While I was in seminary, I lived with a very nice family in a very nice house rent free. Not only will I always be thankful for their kindness, generosity, and hospitality, I also learned a profound lesson about gratitude through my experience. On the face of it, the idea of gratitude seems a simple […]
IDENTIFY: Advice On Life, Faith & Relationships
Dear Lindsey, I’m in my late 20s, and have lived away from home for almost 10 years, while getting my undergraduate degree, going to graduate school, and beginning my career. I recently moved back to my hometown for a great job and to be closer to family. But now that I’m back, they’re driving me […]
IDENTIFY: Advice On Life, Faith & Relationships
Dear Lindsey, Several friends recently asked me to be in their weddings. I’m in my mid-20s and I’m trying to be financially responsible, but I don’t want to turn any of them down or hurt their feelings. I’m starting to feel the stress of school loans, car insurance, rent, and life in general. How do […]
IDENTIFY: Advice On Life, Faith & Relationships
Dear Lindsey, I recently started going to church regularly and now consider myself a Christian. I keep hearing how important it is to tell others about Jesus, but I’m wondering if I can do that in a world that seems so hostile toward Christianity? —Afraid to Come Out Dear Afraid, The fact that you even […]
ADVENT: A SEASON OF WAITING & WONDERING
Christmas is a season of many things, depending on whom you ask. A season of joy, of peace, of love. A season of family, reunions, rekindling relationships. A season of gifts, surprises, twinkling lights, and glittering trees. A season of busyness, financial strain, stress, even loneliness. To many Christians, Christmas is considered a season of […]
SACRIFICIAL LOVE
Sacrificial love in any relationship, be it with a parent, sibling, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, or or friend means loving the other person with good intentions, good actions, and with no regards to yourself. Sacrificial love can be restricted or restrained by what you are willing to sacrifice in that relationship. Being afraid to love certainly affects […]
REPAIRING BROKEN BRIDGES
My college roommate just got engaged, and I was genuinely excited for him. This is quite a normal response for such a situation, but it has been a crazy two year journey to this point. His fiancé is also my ex-girlfriend. To complicate things further, they started dating right after my friends and I had […]
CONSCIOUS RELATIONSHIPS
I felt guilty the first time I logged onto eHarmony. “I’m just looking”, I told myself, “There’s no harm in looking.” But I felt like I was cheating on God. Wasn’t I supposed to wait for him to find my match? If you’re a Christian single, you’re probably no stranger to this concept. Well-meaning moms […]
FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE
When my husband and I got married four years ago we discussed whether we ought to write our own wedding vows or use a more traditional format. Traditional wedding vows are pretty comprehensive – for richer and for poorer, for better and for worse, and quite a few things in between. Ultimately, we chose traditional […]
GOOD GRIEF
My dear, sweet friend, Lorrie, passed away a few weeks ago, and that is something I am not okay with. I will never be okay with it. Not because she had more life to live here on earth, though she did, nor because there isn’t anything beyond this life, because there is, but because death […]