Single, Dating, Engaged, Married: Navigating Life and Love in the Modern Age

Single, Dating, Engaged, Married: Navigating Life and Love in the Modern Age

Navigating the Four Critical Seasons of Relationship:

• SINGLENESS: DEVOTION
• DATING: EVALUATION
• ENGAGED: UNIFICATION
• MARRIED: MISSION

For the first time in history, the average age for an American woman having her first child, 26, is younger than the average age of her first marriage, 27. More children than ever are growing up in fatherless homes, despite the overwhelming evidence that in every measurable way this is bad for the child. The Center for Disease Control also recently reported a dramatic rise in sexually transmitted disease nationwide. Though many young people can avoid early pregnancy and STDs, most cannot dodge the depression and feelings of isolation that characterize this modern generation. Studies show a dramatic rise in self-reported loneliness among the young. All of our technological connectivity has not made us feel more connected. In many ways, the very screens that are meant to link us to others have become shields blocking us from true intimacy. Many have discovered that where there is a lack of intimacy, addiction often rises to take its place. How can a young person navigate such troubled waters? Is there hope out there?

We need to see the fixed points to navigate the objective realities in life. We need the skill-set to know how to journey through life and how to select the right people to journey alongside. In this book we will chart a course through the four relational phases that the vast majority of human beings on the planet will pass through in their twenties: singleness, dating, engaged and married. In each of these phases, we will look at what eternal purposes should be pursued in each stage, and how to pursue them.