Resources for Singles

Divorce Recovery Class

To get information about the next class.

• Men email John or call 816.868.3978
• Women email Vicky or call 913.449.2165

Books recommended by Heartland singles

• The Bible
• Sex God (Bell, Rob)
• Boundaries and Boundaries in Dating (Cloud, Henry)
• Wild at Heart and Way of the Wild Heart (Eldredge, John)
• Captivating (Eldredge, John and Stasi)
• Blue Like Jazz (Miller, Donald)
• Case for Christ (Strobel, Lee)
• The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring the Sabbath (Buchanan, Mark)
• Just Courage (Haugen, Gary)
• Irresistible Revolution (Claiborne, Shane)
• What You do Best in the Body of Christ (Bugbee, Bruce)
• Just Walk Across the Room (Hybels, Bill)
• Overcoming 7 Obstacles to Spiritual Growth: The Journey to a Closer Walk with God (Carlson, Dwight)
• Velvet Elvis (Bell, Rob)
• Ten Prayers God Always Says "Yes" to. (DeStefano, Anthony)

The Bible

 "The Bible is highly essential and important, yet overlooked. This book is the number one way God speaks to us." -- Ray Ruecker

 "Just dig in and read it. If you don't understand The Bible, get a version where it makes sense to you. This is the overarching storyline behind all great stories. If you still don't understand it, don't be afraid to ask God or someone for help." – Joe Leimer

 "Proverbs 31:10-31 describes a virtuous woman, from God's perspective. Helped me understand what God values in a woman and what I would be wise to seek in one" – Ted Ingalls

 "Get a translation that reads in today's language. If you need a study Bible, I recommend the Open Bible. Its study notes are theologically balanced, giving the reader various points of view allowing the reader to make a more informed decision about what he/she believes." – Harold Eastman

Sex God (Rob Bell)

 Rob Bell, in his book Sex God, does a great job of helping us see the expanse of what it means to be a sexual being even as a single person. Rob Bell explores the infinite ways sexuality and spirituality connects. Reading this book can help balance what it means to be a healthy sexual being living a celibate single lifestyle.

Quotes from the book:

 "The other day my five-year-old son asked my wife, ‘Mom, what does sexy mean?'" "She thought about it for a second, and then replied, ‘Sexy is when it feels good to be in your own skin. Your own body feels right, it feels comfortable. Sexy is when you love being you.'" p. 46

 "Whatever it is that has its hooks in you, you will never be free from it until you find something you want more, It's not about getting rid of desire, it's about giving ourselves to bigger and better and more powerful desires." p. 82

 "If you're dating someone, what kind of man is he? Does he demonstrate that he's the kind of man who would die for you? What is his posture toward the world? Does he serve, or is he waiting to be served? Does he believe that he's owed something, that he's been shortchanged, that he's gotten the short end of the stick, that life owes him something? Or is he out to see what he can give? Does he see himself as being here to make the world a better place?" p.125

Boundaries and Boundaries in Dating (Cloud, Henry)

 "These are excellent books that remind you how and when to say no." – Michelle Wilson

 "Boundaries helped me with learning how to take responsibility for myself and not for others. Helped my yes to be yes and my no to be no." – Annie Cretsinger

 "Boundaries in Dating helped me to see unhealthy patterns in myself and my date and provides a pathway to healthy dating and ultimately finding the right match." – Annie Cretsinger

Wild at Heart and Way of the Wild Heart (Eldredge, John)

 "It's okay to be a man." – Aaron Laue

 "Wild at Heart is a book on developing your identity and masculinity in Christ." – Ray Ruecker

 "Wild at Heart introduced me to what it means to be a real Christian man, and helped me understand how I've been created and what that means for my life as a man." – Ted Ingalls

 "Wild at Heart is a great read for men. It helps guys realize that women and the church don't want them to be Mr. Rogers, but a man fully alive. I'd encourage anyone to read anything written by Jon Eldridge!" – Joe Leimer

