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 ... read more
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 ... read more
“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 ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
For the Transient at Christmas
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
