Christian Newlyweds

Religious Compatibilty

A few years ago, some friends of mine had decided that I needed to start dating again (I think I had been single for a couple of years, with a few flings here and there), and introduced me to a number of potential girlfriends. Unfortunately, my friends weren't Christian, and ...

Summarizing Failure - Part 1

I have made so many mistakes regarding relationships, be they friendship or more, and it might be helpful to catalog those over time. This series won't be contiguous, but as I feel like it or think of things, I'll write them down. I wrote last week about 8th grade and the ...

Messiah Complex

Until just a few short years ago, there was one thing I looked for in a potential relationship above all others. I wanted to protect, to serve, to teach and help. Consequently, I was generally attracted to women who had some sort of mental or emotional problem, someone I perceived ...

Lacking Transitional Staying Power

It was Halloween, and I was in eighth grade. Over the previous summer, I'd decided to give up on most everything I'd previously held in my life. I began dressing differently, listening to different music, stopped caring what everybody thought about me, and embarked on becoming my own person. I ...

Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s not

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about an old failed relationship and all my self-recriminations. I have a tendency to blame myself when things go sour, and try to figure out what I can do to improve myself so the mistakes of my past are not repeated. For the first ...

Say it like you mean it

When talking about relationships, everyone talks about communication. And we all know it's important and vital to a healthy relationship. Yet for some reason, it's still one of the primary points of failure. We kind of suck at it, I guess? It starts off all innocent and sweet. You're upset at ...

Unique Influences

One Sunday afternoon, April and I were talking about a young married couple we know. Their relationship has been a little rocky and strained, and invariably we couldn't help but compare our experiences to theirs. As the conversation continued, however, it occurred to me how impossible, or at least unfruitful, such ...

Boy Friends: Friends that are Boys

It may be a stereotype, but it seems that most single girls call a fellow girl friend at the end of a bad day to rant. Conversely, they might invite boy friends to social events, see them in class, and sometimes rate them on a scale of one to ten, ...

Don’t be afraid to pray humbly

Our church has a tradition where, most Sundays, the pastor asks for prayer requests. Though the statement is often made from the front to not be intimidated by the first requests offered, invariably those who speak up first are the ones requesting prayer for cancer victims, the families of the ...

How We Met

The first question we were asked when I introduced Matthew to someone new was, "How did you two meet?" When I answered, they would "aww" and smile and sigh. For a lot of people, the most romantic part of a relationship is the beginning. They feed on stories of indifference ...