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On Dating: My Parents Don't Approve
[Monthly Columnists – Wendy van Eyck] My parents don’t approve of my boyfriend. I’m not the best person to write dating advice because I didn’t go on my first date till I was 26. And then I broke up with him four weeks later. I’m not the kind of person who plays games with peoples feelings but I didn’t know what else to do when my parents didn’t approve of my first boyfriend. As a young teen, I’d decided that dating for the sake of gaining a long list of boyfriends just wasn’t me. I settled that there were two boxes that needed to be ticked in my mind before…
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Two NEW Books
Announcing Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me book cover and my fourth book, Loves Me Not: Heartbreak & Healing God’s Way. I can’t believe I’ve been working on Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me for over ten years. It’s been through four re-writes and two publishers, and the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild when I was 19. I remember when my friend in DTS (discipleship training program), Ericka said, “God told me to tell you to write your second book on suffering.” And when my previous publisher contracted it–I thought “thank you God!” When they canceled it, the verse I got was from Isaiah 43:19, which says “See! I am doing a NEW…
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Inauguration Day 2013
[Monthly Columnists – Hannah Stovall] – Starting this January, I am introducing a few new monthly columnists who will be guest blogging on a monthly basis. Hannah actually asked me! At first I was hesitant because she didn’t yet know all the details, but once I told her–she was in! I love a brave woman. A woman who asks for what she wants–so Hannah, surprise! I look forward to her sharing monthly about pop culture and events through the eyes of a 20-something and what they can mean to all. Please welcome her! Inauguration Day 2013 was a big day. It was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; my nephew, Caleb,…
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Quarter Life Conference
“You want whom to come speak at your church, and you’re willing to pay how much to get this person there?” Each time the phone would ring I knew exactly who they were asking for and why. My only problem? Said Christian celebrity wouldn’t speak for less than a certain amount and a certain-sized church. I didn’t have the heart to tell Mr. Small Town Pastor he couldn’t afford said celebrity Christian to come speak at his church. No matter how touching a story–and there’s always a story–churches across America are looking for ways to reach out to their community. I know this because I booked 300+ events at churches,…
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78 Reasons To Write Your Story
78 Reasons To Write Your Story I have been blessed to host 78 guest bloggers since April, 2010, and I hope to keep adding to the list. Why? Because I believe it’s important to share your story. In fact, I believe God calls us to write. Twice in Scripture it says, Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does (1 Chronicles 16:24 & Psalm 96:3). I hope each and every quote will push you over the edge to where you finally have NO MORE EXCUSES but to write. Whether you write in the privacy of your own journal, an online blog, social media,…
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5 Tips How To Get A Second Date
[Guest Post by Tracy Le] – Believe it or not–it really is possible to snag a second date. A lot of my friends who are single find dating to be dreadful. And by “dreadful” I mean really dreadful. For some reason, I seem to be the lone wolf who welcomes such a potentially awkward social set up. Then again I strangely love job interviews so I suppose it comes to no surprise; there is a commonality between the two with it’s exchanging of questions and answers about oneself that I just really enjoy. I’m no expert at dating but my liking towards it bodes well for my reputation and oftentimes…
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On Dating: Should Men Pursue Women First?
[Guest Post by Marc Fisher] – Recently, I heard a panel on dating & relationships that tackled many interesting questions–should men pursue women? It was extra special because my wife Renee was one of the panel speakers. I felt encouraged afterwards because it gave some real challenges to put into practice in my own life–but what stood out the most was a single question. A question asked often in Christian circles, but often merely glanced over, Should men pursue women–first? I think we miss something that can radically alter our relationships if we don’t stop to ponder this question in more depth. We need to ask why does the question…
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I Love My Body – Quitter
[Guest Post by Aurora Vilchis] – I quit. I have no intention on returning and I won’t even care if you call me a quitter. You know why? I quit the club. The club of self hatred, self loathing and self focus. You’ve been there, a bunch of gals get together and suddenly it becomes one big hate feast; one hates her thighs, another her ears, something too big, not tight enough, too small. I thought that I had to join in because I’m a girl. But then it hit me. The light bulb turned on. It is true that they say we will do anything to be healthy except…
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I Love My Body – Unique Beauty
[Guest Post by Melissa Thomas] – When I was 4, I knew I wanted to grow up to be a ballerina. They have such a unique beauty. I used to dance in my parents living room. I would play Tchikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” and “Swan Lake,” and dream of being on stage with a giant tutu. I took dance lessons and learned how to twirl around, point my toes and stand in second position. When I was 11, I had my first seizure. I was waking up, getting ready to go with my family to breakfast. My dog jumped on my bed, excited to see me and greet me. I got…
