by Denise Morris on 01/31/2007
The Super Bowl used to be about watching the two best football teams in the nation and eating a lot of chicken wings while doing so. But for the past few years, it seems as though the attention has shifted to watching racy commercials and experiencing "wardrobe malfunctions." We may have to deal with these same things when the Bears face off with the Colts this coming Sunday. According to a Time article titled, "Bring Back John 3:16," one of... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/31/2007
I know we talk about getting married a lot around here — but there's a good reason. The Christian Science Monitor addressed statistics (this may be the same questionable batch used by the Times) that say almost half of American women today are unmarried (compared to one-third in 1960). Singlehood is on the rise. In contrast to the New York Times article, this article points out many singles would prefer to be married. This is evidenced by the boom in... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/31/2007
When I began my third decade as a single, being part of a singles group where most of the women were in their 20s, I found myself thinking about when a difference in age between a man and a woman becomes "too much." I searched the Scriptures. I asked for counsel. I looked at Christian marriages throughout history. I considered the differently-aged couples in my church. My conclusion: At a certain age, an age difference of even 15 years is... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/30/2007
As the only single Boundless writer to attend the aforementioned mixer, I have to agree with Candice that the event was very well-executed and just an all-around good time. There was one guy in particular who caught the attention of more than one lady — Candice's 3-month-old son, Churchill. When babies are present, I always watch carefully to see how single men react. Some pretend they don't see the baby, others smile while keeping their distance. Once in awhile, a... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/30/2007
Since becoming editor of Boundless in 2005, I've made it a priority to publish winsomely-written articles that encourage intentional living. Let me address our male readers at this point. Being a man, and being the happy recipient of some strong counsel, I've published some things that might come across more as a brotherly swat than a pat on the back. I've personally needed that kind of approach at times, and figured other men might respond well to it too. The... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/30/2007
Like Candice and Steve, my wife and I were table hosts at the local singles mixer Saturday night. We too were energized to be with such quality Christian young men and women who were willing to try something new in order to meet, mingle and marry. And the event itself was very well organized and run by the RMCSM crew. I just wish I could have spent some time with a few of the guys the day before to discuss... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 01/29/2007
Chuck Colson explains in a recent BreakPoint commentary that he was disappointed with the movie "Children of Men" (that we've mentioned in our blog before). He says his appreciation for the book by P.D. James led him to look forward to the movie. After seeing it, he suggests just skipping it and going back to read the book. Here are some comments from his BreakPoint message: Its story and themes are so completely different, it's just like somebody set out... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 01/29/2007
Saturday night's Mix. Mingle. Marry. event was a class act. Steve and I talked about it all the way home, when we got home and into the next day. There was just so much about it to recommend. Everything was well-planned and thought out -- seamless. Participants weren't left wondering what to do. And once things got started, which was right on time, conversation among singles flowed. I was amazed that every woman actually got to meet every man (54... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/26/2007
I was touched by what 93-year-old blogger Donald Crowdis had to say about his own mortality. He writes: I've floated on the remark "Been there, done that" for some time now, but the notion that the moment is approaching when I can no longer say this bothers me. The truth is, I don't want to go. There are many reasons. For too long I have behaved as if I could postpone going indefinitely, and thus have so many things that... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/26/2007
There was a surreal moment during my Sunday school class last week when the subject of football came up. The discussion was on how leisure time works in marriage. And since there's nothing more leisurely for a man (meaning me) than watching football, the matter was broached rather quickly. One of the wives tried to understand why her husband watches hours and hours of football when just catching the 10 minute highlights could save so much time. The other women... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 01/26/2007
Ted's last post about the $100 experiment reminded me of a conversation I had with my Bible study group this past Wednesday. First of all, some background info from Acts 3:1-10. In this story, Peter and John are headed to the temple to pray. They come across a crippled beggar -- this guy was at the temple gate each day to beg for money. He sees Peter and John, and he asks them for some cash. Peter looks straight at... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/26/2007
When Lynne Baab and her husband lived in Israel, they kept the Sabbath. In her blog "God's Gift of Rest" she recounts the rewards of such a discipline. Our Sabbaths in Israel became God's gift to us individually, and enriched our life as a couple. Through Sabbath-keeping, we experienced the truth that God's love for us isn't based on what we do. We yearned to keep growing in our ability to receive that unconditional love once we returned to the... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/25/2007
The Point, inspired by The Suburban Christian is challenging its readers to consider setting aside $100 "and come up with a way to use it creatively and productively for the Kingdom." Sounds like an intriguing challenge. Their initial suggestions include purchasing Bibles for Angel Tree children, buying tickets to the upcoming movie Amazing Grace and handing them out to select individuals, and giving seed money to a friend who is launching a video testimony project on the Internet. So let... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 01/24/2007
