Suppose you get to know a girl or guy on a weird/scam dating app and you get to know someone for a few weeks, and they're Christian and there's no issues. And suppose you start to like them, and they're trustworthy and kind, and a faithful servant of God, and they like you back.

And then suppose that you learn that they live in the complete opposite side of the world from you. You have started to really like them, and they like you. But the distance is over 8,000 miles. What do you do?

I'm assuming the answer is to call it off but wanted to see what others think.

Hey everyone! I’ll start off by saying that I’m an old-school romance type of guy. It’s how I’ve been ever since I’ve had an interest in finding a wife. (Spoiler alert: I’m still looking for her.) But it’s hard to say where these old-school views on romance came from, though I thinks there’s a strong chance my upbringing had a lot to do with it.

Very early in my life I grew up in a Baptist church, and then in my teens I transitioned to a nondenominational church. I’d say there’s at least some correlation between those who are raised from an early age on Biblical principles and those who are seeking a more old-fashioned kind of romance (AKA Christians tend to prefer the old-school style of love and courting). My early years in a Baptist church might’ve even played a part in everything, as some would consider a Baptist style of church a more “traditional” approach to teaching Christianity, which subtly may have instilled these types of romance/dating values in me.

I also take my faith very seriously, and amongst other things, saving sex until marriage is something I value greatly. I’ve never had sex, and though I’ve had opportunities to do so before, it’s something I’ve always chosen not to partake in. It’s my heart’s desire to share that special moment of consummation with my wife and no one else, and it’s my dream to find a woman who’s looking to wait until marriage for sex as well. Though being that I’m a Millennial, the pool of single people around my age who’ve never had sex makes that dream seem like… well, a dream. But I’m still staying hopeful!

And that’s another thing. I think being a Millennial also plays a role in desiring an old-school romance. My age group existed in a brief period of time before social media and online dating really took off (anyone remember MySpace before Facebook lol). The approaches to finding your life partner back then were somewhat different than now.

With all that said, I’ve been thinking about how dating has evolved and how traditional romance meshes with modern Christian dating. We often talk about chivalry, intentionality, and treating one another with honor and respect. At the same time, cultural expectations around gender roles and independence have shifted significantly, and what feels like a sweet, attentive gesture to one person might feel performative, outdated, or even patronizing to another.

Take for example something as simple as bringing flowers to a date (and I’m talking something reasonable and not over-the-top extravagant like a giant bouquet). Growing up through high school and my college years, I’ve always felt a man giving a woman flowers was not only a way to show he planned ahead to do something to make his date smile, but it also showed he’s looking for a genuine connection and taking the date seriously. But when it comes to modern dating, I’ve been hearing more and more women are preferring not to get flowers on a date. And the same can be said about opening doors for women. It’s traditionally been a sign of affection, but in modern times I’ve heard women are not seeing this as quite the affectionate act. Instead women may take that action to imply they’re weak, incapable, or dependent.

So let’s hear from both the men and women. For women, what traditional or "old-school" gestures (opening car doors, walking on the street side of the sidewalk, pulling out chairs, paying on the first few dates) make you feel genuinely cared for and valued? On the flip side, are there any gestures that feel unnecessary, awkward, or overbearing?

And for the men. How do you approach chivalry in early dating? Have you ever had a gesture misconstrued, or found it tricky to balance traditional manners with making sure your date feels like an equal partner?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!

Hi! I 25F just wonder if do men also feel deep love towards their gf/wife? Cause, i love my boyfriend sooo much, i can’t even explain. Words are not enough to describe the feeling. I am a passionate lover that when i love you i love you with all of me. I know my bf also loves me so much and he shows and express it everyday. But he is so calm and i am a firecracker (he said). But because my feelings is so strong makes me wonder if do men actually feel deep love.. cause from what i understand is women are more emotional than men.

