They Will Stand in the Gap for Me (If I Let Them)

Last summer my mom had to have her hip replaced. I really wanted to be there for the procedure, but she was in so much pain, she didn’t want to wait until my planned trip home a couple of months later. The surgery seemed to go well. She completed physical therapy and was walking around with a walker in no time.

They Will Stand in the Gap for Me (If I Let Them)

However, a few months down the road she still wasn’t feeling the relief she had hoped, so the doctor brought her in and prescribed twelve more sessions of therapy. During that time the doctor also met with her monthly to run blood work. He noticed that her counts weren’t at the level they should be, so he suggested that she go in and have a procedure done to check for infection. [Read more...]

14 Affordable Date Ideas :: Keepin’ It Fun, Cheap, and Classy

Maybe a post about affordable date ideas is more for the guys than the ladies. But then, maybe not. After all, it’s important for the ladies to offer some input, as well as to consider the fact that dating can be a bit costly.

14 affordable date ideasIf a guy is actively involved in online dating, then dating can get even costlier. Simply taking one girl out to dinner each week can mean budgeting an extra $120-200 a month, depending on where the dinners are. Granted, not every guy is taking one girl out per week, but there are some. And even if you’re not dating weekly, nearly everyone we know these days is looking for a way to save money.

So, how can you save money by planning dates on a budget, yet not appear cheap? Because we certainly don’t recommend using coupons or gift cards until you know her a little better. And it’s not like strolling over to the nearest Redbox is a good idea either—at least for the first few dates if you’ve met her online—because inviting her to your place might send off her internal creep detector. [Read more...]

Seeing the Grace in Our Singleness

I’ve had one of those days recently. A day when being single just weighs on you. When all your single friends are busy and your married friends are, well, married. You spend most of the day trying to be productive. Reading. Writing. Praying. Then you eventually start just medicating.
Turn on the TV. Put down the book and people watch at Starbucks, or whatever small coffee shop the hipsters prefer. But the more you medicate, the more something deep inside stirs, longing for more. Longing for depth – for wholeness.

And all of these feelings come down to one thing: Grace. [Read more...]

8 Ideas for Making Travel Even More Meaningful

There are few things I love more than travel. And by “few,” I mean Jesus, my family and friends, and…that’s about it. Because it’s so sacred to me, I am always searching for ways to make trips even more meaningful than just going to a location, doing the tourist thing, and heading home.

8 Ways to Make Travel Even More Meaningful

I’ve been traveling with the same group of college friends for several years, and we’re taking our tenth trip together this summer. Our traveling camaraderie began with a birthday celebration trip to Vegas… [Read more...]

Lessons from Online Dating: I Am Not in Control

A couple of weekends ago I went on a women’s retreat with my church. The theme was control. I started thinking about my own life. What is the number one thing God has asked me to relinquish control of? My desire to get married. As I reflected on this, God began to reveal some pretty convicting facts.

I have and continue to try to control my dating life.

I attempt to control my dating life by going out on dates, rating the guys I meet, and wondering, if maybe this time, I found the right match.

[Read more...]