SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

Out of the Dark and Unfinished

Mandisa is releasing her first album in almost four years. Many times when artists take a break like that their return album lacks. This is not the case with the beloved Mandisa and her recently released album, Out of the Dark. In this album Mandisa allows herself to be vulnerable. Over the past few years, she personally struggled with real life issues like depression, addiction and more. Rather than skirting around the issues, she met them head on in the recording studio. Her powerful voice paired with encouraging lyrics, the album becomes a theme of redemption the listener can relate with. Everyone who knows Mandisa’s music knows her song Overcomer and few know the story behind the song. Mandisa wrote her song “Overcomer” in 2013 to encourage her close friend Kisha, who was battling breast cancer. Mandisa really believed and prayed that God was going to heal her, but when Kisha went to be with Jesus in 2014, Mandisa’s foundation was shaken in a way she never expected. She fell into a deep pit of depression for close to 3 years, shutting out her friends, family and the rest of the world. Mandisa believes if she had kept going down that road she was on, she would not be here today… but God stepped in and lifted her out of that pit by using her close friends to communicate their love for her and God’s love for her. This album is Mandisa’s way of letting her fans into her story – it’s called ‘Out Of […]

Smurfs, The Lost Village (Movie Ticket Giveaway)

I grew up watching Papa Smurf and all the other smurfs on TV. In fact, I still have a collection of rubber Smurf figurines from my childhood. Much has changed since the time of the cartoon characters that I remember. This weekend the Smurfs return to the big screen in a new movie. This weekend marks the opening of the new Smurfs movie, Smurfs The Lost Village. In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette exciting adventure. It becomes a thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest. Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty are off on a journey to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history!   A whole new world is now playing the #smurfmovie. Enter to win tickets from #Flyby Click To Tweet   On the website for Smurfs The Lost Village, you will find loads of entertainment. They have created things like coloring sheets, how to draw a Smurf, a smurf quiz, and even some smurfy recipes. A whole new world awaits you and your family at the movies this weekend. To help out I am giving away two free movie tickets right here on my blog. This is a quick entry as time is limited. I want to be sure you have a chance to use these passes from Fandango before time runs out. […]

Every Man needs a Band of Brothers

Men as they grow older, usually lose a great number of their childhood friends. If we are fortunate enough to get married, many times we leave our drinking buddies, college pals behind. Lately, some of my own brothers have been taken home way too soon. At some point, adult males begin to long for the fellowship of their brothers. Our work, our wives, and our hobbies are no longer enough to feel fulfilled in our journey. There is something to be said for a group of men that can share life together. I am not talking about a bunch of guys that sit around drinking beer every night after work instead of going home. Nor am I speaking of those that gather to belittle or pass judgment on others as they stroke their own egos. I am talking about the kind of brothers that you can lock shields with and fight the battles we face on this earth together. “Brothers don’t necessarily have to say anything to each other – they can sit in a room and be together and just be completely comfortable with each other.” It’s been a couple of years now since I found a couple of groups of brothers to lean into. One group is a spin-off of a bigger Facebook group I belong too. It was developed as a safe place for guys to share and well be guys. The other group is founded on 5 core principles or in this case stones with the foundation set around the story […]