Some days the idea of a casual coffee or sedate walk just isn’t going to make the cut for a date. Whether you’re naturally high energy or just fancy trying something different, embracing an energetic date idea or two can give you something to bond over and maybe find a new shared interest. If you enjoy an adrenaline-packed experience or are just feeling bored of the usual routine, doing something active together could be a great change, and it doesn’t have to be expensive – or risky!

Dating can be exciting and fun but if our journey to a happy, healthy relationship includes some unexpected bumps in the road or takes longer than we’d hoped, we can become disillusioned or downhearted. Here are four truths that will help you to continue to date with your head held high, with your self-esteem intact, with hope in your heart and with the certainty that God is on your side.

When Emma joined Christian Connection she was looking for friends in a new area, and Sam was one of the first people she connected with. “I’d done the dating in church environment, and it hadn’t worked out for me,” Sam said, “So I decided to try online dating. Christian connection seemed like one of the […]

Meeting up for a date can be exciting just because you’re getting to spend time with someone interesting with romantic potential. But you shouldn’t feel pressure to make every occasion an extravaganza. Sometimes what you need are relaxing date ideas. As well as creating space for conversation to develop – or opportunities for comfortable silences – taking your time in a low key setting can help to deepen your connection too.

“Couples don’t need to have anything in common,” said a male character in a novel I read recently. “The man can go to his club in the evenings while the woman knits or watches television.” Contrast this with a real-life couple I read about who made a vow they would only have interests or friends or pastimes they both enjoyed. If one of them didn’t like whatever it was, the other would immediately give it up in case it interfered with their love. The first example gave me a good laugh and the second gave me claustrophobia. It also got me wondering: is having the same tastes as your partner relevant when it comes to relationships? What should you do about dating with different interests?

Prayer should be a key part of the life of a Christian, but sometimes we wrongly think we should only be praying about serious things or more ‘spiritual’ things, like world peace and salvation. However, the Bible talks about praying without continually, and praying about everything. And everything includes singleness and dating!

When I ask people to list the qualities they’re looking for in a partner, they often say they’d like to find someone who’s living a full life, someone who has good friendships, interesting hobbies and dreams for the future. How do we find that person? First, we become that person ourselves.

“My now-husband David and I first started chatting on Christian Connection, after he ‘accidentally’ liked me, when he thought he was only putting me on a saved list! I initiated conversation, and looking back on our chat, the poor guy was writing me essays and I was giving him short responses. I am a truly terrible person! And to add to that, I regrettably ghosted him after a while as life got busy and I was experiencing disappointment after disappointment in my love life. Not that it is any excuse! But regardless, God had other plans…