Date Doctor

So this past Nav Night was all about the supa fun subject that we all love to talk about..relationships & dating. I really enjoyed the talk and feel we can apply it to all of our relationships, even if you are not dating.

Lets start of by giving God some credit..marriage or man & woman was his idea. Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Now a key part of relationships is for men to grow in understanding of women..Here are some things that as men we must realize

~Women value relationships and feelings over facts- As guys we tend to hide or cover our emotions and bury them deep down so this is something we have to continually work at since this is the way women connect to us.
~Women value questions over stories-As guys its easy to fall into the trap of who has the best story to impress or to take the checker flag but when it comes down to it, women don't care how much you know or how many stories you have until they know how much you care
~Women value praise over criticism-Instead of trying to "fix" the problem as men we need to realize women just need someone to listen to them and be their friend
~Women are more intuitive than men are-this sounds like I am saying men are not smart, i'm not, but women kinda have a 6th sense about things guys can't even sense

Men need "guy time" and women need "girl time". This is a vital part of any relationship. You need time away from each other its plain and simple. Even my best friend in the whole world Lane and I if we start spending too much time together with no break we get on each other's nerves. Even married couples need to hang out with their friends. Why?? well because for girls you get special love & fellowship that you can't get from your man and for guys well we just need to do manly stuff ..haha that sounded weird but you get the point. Yes i am not saying don't spend time together but it is necessary to keep your outside relationships strong. Especially making sure God is your number one priority instead of that special someone.

As godly men we must 1)Show Strength 2) Risk to Lead 3) Risk to Love

For all you ladies out there this verse shows what godly men are looking for..."Ephesians 5:33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Deep down most men are looking for respect which can sound weird..some women might say well can't I show him love by loving him..well yes, but men feel love in a completely different way which comes down to RESPECT.

Learning to be a man of God takes time and work, the same should be for dating. Dating should be practice for marriage.

Here are so tips that Jim, Monica, & Gentry gave us for a high-standard of dating and keeping our relationships pure & full of joy

1) Don't compare your relationships to other couples
2) Never go to bed angry with each other (Eph 4:26)-talk it out
3)Set the boundaries high & at the beginning-men we need to do this
4) Vertical vs Horizontal-stay veritcal (think about it)
5) Keep doors open
6) Home by midnight-what good thing ever came from hanging out after midnight
7)Pray together
8) Read the bible together

Now you might be thinking wow that is ridiculous and way to strict. In my opinion I feel that by setting boundaries like this will not only keep each other pure but focused on God. As men of God we can think about it like this... "If you don't marry her that will be probably someone else's wife and how would you want someone treating your wife??" It is important to set the bar high because as awesome as relationships are they can be a stumbling block.

I think dating/marriage is awesome and should be fun but we need to honor God in our relationships. Purity is what we should strive for. Psalm 119:9-11 "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you."

I have never had a girlfriend, never kissed a girl, or anything so how can someone give dating advice? when I have no experience..well I know alot about God and God is Love and love is at the center of all relationships..so I do know the key to any relationship is God. I know one day soon God will bring her to me and say thats the one, but until then I guess there is only one more question to ask....

Do you wanna go to dinner & a movie??
:)