It was almost Christmas, I was five years old, and my class at school was preparing for the Nativity play. Our teacher, Mrs. Davies, allocated the parts while we waited with anticipation, all the girls hoping to be chosen to play Mary, or at least one of the angels. When my name was called, it was to play the part of the donkey. While Katie Hill would get to wear the lovely long, blue dress and put Baby Jesus in the manger, and the other girls ... Read More about Not What I Was Hoping For
Singleness
What To Do With the “Almosts”
by Katie Neal “Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love now and again. It is something to think of and gives her a sort of distinction among her friends.” - Mr. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen Thank you, my dear Mr. Bennet. We’ll deal with you later. First some backstory. As a Christian girl, I have read so many articles and books about singleness and dating. And I assure you, plenty on marriage. But ... Read More about What To Do With the “Almosts”
How to Celebrate Christmas When Home is Hard to Find
Christmas lights and decorations lined store windows and decorated the walkways all through the city. It was beautiful. Even the airport sparkled! I heaved my overstuffed carry-on up onto my shoulder and set off to find my gate. Holidays. What were they to me? This year I spent Thanksgiving abroad. This blog post was written as I sat sipping a latte in a famous Finland café. By the time I returned to the states, I had approximately three ... Read More about How to Celebrate Christmas When Home is Hard to Find
when you don’t feel like singleness is a gift
At several key points in my life, a book has come along just when I needed it. In the last few months, there have been two: my friend Natasha Metzler's Emma and the Reasons, and Kingdom Single by Tony Evans. Some books tell you that singleness is valuable, a gift even: these books helped me to feel it. Having lived 18 years past the age at which I originally hoped to be married, I've had plenty of time to read, write, and discuss the topic of ... Read More about when you don’t feel like singleness is a gift
the real reason it’s hard being single
“Girl, I can’t believe you’re still single. I should totally set you up with one of my friends!” I have heard this more than once. My friends who are in romantic relationships sometimes pity my solitary state and try to “fix it” by matching me up with someone. The funny thing is, I rarely feel sad about my lack of boyfriend/fiancé/husband. Sure, I would love to get married. I definitely feel lonely at times and the small hopes I’ve had in ... Read More about the real reason it’s hard being single
“I kept busy.” (A Guy’s Thoughts on Prolonged Singleness)
A few days after my husband proposed to me, we walked his farm and talked about the future. At one point we stood together, looking across the backfield, and he said quietly, “I had pretty much decided that I would never get to share this with anyone. I can’t wait to come home to you here.” Amos was thirty-three when we married. He had built a farm, a business, and a reputation of integrity in our community. He had a good life, but as ... Read More about “I kept busy.” (A Guy’s Thoughts on Prolonged Singleness)
Novel Encouragement for Singles
Unexpected life-detours can be hard -- whether you thought you'd have ten children by now and you're not sure how to do this singleness thing, or you planned to be single for awhile and now you've lost your vision. As a thirty-something woman who is still waiting for marriage, what has made an enormous difference to me? Having a vision of what singlehood can be. I've read it in the Bible. I've seen it walked out in friends' lives, or in ... Read More about Novel Encouragement for Singles
How to Overcome the Wedding Band Divide
I'm doing a great job keeping up with her, I patted myself on the back as I drove home from school one day. Balancing life as a wife, a new mom, and a graduate student was challenging, yet I still managed to squeeze in a lunch date with one of my closest friends, who at the time, was a few years away from a family of her own. With my sense of good friendship maintenance, imagine my shock to find a note expressing her disappointment when I ... Read More about How to Overcome the Wedding Band Divide
Praying for Your Future Husband
It's not a big secret that I've been praying for my future husband for years. That's one reason why I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to review a book called Praying for Your Future Husband. It's a short, sweet book by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer. These two women have prayed for their future husbands and have written books for girls in which the heroines prayed for their future husbands. Both women have also prayed and are ... Read More about Praying for Your Future Husband
Do You Pray for Him?
“Once upon a time …” I love stories that start that way! And this is a true story: A hundred years or more ago there lived a preacher called Charles. He was a young man, but he was blessed by God with great spiritual wisdom and granted the pastorate of a large church in London. Among his congregation was a young lady called Susannah whom Charles encouraged in her faith and baptised. They became friends and they were both invited to attend a ... Read More about Do You Pray for Him?
Real-Life Love Stories to Give You Hope While You Wait
Why do I love reading love stories that really happened? Is it the part of me that enjoys real butter, homemade bread, chicken soup from scratch . . . or the fact that a little suffering creates a great big desire for authenticity? Most of all, I think it’s the fact that true stories show me another facet of our Heavenly Father. They help me glimpse how He works, and Who He is. A year ago, my dad’s baby sister – the aunt who’s a lot ... Read More about Real-Life Love Stories to Give You Hope While You Wait
what to do with your mother’s heart when you have no child of your own
Some women are born with a child-shaped hole in their hearts. The hole is meant for a child – or a lot of children – of their own. Why try to pretend it’s meant for anything else? In Becoming God’s True Woman, Dorothy Kelley Patterson writes: “If you are a woman, whether you are married or single and whether or not you have physical children, there is a maternal spirit within your very nature. That maternal spirit has been given you by God ... Read More about what to do with your mother’s heart when you have no child of your own