 "Everyone should have Wild at Heart on their shelf!" – Michelle Wilson

 "Wild at Heart is a good book for both men and women to read. This book gives a window in to the spirit of men and why men are the way they are. I found it very educational." – Beth Wilson

 "Great book. Wild at Heart helped reinforce the influence dads have on their sons. It helped me realize the impact we all have on people around us." – Harold Eastman

 "Way of the Wild Heart describes the stages in a man's life, a map for a man to follow, helped me understand how my past has shaped me, where I'm at right now in my life, what I need to address from my past in order to move forward with confidence, and helped me envision where my life as a man will go from here." – Ted Ingalls

Captivating (John and Stasi Eldredge)

 "It's okay to be a woman." – Aaron Laue

 "Captivating helps guys understand a woman's heart. Showed me what a woman's heart desires, what she may struggle with in today's culture, and how I as a man and mate can appreciate what makes women beautiful and be intentional about relating in healthy and exciting ways." – Ted Ingalls

 "Captivating is a good book to help women to realize how much they are loved by God and how our thoughts about ourselves play a roll in how others see us." – Beth Wilson

 "Captivating helped me realize, that since God created both male and female in his image, the more I understand and value the way women, in general, see the world and process things the more I can understand aspects of God I may not have understood before. The reverse is true, if I dismiss the way women process the world and express themselves I'm not only a jerk, but I'm dismissing or devaluing aspects of God's character and way of expressing himself. It helped me see how men and women can help each other live well if we honor the difference God Created us with instead of trying to make the other gender act and think they way we do." – Harold Eastman

Blue Like Jazz (Miller, Donald)

 "Blue Like Jazz was great for me to read before I began my walk with Christ. Perfect for someone who is not sure yet but wants to know more about Christian life." – Cliff Pouppirt

 "The most striking thing about Blue Like Jazz is Miller's blatant honesty. The book is filled with his completely random and honest thoughts about different things related to Christianity. I couldn't put it down. I didn't agree with everything he said, but it was very interesting and thought provoking." – Michelle Wilson

 "I loved the honesty of Donald Miller's search to reconcile his love of God and his dissatisfaction with what the church and Christianity had turned into. His honesty is the hallmark of how many Christians are truly being honest about their faith. Christianity must move past "cotton candy" type faith which produces plastic Christians." – Harold Eastman

Case for Christ (Strobel, Lee)

 "Strobel was an atheist, investigative reporter. Then his wife announced that she believed Jesus was her savior. Strobel set out to prove that she was wrong and became a Christian himself. He sticks to the facts and evidence and replies to the most common arguments about the Bible. He answers the questions, "How reliable is the Bible?" and "How can we know that Jesus was the Messiah?" Case for Christ is an excellent book for anyone with questions, or anyone who wants to be prepared to answer questions." – Michelle Wilson

 "Case for Christ presents the evidence of why Christ is who he is. If anyone ever had doubts about Jesus this book will help set those doubts straight." – Beth Wilson

 "Case for Christ is a great book to work through your faith issues" – Harold Eastman

The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring the Sabbath (Buchanan, Mark)

 "I took the invitation to rest very seriously after reading The Rest of God, enjoying the active presence of God during a Sabbath between changing jobs. Taking some of the recommendations into action, I feel less guilty about saying 'no' and taking time off to eliminate some of the busyness and clutter in my life." – Courtlan Telford

 "As a single mom, I need to remember that God is the most important thing in my busy schedule. The Rest of God helped me find the peace that can come with a commitment to spending time with God." – Michelle Wilson

 "I used The Rest of God to inform my weekly Sabbath times for quite some time. I feel a bit lost during my Sabbath since I finished it." – Harold Eastman

Just Courage (Gary Haugen)

 "Just Courage helped me to connect with what God has asked me to do before I go to heaven. I love how it challenges me to not look for safety but to live with courage and move into the adventure God has in store for me." - Harold Eastman

Irresistible Revolution (Claiborne, Shane)

