How To Build a Spiritual Dating Relationship by Jeremy Walden

I never really thought about the connection between dating and spirituality when I was younger - except don't have sex because God said so. It wasn't until my mid-twenty's that I wondered how another person could help me connect with God. How could I help another person connect with God? Hopefully without sounding oversimplistic, here are four simple ways to build a spiritual relationship: First, spend time together talking and listening to God. There is nothing like praying with the person you are dating. It takes the relationship to a completely different level. Second, spend time alone with God. It is possible for you to want to spend all your time together. However, it is most often when you are alone that God tells you His secrets. God wants YOU. He wants to show and tell you things. He wants to spend time alone with you even more than you want to spend time alone with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Third, give God control. Your Jesus-relationship has to change and influence every slice of your life. When that happens— who you date, how you treat each other, where you go, and what you do together will change. It is called lordship. Fourth, serve God together. Volunteer together to help the elderly, the hungry, or those in prison. I had a tendency when dating to push God out of the way. I needed to keep Him central to everything I do. I realized that I was not just trying to maintain this dating relationship. I also needed to maintain my relationship with God and help my partner maintain her relationship with God.

INSTALLING LOVE

Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you? Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me though the process? Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed? Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first? Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart? Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running? Tech Support: What programs are running? Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off? Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how? Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased. Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal? Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades. Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components ." What should I do? Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others. Customer: So, what should I do? Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations. Customer: Okay, done. Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back. Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal? Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you. Customer: Thank you, God.

So Many Questions

Have you seen her
Did you see her pass this way
What is it about her
What makes me feel this way

Is it her eyes, maybe
But I'm not so sure
Is it her laughter
Something I've never heard before

So many questions but the answers are so few
All I really know is I love you
So many questions but the answers are so few
All I really know is I love you

What is it about her
Makes me stare, that makes me wanna run
My fingers through her hair
Why she makes me feel this way

Will I find her, maybe
But I'm not so sure
Will she be mine
Can't stand this searchin' any more

So many questions but the answers are so few
All I really know is I love you
So many questions but the answers are so few
All I really know is I love you

Since the only time I see her near
Is when I close my eyes
Should I keep it that way
The only way I can make her stay

Fear-Doubt-Insecurity-Uncertainty

Fear-Doubt-Insecurity-Uncertainty Dark fear invades my body. Wild doubt fills my mind. Feeble insecurity empties my heart. Eyeless uncertainty veils my soul. Yet my life-river cheerfully Wants to flow Into the stream of the Will-Supreme. Our lives are full of challenges. We sometimes succeed in fulfilling the test that was presented to us. But there were times that we avoid these because we are uncertain of the outcome. We feel that we are not ``good enough'' - the belief that we are inadequate or incompetent to handle the life's challenges. There is this "sense of always climbing up a mountain, never being able to reach the top". We believe that some people are better than us. We fear the sense of being unaccepted, disapproved, or rejected. We always think of what responses are appropriate for events and situations. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail. Sometimes we are the first, sometimes we are the last. But what is the very essence of these challenges? It is not about winning or losing. Or being the first or last. It is all about the experience and the knowledge that will help us understand what life really is. These challenges can be blessings because it will give us a glimpse of the purpose, our purpose. Because of our HOPES and DREAMS, INSPIRATIONS and "LOVE" (the very word that we can't fully describe), we are able to breathe amidst the problems and challenges we encounter. Even though FEARS may try to hold us back or block our way, COURAGE and Faith in our hearts will always be there.