Dating life is full of potential—for better and for worse. It can be fun and it can be risky, and it’s worth looking at both sides of the relational coin. In our last blog, we spotlighted some of the good traits to look for and consider in a partner or spouse. Today we’re focusing on […]
Author: Steph Penny
Dating: Good Traits and Red Flags (Part 1)
In my time of participating in the dating world and hearing about friends’ dating experiences, I’ve gathered a collection of worthy traits to look for in a partner. I’ve also gained some hard-won wisdom about red flags (haven’t we all?) when deciding whether to continue in a relationship—or whether to run! When considering dating, it’s […]
Lingering with a Lime Tart
Here I am, sitting in a little café just a few hundred metres from the beach, relishing the opportunity to sit and write. The fresh salty air comes wafting past, washing the last of the autumn leaves off the trees, and I inhale the wind like it’s my last breath. There is something so cleansing […]
Lazy (in Moderation)
In reading Allen Arnold’s deceptively short blog, Operating Below Capacity,* I found what my soul had been looking for. It was invitation from the Holy Spirit to slow down already. I’ve been slowing down for a while now, or attempting to at least. I may be succeeding a little: Arnold’s blog took me about twenty […]
Too Young
‘You’re too young to have arthritis!’ the doctor remarked. I took a breath before responding. Age amongst the chronically ill can be a sensitive topic, and many young people with chronic pain and disease experience minimising and dismissal from doctors on account of their youth. This, naturally, is not OK—yet many doctors still comment on […]
Join the (Childless) Club
It’s the club nobody wants to join. I certainly didn’t wake up one morning and think, ‘I’d really like to become part of the childless community today.’ Yet here we are. It can be hard to find childless people who are happy to share even a small part of their story. Harder still is finding […]
Myths of Singledom
I met my husband later in life: I was twenty-nine. OK, that may not sound like a ‘late’ marriage, but in my church circles everyone was married by the ripe old age of twenty-one. At twenty-nine, I was considered practically retired. Or a leper. During those years of singledom, I encountered some interesting myths and […]
Survival Skills: Grace in the Flames
Three years ago I became disabled by illness. I don’t know whether it was lupus or not; the illness was never diagnosed. But it was a doozy of a flare-up and I was off work for about six months. During that time, I was virtually house-bound, going out only for medical appointments. I had to […]
Survival Skills: It’s Not Fair!
There are times when I get super jealous of able-bodied people. There, I said it. As much as envy is not exactly a fruit of the Spirit, this try-hard Christian experiences jealousy on a semi-regular basis. I feel it watching other people climb stairs without a problem. I experience it when friends regale me with […]
Survival Skills: Scriptures for Illness
‘Doubled up with pain, I call to God All the day long. No answer. Nothing. I keep at it all night, tossing and turning… I’m a bucket kicked over and spilled, Every joint in my body has been pulled apart. My heart is a blob Of melted wax in my gut. I’m dry as a […]