I walked into church and was greeted by an usher. ‘Hiya Steph,’ he said cheerfully, ‘How’s your love life?’ Oh no. You did not just ask me that. My sarcastic inner voice nearly replied out loud. ‘It’s great. Who are you, by the way?’ This man barely knew me. We were not close, yet he […]
Surviving Singledom
Issues relating to my book and to the broader challenges facing Christian singles
I Wanted A Family
Some of us wanted to have a family. We wanted a partner, children, grandchildren. We wanted to live a life surrounded by our loved ones. It is painful to live without the longed-for family. For single people, longing to find a partner, to love and to be loved by just one person, it can be […]
Is Singledom Temporary?
‘When are you going to get married?’ Society, especially Christians, seem to view singledom as a temporary state. Singles are constantly inundated with questions about their love lives and relationship plans. I remember, when I was single, random strangers would ask invasive questions about blokes on my horizon. Like it was any of their business. […]
God, Are You Deaf?
When I was single, I wondered if God was deaf. I mean, I was praying fervently for a husband. I prayed long. I prayed loud. I prayed often. When fellow Christians suggested I pray more, I was like, “You’re kidding, right?” I was the most praying person around. If my prayers had been money, I […]
You Are Here
Do you remember those theme parks we used to go to as kids? For me it was Australia’s Wonderland. It was a city of wonder indeed, filled with fast rides, and rollercoasters, and water rides, and chilled rides, and fairy floss, and every other kind of kiddie delight. That place was a maze. It had […]
Surviving Valentine’s Day
Ugh. Not another Valentine’s Day. The Day when all romance is celebrating in a seemingly never-ending stream of chocolates, red roses and plush teddies holding cute little love hearts. Makes me wanna barf. (And I am its target demographic. Go figure.) And it is not just the rampant commercialism. Sure, I hate the overflow of […]
New Fear’s Resolutions
Diets. Exercise. Stressing less. Every year people resolve to eat better, get fit and look after themselves. They set goals – realistic or otherwise – that reveal their hopes for the year that lies ahead. But for some of us, the coming of the new year is not heralded by fireworks and champagne. It is […]
Why I Love Book Signings
So, tomorrow I have another book signing. I love book signings. Not only do they afford me an opportunity to shop (especially relevant in the run-up to Christmas), they give me ample space for ministry. And it is not just about selling books. Don’t get me wrong. I like selling books. I like signing them […]
Self-Partnered?
We have come a long way from the term “spinster”. Emma Watson’s recent self-description of herself as self-partnered,* instead of the more commonplace “single”, has garnered much social media attention. And so it should. Whether or not you like the term self-partnered (and it is not my favourite term – it honestly sounds like a […]
A Response to the Christian “Man Drought”
A week ago, the ABC ran an article about the man drought apparent in Christian circles.* It was a good article. It touched on many truths of contemporary Christian singledom. It took me back to my own single days in my late twenties, when I too lost hope of ever marrying. In particular, three truths […]