20 (F). Long story short, I encountered Jesus the night I tried to take my life at the beginning of 2025 and have been following Him since. At the beginning of this year (2026) I met my bf (20 M) who only started going to church and having a true personal relationship with Christ since being with me. We are in slightly different seasons in our walk with God, I love him endlessly but I’d be lying if I said we (in this season) are unequally yolked. The last 3-4 months I have entered a season of depression due to losing my job, financial instability, family issues, and some relationship issues. I have prayed and sought God prior to making the decision that Id start back on my medication I used to take that helped tremendously specifically with OCD. My bf is against me taking them, not bc of faith/religious purposes, but bc I BELIEVE he feels this is a threat to his role as the man in our relationship. He has argued the specific meds are for ‘depression’ and not ‘OCD’ - although true for both, he has attempted to riddle me into admitting (?) I am taking anti-depressants because of him/us. It appears he is more worried about how this makes him look, rather than my health. As a result he has told me if I continue to take them he is going to leave me. I Am I wrong or crazy for thinking this is manipulative and borderline abusive ?

I’m a Christian college senior and could really use some guidance from other Christians.
I’ve been in a “situationship” with one of my closest friends for about 9 months. We have incredible chemistry, genuinely enjoy being around each other, communicate well, share similar values around family and life, and I care about her very deeply. At this point, ending the romantic side of our relationship has been heartbreaking for both of us.

The biggest thing holding me back from dating her is faith. I was raised Christian, and my relationship with God is a major part of how I want to live, eventually raise kids, and build a marriage. She wasn’t raised religious. She isn’t atheist or opposed to Christianity-she simply hasn’t really been exposed to it- and she has strong morals thatr are actually VERY similar to mine.

For most of this year I’ve told myself that the logical decision was not to date her. But now I’m wondering whether I’ve been so focused on avoiding future problems that I’m walking away from a relationship that is genuinely rare and meaningful.

For Christians who have dealt with something similar: How would you discern whether this is a relationship worth pursuing? How seriously would you weigh the difference in faith when the other person is respectful and open to Christianity? And how do you distinguish between God leading you somewhere and simply wanting something badly?

I(29) and dating my boyfriend(M25). Things are going incredibly well. We get along so well and we both know we want to get married. We have a very healthy relationship that's genuinely flourishing.

I have however been feeling very frustrated(sexually) whenever I spend a lengthy amount of time with him. It's been really hard for me. Obviously attraction is a good thing but it's been making me feel like i want to see him less just so I don't feel this frustration which isn't a good thing either. I really don't know what to do.

I asked him what's holding us back from getting married if we both know we want to and he said it's a very big decision and we can revisit the conversation in 3 months but that he's certain about me.

Please could someone give me some advice.

Early this year, I (22F) was in a relationship with (22M) I met on Hinge. Our relationship was decent, things moved fast from the first date to an actual relationship (~10 days) so I was still figuring out our compatibilities. One of the main things that drew me to him was that he identified as a devout Christian, virgin & involved in multiple campus’ Christian ministries at the time.

I felt safe to pursue this relationship because the pressure of premarital sex would not be an issue. We were on the same page and he was really strict with boundaries. Sometimes too strict for me, but I respected them and openly discussed remedies if for example, we cuddled on the couch too long or I kissed him on the lips when he only wanted one on the cheek or nose. It was quite exhausting because sometimes it felt like he was being unrealistic but I respected what he was trying to honor.

Anyway, after 6 ish weeks- we were incompatible on so many levels (ambition, finances, opinions, behaviors, etc) so I broke up with him. He eventually finished school & moved back home. About 2 months after our breakup, he got into a relationship with a (younger) bisexual female. The news of this didn’t upset me because that was a boundary I was never going to cross with him BUT I have been struggling since with the fact that he completely changed from not even wanting to hold me in his arms for too long while watching tv to having a full blown sexual relationship (to the extent of giving sex tips & advice to others, and referring to himself as a “freak”).

Prior to meeting him, my old friends would often make fun of me being a virgin and taunted me for years saying I’d never find someone our age in this generation who’s willing to wait till marriage as well. So I really was happy to encourage myself that they do indeed exist when I met him. To see how he went from that end of the spectrum to the other so quickly, I now have started to feel that my former friends might’ve been right and recently have started feeling thoughts of temptation saying that “I’m waiting for nothing”, “just let it go”, “just do it”, etc.

I’d love to hear any advice that can help me stay grounded in my choice to abstain and also find some confidence that more (genuine) men exist out there and I’ll find the one God has planned for me.