I'm a bit doctor-phobic. If a naturopath were covered by our health insurance, that would be my first choice. But Dr. Albert Mohler's "Lessons Learned in a Crisis of Life" was a needed reminder of how blessed we are to live in the day and age of modern medicine. In an emergency situation, American doctors, nurses and hospitals are without rival. He writes: Only in recent decades is the hospital a place that truly promises much healing. The modern applications... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/24/2007
I can be good with words. Sometimes I can use them to encourage, or to bring levity to a situation, or to explain in simple terms a difficult concept, or to comfort, or to paint a picture. And sometimes I can use them to ridicule, tear down, diminish, and dismiss. I've seen how some people are able to speak words of life into others, how they are able to -- through mere words -- instill hope and comfort and vigor... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/24/2007
This week, I read in my local newspaper that 21-year-old Pfc. Allen B. "Fuzzy" Jaynes, a member of Fort Carson's 2nd Brigade, had been killed in combat in Iraq. I didn't know Jaynes, but what stood out to me was how the article's details were primarily gathered from MySpace. Jaynes' MySpace page shows pictures of a young man "chillin by da pool" and standing alongside "my lil sis, my lil bro, & my mom" for a family photo, his arm... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 01/24/2007
I am currently reading a book called 5 Paths To The Love Of Your Life. It is a compilation in which five authors outline the dating/courtship path they think works best. The paths include the Counter-Cultural Approach, the Courtship Approach, the Principled Approach, the Betrothal Approach, and the Purposed Approach. In order to help readers define their dating styles, each author writes an essay describing different relationship ideas, biblical commands, practical advice and so on. I'm only partway through the... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/23/2007
OK, this has nothing to do with kissing, but I figured some might find it similarly engrossing. So, imagine yourself reading through Scripture and you come across the name of a town or region or country. In these instances, I typically just keep reading and imagine the place is somewhere ... um ... over there. But with BibleMap, a free online Bible (NIV and ESV versions), you just click on the name of the location mentioned in a Scripture passage... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/23/2007
I was encouraged by this article in Christianity Today, which reports that religious people give more, than nonreligious, even to secular charities. Published in late November, the controversial findings in Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism have grabbed the attention of political commentators. "If you asked me, I would have expected to find that religious conservatives are stingy," said Brooks, a committed Catholic and political independent. "That's what academics think. That's what we are told all the... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/22/2007
A comment from Gina in the "Is Kissing a Sin? Scott Croft Clarifies" thread about her parents' and best friends' regret-less premarital kissing got me thinking about the kisses my wife and I shared before we were married. And unlike her family and friends, I am panged with regret, not romantic affection. It's hard to put a finger on it. Maybe it's because I kissed her just like I did all the others I had kissed, for mere pleasure, not... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 01/22/2007
I'm glad Suzanne mentioned the most depressing day report. This is something we've been springboarding off here at Focus on the Family as a way to promote TroubledWith (www.troubledwith.com), a Website addressing a broad range of common problems. While promoting that site, one radio station asked me to come up with a top ten ways to beat stress and depression during this time of the year. Here's what I offered: 10 Even if you've broken your aggressive exercise resolutions, do... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/22/2007
Is fading holiday cheer coupled with failed New Year's resolutions adding up to a slump? You may be surprised to hear that today has been dubbed "Blue Monday" — the most depressing day of 2007. According to Fox News: Researchers in England, citing unpaid holiday bills, rotten weather and people's realization that they likely won't live up to their New Year's resolutions, say Jan. 22 is the unhappiest day of 2007. Cliff Arnall, a Cardiff University psychologist, devised the depressing... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/20/2007
This is a hot topic, our blog post "Is Kissing Sinful?" having received almost 60 comments in just a couple of days. I thought it'd be a good idea, then, to begin a new thread with Scott Croft's addressing some of the themes he found in readers' reactions to his article, "Biblical Dating: To Kiss or Not to Kiss." Hi, All - To everyone who has commented so far, thanks for your comments. I'm really grateful that believers in the... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/19/2007
In 1983, an organization named Christian Action Council (now known as Care Net), founded with the help of Francis Schaeffer and former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, "asked President Ronald Reagan to create a special day to focus on the intrinsic value of human life." That same year, "President Reagan issued a proclamation establishing a National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday." Here's a portion of President Reagan's proclamation the following year marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade as "fitting... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 01/19/2007
Michael Medved has proven over the years to be an indispensable conservative commentator. His analysis of the New York Times marriage article we've been discussing is spot-on. His conclusion makes the point we've found to be the most important takeaway for Boundless readers: The endlessly repeated lies –- that married people are now a minority, that most women don't have husbands, that half of all first marriages end in divorce –- exert a real world influence on young people trying... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/19/2007
