Singleness Redefined: Episode 72

Jeff Caylor is our featured musical artist this week. He's a favorite of the Boundless Show. If you're not familiar with Jeff's music go back and read the twitterview we did with him last month about his new album What Birds Dream.

Tweet Tweet -- 00:00
Boundless is on twitter. We've blogged about it and shamelessly asked you to follow us. This week Lisa, Motte, Steve, and I discuss the pros and cons of twittering. Is it worth the time investment? What's the point? Should you twitter in church? We'll tackle all these questions and more. In the meantime, you can check out the Boundless twitter and well as Motte, Candice, Steve, and Lisa's individual twitters.

Singleness Redefined -- 16:53
Lisa got Carolyn Leutwiler from Redeemer Presbyterian author of Singleness Redefined on the line to talk about ~~Dolce and Gabbana~~ how God's word transformed her unsatisfied single-life to one of "productivity and fullness." You can learn more about Carolyn and her book on her website.

What's THAT Noise? -- 37:53
I need to preface this segment with a word: awkward. That's what I thought this week's inbox was going to be. One of our listeners lives in an apartment with thin walls. And he often and at odd hours hears his neighbors...uh...well, having sex. Not only does it interrupt his sleep but it's tempting him to lust. Motte shares some advice from his experience as an apartment dweller and does it in a way that's less awkward than I had anticipated.

Comments

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1. Michael said the following at 12:22 AM on Jun 5:

I'd just like to chime in and reinforce the counsel Motte gave. If your neigbors sexual activities is really a bother for you, yes, absolutely, first knock on their door. You'd be surprised, most people (not all, but most) are willing to help you out if you believe you're being tempted. After that, if you're stuck in your apartment, yes, go buy something to drown out the noise, head over to a friend's or something. And yes, I would even consider moving, if it's within your means to do so. After that, if THAT doesn't work... Well, I don't know where you're at in life, don't be jealous of what they have, or envious of what you don't. Perhaps, let that be motivation for you to get your act in gear and find a spouse of your own! I mean that with the sincerest respect. After all, scripture does say, if there is, SINCE there is, sexual immorality in the church, let each man have his own wife, etc, etc, etc. -Michael

2. Joanna said the following at 5:39 AM on Jun 5:

One big benefit i've found with Twitter is to be able to quickly communicate prayer requests to a large group. My town was one of the ones hit in the Australian bush fires earlier this year. When it looked like we might have been an risk i didn't have time to write out a full blog post asking people to pray but i was able to easily tap out a short twitter message requesting prayer.

3. Esther said the following at 12:58 PM on Jun 5:

I listened to the podcast and am considering reading the book by Carolyn Leutwiler. I am an older single: once married, widowed at 38, now ten years later still single.

Here's my question: when does one know that God is NOT going to provide a husband? How does one prepare oneself for a single rest-of-my-life if there's still a chance that God might eventually change my last name one more time? I find it very difficult and don't have a lot of understanding about whether to keep on hoping or make plans that do not include a partner.

I know Boundless is mostly about young-never-married singles, but hopefully my question is being pondered by some of them, too, and will help to spur some useful discussion.

4. Rachael said the following at 6:31 PM on Jun 5:

Hi Esther,

My first comment is probably something that you know in your heart: most likely you will not know whether or not God will provide you a husband.

As for preparation? Just do as you like. Even if you choose a path that seems to eliminate any husband potential, you never know...just recently Suzanne wrote about meeting her special person at a coffee shop.

Will you choose the 'wrong path'? Maybe. But think of Jonah. He did, there was a storm, and a big fish came to his rescue.

God can stop you even if you're headed down the wrong career or volunteer path. He can turn you around.

You desire the right path, you desire God. Just take His hand; he's in control...

5. Rachael said the following at 6:36 PM on Jun 5:

(P.S. Esther - believe I alluded to Suzanne's current relationship, but nevermind. Seems from her last post that there was a passage of time and various situations in which they crossed paths...)

6. Sarah P. said the following at 8:31 AM on Jun 8:

Also, I want to note that Jonah was purposefully running away from God when He had to send a big fish to retrieve him. If we are seeking God's face first and foremost and desiring to serve Him, He will take care of the rest.

It is possible to run away from God without realizing it. As Michael Card sings, "Sometimes even followers get lost." There's a prayer that I need to remember more often: "Lord, save me from the secret sins."

But really, "Faith is knowing that God exists and that He delights to reward those who diligently seek Him." He is good.

7. Tami said the following at 4:36 PM on Jun 8:

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

This comment brought to you by someone who had Hebrews 11:6 drilled into her head by God at every turn for over a year :)

8. BDB said the following at 5:16 PM on Jun 8:

Esther (#3) - Elisabet Elliot's book on Loneliness was written after she was widowed - I forget the first or second time. You might like her writing on the subject. If I remember correctly, she went 11 years after her first husband was martyred before she remarried, then lost the 2nd husband to cancer.

9. Rachael said the following at 8:28 AM on Jun 9:

re: faith

Faith plays a huge role in the Bible. We're supposed to have it. Yet that doesn't mean we're going to get what we want or be rewarded in exactly the way we want...

It's interesting to me how faith is so closely tied in with healings in the Bible. And there's some in Christianity who are really into physical healing. I've not done enough study about it, but, if I were to go to a place where healings were done on a specific evening, I'd be skeptical. Sure God can heal. But can Satan also heal or seem to heal to distract people away from God? That might be possible, too.

We're supposed to have faith. But that doesn't mean we'll get what we want. God is good. That doesn't mean He'll give us what we think we want.

But I should have faith about what is already written in Scripture, and put those promises into practice with faith.

10. Heather S.F. said the following at 11:46 PM on Jun 9:

On tweeting and singleness:

I have recently realized more profoundly the desire that we humans have to be doing life with another. It is built into my makeup to want to share my experiences as I walk through life.
At my recent trip to the Next conference, I found myself having the urge to tweet each new experience as I went through the weekend. I also have found that my single friends tend to tweet during long solo road trips.

Twitter has provided a whole new arena for singles to feel as if they are doing life with others, without actually doing so!