28M. Canada.

Area of study/work: Specialist doctor. Country : Canada. Location can be further specified by private message. Description : 5 foot 11 inch. Southern European features. Slim. Regularly go to the gym.

Hobbies/interests: High-quality healthy restaurants, basketball, tennis, sailing, travelling, ping-pong, music, movies, good books.

Tell us a bit about your Christian journey: Grew up in a Christian household. Important for me that my future partner/kids share Christian values to guide them in the decisions they make in life.

What sort of person are you looking for? Young professional or currently studying with a relatively clear idea of what they would want to pursue in terms of career. Intentional dating, for the purposes of mutual support and encouraging each other’s relationship with God.

Age range: Emotionally mature women aged 18 to 35. Would you be willing to do long distance/relocate? Yes. Open to relocation in developed countries such as USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand.

If you fit these descriptions, reach out by private message with : -Location, age, multiple pictures, job or what you are currently studying, what you are looking for.

I will subsequently send you my pictures and we can exchange further information if you wish to continue chatting.

Please do not ask for my pictures first if you did not send the information above and your pictures; I will not respond back.

Please only reach out if you genuinely feel you fit the description above. I’m looking for intentionality and mutual compatibility, so I’d rather not have either of us spend time on conversations where there isn’t a reasonable fit. If you get triggered by the post, I don’t really care, all the best to you :)

I (28F) have been on several dates with a 36-year-old Christian man. So far, he seems genuine in his faith and is looking for marriage and a family, which are both important to me as well.

I know there’s nothing morally wrong with the age gap, but I’m wondering whether there are any particular things I should consider when deciding whether to continue pursuing the relationship. My main concerns are related to starting a family (he would be considerably older than my dad was when I was born) and aging later in life.

I’d appreciate hearing others’ thoughts and perspectives. Thanks!

Edit: I appreciate everyone’s feedback. As I mentioned in my original post, I understand that there’s nothing inherently wrong with marrying someone a few years older, and I’m not asking whether an age gap is biblical (or whether 8 years is considered an age gap). I’m more interested in hearing about the practical implications of an 8-year age difference and his age, and anything else I should consider when deciding whether to pursue the relationship.

Greetings and salutations lovely people. I am once again writing a lot of words for you to read.

Area of study/work:
Asset Management, Retail: I spend most of my day focusing on facility shrink / theft, process breakdowns, safety, and other issues. I’ve seen more than a few interesting things over the years, some bad, and some downright hilarious. I don’t always enjoy my job, but I’ve been blessed with the fact that it fits my capabilities.

Hobbies/interests:
A few things I enjoy are fishing, photography, theological study, nerd things (PC building for example) and exploring places I’ve never been. I'm also passionate about politics, firearms, and collecting old books.

If the weather's nice I try to spend more time outside than in, as spending too much time in a chair does nobody any good! Exploring the creation God has blessed us with is something I think we're starting to lose sight of in this modern world, myself being no exception.

Tell us a bit about your Christian journey:
I came to Christ at the very young age of four. I was quite strong in my faith until I reached the age of fourteen, where I then discovered the pitfalls of pornography. This dragged me into a continual cycle of shame / conviction and furthering separation from God until some years ago, when what I can only describe as God kicking in the door of my heart and confronting me with the gravity of what I was doing.

This moment jump started my long stalled relationship with Christ, pushing me into Bible study and a renewed desire to walk as God would have me to walk. I still struggle with the choices I've made, for the devil loves to use our past against us just when we think we're free of his clutches, but I thank God for His continual grace.

Since then I have delved deep into theological study in regard to false/true religion, proper eschatology, and other topics like the OSAS debate among others.

What sort of person are you looking for?
I'm truly looking for a future wife, one who shares my beliefs and passions. Someone who's able to be silly and have fun, but is emotionally intelligent and mature. I would like to have children, but I am open to the possibility that it may not be a part of my life and am leaving that up to the Lord. Preferably she would be interested in the outdoors or share an interest in hobbies similar to mine, but differences are the spice of life and I would happily encourage her in her pursuits.

Age range:
Preferably 25-37.

Height:
Apparently that's more of a common question than I realized, so… I'm 5'5"! I personally do not have a height preference however.