Charles Murray, author of the controversial The Bell Curve, has a sensational article published in Wednesday's Opinion Journal warning that "too many Americans are going to college." He writes, "... a four-year college education teaches advanced analytic skills and information at a level that exceeds the intellectual capacity of most people" -- most being 85 percent to be exact. These people, Murray says, should be pursuing vocational training instead of four-year degrees. C'mon, Charles. Certainly there's something to be said... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 01/18/2007
I've seen at least one Christian publication passing along the report about marriage from the New York Times as an important benchmark for singles, but other Christian publications aren't ready to let the Times frame the issue of marriage on their questionable terms. In this article, the Baptist Press does a great job reporting on the bias of the New York Times marriage article -- covering all the key questions that critics have been raising. Here's a key excerpt from... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/18/2007
Christian financial expert Dave Ramsey wrote that Health Savings Accounts "could be the answer to the health care crisis we have in America." This week on Boundless we published an article laying out what HSAs are, and how you could save thousands of dollars per year by going that route rather than the standard health insurance route. The way I see it, traditional health insurance makes no sense. It's not like any other kind of insurance plan you might purchase.... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/18/2007
I would like to respond to Dan's comment on Denise's post, "Really Good Friends?" He writes: I meant to ask this when the "Not Your Buddy" article came out, but how does this article apply when either the pair has previously dated or the guy has approached the lady about being more than just friends (without success). Much of that article (rightly) deals with guys misleading, perhaps unintentionally, the women they are hanging out with. But if I do ask... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/18/2007
OK, that's perhaps a needlessly inciting headline. But it does get us to focus like a laser beam on the morality of kissing someone you're not married to. The point in Scott Croft's article, published this morning on Boundless, is that kissing as typically practiced within modern dating relationships is sexual in nature, and that there's no place for sexual activity outside of marriage: God's design of sex doesn't merely include the act of sexual intercourse. It's also everything that... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 01/18/2007
I thought I'd take some time to promote one of my own articles. I'm pretty shameless. Some of the college students on TrueU.org were talking about the dilemma many women face when it comes to careers: Should I continue to work once I have children? Is it OK for me to make more money than my husband? Why am I wasting all of this money on tuition if I won't even have a career? (Candice has addressed this issue on... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 01/17/2007
I should know better. I took the New York Times story at face value, trusting that the number -- "51 percent of women now living without a spouse" -- was legit. I knew the NYT was shameless, but this is ridiculous. They arrived at that number by including "women" as young as 15, women whose husbands are deployed overseas, women who are currently separated and widows. They want us to believe marriage is on the outs. That's it's no longer... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 01/17/2007
When I was in college, one of my friends introduced me to writing "rules to live by." As things came up in life -- ideas I thought were good, or things I thought I should avoid -- I would write them down in a list format. Basically, it was a simple way to journal my thoughts, feelings and experiences. Of course, a good number of my rules related to relationships with guys. One of them -- that I learned the... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/17/2007
This is a moderated blog. This means that all comments are approved by one of the Boundless staff before they go live. The vast majority of comments -- whether they agree with the initial post or not -- are published. The disagreements serve to further the discussion. The agreements confirm and elaborate on the points made in our original posts. And it all makes for provocative and enjoyable reading. But there are some comments that we choose not to publish.... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 01/17/2007
Tuesday's Wall Street Journal had a lead story about the popularity of organic foods. In addition to listing what foods are worth the extra expense (peaches, strawberries, carrots, milk and meat) and what foods aren't (bananas, seafood and anything processed), the article says where nutrition is concerned, the verdict on organic food is still out. While I'm inclined to believe the proponents of chemical-free, genetically intact food, I know a lot of the interest in "whole foods" is mere fashion.... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/17/2007
Just two weeks ago at Passion07, renowned pastor, author and speaker John Piper used the phrase "he kicks our a**" in a breakout session explaining how God disciplines his children. When asked why he used "language that seemed inappropriate to some" he responded in part: I regret saying it.... I think it is a mixture of (sinful) audience titillation and (holy) scorn against my own flesh and against the devil, along with the desire to make the battle with Satan... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 01/16/2007
In addition to the self-centered women spotlighted in that New York Times article quoted by Steve, I was equally troubled by the assumption that because something is common, it's normative or even good. "This is yet another of the inexorable signs that there is no going back to a world where we can assume that marriage is the main institution that organizes people's lives," says Prof. Stephanie Coontz, author of The Way We Never Were. She's also director of public... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/16/2007
I ran across this article by Camerin Courtney from a few years back that offers great advice to married people on befriending singles. One point, that I have experienced first-hand, is regarding the awkward things married people sometimes say: I have yet to find a witty response to the common small-talk question, "So, are you married?" After I reply, "No," there's usually an awkward silence that I feel compelled to fill with an inane comment such as, "But I'm not... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 01/16/2007
