Recent Roundup

Tuesday Candice joined radio host Debbie Chavez to talk about being single, hoping for marriage, living like you're planning to marry, and more in an interview about Get Married.

The interview was live but she's posted a link to the archive here.

Also Tuesday, Boundless ran Candice's article How to Pray for a Husband.

If you've read "Pray Boldly," this will read like a part 2. If you haven't, it's a primer on the way we approach God in our desire for marriage. Here's an excerpt:

Things may not turn out how you want. In C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Susan asked Mr. Beaver about Aslan saying, "Is he — quite safe?" Mr. Beaver replied, "Safe? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." You can know that wherever your journey with Him leads, it will be good.

Believe God is able. Trust Him. But know that believing and trusting aren't the same as setting yourself up for bitter disappointment if He doesn't answer you the way you hope He will. God is calling us to faith, like Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego. (keep reading)

Suzanne Gosselin blogged about the article on theBoundless Line blog, talking about how she prayed for marriage when she was single, and how her husband prayed for her.

Monday's Q&A was in response to a question from a woman who dated a non-believer, conceived his child, had a miscarriage, and is now wondering if she needs to tell her family. That and how to move forward in a new relationship that has the potential to go to marriage. You can read the whole exchange in "Hope for a Broken Life."

Love in Any Language

Most women want to marry well. It's not just an American thing. That's why I'm super excited by this.

Can you tell what it is?

Here's another hint.

Got it?

No?

OK, how about this?

The cover's the real giveaway!

Now you know. Get Married has been published in Chinese! Thanks to Campus Crusade for Christ, Taiwan, the message of being intentional about marrying well for God's glory is now available in another language, across the sea!

Is there anything good about waiting?

If you haven't already seen it, I have a new article over on Boundless today that begins: "Recently a local church e-mailed me with an invitation to speak about waiting on God for a husband. I wondered if they had the right person.

"With a book title like Get Married: What Women Can Do to Help it Happen, I'm not exactly known for messages about waiting. Having spent so much of the past few years writing about all the ways we can delay marriage—to our disappointment and frustration—I wasn't sure I had much to say about waiting in a positive light. Is there anything good about waiting for marriage?"

That's the question I pose to myself in today's column, "It's Good to Wait." You can read the whole thing here.

Everyone Has a Role to Play

The third and final part of my conversation with Carolyn McCulley, Dr. Dobson and John Fuller about being single and hoping for marriage is airing today on Focus on the Family. Today we talk about the many roles to be played—by God, parents, women, men, churches, etc.—on the way to marriage. We also talk about the pain, frustration and possible redemption of being single longer than expected.

Carolyn has this to say about it on her blog:

As Dr. Grudem said on Sunday morning at my church, he doesn't know anyone over 50 who has not had a significant trial or affliction. If you live long enough, you will encounter difficulty because it's what happens in a fallen world. But this is not the end of the story. Not only will we experience God's redemptive activity in this life, we have the promise of sin-free, pain-free life everlasting with Him in eternity. So if I am called by God to glorify Him as a single woman, even though I desire marriage, I know He is not wasting that desire or my small sacrifice in the years I have lived in that tension. He is weaving that into His plan to rescue, redeem, and reclaim His children.

And that's my confidence in extended singleness.

In case you missed any of the shows, you can listen to all three days worth of conversations with this crew here (look for the links in the list of "Recent broadcasts").

FamilyMaking around the Web

Yesterday, Albert Mohler talked on his radio show about "The Case for (Early) Marriage," the Mark Regnerus cover story in this month's Christianity Today magazine. It's an exceptional article that, while sobering, offers much hope in the way of exposing the problem of extended singleness in such a visible and influencial place. Being an avid Twitter user, I saw Dr. Mohler's tweet asking for callers so I figured it was worth a try to get through. And I did, on the first try. It was fun to talk to him on-air about the challenges facing single women in their desire for marriage, as well as the role men play in putting it off. You can listen to the whole show, including our conversation, here.

Monday, Boundless published, "Working Full Time as a Stay at Home Wife," my response to a woman who is nearly finished with her degree and about to get married. She's thinking about forgoing a full-time job to focus on her husband, her home, and her ministry, but she's wondering if that would be lazy or selfish. I guessed her question and my answer might stir up some controversy, and true to form, there's quite a debate over on the Boundless Line blog. You can join the conversation--95 comments and counting--here.

Finally, after a lull in book news, there are three Get Married interviews coming up that I wanted to let you know about.

Family Life Today -- Steve and I flew to Arkansas this past April to record interviews with hosts Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine. It was a lot of fun to see the FL studios in person and an added bonus, we got to visit some of our best friends while we were there.

We originally planned to discuss Start Your Family, but thankfully, they decided to add a session on Get Married, too! The Get Married interview will air first on August 31-September 1. You'll be able to listen to Steve and me talk about our dating days, as well as the challenges facing singles, and the active role God calls women to play in marrying well. This is a national show; for station info in your area, visit their website.

Focus on the Family -- This one followed on the heels of a lot of prayer. I was thrilled to get the call that Dr. Dobson wanted to talk about Get Married on air. Even better, he invited my good friend Carolyn McCulley to join, and together, with co-host John Fuller, we recorded three days of broadcasts about being single, hoping for marriage, trusting God and more. Also a national show, you'll be able to listen on your radio (station guide) or online. The show is slated to air October 12-14 (station guide).

Focus on the Family Weekend Magazine -- Part of the "Tough Questions" series, this conversation with host Juli Slattery also includes Lisa Anderson (host of the Boundless Show podcast) and a drop in from a few other single listeners. The interview, which aired earlier this year in two parts on the Boundless Show, will be spread over several Saturdays in November.

That's all for now. If you'd like a more efficient way to stay up-to-date with what's happening, you can follow us on Twitter @SteveWatters, @CandiceWatters).

The difference vision makes when it comes to babies

Olasky, Early Discuss Start Your Family

This was a big week for book news.

• We answered the interview questions that will go live later today on CitizenLink's Friday Five,
• Listened as Mark Early talked about Start Your Family on the Point Radio, and
• Read Susan Olasky's review in World Magazine (February 28, Vol. 24, No. 4), and
• Wrapped up the contest with MckMama.

On Monday we'll be kicking off a special series with couples we look up to as mentors. You'll recognize some of them. Others will be new. Some still have babies, and others, grand babies. It's our hope that through these discussions, you'll be encouraged that regardless of the times we live in, starting your family is still a worthwhile endeavor -- maybe the best thing you can do.

Want to know what the buzz is all about? Get your copy of Start Your Family today.

Encouraging the Blessing of Children

Listen to Russell Moore interview Steve on the Albert Mohler show about the challenges and opposition to having babies. It's not an ideal time or culture for starting a family. But then it never has been. Listen  here. 

Do Christians view children and families as a blessing from the Lord? Or have we, like the culture around us, bought into the idea that children are just another ‘lifestyle option’ for married couples? On today’s program, guest host Russell Moore welcomes Steve Watters to the program. Steve and Candice Watters are the authors of Start Your Family: Inspiration for Having Babies.