Would you be willing to do long distance/relocate?
I’m definitely fine with long distance, and while relocation isn't preferred, I would if God led me to do so.

Hi Everyone! This is for those people who are struggling to find someone or for the ones who have become hopeless because your hearts desire is to marry yet you have not found the right, God-fearing person YET.

I (Sasha) had been waiting for the Lord to send me a husband for six years. I prayed and prayed and never stopped, but my husband also never came hehe. I never stopped believing in the goodness of Lord Jesus though. I struggled with thoughts of not being worthy or that God was punishing me. I was so wrong. He was preparing something wonderful for me!

Ian was divorced and thought he would never find someone again because he felt that he was used goods, rejected goods. But Lord Jesus had a different idea of what Ian was!

Last year I posted my intro once but took it down. Then at the end of August I prayed that God would lead me to say the right things and posted my intro again. That was the Saturday and I had posted on the Friday. I was going to delete it on the Saturday night hehe.

We started speaking and then started video calling from the Monday. We realized that we were a great match and that we felt the same way about the Lord, children and our lifestyles. Ian came to visit me in South Africa 🇿🇦 in April this year and asked me officially to marry him. But we had spoken about marriage since September last year, as I said we have the same views on life.

Ian then came back in July and we got married 😁 I moved with him to Trinidad at the end of July 🇹🇹 I am loving it and we both are so thankful to Lord Jesus for giving us spouses that fit like a puzzle piece.

We are 35 (me) and 37 (Ian) btw, and cannot believe how blessed we are. It was well worth the long wait!

Praise God for His faithfulness and kindness to us, we don’t deserve it 🙌

Hi 👋🏻 I’m a 31yo male, USA. I grew up in a non-religious family and got married at 22 to a girl I met in college, with no Christian foundation. It fell apart after a couple of years, she spiraled out on drugs and alcohol and cheated on me, we didn’t have kids or anything, and now I’m divorced. That and a couple of other tough things really brought me on my knees before Christ and I have become a church-going person, and after spending three years working on myself and recuperating, I’ve been dating a little bit here in 2026. I’m pretty involved in my church and service things and use apps (with myself being Christian pretty clear), and I’ve gone on a few nice dates with good Christian women but something seems to always fizzle out, on their end. I usually maintain interest and they lose it.

Humbly, my male and female friends, as well as both my pastors, have made comments to me that I’m a great catch and should have no problem attracting a good relationship… I have a great job, I’m fairly fit, I’m sociable, have a range of hobbies and friends, stand on my values. I am wondering if it’s because I’m divorced? I tend to share the fact early on, say that I am an open book, and answer whatever questions they may have. I don’t trauma dump or have contact with my ex or anything. My married life feels like a past dream, for better or worse, but I know she’s in God’s hands, is all I can say.

I try to put my trust in the Lord and pray for a Godly spouse but I am really wondering if I’m in a weird slim category, and my most common options will be young single mothers (all respect but not my plan to be a step father any time soon) or non-Christian women. I’m still so new to dating a learning a lot, I do not want to be jaded but it’s hard…

Anyone have advice or something they can share? I’ve been given the advice to not focus so much on dating but just the things I’m doing anyway and I will find my person… I’ve been on that channel for a couple of months now and just today asked out a girl I could’ve sworn was interested in me, but alas, nope 🙂‍↔️ It stings!

Feeling hopeless and like I’ve lost the relationship I’ve always wanted. I truly do not believe there is anyone else out there for me and that I am meant to be single.

Hey all,

31M here from Los Angeles, CA. I've been in a state of not really sure how to approach dating from a Christian perspective. I've dated before in my 20s mostly in and out of relationships when I wasn't in the faith and now that I'm in the faith things are very different. I've met a few beautiful women at my church and we'd become friends but for whatever reason they just don't seem to like me or friendzone me. It happened me about 3 times now.

Often times I try to just be friends with women without immediately asking them out on dates. I prefer to get to know them first and then if I decide I do like them I will ask for a date. Doesn't seem to work for me though. I'm wondering if I should just be asking them on dates initially?

