Singles

Never underestimate how much volunteering can bring people together and help them form friendships.

Be sure that the same respectful words and tones you use with someone are the same used with you. If things don't work out with a person of interest the way you anticipated, don't speak negatively towards yourself or beat yourself up about it. Accept the end of that moment in time and positively prepare for the next one.

Yoga has been a controversial practice among Western Christians for a while now – mostly what to do about those pants in public :-). But recently, a Catholic church in India released a statement, rejecting the idea that Christianity and yoga are compatible at all. This question about Christians engaging in yoga is a complex one because people practice yoga in different ways and different cultural contexts. What does yoga mean for Hindus, Christians in the U.S., and Christians in India? And what does the word yoga even mean? We will dive into these questions, consulting experts along the way. Photo Credit: Unsplash

Women in the Bible flesh out the tenderness of God’s heart towards his people, of which Christ would be the perfect example. Here are just five lessons we can learn from women in the Bible.

If you have noticed you are feeling exhausted and drained after spending time with a friend, try to see the reason why.

As a spouse, you will need to pray daily for your spouse, so it is important to begin that practice before you even know this person. We are called to pray for one another. Especially as a spouse, lifting your earthly dearest up in prayer as often as possible is vital. When you start any sort of habit, cultivating, fostering, and growing will take time, but the sooner you start, the more routine it will become.

Adding romance to the mix—especially when the other party isn’t a believer—is begging for trouble. At best, you might get your heart broken, and at worst, you might walk away from your faith.

Dear Roger,I’m thinking about getting married to my boyfriend. Can you give me some guidelines that may help me know that I am marrying the right guy?Sincerely,KateDear Kate,You know that there are hundreds of websites and books which talk about what to look for in a future spouse. These usually focus on the good traits we want to find in someone that we want to marry. I decided to give you another perspective and point out seven types of people you should think about twice before marrying:Photo Credit: © Getty Images/dragana991

For most singles, although they are missing a romantic relationship in their life, it does not mean their life is without love, beauty, and adventure. Many are called to exciting ventures in the way of careers to pursue, achieve, and learn lessons from. For others cultivating a rich life of connection can be very fulfilling through friendships, family relationships, and community outreach. Love takes many forms, not only that of romantic love.

Do I look fat? Am I weird? What is wrong with me? Why am I alone? Single women have a series of unanswerable questions we ask. Some begin with "What if..." Many concern our bodies and personalities. And most, in some way, discuss our insecurities. Perhaps we ask not so much needing answers but seeking to receive reassurance in our doubts and pain.We all have found ourselves asking questions no person can answer. So how about we spend some time looking at God's answers?

Everyone is having more adventures than you are. At least, that’s what it can feel like on social media.

Reading a book with a steamy chapter, coarse language, or godless morals? Close it. Dispose of it. Watching a movie that suddenly devolves into a nude scene or a gory mess? Close your eyes. Walk out.Everyone at work is going out for drinks? “I can’t go out for drinks with you guys. Why don’t we go to the grill instead?”Your date puts their hand somewhere that makes you feel too warm. Get up and walk away.

Even if a family member has sinned against us and hasn't been able to admit it, it is crucial that we process through all that has happened and eventually come to the point where we can forgive them, even if they don't ask for forgiveness. That can be very difficult, but it is so important for us to do so that we can be freed up to grow, move forward, heal, and serve God effectively.

Heaven will be filled with praise and worship of the Most High God. Souls will be focused on praising and uplifting God, so there won't be time to focus on dating. Heaven will also be filled with adoration and joy for God. In the game of dating, people focus on admiring the traits of others to see if they are a compatible partner for them. If the focus is on someone else, then the focus won't be on praising God.

Sometimes friendships end because you've hurt each other. These wounds can go deep, yet God calls us to live above reproach. This means we give up our right to get in the last word, justify our bad behavior, or get revenge. We have to allow God to be the one who makes things right for us. Trust that he is still working in both of your lives and will find ways to teach you through this ordeal. It's tough not to want to defend ourselves when we feel wronged, but it's not our job.

When we choose to wait well as single women, we are choosing to revere God by cherishing the beautiful gift of singleness he has entrusted to us.

God is the only one who can fully satisfy your core longing to hear that you are good, that you are loved, that you will be taken care of, or whatever message your personality type craves.

our heartbreak will not last forever. Yes, it will fade while we are still living, but we have a greater hope! We know there is a day coming when there will be no more tears, death, mourning, crying, pain, or heartbreak. All those things will have passed away. We can persevere, even when our heart is breaking because we know there is an end and that he will walk us through it all until we reach eternity.

Conflict is an inevitable part of life, whether it’s conflict in marriage, on the job, with a friend or family member. It’s so inevitable that it happens at times when you’d least expect it to. For example, conflict arising with your spouse as you’re driving to church. Does this sound familiar? You’re headed to the house of God as a family, doing one of the spiritual practices that produces a higher level of spiritual maturity and character development, and wham – conflict.My wife and I have mastered this particular trap – we take separate cars!Conflict is often caused by selfishness; we want what we want.“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but you don’t get it” (James 4:1).We can see this even in the little things of life. We have dual controls on electric blankets and zone controls for our car’s air conditioning. It’s why we argue over whether towels should be folded in half or in thirds, and whether the toilet seat should be left up or down. What’s the solution when our opinions and preferences are based on what is simply more convenient for ourselves? Consideration for others generally runs against the human condition of selfishness.And the truth is, we don’t usually handle conflict well. In fact, we humans have developed some pretty interesting ways of improperly handling conflict.Photo credit: ©Getty Images/KTStock

Spiritual gift abuse gets mentioned a lot when Christians discuss prophecy or other charismatic gifts, but can we misuse things like the gift of serving? If so, how do we avoid misusing them?