‘This Christmas was a tough one for me,’ confided a friend. ‘Over the festive period, I was surrounded by nephews and nieces and my friends’ kids. I love spending time with them, but it reminded me just how much I’m missing out. I feel that God put a deep longing in me to be a parent, but I’m 39 now – what if I don’t meet someone in time? Can a single person adopt on their own – and is it fair on the children?’

Growing up, I had a reputation for being very independent. Because my birth father was rarely at home, it felt like I was raised by a single mother. Often she would rely on me to help her take care of my younger siblings. From changing diapers to helping with dinner to babysitting, I took on a lot of responsibility. This responsibility led to a sense of independence. This independence led to extreme loneliness at times.

‘I feel painfully deprived of hugs and physical affection,’ sighed a friend over lunch. ‘As a single Christian, it’s really tough to deal with. Hardly anyone touches me from one week to the next. It makes it difficult not to get drawn into inappropriate relationships, because I’m so desperate for someone to put their arms around me. If I don’t find a partner, I don’t know if I can live like this for the rest of my life.’

As a relatively new leader in singles ministry, I’ve encountered an unwritten rule that goes something like this:

Unless you are married (happily or otherwise) and regardless of your spiritual depth, scriptural knowledge or Christian experience, your leadership in ministry will be suspect.

If you’re like me and 30-plus years old, you may remember the 1999 Drew Barrymore movie “Never Been Kissed.” For those who have never seen it, here’s a synopsis. Josie Geller (Drew) aka “Josie Grossie” by her former high-school classmates, is a newspaper copyeditor who’s desperate to move up to reporter.

So a while ago, I wrote an article called ‘The purpose-driven single’. I was 26 years old, loving God, learning a lot and confident that I would be married anytime soon. Fast forward five years, and on the one hand, a lot has changed. On the other hand, not much has. I still don’t like to […]

‘One of the hardest things about being single is having no one to go on holiday with,’ said the Facebook post. ‘I can’t imagine going away on my own, so I haven’t been on holiday for years. What do other singles do, HopefulGirl?’

New Year’s Resolutions – whether you love them or loathe them, millions of people will have made them this past week. If you look a little deeper at the reason behind many resolutions, it comes down to wanting to increase our happiness levels.