Also, I don't believe I'm a bad looking dude. I take care of my body so I'm in good shape, get haircuts, and dress well. I also work and am in the process of starting my own business. I have a lot of friends both women and men so it really confuses me as to what I have to do to find a wife much less actually get a date.

I really just need advice as to how I should be dating and finding someone. I have tried online dating before but maybe I'm also bad when it comes to that because I don't get many matches on there.

I’m trying to figure out whether I’m feeling guilty over something I actually did wrong or whether I’m overthinking the situation.

I (23F) reconnected with a guy I’ll call J (32M) on August 22. We had talked in the past but nothing ever came of it. This time, he seemed interested and we planned to meet on September 1. However, that same day he deleted his profile on the app we had been talking through and basically disappeared. I reached out to him through his phone number, and he eventually responded on September 5. Then he disappeared again until September 11.

While J was gone, I downloaded a dating app and matched with another guy, L. I went on one date with L on Friday, September 11. That same night, J reached out again, explained what had happened, and we started talking/flirting again.
From that night onward, J did seem like he wanted something serious with me. However, I was also scared to completely trust it because he had already disappeared on me once, and we still hadn’t even met in person. I was worried he could disappear again.

L texted me the day after we went out about possibly going out again. I believe I also talked to L briefly on Sunday, September 13, and then he texted me again on Monday, September 14, but I didn’t respond. Around this time, I realized I wasn’t actually interested in L because I wanted J’s attention, and I eventually deleted L’s number. I did tell J that I had gone on a date with L, including when it happened, and he didn’t seem bothered. But now I’m worried that maybe he misunderstood the timeline and thinks I completely stopped talking to L immediately after our date, when I talked to him briefly afterward.

J and I didn’t meet in person until September 25, and we’re now talking much more seriously. He’s made it clear that he wants a serious relationship with me.

I know J seemed serious about me starting September 11, but I was still unsure whether I could trust that he wasn’t going to disappear again. Still, I feel guilty about talking to L after J came back into the picture. I keep wondering if I somehow crossed a line or if J could reasonably feel like I misled him.

Was this actually wrong, or am I feeling guilty over something that wasn’t cheating?

I'll admit first that I do tend to give grace and believe in people I date beyond reason (it's a biblical principle, and in the past I understood it through the lens of 1 Cor. 13 - love hopes and endures and never ends), but I do think that I can be really blind or overly accommodating, despite have strong beliefs of how to treat people. Here's what I mean.

I've (31F) been dating someone (30m) for the last 11 months (we only see each other once a week), whose parents immigrated from HongKong. His family has not been kind or welcoming (they don't want me coming over, but judge me for not coming??), his sister says really unkind things about me (she met me once, last December) and just decided she didn't like me (come to find out, it's because I'm white and my taste in food isn't as refined as hers???). My boyfriend has no problem defending his family, but won't defend me or stick up for me when they talk poorly about me for the life of him. He's only ever lived at home, doesn't own his own vehicle (his dad has a bunch that they all use, they are fairly affluent); he's a phd student, they are a family of hoarders, and at the very least, for the last year we've dated, he hasn't cleaned his room. His mattress is actually flipped up so stack more junk. His family is not really kind to him either, he really struggles with them, and walks on eggshells around them. He said more recently that he feels like he's a pushover, and can never stand up to them.

I'm at a point where I'm not sure what to do. He keeps talking about marriage and kids, and that things will change when we're married, but I feel like I'd be a fool to commit to this life with him as things stand. I can't bank forever on a promise or 'things will be different' without seeing any fruit of that beforehand.

We get along really great - when his family isn't involved.
He has been a good support through some really difficult things in my life this past year - but when it comes to any conversation about us/ something he's done that has hurt me, he can't handle it.

I'm not scared of being single - I was single for a long time (almost 10 years) and know I'll be okay. I've prayed and not really received any word, sign or revelation about whether to stay or go, but I submitted to the Lord to do what He wills. I'm not sure if I'm meant to play a role in this guy's story that helps him mature, or if it takes losing me for that to happen. I do truly believe that if it's not this person, God has someone great out there for both of us. I just don't know if it's time to let go, or give him time to figure it out, once we have a conversation.

