Hello and Happy Friday :-) We've made it to the end of another week and I hope yours was great. This is just a reminder that you will be seeing blog posts every Wednesday, starting next week. If you missed the Going Forward post on Tuesday that explains the vision of the blog, going forward, check it out here.

I hope that you have been encouraged and inspired in some way over the past two weeks, whether personally or spiritually. I pray that you continue to grow in your relationship with Christ and continue to nurture the person that God has created you to be.

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to take some time out for yourself.

Blessings,

Audrey

THE SINGLE LIFE: TAKING INVENTORY

Hello and Happy Thursday :-) I thought I'd do a #tbt blog post today. It is an important practice that I think is important to do during the single life journey. It is the practice of taking a single life inventory. Just as we focus and take care of other things in our lives, this is an area that I think should be nurtured as well. Below is the #tbt post from March 27, 2015 but is still very relevant now. Read it for your encouragement and if you haven't taken inventory of your single life, you can still do it. Just set aside some time to do it. You will be happy that you did. :-)

THE SINGLE LIFE: TAKING INVENTORY

Hello everyone :-) Welcome to the end of another week. I hope that it was a good week for you. As I mentioned, I would be sharing a post with you today. Here is a question for you: Do you take inventory of your single life?

As we go through our day-to-day lives, we are often focused on taking care of things such as work, church, family, etc...and sometimes we may overlook taking care of ourselves. When we do finally get a moment to take care of ourselves, we often concentrate on getting pampered or hanging out with friends, which are both great and should be done, but do we ever take the time to take care of something that we may not realize is in desperate need of attention: our singleness? 

I know the thoughts may be, "Take care of my singleness? I'm reminded of it everyday" or "My singleness needs attention? Tell that to my family and friends who keep asking me why I'm single." 

In this case, I mean paying attention to more than just your status as a single person, but caring for your life as a single person. I believe that sometimes this is why some singles have questions about their lives as it pertains to marriage. Have you really taken stock of your singleness? Are you putting the cart (marriage) before the horse (singleness)? Are you placing more emphasis on finding a mate, than pursuing your goals and dreams? These are just a few things that I think will be helpful in taking care of and appreciating our single lives.

I know that Chronicles is dedicated to encouraging single women who desire to be married, but I believe that if we aren't cultivating our single lives, we won't be adequately prepared to take the next step to marriage. 

This weekend, or at some point, take some time out for you and take stock of your single life. You may be amazed at what you may need to add to, re-stock or remove from your inventory. Below are questions to help you get started. Be sure to print out the questions so you can begin your inventory. Also, pass this on any singles that you know.

SINGLENESS INVENTORY:

-If I could describe my single life in one word, it would be:

-Are there things that I need to work on as a single person? If so, list them/it.

-Do I ever take a moment to just be with  me? If so, what are the benefits? If not, why?

-Do I spend time with the Lord? If yes, what are the benefits? If no, why?

-Do I ever take inventory of my single life? If yes, how has it helped cultivate my single life? If no, why not?

-Am I allowing anything to influence my views on singleness (i.e. what I watch, who I hang around, what I listen to)?

-Who do I allow to define my singleness? [Note: Sometimes we allow others to define our single lives, mainly, when we should get married. What do you say about your single life? Not just about marriage, about anything?]

-Do I live my single life according to what the world says or what God (the Word) says? 

-Does my singleness revolve around finding a man? If yes, explain. If no, explain.

-Am I involved in any activities (hobby, my community, exercise, etc...) If so, what are the benefits? If not, what activity would I like to become involved in?

-How am I serving God? 

-Do I hang around like-minded people?

-Am I willing to let go of any toxic people in my life? If yes, how will I do it? If no, why?

-Am I currently in a relationship that I know is not healthy for me? If no, what are some things that I do to help discern unhealthy relationships? If yes, why?

-Am I inviting sin into my life (i.e. gossiping, lying, sleeping with someone who is not my husband, etc...)?

-Do I have hopes, dreams, and goals? If yes, list them. If no, why not?

-Am I pursuing my hopes, dreams, and goals? If yes, what steps did I take to get there? :-) If no, why not?

APPLICATION:

Make a decision to accomplish one thing that you have not taken care of in your inventory above. (Some things take longer than others, but taking the first step is what counts.)

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you for the gift of singleness. Thank you for allowing me this time to serve You, take care of myself, and use this time to grow into the person that You would have me to be. Lord, help me to pay attention to, and take inventory of my single life when it is needed. I want to honor You and appreciate this time that You have carved out specifically for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

HELPFUL SCRIPTURES:

1 Corinthians 7:32-34; Psalm 1:1-3, Matthew 11:28-30; Philippians 4:6-6; Philippians 4:11

Have an awesome weekend :-)

DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF TODAY...

Give yourself a compliment

Release guilt, worry, or shame 

Forgive yourself

Pray for yourself

Take a walk/get some fresh air

Revisit the goals/dreams you may have put away

Do something you really love

Take some time to relax

Remind yourself how marvelous you are

Tell yourself, "I love you."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

8 Love never fails. 

GOING FORWARD

Today I will be sharing with you the vision of the blog and how things will go moving forward. In this post I will be sharing who this blog is for, post schedule, the overall atmosphere, and more. Take a look below...

WHO- There aren't too many places on the internet or social media that I know of that are specific to single, Christian, African-American women, 35 years or more. When I thought about who I wanted the blog to be for now that demographic was at the top of the list. With that said, this blog is for the single, Christian, African-American woman, ages 35 and up.

