Becky Visits Focus
by Ashley Ramsey on 05/28/2009 at 10:51 AM
I have a confession. Sometimes Twittering feels a little silly to me. I have a hard time caring that Joe Schmo is cleaning out his car, drinking french press coffee or picking his nose. But other times I think it's a great tool for social networking. Like last week for example.
One of our readers sent me a little message on Twitter asking if Boundless was on the Focus tour and if she could meet the team. We aren't on the tour and most of the team was out of the office. I tweeted her back that if she called my extension I would bring her down a copy of the Guy's Guide.
When I got down to the lobby I could tell she wasn't part of the Boundless Target audience. Hint one: baby in sling across her chest. Hint two: toddler in stroller. I got a little bit of her story on video.
1. DEH said the following at 12:13 PM on May 28:
I discovered Boundless after I was married as well. There are several reasons I keep coming back.
1. Boundless helps me process my own past, particularly my dating, engagement, and early married years. Through what I read on Boundless, I become better equipped to look back and see what we did well and what we could have done better. This "processing" (and confession + forgiveness in some areas) helps me to move beyond some of the things that keep me stuck, whether they be regrets, sins, or unhealthy patterns of relating.
2. Boundless helps me relate to and appreciate my single brothers and sisters in Christ. I am always getting a new perspective, particularly through the single commentors on this blog, and I find that helps me have more compassion and appreciation for the unmarried people around me. Also, as I have a small handful of young single friends who at times look up to me and desire my input on their relationships, I feel better equipped through Boundless to mentor them.
3. There is a lot on Boundless that applies to married people as well, from how to relate to members of the opposite sex to how to handle finances, particularly if one desires to be a stay-at-home mom. Sometimes the situations that married people face are not that different from those with which single people must deal.
4. (And perhaps most importantly) Boundless is just an awesome community of believers that is not only stimulating but uplifting. I find myself not only being entertained (because let's face it, Boundless is fun), but also challenged and sharpened in my walk with Christ.
So thanks for keeping the door open for us married readers!
2. Holly Golightly said the following at 1:22 PM on May 28:
I was just talking with my best friend (who is married and has a 1-year old) about the fact that it's hard to find great blogs out there that deal with people our age (we're 25). So much is for teens or for people who are old pros at the marriage thing, or have kids half our age. Totally not for us. But much of Boundless speaks to exactly where we are in life. Moreover, even though I'm married, I work with high school and college girls at church, and the insights Boundless offers singles and the questions tackled here give me great insight on how to answer their questions. I also love the Christian commentary Boundless provides on current events. I could keep going on and on, but I will stop here. Thanks for all the hard work you do and for always producing such thought-provoking, relevant articles.
3. Lisa Anderson said the following at 1:34 PM on May 28:
Becky, you look like a supermom, all put together and fashionable with your jewelry, baby gear and kidlins in tow. Awesome. Thanks for visiting! (Though Ash, did you check and see if I was here to meet Becky? If not, hello, rude...)
4. Rachael said the following at 2:12 PM on May 28:
I found the site pre-marriage, but, much of what is written may apply to any relatively young (or not, I suppose) single or married person.
A lot of what is written in the posts and articles deal with people's actual personal experiences and also contain spiritual insights that I appreciate.
Writing is a wonderful way to express thoughts that might otherwise go unheard. Thank you, post, article, and comment writers!
5. Trisha in AR said the following at 2:27 PM on May 28:
I discovered Boundless two years AFTER a painful divorce. I frequent the Focus On The Family website which in turn led me here. I love your articles and share them frequently with my single friends (who also love you!).
It's such a blessing to me. Keep doing what you're doing! :)
6. George said the following at 3:01 PM on May 28:
My wife introduced me to Boundless shortly before we got married. She's been a longtime reader. I started only listening to the podcast (have never missed an episode) and now follow the blog too.
I follow because it keeps me connected with my single friends and there's a lot of great material for life in general, single or married.
7. Mike said the following at 3:20 PM on May 28:
Like Trisha, I found Boundless after a divorce, as part of my "what went wrong" search. Interestingly, I discovered the ministry not through the website, but through the podcast. Searched iTunes for marriage- and family-related podcasts, and there you were.
Divorcees are technically "single" (although probably above the age demographic), so there's a lot of valuable information here for us too - including plenty of gems in the "what went wrong" category. So, just keep posting, podcasting, and sharing. Even if some of us get a little snarky at times.
:-)
Blessings.
8. Kate said the following at 3:26 PM on May 28:
I discovered Boundless two months before I got married. As my husband and I started dating in high school, kept up a long distance relationship in college, then got married 6 months after graduation, it's provided me with lots of great insights and perspective to be able to relate better with some of my single friends. Another benefit is that I glean insight into (or at least get an attitude check about) my marriage by reading through posts about preparation for marriage.
