Last night via a live webcast to Advance Church’s community groups, my husband briefly addressed five FAQs relating to sex, marriage, and relationships. If you missed it, you can watch it here.
This morning Ryan posted a comprehensive list of resources that you will want to devour whether you are single, engaged, happily married, unhappily married, divorced, widowed, re-married…you name it.
I wanted to get in on the fun, too, so below are a few resources that have challenged and changed me as I have reflected on my single years, forgiven my parents for their divorce, pursued my husband through seven years of marriage, and wrestled with trading in my cultrually-biased view femininity for a more Biblically sound view of what it really means to be a woman, wife, and mother.
Singleness
“Marriage and singleness both present us with unique trials and unique opportunities for our sanctification” explains John Piper. “There will be unique rewards for each, and which is greater will not depend on whether you were married or single, but on how you responded to each.” This PDF from the women of GirlTalk is loaded with practical, Biblical advice on how to seize the opportunities the season of singleness offers.
A perspective of singleness from a 40-year old member of Mars Hill Church in Seattle.
When You Don’t Have a Better Half
In this in-depth article, Carolyn McCully (via The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood) explains how single women can cultivate femininity in non-romantic relationships, while encouraging the men around us in their application of masculinity.
Let me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot
A solid collection of essays on what it means to be a Christian woman, whether single, married, or widowed. A must, must read for any woman seeking to more fully understand, embrace, and walk securely in God’s calling for her.
A great response from Joshua Harris to the question, “Is my relationship with this non-Christian guy ok?”
Questions to Ask When Preparing for Marriage
For the bullet-list lover, John Piper offers up more than fifty key questions (and organizes them by category…oh my!) you should be asking yourself and boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance during your courtship.
Marriage
I can’t reinforce strongly enough my husband’s recommendations to lean into these three resources:
A little post I did on keeping your marriage bed pure, yes, but lovely also.
Try ’em!
5 Things I Wish I would Have Known About Being a Church Planter’s Wife
Obviously these are super specific to my experience as a pastor’s wife, but Kendra Duty’s reflections speak to any wife who is seeking to be a source, not a drain, to her husband.
The first in a seies of insightful posts from Grace Driscoll about where we ought to find our identity as women.
Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney
You will be hard-pressed to find another book that lays out a clearer, more practical, and more inspiring vision of biblical femininity than this one. It’s a “Top Five Books That Changed My Life” kind of read.
Becoming God’s True Woman by Nancy Leigh Demoss
A fantastic starting place for women as they ponder the question of godly womanhood and the ways the feminist revolution has perhaps robbed them of fully embracing femininity as God intended for it to be embraced.
Divorce
This sermon PDF is a quick reference for what the Bible says about divorce and remarriage.
The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: The 25-year Landmark Study
The Amazon reviews explain this book far better than I could, so go have a read.
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Okay, I could go on like this all day, but between my list and Ryan’s, you should have plenty to keep you busy…for now.