[NQP] Hello, My Name is Single

Overview
Whether you have chosen your singleness or whether the Lord has given it to you, whether you are content with your current situation or hate it with a deep and intense loathing, whether you long for relationships that no longer are or simply remember them with a quiet joy, you feel. You feel deeply. You are, perhaps, more in tune with your feelings than most. Because you reflect on what it would mean to have a spouse.

Hello, My Name Is Single is a witty book that challenges and encourages single men and women to live secure in Christ, whether they're searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right or completely content living the single life. Author Adriane Dorr Heins treats her readers to a delightful conversation of practical and personal issues many singles face. She offers a historical, biblical approach that reminds readers that their identities are found in Christ, not in relationship statuses on Facebook.


What Others Are Saying

"Hello, My Name Is Single is witty, engaging and, above all, completely honest. . . . . Heins dismantles the mythical trinity of independence, self-sufficiency and self-reliance. At the same time, she treats singleness as a station in life, a godly vocation that may or may not be permanent."

—Todd Wilken, Host of Issues, Etc.


"A great book for singles—and everybody else! With wry humor (and not a few trademark parenthetical comments), Adriane Heins takes on a topic that is usually politely ignored or cheapened with trite words that are often more hurtful than true. None of that here! Backed by research, experience and a keen eye for culture, she deftly chides, counsels and encourages both singles and those around them, always anchoring the discussion and the hope of all in their identity as those redeemed by Christ."

—Pastor Tim Pauls, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Boise, Idaho
Author of: You Ask About…Relationships (2007), Going Out, Getting Dumped and Playing Mini-Golf on the First Date (2005, now out of print)


"In Hello, My Name Is Single, Adriane Dorr Heins serves up a rich feast of Christ's comfort—a tasty meal brined in Holy Writ, peppered to perfection with the Lutheran Confessions and paired with a zesty wit—prepared especially for those yearning for the gift of a spouse. Though “Single” is the name written on the place card, Heins generously invites all of us to the banquet table to partake of the peace and joy which alone are found in our Lord Jesus and His Church. Bon appétit!"

—Katie Schuermann, author of He Remembers the Barren (LL, 2011) and Pew Sisters (CPH, 2013)


About the Author

Adriane Dorr Heins was born and raised in Marcus, Iowa. She is a 2005 graduate of Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon. In 2010, she received a Masters of Arts degree in Theology from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. She has served as a copy editor of For the Life of the World; assistant editor and then managing editor of a publication for LCMS youth called Higher Things; the Christian life editor of Lutheran Woman's Quarterly, a publication of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League; and associate executive director for Strategic Communications for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Her work has appeared in Portals of Prayer, Reporter, Modern Reformation, and the third edition of CPH’s Women Pastors. Heins currently serves as the managing editor of The Lutheran Witness and executive editor of Catechetical Information for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.


Book Excerpts

On Living Together Outside of Marriage
“Before you start to tell me that your boyfriend or fiancé is different than most men, or that the rent is too high and that moving in together is really just your way of being good stewards, or that you need some time to figure out if you’re compatible before you dive into marriage, stop. Because that’s bologna, and everyone—from your pastor to your parents—knows it. You’re not fooling anybody. Not even me, and I don’t even know you.”
 
On Men Trying to Understand Women
“Winston Churchill talked about enigmas wrapped in riddles inside of mysteries. He might well have been talking about relationships. Or the female mind because, let’s face it, it’s virtually impossible to understand that. Or he might have been talking about what it means to be a Christian single. Or how they get those jalapenos in those little tiny holes in olives.”
 
On Pornography
“That’s how the devil thwarts reality. He draws men into their fantasies, encourages them to indulge in it, hooks them on it like a drug addict who can’t go a day without getting a fix. But then comes the fantasy’s greatest irony: It shames you. You’re embarrassed. The feeling of condemnation is overwhelming. ‘You did WHAT?’ the devil gasps in horror. ‘How could you do something so awful? How could you look at those pictures or watch that movie? Some Christian you are!’ That’s why fantasies don’t work.”
 
On Fighting Sexual Temptation
“Reality is hard, but fantasies can be dangerous. So, ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,’ (James 4:7). With the Lord’s help, fight that little bugger. And fight him outloud! Don’t just fight him in your head. Say the Lord’s Prayer out loud. Make the sign of the cross. Get out your hymnal and sing, ‘Satan, hear this proclamation: I am baptized into Christ!’ (LSB 594:3). Because he will hear, and he will listen . . . The Lord will see to that.”