If you haven’t already read the first two installments of this series, it might be helpful to give them a glance (pt. I & pt. II) before you dive into this one. :) Hopefully they’ll help you understand my heart behind this Alive, Not Alone series before we trek onward.
As promised, here is the ‘resources’ post! In the last two posts I chronicled how I found myself in a low place, fighting a mountain of feelings (almost all of them unpleasant) about singleness and equally bound and determined not to stay buried there. And now I’m going to share with you the practical resources that I ‘happened’ to come across as I began seeking for a way to change the narrative. (it was no happenstance. thanks for being faithful, Lord.)
Before I begin listing podcasts, sermons and ‘people you should follow’, I want to make a clear disclaimer–none of these people are infallible and none of what they write and speak is pure gospel. Thus far as I’ve followed along with them, reading their posts, listening to their stories and gleaning from their wisdom and encouragement, I’ve found that their thoughts and advice ring true in my spirit and with the Word. But, I, too, am prone to failure and missteps. So please be sure to practice your own spiritual discernment as you dive in. Let the Holy Spirit weed out all the human nonsense and highlight the good stuff that holds up to scripture and His character.
When I sat down to begin compiling the list for this post, I was surprised at how short it was.
‘How odd,’ I thought, ‘I really felt like I had podcasts and blog posts simply pouring in as I pondered my way through this process this spring…’ Then I realized that the resources I had been able to get my hands on had been ‘expanded’, if you will, by a lot of thought, prayer, and processing with close friends. God used these resources to get me thinking, to dispel lies and offer truth, and to initiate conversations with those around me. I highly encourage you to take a similar tack. Give yourself time to reflect, journal, and thoroughly process as you dig through all this information.
Enough talk! On to the resources themselves!
Pastor Jonathan Pokluda – “Jonathan “JP” Pokluda is the Lead Pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, TX. He was formerly the leader of The Porch in Dallas, TX, which grew to be the largest weekly young adult gathering of its kind in the country.” [bio taken from JP’s website]
Pastor JP’s sermons and podcasts were my #1 source of encouragement and plainly-spoken truth as I first started digging into the topic of singleness. I will list some of my favorites of his sermons and podcasts here, but I highly recommend his teaching on other areas of life, too.
PODCASTS:
Becoming Something – Episode 93: I’m Single And I Don’t Want To Be
Becoming Something – Episode 201: Single and Ready to Mingle
Becoming Something – Episode 202: Guard Your Heart
The Spillover with Alex Clark – S1, E22: “You Asked A Pastor WHAT?!” Sex, Love, and Dating with Pastor JP [Disclaimer: This one *is* quite spicy, some of it unnecessarily so in my opinion. It does cover a lot about sex, but Pastor JP also speaks some powerful truth to the singleness state. I think it’s worth the listen, but proceed at your own discretion!]
SERMONS:
First Comes Love Series - Not all of these sermons are done by Pastor JP and I haven’t listened to *all* of them (just the ones by JP), but I think it could be super impactful to listen to the whole series!
Singleness is a Gift & The Purpose of Singleness, Dating, & Marriage – both of these sermons are also a part of a series. I haven’t listened to the other ones, but it could totally be worth checking them out!
Riley Sewell Kehoe - Riley is a New Zealand native who speaks and writes powerfully about singleness–and a lot of other powerful topics relating to our walk with Jesus! She just got married at the beginning of 2023, so you may have to toggle back and forth between her married and maiden names to find some of her content.
I found Riley through a friend, and have gleaned so much encouragement from her joy and the passionate way she speaks about Jesus and the incredible reality of walking with Him. Here are her main resources:
Her Blog – Riley With Courage
Instagram – I’m not on Instagram any more, but while I was, Riley was possibly the most positive person/account/content I encountered while I was there. She shares a lot of really great bite-sized wisdom and encouragement through her posts and stories.
Podcasts – If you just search ‘Riley Sewell’ (I suggest leaving off her new last name since most of her content has come out prior to her marriage) in your preferred podcast app, you will find quite a few powerful interviews with Riley. Not all of them were bombshells for me, but all of them were encouraging and uplifting!
Java with Juli [specific podcasts] – Java with Juli is a podcast that seeks to share biblical perspectives on sexuality and areas of our lives that are impacted by it.
The episodes I’ll share with you were sent to me by my mom, who knew I was looking for resources on singleness. (thanks mom!!) I think the main audience of the podcast is generally married people, but obviously Juli cares about reaching single people with biblical truth on sexuality, too.
Episode #450 - Breaking the Marriage Idol
Episode #464 - Why We Need to Remember The Dignity of Singleness
BONUS: Episode #455 - How God Changed My Heart (Even After I Changed My Gender) – this episode isn’t about singleness but it is an incredibly powerful and encouraging testimony!! I highly recommend taking the time to listen, especially if you’re feeling at a loss as to how to reach those struggling with gender and sexual identity in your life.
TBR – Resources (Books) I Plan to Explore
I haven’t read these books (and therefore cannot vouch for them just yet) but I plan to in the near future! Once I have, I’ll update this post with either my thumbs up or disapprobation. ;)
I hope these resources (I swear, if I have to write ‘resources’ one more time… THERE ARE NO GOOD SYNONYMS!!!) serve you well. If you have suggestions for books, blogs, podcasts, or sermons that have been beneficial for you in your singleness, I would love more recommendations. :)
In the next post I’ll share what I've learned about one of the main ‘do-or-die’ aspects of a healthy single existence.
‘Till then.
Big love,
Em
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