• Devotionals

    Quarter Life Conference LIVE today

    Quarter Life Conference +Watch Party Click here to watch Quarter Life Conference starting at 8 PM EST. If you’re busy on March 21st (which is totally understandable), you can still bookmark the link to watch later. +Event Guide I have created a FREE .PDF to follow along with Annie Downs, Bill & Pam Farrell, Justin & Trisha Davis, Gary Thomas, Joy Eggerichs, and Dr. Gary Chapman. Download that here. +Free Books We will be giving away a free copy of Not Another Dating Book by Renee Fisher, She’s Got Issues by Nicole Unice, and Beyond Ordinary by Justin & Trisha Davis. Enter to win here.

  • Relationships

    Should We Live Together Before Marriage?

    [Guest Blog by Pam and Bill Farrel. Pam is my mentor and has gone above and beyond to help me publish my first three books. They are also one of my upcoming speakers at Quarter Life Conference. Don’t forget to register here.] Should we live together before marriage? The whole area of how to know you are in love, how to know if this is Mr. Right or Ms. Right, then how far to progress sexually at what commitment level seems to be a grand mystery in today’s world. Often couples today are opting for a live-in, cohabiting arrangement. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, cohabitation increased 533 %…

  • Relationships

    Living Together In The Military

    [Guest post by Tracy Steel. We met online (where else?), and quickly became friends after we realized we both shared similar stories of staying single for longer than we both wanted too. Her story is quite touching and I couldn’t wait to have her share about her life in the military.] Loving and living with a military man is no easy task. I realize that you may not be married, or living together in the military– yet all of us are called to love the spouse, family, or friend we live with. This is no easy task either! But based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, here is what living with my…

  • Devotionals,  Relationships

    Living Together: In Sickness And In Health

    [Monthly Columnist – Wendy van Eyck] – “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galations 6:2 (ESV)” My husband and I started living together on the 16th of April 2011. The same day that we stood in front of 30 friends and family, and promised to love and honour each other, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health. Moving in with my new husband, was great fun, and for us fairly easy. There were unexpected things: disagreements about whether the bathroom seat should be up or down, about where it was appropriate to cut toenails, and how the chairs should be arranged. Of…

  • Relationships

    How We Do Life Together

    What does it mean to do life together? This question has challenged me to think deeply, exposing things within my heart that are both frustrating, yet clarifying, as I take a good look at myself. How do I live with others? How does that play out within my own marriage covenant and within the four corners of this home I share with my ever-growing children? While there are many definitions for life, perhaps mine could best be summarized in two short statements: be real and live closely. There is no place where the real me shines more brightly than at home, which is not always a positive for the other…

  • Relationships

    Confrontation is Necessary

    [Guest Post by Shelley Hendrix] – Confrontation is necessary, it is vital that we first take the time needed to examine our own hearts and motives. The importance of this cannot be overstayed, so please take the time to do this thoroughly by answering these questions: 1. What is my motive in confronting this other person or group? If your answer reveals a desire for revenge, to put the other person in his or her place, or something of that flavor, please wait until your emotions have calmed down enough to handle the confrontation with respect for the other person. 2. Am I ready to accept that the other person…

  • Relationships

    On Moving In Together

    [Guest Post by Arleen Spenceley] – If, or when is it appropriate for a committed dating couple to try moving in together? A young woman stood behind my seat, combed my damp curls and lifted her shears to cut my hair. “Do you have a boyfriend?” “No,” I said, over the buzz of the blow dryers and the pop music piped into the salon. “That’s ok,” she said. “You’re young.” Then the stylist, only a few years my senior, shared a relationship story with me. It ended with a word of advice: “Don’t marry a guy if you haven’t lived with him for awhile.” Moving in together first is a…

  • Faith,  Relationships

    Living Together Before Marriage

    [Guest Post by Ruth Rutherford] – Picture this, ladies: You’ve been dating an amazing guy for a while now and things are going perfectly. He is sweet, funny, smart and driven. When he looks at you, his eyes sparkle. When he smiles at you, your heart melts. And, most importantly, he really, truly loves God. You pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming because (deep breath) you think you’ve found the one. You spend nearly every waking moment together, often falling asleep in one another’s arms while watching the latest Redbox release. Rustled awake by a nearby car alarm, you look at the clock near his couch and it…

  • Relationships

    Moving Out and Living On Your Own

    A day or so after I decided on the theme for March–I read an article in the February 2013 issue of Marie Claire that caught my attention. It was written by a young and witty woman named Lauren Mechling. In her article House Mate, she says, “At 26, I moved into a typical Brooklyn apartment–two bedrooms connected by a windowless living room–with a good friend…When we signed the lease, my roommate was nursing a broken heart and wanted a fresh start. But a few months later, her ex started to appear with increasing frequency, lounging on the sofa and strumming a guitar in his pajamas. One afternoon, a month before…

  • Relationships

    The Benefits of Living Together

    Around Christmas time, I was walking Star–my dog–and stopped to talk to my neighbor. I told him how excited I was that this was going to be my second Christmas with Marc. His immediate question was, “So when are you getting married?” Shocked, I said that we were already married. His next reaction was priceless. “Good. As it should be.” Wait, what? Why is it that we presume all young adults who are living together aren’t married? Maybe because less and less people delay marriage until they’re in their upper 20’s and early 30’s. Maybe because young adults in church look (and act) no different from those not in church.…