Category Archives: Uncategorized

Motherhood, Single Parenting, Uncategorized

This is not a picture of my sister and me

March 11, 2013 Diane Rivers 14 Comments

A week or so ago, I ambled through a lovely antique store in SW Florida. Everything was organized and displayed with genuine care, not at all jumbled and random as many such places can be. It felt like the shop owner had bestowed a kind of gentle honor on all these vestiges of other people’s lives.

I was drawn to a basket of old pictures and postcards. It was enchanting . . . but a little sad. These precious (at one time) family mementos were now items of little value beyond curiosity and a bit of speculation.

Postcards from the early 1900s conveyed greetings from far flung destinations like New York City, Sweden, and Holland (not the one in Michigan) to loved ones back home in small towns . . . news of stagecoaches, difficult people, and homesickness all written in careful script.

One dear lady worried in her postcard about three one dollar bills she had misplaced before she left and gave instructions for what to do with the money if it was found. Continue reading This is not a picture of my sister and me →

Christian Life, Faith, Uncategorized

One of the most powerful forces on earth

February 27, 2013 Diane Rivers 11 Comments

On Valentine’s Day, a letter arrived in my mailbox from the little boy I sponsor in Bangladesh through Compassion International. Through an interpreter, he told me about his Christmas and what he had been able to get with the money I had sent him and his family. At the end of the letter, the translator (Timothio) noted, “He is weak in education. Please pray for him. He also prays for you.”

Imagine … a 9 year-old child in a Third World country, praying for me. I was undone. Continue reading One of the most powerful forces on earth →

Christian Life, Prayer, Uncategorized

I Heard God’s Singing Voice

February 22, 2013 Diane Rivers 15 Comments

I woke up with a headache this morning that caffeine wouldn’t touch (I’m blaming it on the red tide at the beach yesterday) and it started going downhill from there.

I was trying to complete an important project for my employer and I kept slamming up against computer problems that would have made a preacher cuss. Continue reading I Heard God’s Singing Voice →

Christian Life, One Word 365, Uncategorized

Finding Beauty in Tension

February 13, 2013 Diane Rivers 4 Comments

I chose to be part of the OneWord365 movement this year – the idea being that instead of making New Year’s resolutions, you prayerfully select a single word and focus on it for a full year, noting how it influences your life each day. I chose “harmony” as my word for 2013. This is my update on how it’s going.

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Did you ever buy a new car and suddenly it seems every third car you see on the road is the same make and model as the one you just bought? (Excuse me, when did the whole world decide to buy a Toyota Prius??)

That’s how it is for me with HARMONY.

Everywhere I turn, I’m noticing this word. I see it referenced in the Bible, I come across articles that address it. Even in conversation, harmony comes up regularly.

That tells me this is definitely a concept I need to focus on.

One of the best discussions out there about harmony is Continue reading Finding Beauty in Tension →

Motherhood, Prayer, Single Parenting, Singleness, Uncategorized

“Quickly, How Are You?”

February 9, 2013 Diane Rivers 12 Comments

It’s Saturday, so here are some thoughts for our single friends. A version of this post first appeared in July 2012 on SingleMatters.

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A friend of mine years ago used to call me regularly late at night and unload her problems on me. I was an exhausted single mom with a thousand things to do after my little one went down for the night and this was just what I didn’t need.

This friend would drone on and on about everything wrong in her life. She would cry and complain and question the goodness of God. Then, after 30-45 minutes of this she would say, “Well, I have to go, but quickly – how are you?”

My response was always, “Quickly? I’m fine.” Whether I was or not. And then we would hang up.

You know what? She was a load. Continue reading “Quickly, How Are You?” →

Christian Life, Faith, Uncategorized

I Saw God When I Opened My Laptop Today

February 6, 2013 Diane Rivers 4 Comments

No, not like one of those apparitions where Jesus’ face appears on a grilled cheese sandwich or a weeping Virgin Mary is seen on a dirt-streaked wall.

The smudged screen didn’t hint at a bearded, long-haired man if I squinted just so. Nope, not like that at all.

It was more of a simple reminder. A message that a vast, all-powerful God could peek into my seemingly insignificant life to say a quick, “Hey, love you!”

Here’s what happened: Continue reading I Saw God When I Opened My Laptop Today →

Christian Life, Singleness, Uncategorized

Is Singleness A Workaround?

February 2, 2013 Diane Rivers 5 Comments

It’s Saturday, so I’d like to share this post for singles. A version of it appeared here in April 2011.

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This surprised me: More than fifty per cent of U.S. residents are now single, nearly a third of all households are comprised of just one resident, and five million adults younger than thirty-five live alone*.

Singleness is hardly rare and single adults of all ages have a considerable amount of influence on American culture, from their purchasing habits to their entertainment choices.

But would singleness be considered a “workaround”? Continue reading Is Singleness A Workaround? →

Christian Life, Singleness, Uncategorized

One Thing Not to Say to Your Single Friends

January 26, 2013 Diane Rivers 16 Comments

It’s Saturday and, as I mentioned last week, on Saturdays I’d like to share content related to singles. This post originally appeared on SingleMatters; married or single, I hope you find it helpful!

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Why is it that once some (not all) people get married, they seem to have all the answers for their single friends? They are now success stories, automatically qualified to share dating advice, suggest possible matches, and impart wisdom, for they have “arrived”.

Some will even happily preach you a sermonette about how to find the partner God has in mind for you. (Which assumes marriage is God’s plan for everyone and that there is such a thing as a soulmate for you out there – a topic worthy of much deeper discussion and that was recently addressed with great eloquence here. But I digress.)

In their enthusiasm, they usually mean well. And to be fair, not all their suggestions are unwelcome. Some may even be helpful.

But if you’re married, here’s one way NOT to help your single friends “put things in perspective”: Continue reading One Thing Not to Say to Your Single Friends →

Christian Life, Community, Faith, Prayer, Uncategorized

A Quote That Stopped Me in My Tracks

January 24, 2013 Diane Rivers 12 Comments

Yesterday on Twitter someone quoted David Augsburger and it was so arresting I had to read it twice. It was only 17 words but I went to sleep last night thinking about what a profound truth it revealed.

Here’s the quote: Continue reading A Quote That Stopped Me in My Tracks →

Singleness, Uncategorized

Passed By A Pregnant Chick

January 19, 2013 Diane Rivers 14 Comments

On Saturdays, I’d like to focus on singles in this blog, since many who are single feel they are leading “workaround” lives. (I was a single parent for 18 years; I get that.) I’ll be sharing content here from SingleMatters, a blog I write with Marie Shepherd, and also sharing insights from other relevant sources and writers. A variation of the post that follows originally appeared on SingleMatters last April.

Have you ever participated in a “Fun Run”? Maybe it was only a few miles, to raise money for a worthy cause. There was no real pressure and you really didn’t give a moment’s thought to actually winning your age bracket.

But there you were, jostling with the other runners at the start, feeling all healthy and honorable, and you found yourself sizing up the people around you. Continue reading Passed By A Pregnant Chick →

Diane Rivers

Category Archives: Uncategorized

This is not a picture of my sister and me

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One of the most powerful forces on earth

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I Heard God’s Singing Voice

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Finding Beauty in Tension

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“Quickly, How Are You?”

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I Saw God When I Opened My Laptop Today

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Is Singleness A Workaround?

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One Thing Not to Say to Your Single Friends

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A Quote That Stopped Me in My Tracks

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Passed By A Pregnant Chick

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Finding Joy in a Workaround Life

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Finding Joy in a Workaround Life