Irresistible Revolution is a compilation of author, Shane Claiborne's life experiences as he set out to discover what it means to be a follower of Christ. The revolution he refers to is to make a tangible difference in this world. To not only preach the good news of Christ, but to live it out. This book is about serving people in practical ways. Shane will inspire you to move your faith from theory to reality to live beyond convenience and comfort. This book is an honest look at James 2:14-18, 26 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. …As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

 Quotes from the book:

 "'God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable.'" p. 107

 "'I think I've lost hope in the church,' I confessed, brokenhearted, to a friend. I will never forget her response. ‘No, you haven't lost hope in the church, you may have lost hope in Christianity or Christendom or all the institutions, but you have not lost hope in the church. This is the church.' At that moment, we decided to stop complaining about the church we saw and we set our hearts on becoming the church we dreamed of." p. 64

 "I recently received a letter from a young man that read, ‘I am alone, surrounded by unbelieving activists and inactive believers. Where are the true Christians?' A ‘silent majority' is developing as a growing number of folks are deliberately distancing themselves from the noise and arrogance that have come to mark both evangelical Christianity and secular activism….I don't really fit into the old liberal-conservative boxes... My activist friends call me conservative, and my religious friends call me liberal. What I often get branded is ‘radical.'…Thankfully, there is a movement of ordinary radicals sweeping the land, and ordinary people are choosing to live in radical new ways. So this is a book for ordinary radicals, not for saints who think they have a monopoly on radical and not for normal people who are satisfied with the way things are." pp. 18, 20

What You do Best in the Body of Christ (Bugbee, Bruce)

 "What You do Best in the Body of Christ helped me to focus on what I am passionate about while serving God. It helps you pinpoint your spiritual gifts and put them to use in a vocation that you have a heart for." – Beth Wilson

 "What You do Best in the Body of Christ is an incredibly helpful tool. If you aren't sure where your niche is, in the church, you must find time to read this." – Michelle Wilson

 "What You do Best in the Body of Christ is a great rewrite of the ‘Networking' book. I love how Bugbee addresses the difference between natural ability and spiritual gifts. Read this book, process it and begin serving." – Harold Eastman

Just Walk Across the Room (Hybels, Bill)

 "Just Walk Across the Room is a great book for people who want so badly to share the good news of Jesus love, but feel lost or afraid of how to do it." – Michelle Wilson

 "Just Walk Across the Room will reshape your understanding of evangelism. It will help you see others as people to know, people to understand and people to befriend. It will lower your evangelism anxiety." – Harold Eastman

Overcoming 7 Obstacles to Spiritual Growth: The Journey to a Closer Walk with God (Carlson, Dwight)

 "Overcoming 7 Obstacles to Spiritual Growth really pushed me to grow in my walk. It asked me to take a serious and honest look at myself. I also feel that it helped me to reach a new level of closeness with God. It reminded me, and really drove home, that we are saved by faith, not by works." – Michelle Wilson

 "I found Overcoming 7 Obstacles to Spiritual Growth to be a clear and helpful mapping of the pitfalls we Christians get stuck in." –Harold Eastman

Velvet Elvis (Bell, Rob)

 "Rob Bell is awesome. Velvet Elvis excited me, made me cry and made me want to be a better Christian. He presents his thoughts to continue the discussion of Christ not to convince you, or discredit anything, just to continue the greatest discussion of all time." – Cliff Pouppirt

 "Velvet Elvis will be challenging to the long time follower of Christ. Rob's fresh and creative illustrations to describe faith will cause you to pause and reflect. But I think that‘s the point." – Harold Eastman

 "Rob Bell shows amazing insight and invited me to be more open-minded and to always seek the truth." – Michelle Wilson

Ten Prayers God Always Says "Yes"To (DeStefano, Anthony)

 "I'd love to buy Ten Prayers God Always Says "Yes" to for everyone. It was incredibly encouraging and uplifting to me. I have always had a hard time with God answering prayers in his time, and I always want things to be my will, not his. This book helped me see the ways that my will and his will always line up with each other. This is an excellent book!" – Michelle Wilson