An article in today's New York Times says that for the first time, more American women are living without a husband. The rate of 51 percent of women living without a spouse is up from 35 percent in 1950. We've spent a lot of time on Boundless addressing various factors behind the expanding growth of singleness. This article, however, carries with it a surprising tone of self-centeredness from almost every woman quoted. While we don't know where these women are... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/15/2007
I was clicking through some posts on a singles forum and came across one titled "Dream wife and Dream husband." I admit that I was surprised at the maturity of the responses. Dream spouse characteristics included honest, church-going, non-judgmental, secure, empathetic and so on. Of course, there were some silly ones in there too: "Like Eve before the fall." The thread got me thinking about some teaching I heard a few years ago before I got married, a talk given... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 01/15/2007
The second question in today's Boundless Answers is from a reader whose dad thinks he should wait until his late twenties to get married. I'm hearing more and more about parents making this kind of recommendation. Some, like the one in this question, married later in life and see their path as one worth following. Others married early and realized later that if they had waited they could have started with more money and more maturity. The difficult thing about... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/12/2007
I realize some parents are Web savvy. Mine are not. (I still e-mail my Boundless articles to Mom; It's just easier that way.) That's why I'm excited about Cranky.com, a search engine launched this week that is specially designed for the over-50 set. Fox News reports: This steadily growing demographic often feels overwhelmed using high-powered search engines from the likes of Google Inc. (GOOG) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) because they spew out more results than older eyes care to see,... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/11/2007
In case you missed President Bush's national address last night on Iraq, Justin Taylor has "crafted" it into a Q&A format which he self-describes as logical and clarifying. I agree. Here's some highlights: What is the most urgent priority for success in Iraq? Security, especially in Baghdad. Eighty percent of Iraq's sectarian violence occurs within 30 miles of the capital. This violence is splitting Baghdad into sectarian enclaves, and shaking the confidence of all Iraqis. Why have our past efforts... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 01/10/2007
When Steve mentioned YouTube earlier today, I was reminded of some current pro-life videos on the site. They show 4D footage of pre-born children in the womb. First of all, the ultrasound images are amazing. These are 16-17 week fetuses, nowhere near ready to come out of the womb, yet they look like fully formed babies. It really makes the answer to the question, "What is it?" quite obvious. Since it is obvious that a child in the womb is... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/10/2007
Still in school after four years? You're not alone. In "College: The New Four- Six-Year Degree," David S. Eisen discusses the challenges today's college students face exiting college in a timely manner. The four-year degree is largely a thing of the past. According to a 2006 study by the National Center for Education Statistics, less than 35 percent of students at "four-year colleges" are able to complete their bachelor's degree in four years or fewer. But most do graduate —... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 01/10/2007
In case you haven't been noticing it, a new generation of atheists is emerging who want to rise above the stigma of faithlessness and put Christians back on the defensive. On top of the flood of popular books by luminaries such as Richard Dawkins, comes the Blasphemy Challenge. The current issue of Newsweek reports on this challenge that invites young people to post videos on YouTube in which they blaspheme the Holy Spirit -- since that is a sin the... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/10/2007
I'm taking a moment to mark comment number 1,000 on The Line. Another milestone: We recently had our 100,000th visitor. We truly appreciate all who read our blog and contribute to the conversation, conversation typically characterized by intelligence, relevance and civility. As we move forward with our dialog, there will most certainly be disagreement. So let us remember the words of the late theologian Francis Schaeffer taken from his book The Mark of a Christian: "The world must observe that... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 01/10/2007
I was reading through some of the comments on the blog and came across this one by Ben Lansing. I found myself clicking over to his blog and came across the following cartoon that he drew recently. Great point (which Alex and Brett Harris are going to touch on in an article they're working on for Boundless) -- sometimes our gadgets can distract us from hearing the voice of the Lord. Not only a well-conveyed point, but a timely one... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 01/09/2007
When I first heard that a Democratic senator was in intensive care after suffering a brain hemorrhage last month, I confess my immediate consideration was not for the man, but for the political implications. It was only a month after the November elections and the Senate had just flipped to a one-seat Democratic majority. I thought of Sen. Tim Johnson only as a Democrat, a seat in the majority that, if changed, would mean a different agenda for America. World... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 01/09/2007
The Barna Group's latest study is reporting a surge in home churches and home church participation among young adults "who are interested in faith and spirituality but have little interest in the traditional forms of church." Why the move toward home churches? "Their quest is largely one of escaping outdated structures and institutions" Barna reports. The study results, released Monday, reminded me that when I was single and working in Washington, D.C., I went to a home church (honestly, I'd... Read more.
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