News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
3 | Follower
AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is big news right now. You may have heard of AI being used to generate music, art, stories and videos. Some actors, writers, and artists are going on strike to prevent being replaced by AI versions of themselves. Public figures and politicians now have to deal with ‘deep fake’ versions that look and sound very similar to them appearing online. But did you know that AI is also something to be aware of when it comes to meeting online? Here’s the Christian Connection guide to what you need to know about AI and online dating.
It seems that most people these days are already in a committed, loving relationship… with their phone. Who can live without it? It’s the go-to form of communication, office, relaxation station, camera, social life - everything. It can be easy to feel empty without it, if we ever allowed that to happen - wherever we go, our phones go too. It’s addictive and can suck us into an insular world. Of course, there are many pros to having a phone. It can make communication and dating much easier for a start! So, what are the things to consider when dating in the smartphone age? What does good phone etiquette look like?
When it comes to online dating, it can be hard to know where to start - and who to trust. Preparing to meet someone new can be an exciting but also anxious process. Building a successful relationship depends on trust, and it is trust Christian Connection is founded on and central to all we do. For nearly 25 years we’ve been helping single Christians meet and form lasting relationships and we know that trust is a top priority every step of the way.
First dates are wonderful opportunities to meet potential partners. They can also be filled with pitfalls. We may be nervous, excited or so keen for things to work out that we overlook clear warning signs. So, what first date red flags do we need to look out for?
While it’s only natural to over-think our romantic lives and tie ourselves in knots, the fact is that the purpose of a first date is quite simple: to find out if we want a second date with that person. So, what signs and signals should we look out for before deciding whether to meet again? What could we recognise as first date green flags?
Easter is a time when we remember what Jesus did for us, His death and resurrection. Yes, it’s also a time when there are many happy, fluffy lambs, Easter eggs, chocolates and bunny rabbits, but the true meaning of Easter is all about Jesus and always will be. It is a solemn time, but also a time full of hope, excitement and a fresh start. We can go through a range of emotions as we remember this significant time in Christ’s life. What can we learn through this period of Easter to help us to be more Christlike and what can we bring into our dating lives and our relationships?
Easter is a time for reflection but also a time for joy. As Christians we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus and the new life that offers. Alongside this are lots of new traditions involving chocolate, food and fluffy animals! If you’ve met someone you want to get to know better or you’re looking for something to do that makes the most of the season, here are some fun and rewarding Easter date ideas to consider. Bunny ears optional!
“Both of us had spent many years looking for the right person, often feeling in tough times that it would never happen. Time and again either of us would be at someone else’s wedding and think: ‘When will it be my turn?’” This is how Charlie and Ruth opened their story when they got in touch to let us know they'd just got married after meeting on Christian Connection. Online dating can bring ups and downs,. Couples who meet on Christian Connection often ask to share their stories so that those who are currently dating will be encouraged, and show how they navigated their dating experiences to find each other.
How can we ensure we have a positive experience when dating? That we feel hopeful about the process and willing to continue our search for love, rather than feel depressed, down and ready to give up? Asking yourself some simple questions - a handy pre-dating checklist - can help. These questions are designed to support you to create a virtuous circle in your dating life so that you remain upbeat and enthusiastic, as opposed to being in a painful vicious cycle that leads you to stop dating. Ready to start?
We all know communication is key when it comes to any form of relationship. It’s important to get your point across and be heard but also to listen and pay attention to others. Yet sometimes our communication styles within relationships can be an enigma or polar opposites, leading to miscommunication and a breakdown of understanding. Why is it that there are people you just ‘click’ with, and others that you find really hard work to talk to? And how can this affect dating and romantic relationships?
Messaging has been going well. You want to meet in person and chat more. The classic first date is to ‘meet for a coffee’ – simple to arrange, public and low cost. It’s a great way to test your online connection and whether there’s more to develop without the pressure of a grand setting or long time commitment. But you still want it to go well. First impressions count! So, what could you do that’s a little more interesting than a couple of cappuccinos? Here are some fun, simple first date ideas that make a great alternative to coffee.
Authenticity is the path to a healthy romantic relationship yet sometimes our fear of not being enough or our deep hunger for love stop us from showing up authentically on dates. Perhaps we are scared we’ll be rejected if we reveal our true selves. Maybe we’re afraid our date won’t want to see us again if we’re honest about what we’re looking for in a relationship. How can we instead date authentically and show up as our authentic selves?
You might be forgiven for thinking Valentine’s Day isn’t meant for singles. Aren’t all the cards and flowers in the shops at this time of year designed to celebrate happy couples? Some people choose to avoid the day altogether. But here at Christian Connection, we believe in making Valentine's Day for everyone - and what better place to celebrate love than a place people come to make important new connections? February is one of our busiest times of year! With so many members ready to meet someone new, it’s a great place to connect with others who haven’t found their perfect match – yet. Maybe this year, that perfect match could be you! So, here are five tips to help you share the love and reach out to someone new, and just maybe you’ll meet next year’s Valentine!