BLOG SCHEDULE- I have decided to do weekly blog posts. I do not want to overwhelm myself with trying to do blog posts everyday. Not right now, at least. So with that in mind, starting next week you will see blog posts every Wednesday. This week, look out for more inspirational posts.

THE ATMOSPHERE- From the beginning of starting this blog I wanted this to be a sanctuary of sorts. A place of peace, love, respect, honesty, uplift, regard for others, gentleness, sisterhood, and an environment of wanting to live an overall better life. Those attributes have not changed and will continue to be fostered here. I want all to feel welcome.

COMMUNICATION- You've probably seen me encourage you to share your thoughts on a post or if you have something to share in general. I believe that communication is key and is another way to help foster the type of environment I would like for the blog. So, you are welcome to share your thoughts about the blog, a post, suggest a topic for me to write about, or share whatever is on your heart. You may share in the comment section on the blog or by contacting me at coafw@yahoo.com.

FEATURES- I would like to continue to do features on the blog. I would like to expand them to be more well rounded, to talk about an array of subjects. As I take the continuance of the blog one day at a time, features will be a topic that I'm taking into consideration.

So, this is what the blog will look like going forward. As I am taking the blog one day at a time, I am taking the vision for the blog one day at a time as well. As always, thank you for your readership and support. Don't forget to share the blog with your family, friends, co-workers, church family, etc...Any questions, suggestions, etc...about the blog? Feel free to share in the comment section or contact me at coafw@yahoo.com.

Blessings,

Audrey

Hello and Happy New Week :-) I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Tomorrow I will be sharing with you the vision of this blog and how things will go, going forward. Until, then, I wish you a blessed week and to remember that the purpose God has for you is all yours. No one can do what God has called you to do. If you are looking at someone else and where they are in their journey, take your eyes off of them and put your eyes back on the Lord. Maybe you are walking in your purpose and need a moment to seek God, regroup, and reevaluate some things. If so, do that. Your purpose is yours, to the glory of God. Embrace the lane that you're in and confidently go forward in your purpose. 

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE WEEKEND

Hello and Happy Friday :-) I just wanted to wish you a happy and safe weekend. I hope that you have been encouraged by the blog in some way this week. God willing, I will be back with more content Monday. As always, thank you for your readership and support. Please share the blog with family, friends, church members, etc...If you have any questions or suggestions about the blog, feel free to share them with me at coafw@yahoo.com. Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

TRUST HIM

I thought someone may need some encouragement to trust God today. Don't give up. Put your hope and trust in Him. It's not always easy, but God will show Himself faithful. If you need to take a moment to regroup (pray, take a walk, meditate) to get yourself back in alignment with the truth of God's word, do that. God will not fail us when we we trust Him.We will not be disappointed. Have an awesome day.

BLOG TOPICS

I am always open to topics to discuss on the blog. If there are any topics that you would like to see, you may leave them below in the comment section or send them to coafw@yahoo.com. Thank you and have an awesome day. 

Encouraging word for the day...

ONE DAY AT A TIME

An encouraging word for you today...

Take your days one day at a time. Whatever you're pursuing will take time. Whatever God is doing in your life will take time. There is no need to rush or fear. Put your trust in God, He is in control. With Him you have the victory and you will succeed.

3Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4Delight yourself in the LORD,

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in Him, and He will do it.

-Psalm 37:3-5

HE PROTECTS US

Hello and welcome to a wonderful new week. I wanted to help start your week off with a beautiful and powerful song by one of my favorite gospel trios, Virtue. The song is called Thank You Jesus and sends a very powerful message about Jesus' protection of us. Virtue sings the song as a personal testimony but it makes me stop and thank him for the many ways he protects me in my own life. Take a listen to the song, then take a moment to say, "Thank you, Jesus" for the many ways that he has protected you.

The LORD is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe. -Psalm 18:2 GNT 

Every single day I wake up, I lift my hands and jump up

Knowing it was no good of mine, but it was the Christ in my life

And even if I couldn't say a word, I just raise my hands

And even if I had a million tongues it's not enough of them

-Virtue, Thank You Jesus

Just an encouraging word to send you into the weekend. 

THE NEW CHANGE

When I first started this blog, the intent was for me to literally chronicle my everyday (single) life until I met my future husband. At the time, I was very hopeful about the prospect of getting married. I was younger and had the hopefulness that comes along with a single, Christian, young woman who desires marriage. Then things in life happened, time passed, and suddenly I saw myself a little older and realizing that the same hopefulness that I had a few years back did not fit with who I am now. 

After some reflection, praying, and talking to God, I realized some things: I needed to continue to enjoy being single and I'd grown past the way I used to think about getting married.

So why am I saying all of this? Well, as mentioned above, the mindset I used to have about getting married has changed. In short, it will happen when it's supposed to happen. This frame of mind has given me the freedom to put the future in its proper place and enjoy, even more, the beauty of being single. It's also given me a new approach to this blog.

For now I simply want to encourage my readers or anyone who comes across this blog--about anything. It may be something as lengthy as this post or a short and simple phrase that still makes a point. 

Also, let me get this out of the way: at certain times of this blog, I haven't always been consistent. That has a lot to do with many of the things I mentioned earlier (time passing, reflecting, a new way of thinking) but it was mainly because I was approaching this blog from the mindset that I used to have and not where I am now. That is why there were sporadic posts, then none at all. 

This blog has always been bigger than me and where I've always felt my sense of purpose. It will be a one-day-at-a-time approach, but I will be sharing more content with you. 

Thank you to everyone who has remained a supporter of this blog over the years. It means the world to me. Thank you for your kind emails and words of encouragement. They mean the world to me as well. 

Until the next post, 

Audrey