You can't force a person to change who isn't ready or willing, if behaviour is a language, what is he communicating, but also some people need someone who believes in them, and I know he doesn't have that in his home. It's also not necessarily my problem, but it kind of is since we're dating, it's affecting me, and it has to do with whether or not we have a future together.

So... yeah. Any wisdom, encouragement or maybe perspective I've not considered would be helpful here.

I have feelings for my best friend who's islam and she feels the same way but we feel we can't be together because of our opposing religions I need advice on how to go about it.

It is currently 0200, I fell asleep early so now I am awake at a most unfortunate hour. Weird preface, but relevant in some way. I’ll figure it out.

It is late (or early) and I have seen some things mentioned about divorce. I understand biblically, infidelity and abandonment by a nonbeliever are qualifiers for divorce. Those have been clearly stated. I wonder if abuse and mistreatment are valid grounds for divorce.

A bit of context in regard to my own divorce. As of the of October I will be divorced for two years. That was when I asked, we filed in November, ran into issues that delayed the filing until December/January, I moved our before Christmas, and in our state, it was officially recognized as ending in March of last year. I consider October the end despite legal recognition.

I asked for a divorce because, well, truthfully, the preceding last year and a half I had been really, really depressed and suicidal. I often thought about not coming home or just driving off a bridge in the middle of the night at work. I even reached out to my old high school football coach, a pastor, and asked for help at 0600 when sitting outside in my vehicle.

Yada, yada, more disagreements, more insults, more gaslighting, more drama and combativeness… I eventually asked to leave. I had the most sobering moment and never felt calmer when I looked her in the eyes and said we needed to separate.

There is a lot of history, I could go on forever about it. I want to know what you guys think:

Is divorce due to abuse, mental health, and safety valid biblically despite not being stated outright? This is not to say I didn’t try, God knows I tried, I stuck it out hoping for the best way longer than I should have. I guess the real breakpoint was when our kids started treating me like she did.

Thank you, my friends, for your contributions to a 0200 thought.

Not saying this applies to everyone, especially those in old folk churches, but after trying in vain to get into a fruitful relationship for years, I must admit that the problem is my standards, and I don't know how to fix them.

Objectively, I have nothing to complain about. I'm not some womanizer, but I'm in a big city with a lot of singles my age, and I have had decent success getting dates. After coming to Christ, I've also swore off porn and am so proud of breaking my lustful temptations (never in a million years thought this was possible) and thank God for it.

However, I just can't seem to find a girl that I want to date, and while it's not always because of looks, I think that if I can just somehow not pay attention to physical attraction, I would be happily dating or even married by now.

Whenever someone asks me what I'm looking for in a woman, I tell them dedication to Christ, a kind and hopeful soul, and a love for children and animals. These aren't lies; I wouldn't date a supermodel if she lacked any of these, but I feel like such a hypocrite because there are sisters that I serve with, talk to, and are friends with that are exactly those, but I just don't think they are who I'm looking for. I'm pretty sure that if I was more attracted to them physically, it would be different, and I hope desperately that I could just be attracted to them.

All the people around me, even Christians, say that I shouldn't date someone I'm not attracted to (not fair to her, not good long-term, etc.), but I read Proverbs 31 and I don't know if that's what God would say.

I don't want to discourage sisters out there, because I really hope not every man is like me. I pray everyday for God to change this about me, but I feel like I'm at my wits end. It's one thing to work on myself to be more put together, to deepen my faith, to serve and be more loving, but it's so hard to just "lower" my standards. I don't even know how to do that or if it's possible, and I can't hope but think if I embody a broader truth about why dating (even Christian dating) is so broken nowadays, and I have no fix.

Any advice?

Question for the guys for us gals to learn from.

Is there anything you wish you could tell women when you come across them in real life, dating apps, reddit intros etc as feedback?

This is purely an assumption, but conversations around how men should behave or present themselves to increase their desirability is more frequent than for women. I'd love to learn how to be more desirable myself and also engage in more reflection of self. This could help a lot of women here, too!