Most of us have some ‘bad date’ experiences and stories that we can tell for entertainment. I know that I have had my fair share of them, from being told not to wear sunglasses (despite it being sunny), to being taken to a bug taxidermy museum (I don’t like bugs!), to becoming an agony aunt on a first date and afterwards being told I didn’t give said person a chance! These dates can be added to life experience and dating experience and we can move onwards and upwards from them, but there’s always that feeling of disappointment. So, what happens if a date doesn't go to plan? How can you move on from dating disappointment?
Matt and Vicky met on Christian Connection and recently got married. Matt said, "I figured it was time to be proactive in looking for a partner rather than just waiting around. I wanted to use a Christian site as it is in line with my faith and beliefs." For Vicky, it was a time for change: "I had used Christian Connection previously in my 20s but had taken a number of years out to be intentionally single. I prayed a lot about rejoining CC and felt that God said the time was right."
As we come to the end of the year you might be looking back and thinking about all the things that you hoped to achieve this year that didn’t quite work out. This is especially true if you were hoping to meet someone or start dating. If that’s you, don’t despair. A new year always brings with it chances to make opportunities for different things, and starting a relationship is one of them. The only caveat is that you would need to be open-minded, and perhaps try things that you haven’t tried before. There are many opportunities you could take hold of in the new year, and you could even make some of those opportunities yourself!
New Year. A blank page. As 2024 begins and we make plans, set intentions and prepare to write a new story, there’s a question that’s worth holding in our hearts and keeping at the forefront of our minds: how do I live authentically this year? This question could be posed in different ways: how do I stay true to myself? How do I live in alignment with my values? How do I live in accordance with God’s plan for my life? How do I live with integrity?
"I wanted to meet somebody that was a Christian. And I just felt like Christian Connection was the right place." When Yinka set out to find a special connection, her Christian Connection profile led her to Moyo, whose friends had told him he needed "to get yourself out there... meet new people". Find out how Moyo and Yinka went from Facetiming and mini golf to a great love story and three weddings...
As we ring out the old year and welcome in 2024, our thoughts turn to all the opportunities the new year could bring. As a leap year, we already know one thing the year ahead has in store: one extra day! While February 29th might not be the best date for a birthday, years containing a leap day are often viewed as special, and can be seen as a time to be bold, especially when it comes to love. So whether you're making a new start or a fresh start when it comes to online dating, you've picked the perfect time to make the most of all Christian Connection has to offer and leap into love!
It’s always a joy to share the encouraging stories couples who’ve met on Christian Connection send in. Each story is unique – a coming together of two people who would never have met without that first (brave!) wave or message. Or without first taking the leap and becoming a member! As we reach the end of the year, here are just a handful of the couples who’ve shared their #MetOnCC stories and lots of great advice for Christian Connection members, as well as what we’ve noticed helps to make a lasting connection.
Every week the Christian Connection blog has new advice, encouragement and inspiration for daters at all stages of life. Whether you’re looking for interesting, original date ideas, support as you navigate getting to know someone or learn from real life experiences, we ask experts and those who’ve been on similar journeys to share their wisdom. Over the years, this has grown into a diverse resource full of great dating advice. From practical tips on dating well to inspiring love stories that started with a click and a wave on Christian Connection, here are our most popular posts this year on the CC blog.
The Christmas season is a time for connection, reconnection and new connections. For most of us, it’s a time for being together, for meaningful conversations, and surrounding yourself with the people you love, whether family or friends. A very famous Christmas film opens with clips of connection: people coming home to arrivals at an airport, with joyful connections, hugs, kisses, handshakes, seeing old friends, new friends, loved ones, which fills the viewer with warmth. If you're wondering how to connect this Christmas, here are some simple ways.
As we enter the Advent season, what should our focus be? According to modern Christian thought, Advent is the season of reflective preparation for Christ’s nativity at Christmas and Christ’s expected return in the Second coming. Whilst we may now see Advent as a season that serves as an anticipation of Christ’s birth, originally there was little connection between Advent and Christmas. By the 6th century, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ, but the coming they had in mind was his second coming in the clouds, as judge of the world. The Advent season was not explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas until the Middle Ages. So, how does this history lesson relate to you, as a single Christian today and what could hopeful waiting look like?
Deep down, we all want to be loved. But sometimes our desire for a romantic relationship is so strong that it leads us to show up as less than our full selves in our digital conversations. This then leads to a relationship that isn't based on the whole truth – and that kind of relationship cannot last. Honesty is the best policy. We all know that. But when it comes to exchanging messages with prospective dates, it can be tempting to censor ourselves or present ourselves less than completely in a slightly different light in the hope of finding that elusive connection. At the root of inauthentic communication is fear.
Making the first move can feel like a big deal. Whether you're new to Christian Connection or been a member before, there's now a new way to show your interest and start a conversation. Once you've uploaded your photos and spent some time perfecting your profile it's time to take the next step and reach out to someone you like. If hitting that message button feels daunting, don’t worry! Our new profile and photo reactions make it easy and stress free to make that first connection and let someone know you'd like to get to know them.
