Dating & Relationships

All of us have been tongue-tied at one time or another – especially on a first date. For some, it can be a common occurrence. Any environment or situation that brings on nerves will increase the likelihood you’ll struggle to think on your feet. The answer is to not put too much pressure on yourself to come up with on-the-spot chat. Instead, using prepared conversation starters avoids awkward silences, encourages you to find out a little about each other and helps you both relax and ease into the date. You can have a few topics lined up, so you can focus on enjoying yourself. So, what are the best things to say and ask at the first meeting?

It has been said that you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect to get different results. When it comes to how we think meeting people should happen, a lot of us are pretty set in our ways. Take me, for example. My single life routine was pretty much going to work, then home, church, then home and repeat. I hung out with friends and went to parties here and there but that was pretty much it. I expected that if I was going to meet someone it would have to happen either at church (even though there were only a handful of men) or through one of my friends.

If you’re not yet dating properly (and unsure if it’ll even progress to that stage) you may be wondering how to handle the 14th February. Should you send a card, buy a gift, or suggest a Valentine’s Day meet?

A friend of mine is about to join a Christian dating site (this one, as a matter of fact), and wanted advice on getting the most from online dating. ‘In your experience, HopefulGirl, what’s the key to success?’ she asked. I had no trouble giving her an answer…

I was speaking with someone recently, and although they were single and trusting God to bring them their life partner at some point, they were concerned that they sometimes self-sabotage. One of the reasons they gave was that they were not usually very friendly towards the few guys they met, especially if those guys were not quite ‘their type’.

January can be a tough month and, let’s face it, dating can be hard, especially if it feels like a long road for you. So if you’re feeling fed up, what can you do to increase your positivity and foster a happier outlook?

A lot can change in 20 years – especially the way people look for love. Back in the early days of the new millennium, it could take just as long to connect to the internet with dial-up as it does to create a profile. We set out with a simple idea: helping Christians meet other Christians beyond the walls of their local church. Since then thousands of couples have met through Christian Connection, and now, as we mark turning 20, more couples than ever before are meeting online all over the world.

“I don’t have any problem contacting people online,” said the message. “But for some reason, I struggle to keep the conversation going, and the interaction quickly fizzles out. How can I improve my chat?”