-
Living By Myself
[Guest Post by Jessica Baumgardner. Jessica and I connected on Facebook and I asked her to write a piece on living together by herself. She thought I was crazy, but I’m so glad she did! She has a big heart and has been through a lot. I think we could all learn a lot from her, actually!] I have always believed in God my entire life, but I never had a relationship with Him or even knew what that meant. I was forced to go to church when I was younger and I did not understand anything about it. My parents finally stopped making us go once I got to…
-
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.
-
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 %…
-
Infatuation Makes Us Very Vulnerable
[Guest Post by Gary Thomas. I’m very excited for him to share on the blog today as he is one of my heroes (he doesn’t know that yet). My husband Marc and I went through Sacred Marriage in our pre engagement counseling and believe in his message. He is also one of my upcoming speakers at Quarter Life Conference, a free online conference for the 20/30-somethings on Thursday. Register here for free.] Not only are you stupid when you’re infatuated, but you also become extremely vulnerable. I’m speaking as a pastor who has witnessed the tremendous pain that romanticism has led so many people into. Psychologically, “hearts broken from lost…
-
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…
-
Moving Back Home With Parents
[Guest post by Diana Palka] – There’s really no glamorous way to come to terms with moving back home with parents. It’s not that it’s a wretchedly horrific concept–in fact, I didn’t think much of it until I was here. But once the excitement of graduation fizzled away and I settled into a non-academia life for the first time in 22 years, it hit me. All of the sudden, there was this abrupt realization that I’d entered the front end of a cumbersome transition from a built-in community to a community-less environment. It’s a transition that no one talks about. Without anticipation, life was a little lonely. Instead of spending nights in…
-
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…
-
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…
You May Also Like
Devotional Diva Turns 10!
Anxiety in a Christian Woman’s Life
Passing On the Faith
-
How to Start An Online Magazine
10 tips How to start an online magazine. When I started blogging on xanga, I wasn’t sure what I was doing, which is why I only posted 3-5 times. When I started a blogspot account, I had no idea it would merge with Google and then no longer be considered the “cool” place to be (see: WordPress.org). But. My growth exploded on blogspot. I posted over 400 devotionals, and it’s also where I found my calling–writing devotionals and articles that encourage and spur others forward (Hebrews 10:24). My blog is also the place where my writing turned from hobby to business, and then to an online ministry. I realized if…
-
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…