Today, having a deep, meaningful and strong connection with someone is a rare thing. We have so many distractions around us - social media, work, various screens and a never ending ‘to do list’. Our strongest connection can sometimes be with our smartphone rather than with God or with actual people. This doesn’t have to be the case. An early connection after meeting online can be nurtured and cultivated into something precious right from when you first start dating and as your relationship develops.
From overcoming scepticism about online dating to the restrictions of long distance connections, even the greatest love stories can get off to a bumpy start! When #MetOnCC couples share their stories, they start from the first nervous wave, like or message through to proposals, weddings and their changed lives together. Be encouraged by their honesty, openness and faithfulness as each unique couple relives the journey from strangers who share a faith to spouses who share a future.
Building spiritual practice and growing in faith together is important in every Christian relationship, however, the timing and priority will be different for each couple. It can be difficult to know when or how to introduce this when you first meet someone, or a relationship starts to get serious. If you’re dating someone, ideally you should both have a similar mindset when it comes to spiritual activities, to avoid strife in your relationship. So where should you start?
Control can scupper our dating journey and our chances of forming healthy relationships. I know this from experience. So how can we start letting go of control and looking for love from a place of trust? Let’s begin by exploring how control can sabotage our love life, so that we have an incentive to loosen the reins a little bit.
When I was on tour during my work as an actor and travelling around the country, I had to do a lot of ‘church hopping’. I would try out different churches in each venue to maintain some sort of fellowship. It was a wonderful chance to try out different styles of worship, meet new people and find out more about the local area. But I was very much single during this time – and being a first time church visitor as a single person can be daunting, isolating and nerve wracking. So, what did I learn that could help?
Ambiguity in dating can be very frustrating. Mixed messages can leave one feeling upset, disappointed, and confused. Most of us have been in situations where you like someone, and things seem to be going great, but all of a sudden, things change. They start acting differently towards you, or, one minute they seem very interested in you and in taking the relationship further, and the next, it seems like they don’t have any time for you. So, what can you do?
Do you lose yourself in romantic situations? Are you prone to changing your shape to suit your date, morphing into the person you think they want you to be? Do you struggle to voice your needs and wants or express your truth when dating? Do you find yourself pleasing the other and abandoning yourself? If so, you are not alone and change is possible.
When writing an online dating profile, most people wonder how much to share. Should it be short and sweet, or a deep dive into who you are and what you’re looking for? If you’ve added a few of your favourite photos then you’ve made a great start, but there’s far more to you than a photo! What you write is where you can really show who you are and help create an authentic dating profile. So, if you haven’t shown the true you yet, it might be time to give your profile another glance.
Integrating your lives can be one of the biggest challenges in a relationship – whatever stage of life you meet at, family is a factor. Whether you’re just starting out in dating or find yourself single later in life, you’ll be likely to encounter people who are related to the person you’re getting to know – parents, children and maybe many more relations. And you’ll probably need to get to know them too! Where do you start?
Do you find your imagination runs wild after a good first date? Do you start visualising yourself walking down the aisle with the person you’ve only just met? Or maybe you tend to share too much of yourself on an initial meeting, only to regret doing so afterwards. These are common dating pitfalls, but the good news is dating boundaries can help.
“I had a friend who had also been on an online Christian dating site and had met her husband, and she encouraged me to go…” Lauren joined Christian Connection with the hope of a similar connection. She didn’t yet know Kevin, who was soon to prepare his own dating profile and begin his search! “I was ready for marriage,” Kevin said, “I knew what I was looking for. And I thought, I've tried online dating before, but I had never tried Christian online dating.”
Whilst dating can be a fun time, when you’ve been on the dating scene for a while and seemingly nothing has come from it, you might start to feel discouraged and even be tempted to give up. But if you’re serious about meeting someone, you’ll need to understand that disappointment is a real possibility when it comes to dating, and in those moments, being able to encourage yourself is very important. So, how can you encourage yourself for the dating journey?
Once dating starts to get a little more serious, there are stepping stones to integrate two different lives. Often one of the first of these is the meeting of each other’s friends. Friends can make or break a relationship, especially if their opinion sways you. Meeting your new partner’s friends can be very nerve-wracking, so what should you consider? How can you continue to value friends as you date? And what might be going on under the surface, with your friends or theirs?
Someone called remarriage “the triumph of hope over experience”. I see it as the triumph of hope AND experience. A tangible sign of grace in the possibility of being granted new chances, especially if the thought of dating after loss seems overwhelming. As CS Lewis said of his own late marriage, “I never expected to have in my sixties the happiness that passed me by in my twenties.” But considering dating, starting a new relationship, and eventually creating a new marriage after a divorce or bereavement has its complications, and here are some issues worth reflecting on.
How do we set ourselves up for dating success rather than dating disasters? How do we ensure that we make good choices in relationships and avoid hurting ourselves and others? For me, the key lies in healthy boundaries. There are many types of boundaries we can set with ourselves and others to ensure we stay emotionally and physically safe and avoid pain and hurt. But how do boundaries apply to dating and relationships?