Resting Church Face with Amanda Allen

January lasts approximately 18 years, so I think it's safe to say we've all succumbed to some Winter Doldrums. But let's try and reframe it and embrace some good things about winter - even the sad parts!

This week, we're continuing our series Aging Like Fine Grape Juice and I'm talking to my long-time friend, Brett Duncan. Brett is one of those friends who, no matter how long it's been since you've seen each other, you can pick right back up with like no time has passed. He's also the creator of Uncle Dunc's Sticker Shoppe, and if you have a Kindle, it's THE place to go for all the cool sticker decorations (www.uncleduncsstickers.com)! Plus, we talk about all the ways that life can change and the unexpected paths it can take. We're very wise, guys. Oh, and Slim Chickens - I'm totally serious about that collab.

I read 121 books in 2024 (yay me!), but don't worry - I'm not going to talk about every single book on this episode. I've narrowed it down to my 10 favorites! What were your top 10 books in 2024? Let me know!

Happy New Year! It's 2025 - can you believe it? And Resting Church Face is back (and this time, I really mean it)! Let's talk about things we did a great job with in 2024 and some things we can work on - and when I say “we,” I mean “I.”

Aaaaand we're back, friends! I'm so pumped to start recording new episodes of Resting Church Face again, and what better way to start than talking about my favorite season of all time? That's right - it's autumn! So let's talk about all the best movies, music, books, and tv shows that are just waiting for us out there in the melancholy and cozy weather.

Last week, I asked all of you on Instagram and Facebook to send me some of your favorite vacation and travel memories and you sent me some great ones! So let's talk about all the best places we've been and the places we want to go. Also, Tina Arena.

I think everyone would agree - the world is cuh-razy right now (I'm looking at you, America), and I don't know about you, but I need to get out of my own head for maybe an hour. Or 2. Or 24. So let's talk about things that make us laugh - like, out loud - and make life just a little more bearable. And fun!

There are so many tropes (recurring themes) in books and movies. A lot of them are good, but some of them are just awful. Like, really awful. So let's talk about them! Also, dinosaurs.

Secondhand embarrassment is defined as happening “when someone feels embarrassed or uncomfortable after witnessing another person experience something embarrassing.” Or, as the youths say, CRINGE. So let's talk about the things that make us blush for other people. Also, The TikTok.

Summer is here! It is definitely hot, but not necessarily miserable. This week, let's talk about summer glimmers - those little moments every day that just ignite a little spark of joy inside us. Also, tea that tastes like foggy rain. It's a thing.

This week, I want to tell you a story about a new phobia that was unlocked for me - a skink got into my house (not a skank - that would be a very judgmental phobia), and it has almost made me…unhinged. Let's talk about it.

Here's the second part of our roundup of spring books! Settle in and let's talk about books 16-31 (even though I'm off by one number for the majority of the episode - but don't worry, I figure it out at the end!)!

This past weekend was Mother's Day, and I thought it was a perfect time to continue our series on Aging Like Fine Grape Juice and having a good conversation with my mom, Alana Allen! I loved doing this so much, and as much as I thought I knew about my mom, she surprised me with stories I'd never heard (and isn't that the way it always works with our parents?). She's also a really smart lady, so I think she sprinkled in some great advice into this chat, too. And…The Beatles!

Oof. This was a hard episode to record. The Met Gala was this week, and once again, we are being bombarded with critiques of women's bodies. Are they too fat? Too thin? On Ozempic? Did they get plastic surgery? Was it good plastic surgery? Was it bad? And so on and so on until - seemingly - the end of time. And guys? I'm sick of it. Why can't we just stop talking about women's bodies? So let's talk about that.

Get the Kleenex ready guys - we're doing a deep dive on the second half of Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Dept. Anthology! And just trust me. We are going to feel everything. And we'll (mostly) like it, because melancholy can be fun when it's done well!

Love her or hate her, Taylor Swift is probably the biggest star in the world right now. And she has a new album with 31 songs on it (yes - 31!) Oh my word, all the feelings. And I do mean AAAAALL the feelings. Let's do a deep dive on why we all have an opinion about this music and the woman behind the music - and warning - you might need a nap afterwards. To paraphrase our Millennial Poet Laureate, we love her, but it might be ruining our lives (but in a good way?).

Life is hard. And as much as I think Killers of the Flower Moon is an excellent piece of cinema, sometimes I don't want to be reminded that people can be awful and everyone was sweaty in the 1930s because there were no air conditioners. Sometimes I want to be transported to a place that is totally and completely unlike my everyday reality. So let's talk about movies that sweep us away and make us happy at the same time.