Mostly, though, there are many issues that apply just as much to me as they would to my single friends. I didn't graduate from college or enter marriage with all my questions about meaning, calling, and vocation fully answered - this has been a help there as well. Thanks!
9. Nickolina said the following at 4:40 PM on May 28:
I am older than most of your readers; my kids are their ages. Boundless still has things that God uses to remind me or teach me.
My husband's grandmother told me one time that, inside her 98-year-old body, she feels about 18.
10. Tori Libby said the following at 9:01 PM on May 28:
I'm not in your core demographic, but I love reading your site. On occasion I have opportunities to mentor young people, and also have two daughters in college, one of whom reads your site regularly. I have frequent conversations in both about guy/girl relationships, marriage, etc. My husband and I did a form of courtship (intentional dating) 27 years ago, and it's exciting to see young people seek to please God in their relationships with the opposite sex. Also, I am an abstinence speaker, and find lots of food for thought on Boundless that I trust makes me a better communicator to teens.
11. Kara said the following at 1:22 PM on May 29:
I stumbled across Boundless when I was still in college and dating my future husband. Your articles appealed to me because they spoke to my current situation, kept up with daily events and most importantly, God used them to speak to my heart about some issues I was having. I'm not sure if I would be a stay-at-home mom today if it weren't for the story titled "Eat your car". The Holy Spirit really used it to convict me that we needed to pay off all of our debt and start saving for when our first little one came along. I can't tell you how grateful I am to be able to take care of my son full-time.
I think it would be FANTASTIC if Boundless spun off a web-site with the target audience of young, married adults with or without young children. I need all of the Godly help & advice I can get with raising our child (& future children!) in the LORD.
Selah!
12. Rachel said the following at 3:09 PM on May 29:
First of all, let me say that I am SO jealous. :) My husband, 3yo son and 6-weeks-from-delivery baby visited Focus on our cross-country military move to Albuquerque NM and, of everything, I was excited to see Boundless! Can we put it on the tour? Soon? If so, I'm coming through there again at the end of June!! :) Makes me think I need to start figuring out this twittering thing... hmmm...
And I've said it before, but I started reading boundless TEN YEARS AGO :) (omigosh) as a freshman in college and am 6 years married, post-college with a 3 yo son and now-6-month-old daughter! I'm a work-from-home mom who teaches high school homeschoolers via an online distance course. I read Boundless constantly. They challenge me and help me grow in faith, and make me a better mom and wife and friend and Christ-follower. When I worked in pro-life ministry for three years, many of the articles helped our ministry to stay focused on what was important (God, relationships, being compassionate and loving and service-oriented no matter what). So, for all that you've been in my life, a huge heartfelt THANK YOU. Blessings! And, hope to see you all in late June! :)
13. Melissa @ Anxious for Nothing said the following at 12:11 AM on May 31:
I've been reading Boundless since the very beginning, when I was single and in high school, and just never stopped--now I'm married and have two kids.
14. Becky Castle Miller said the following at 5:45 PM on May 31:
Ashley, thanks so much for making the time to meet me! I was impressed with your customer service and outreach mentality. The Guy's Guide is great, by the way, and I can't wait to read the Girl's Guide.
One of the things that keeps me coming back to Boundless is the focus on the importance of children in marriage. That's such a counter-cultural idea, even (especially?) among Christians, but it's one that's very important to me. I am a big proponent of people "starting their families," (thanks, Steve and Candice!) so I often pass on articles on that topic. And they provide encouragement for me too!
Lisa - the best part about that outfit/jewelry is that I borrowed it from my 50-something MOM! Isn't she cool?
15. KR said the following at 9:32 PM on May 31:
I discovered Boundless in college, before I even started dating my now-husband. I keep coming back because I'm always learning something new about my faith. I'm challenged to grow and learn spiritually but also practically (how to manage finances, raising kids, being a better friend, etc.)
I especially love listening to the podcasts while traveling for work. I like the mix of culture segments, roundtable, new artists, and Q&A. Keeps it interesting. Lisa also makes me laugh out loud on occasion. Thanks for that!
I guess another minor reason I keep reading is so that I can discuss the articles with my single friends and my younger brothers. It reminds me of issues I struggled with as a single that I'm starting to "forget" now that I've been married a couple years.
16. Kellie said the following at 9:43 AM on Jun 1:
I started reading Boundless several years before I met my husband (now obviously married, with a baby). At the time, the articles encouraged me in my singlness, now I still appreciate the articles. I do disagree with Boundless on some of the finer points of family life, but agree with the important things and the overall goal of the website.