre-prepping for a hurricane requires collecting shelf-stable groceries, buying a large supply of safe water, fueling vehicles, and stashing some cash. Additionally, we needed all life’s important paperwork gathered and near us.  As an actual hurricane approaches, we move the outside furniture in. Dining umbrellas can become javelins. We … Continue reading →

Forgetting the Past

VineWords Devotions and More

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. ~Philippians 3:13-14 NLT To work on forgetting the past, I carried sentimental gifts, collections, and other accumulations to my garage for a garage sale. My dark and threatening path through divorce brought me a God-appointed mentor. I had joked with … Continue reading →

Where Do You Live

VineWords Devotions and More

If asked, “Where do you live,” we could quickly provide our home address complete with zip code. We would probably hesitate, though, if asked where our heart resides. The answer could prove insightful if we paused and asked ourselves that question. My daughter had an opportunity to pick up some fresh star fruits from a friend and asked me to ride with her. We allowed the GPS to lead us along the route without much thought until our final turn. … Continue reading →

Replacement Parts

VineWords Devotions and More

My life changed with replacement parts.    I once walked up and down steps like a short-legged toddler, lumbering my right foot onto the step, then pulling the left foot onto the same step before advancing to the next one. But all that changed with one replacement part. Although no one can see the titanium and plastic contraption that replaced my original knee, they might notice my improved gait. After physical therapy, healing, and time, I now take stairs more … Continue reading →

Lost

VineWords Devotions and More

I took a small break and a deep breath as I looked at the mall map, searching for that circled star that would clarify my location, but I was lost.   I had walked in circles, looking for the one store that was the purpose of my trip. Somehow, I had become twisted and distracted, and before realizing it, my quick stop at the mall ticked toward a second hour. Nagging questions swirled in my mind: “Had the store moved? … Continue reading →

A Yellow-Pen Life

VineWords Devotions and More

Little did I know I was living a yellow-pen life.    “Aww, these are nice.” One daughter had gifted me my favorite journaling pens, and my oldest presented a full set of eight Bible marking pens. I held up a yellow one from each set and said, “Interesting.”  They both knew I enjoyed a lot of color in my life, and, quite honestly, yellow is one of my favorites. But, yellow pens? It only took one trial run to realize … Continue reading →

Wallflowers Can Dance

VineWords Devotions and More

I stepped outside my comfort zone, stepped into a Soul Dancing class, and discovered that wallflowers can dance.   Twice each week, I showed up in comfy shoes and a big smile, along with twenty-five to thirty other folks with varying levels of dancing ability. I’ve never thought I had natural rhythm, and I have had few opportunities to prove it. It was all I could manage to keep my right and left straight while counting continuously. I laughed a … Continue reading →