A few days ago, Catherine, Princess of Wales (or as we all call her, Princess Kate), announced that she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The world was stunned, and most were rightly ashamed, since the conspiracy theories surrounding her public “disappearance” had reached fever pitch. And everyone was wrong. How did we get here? Why did we go after Kate and her family the way we did? How do we keep it from happening again? Let's talk about it.

Spring is finally here! Trees are green again, flowers are blooming, and let's just decide to ignore the pollen for a while. On this week's episode, let's talk about the little moments of joy that spring is…springing on us. I had to. And I'm not even sorry.

It's time for part 2 of the roundup of books I read this winter! The latter part of the season was a little hit or miss for me, but there were still a lot of really good reads. And honestly? Some of these “bad” books were so bad they were…good? You know what I mean. So let's discuss!

It's booooook tiiiime! (I hope you sang that.) I read 35 books this winter, so this roundup will be split into two episodes. I have some good ones for us (and a few duds), so let's talk about it!

I consider myself a (usually) upbeat person. But sometimes, it feels good to let it out and rant a little bit. So this week, we're talking about pet peeves - specifically, my pet peeves. It's possible that my pet peeves are yours too, and if they are, let's be best friends! Just don't chew anything around me, ok?

Guys. I recorded this because I need you to share in the hilarity of this soon-to-be-leaving movie on Hulu called “Among the Shadows.” It has everything: Lindsay Lohan as a VAMPIRE. Werewolves. Age confusion. Green screens. The President of France! It's too good not to share.

Are you in the mood to binge some good tv (and one movie)? You have come to the right place! I have some recommendations that I think will satisfy your entertainment itch (and none of it involves Travis Kelce or Taylor Swift)!

My dad passed away on January 18th. I am by no means an expert on grieving the loss of a parent, but there are some lessons I've taken away from these past few weeks while I've been processing aaaaaall my emotions (I've had a lot), and I want to share them with you. Because you are My People. ❤️

Happy New Year! To kick off the first episode of the year, let's talk about the best books I read in 2023. It was HARD to narrow them down to a manageable list, but I think I did it! So get cozy and let's chat about my favorite subject ever - books. All the books.

We are less than a week away from Christmas, and this week, I have some special guests joining me to tell me about what makes Christmas so magical when you're a kid! If this doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, then your heart is just two sizes too small.

Sometimes we're in a jolly and festive Christmas mood, but sometimes we want to embrace our humbug natures, so good news! I've got movie recommendations for all our different holiday feelings - from happy to sappy and everything in between. And believe it or not, The Holiday isn't on this list. Well. Barely.

This is Part 2 of our fall book roundup, and there are some good ones in here! Get those Amazon Christmas gift cards out and put them to some good literary use by stocking up on your TBR pile of books. You know you have one.

I read almost 30 books this fall, so I'm breaking this book roundup into two episodes - make sure to come back on Thursday for the second installment! There are some super good books (and some not so good duds), so get out your TBR list and let's talk about it.

Christmas is upon us! And for some of us, we feel that very literally - it is UPON US. So in this episode, let's discuss how we can enjoy the festive season in a calming and comfortable way. As Kathleen Kelly famously said, “It will all shake out. Meanwhile, I'm putting up more twinkle lights.” Also, Rooms to Go Christmas movies.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Let's talk about all the fun (and maybe not so fun) traditions that make Thanksgiving really feel like Thanksgiving. Also, robotic dogs from 2001.

This week, we're continuing our series Aging Like Fine Grape juice, and I got to talk to my friend, Layne Abbott. Layne is one of my favorite people, our first bona fide millennial, and she's the Worship Coordinator at the Huntsville, AL campus of Church of the Highlands. I love this conversation. It's a little bit of a longer episode, but I really want you to hear what she has to say. A lot of it is lighthearted and fun, just like Layne, but we had a frank discussion about what it is like to lose a parent, and I'm so thankful she was willing to be so open and honest about that experience. If you've gone through something similar or if you are going through it now, no matter what age you are, I think you will glean so much wisdom and comfort from what she has to say.

The holidays are here…but so is holiday anxiety. This week, we're going to talk about practical ways to manage stress and maintain our sanity. Also, The Last of the Mohicans.