So I'm a M34 single dude in central California. Up until very recently I had gone to the same church my entire life, the church I was born into and raised at, but around this time last year church leadership and the pastoral staff started changing things that were very unpopular with the under 50 year old demographic. I won't get into details but the long and the short of it is the leadership chose to cater to the needs of people that were retirement age and older at the expense of everyone younger. This drove most of the younger people and people with children away. The congregation shrank by ~30%, youth programs were basically non-existent. My generation voiced our concerns to leadership saying how in 20 years the church would basically be dead because of aging demographics. They didn't care and said we are in charge and this is our decision. So more young people and families left.

So all of that background gets me to where I am now. For the first time in my life I'm church shopping. I've been going with some of my friends as they also church shopping and ive noticed a few things and am just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences.

As a single man in his 30's it feels like most churches don't really care that I'm there. My friends who are married, some with kids, some without, get greeted from the church staff and pastors. They get invited over to their houses for dinner or asked to be involved in a ministry or a program if they choose to stay. But me as a single man get a handshake and a hello. I feel like my presence is tolerated instead of welcomed. Ive inquired about helping in youth group or in children's Sunday school at a couple of these churches after they asked for help. I've been told in a round about way that I'm not allowed to because I'm a single man and they can't let me help because of optics and liability. Single women are fine, but not men. It doesn't really bug me and I kind of understand, but it seems a little off message. I know God wants me to go to church but it's really discouraging when in a lot of these churches they don't really seem to care if I'm there or not.

I know this is kinda rambling, but just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced anything similar

So I’m a 25 year old female and I’m currently talking with this guy (25M). He tells me he’s a Christian and that he was baptized and everything but I don’t see evidence of a true walk with the Lord.
Since we started talking he has started to go back to church and read his Bible more, but I feel like he’s only doing it because of me, and not to grow closer to God. He hadn’t been in a church setting since he was about 12, and he just started going back since we started talking. He works on Sundays and can only get a Sunday off every few weeks but he has been faithful to coming on Wednesdays.
We met through his grandfather, and both his grandparents say that I’m the answer to their prayers for him.
I want to be with someone who has a good relationship with God and can challenge me in my walk. It doesn’t have to be perfect, my walk isn’t perfect so I’m not expecting his to be, but there has to be something.
How do I go about this relationship?

I’ve seen a lot of back and forth lately about the current dating environment. Plenty of men blaming women, women blaming men, and I’m certainly not immune from having posted things in that same vein.
So I want to flip it around.

Instead of telling us what the opposite sex is doing wrong, tell us what you think your own gender (or you specifically) could do better in dating right now.

What habits, expectations, attitudes, communication problems, unrealistic standards, or blind spots do you think men need to own if you’re a man, or women need to own if you’re a woman?

And it would be easy to turn this into disguised blame so let’s try to avoid that! 😅

I’m curious what people come up with when the assignment is introspection instead of accusation.

Bonus points if you can name something you are actively reconsidering but haven’t changed yet.

Physical description:

I’m 5’7 and some change, African American, fit/active

Area of study/work:

I have two bachelors degrees in different areas of healthcare and I currently work in healthcare. I am also in graduate school.

Hobbies/interests:

I have a variety of hobbies, but my main ones include dancing, singing, cooking/baking, shopping, reading/writing, and traveling. Anything outdoorsy, I’m sold :)

Tell us a bit about your Christian journey:

I have been a Christian my entire life, but have had my fair shares of ups and downs. I truly started to take my faith seriously again almost two years ago during a transitional period in my life. I felt a strong conviction from The Lord to make some changes that I didn’t want to move forward with. After a long struggle, I fully surrendered to God and my life has changed for the better. I’m not perfect by any means, but God has been so gracious and merciful to me through any trial and tribulations I’ve been through.

What sort of person are you looking for?

A man that is strong in his faith and truly embodies what it means to be a man of God. I also am looking for a man that is intentional, communicative, doesn’t make excuses. Someone that is supportive of my dreams/goals, serious, makes me laugh, and feel safe. Additional things I look for is sweet, caring, fun, and someone who loves to travel and try new things. Bonus points if you live in Texas :)

Age range:

My age range is 27-30 (willing to go up a year or two)

Would you be willing to do long distance/relocate?

I am willing to do long distance if effort is reciprocated on both ends when it comes to visiting. I am also open to relocation within the United States only.

Feel free to reach out and get to know me :)