16 \\ How To Spot A Narcissist - Dating After Divorce Or Widowhood For Christian Single Moms, With Biblical Counselor Kelli Russell Of Grace Matters

Hi there! I can’t believe it’s September already. This year is definitely flying by. In honor of this new fall season, where most of us are watching the weather and the landscape start change, and people are getting back to school or homeschooling, we are offering a fall giveaway!  The book bundle that we’re offering is Elisabeth Elliot’s book, Suffering is Never for Nothing, Chris Brauns’ Unpacking Forgiveness— by the way, Pastor Brauns is going to be joining us on the podcast in a few weeks, very excited about that— and the third book is Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop, which we discussed on episodes 9 and 10, when we were talking about biblical lament with Ryan Higginbottom.  I know that all three of these books are going to be as much of a blessing to you as they have been to me, so if you’d like to be entered in in the drawing, go ahead and leave us a written review over on Apple podcasts or the podcasting platform of your choice. Take a screenshot of that written review and post it in our Facebook group Christ-Dependent Single Motherhood!

 

Apple podcast reviewers will get 2 entries, and all the other podcast platform reviews will get one entry. You can leave a written review for us on as many podcast platforms as you like! And if you’ve already done one, you can write a review on others - that’s totally fine!  Now, this is just for the month of September, so write those reviews now if you want a chance to get these excellent books for free!

 

Last week we had Kelli Russell with us, talking about what the Bible says about narcissists and narcissism, and today she’s joining us again to answer this question, “How do I spot a narcissist as I prepare for dating after divorce or widowhood?” 

 

This was such a great conversation. Two of the biggest takeaways I walked away with were to bathe the whole situation thoroughly in prayer, and to refuse to walk in fear, trusting that the Lord will lead and guide as we seek Him and use His wisdom in dating.

 

This is definitely an episode to share with people you know might benefit, so go ahead and be sure to send them a link!

 

For women who have had experience with narcissistic marriages or relationships in the past, remember - the heart-work (or healing!) needs to be done in *you* before you’re ready to date, and another essential element is building a safe community around you.  God’s people in our local congregations are indispensable here.

 

Never date someone in isolation.  Bring in godly, wise people to weigh in with their opinions.  Also, look at the man’s FRUIT (Luke 6:43-46), his FAMILY relationships, his FRIEND groups, and his CHURCH community.

 

Kelli mentions Warren Lamb’s book, Behind the Veil, as a great resource: https://amzn.to/3ATrbUA

 

For counseling information from Grace Matters, Kelli Russell's biblical counseling ministry, visit https://www.gracemattersministries.org/

 

Join our Christ-Dependent Single Motherhood Facebook community, for Christian single moms like you, whether you're divorced, separated, widowed, or never married! https://bit.ly/CDSMFacebook

 

Send us a note at christdependentsinglemoms@gmail.com