Month: January 2015

‘I’m no good at asking women out,’ said the email. ‘Nerves get the better of me and I’m either over-keen and scare them off, or I’m too casual and they think I’m not serious. How can I hit the right balance, HopefulGirl?’

In these modern times, both men and women can suggest going on a date. But for the most part, the pressure is on men to do the asking – and I really feel for them. ‘There’s nothing more …

I know, I know, you’re reading this because you’re on a dating site. Marriage isn’t imminent. You might, just maybe, have a coffee two weeks on Tuesday with the persistent waver who opened with ‘How r u, Shane? I like ur profile’ when your name is Sam. But that’s not the end goal. You would like to meet a partner, someone with whom you can share life’s ups and downs. You’re thinking ahead.

So, want to know the formula for …

As far as finding love is concerned, it can feel like a jungle out there… or a desert… or a lottery (waiting in hope of our numbers coming up, unsure if we even have a ticket, or where we’re supposed to go to get one). It can be so confusing hearing patronising, ill informed or contradictory advice from well meaning friends, colleagues, relatives and church members; when what we really need is something we can relate to.

Here’s my 14 …

‘Honestly, HopefulGirl, my problem isn’t that I have issues around dating – it’s that I never meet any single Christian men,’ a reader told me. ‘I’m starting to believe they’re mythical creatures, like unicorns!’

‘I meet girls at work and through friends, but never any that share my faith,’ said a guy online. ‘There’s only one single lady at my church, and she’s nearly 80!’

Most Christians in the UK belong to small churches, often without much contact with other …