Today is Halloween! I know I said last week would be our last Halloween episode, but I just couldn't help myself. Halloween in the 80s and early 90s was a completely different type of weird. Nicotine inspired candy? Check. Unsupervised minors wielding chainsaws (this actually happened!)? Check. Me dressing up as a gender conflicted samurai? Also, and I have no real explanation for this one, check. So, yes. It was weird. But it was a fun kind of weird and we need to discuss it.

We are wrapping up our month of Halloween themed episodes with a list of the spookiest books I've ever read. These stories are perfect for curling up in front of your fireplace (or your YouTube tv fireplace) during a stormy night, and giving yourself a good old fashioned scare. If you dare [insert ominous “bwah ha ha ha” laugh here].

Most kids' movies are happy and joyful and just good, innocent fun - but if you were a kid in the 80s and 90s, a lot of them were also TERRIFYING. Do you still shudder when someone mentions The Wheelers? Did a cartoon about people turning into blocky puppets give you nightmares? Were you traumatized by Jim Henson creatures? Well, have we got a show for you! This episode also features a special guest appearance by my sister, Holly Jo Flora, another victim of spooky 80s children's films. Let's discuss it all!

October is here! And it's the month of all things spooky and I LOVE IT. Now, you know I only get scared by truly creepy movies - not gross ones or super violent zombie flicks - so this list is made up of only the most chilling pieces of cinema I've ever seen. That's right. As Vincent Price so eloquently put it in the 80s, I have been “sent to terrorize y'all's neighborhood.” So let's talk about it (with all the lights on!).

Everyone I know (including me) is a little stressed right now. School is back in session, football teams are battling it out, and Taylor Swift might be dating Travis Kelce. We need a break! So let's revisit one of my favorite topics: Glimmers. Glimmers are the opposite of triggers, and if we can find a few to focus on every day, it can help us find little moments of joy. So let's talk about them! Also, confusing a supplement for a hallucinogen.

We've all heard the saying “The book was better,” and 9 times out of 10, I'd agree with you. But sometimes, you come across a movie that outshines its source material, and I want to talk all about it with you! Also, cinnamon stick crosses.

It's the most wonderful time of the year - that's right, fall is upon us (finally)! Let's get cozy and talk about all the music, books, movies, and activities that make us feel like most everything in life can be solved by a nice walk in the crisp air and a latte with lots of cinnamon.

Our first Resting Church Face Book Club pick was Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, and we are going to DISCUSS it all - the good, the not-so-great, and the Danny Horst Rule-ness of it all (IYKYK)!

This is part 2 of our Summer Reading Roundup - make sure to check out Episode 34 for Part 1!

It's that time of year again! Let's talk about the books I read while I was inside, trying to avoid the Sun, who teamed up with his buddy Humidity, and attempted to murder me. I read more books than I realized this summer, so we're splitting this one into two episodes. Look for Part 2 on Thursday!

I loved Barbie when I was a kid. My sister and I played with them a LOT, and we had some pretty intricate storylines. I was a little worried that the movie might fall short of the hype, but guys. The hype is justified. I have a lot of thoughts! Also, Ryan Gosling (because he's RYAN GOSLING!).

This week, we're going to revisit a topic from way back in episode 15 - people pleasing. We've talked about how people pleasing starts, but now that we're working on recovery, how do we begin to advocate for ourselves, especially when we're worried about disappointing other people? It's hard, but it can be done. Let's talk about it. Also, baby pictures.

We all have movies we watch over and over again, but what about books? They can be just as comforting and familiar, and in this episode, we're talking about all the books we revisit throughout the years. Also, I think I use the word “fantastic” about 8 zillion times. My apologies. (But, in my defense, all these books ARE fantastic!)

This week's episode is another installment of the new monthly series “Aging Like Fine Grape Juice,” and I got to sit down and chat with Kam Walker, who is one of my oldest friends (not age-wise - I mean, he is a year older than me and I will remind him of that until we're in our nineties - but oldest in that we've known each other since 1999). He's smart and funny and down-to-earth, and I know you'll all love him as much as I do. Even though he wouldn't sing part of a Ricky Skaggs song for me to record.

I've been reading some good books, watching some fantastic tv and movies, and listening to some super music this month, and I want to share it with you! And also, as always, Steve Martin and Martin Short - my GOAT(s), as the youths say.

I went to see The Holiday eight times in the theater. That's right. Eight times, and I feel no shame. But what is it about Nancy Meyers movies that draw us in? Is it the cozy aesthetics? The plots? The characters? Is it the meet-cutes? Of course it is! But there's so much more. Let's talk about it!