Marriage

Relationships, whether in the early ‘butterflies in the stomach’ phase, or twenty years down the line all require some effort to keep things exciting. Perhaps you’re just getting to know someone, and you don’t know if it will lead to your happily ever after, or you’re seeing someone exclusively and wondering how you can keep things ticking along nicely. Or you may be reading this and are just hoping for that someone to develop a spark with. Here are five fun tips on keeping the spark in a relationship.

“In July 2017 my now-husband and I met on Christian Connection. My husband, Callam, had signed up to CC as one of his best friends had met his wife through the platform. I joined CC after googling Christian dating sites as it was on my heart to find my husband. I had created an account on CC several months earlier and after having no success I had logged out. To be honest, I was quite disappointed and thought it hadn’t worked out for me. Anyway, after not using CC for a few months something in my heart told me to log back on and try again.

We’re all different and have different upbringings and outlooks on life, so it’s completely normal to have disagreements from time to time. Whether you’re in a relationship, or just getting to know someone, a time will come when you’ll find that you’re not on the same page, or you just have different views on a particular matter. What do you do when this happens? Jump ship? Decide the friendship or relationship is worth more than a (small) disagreement? It’s not fun having disagreements with people we care about, but there are some simple ways to disagree without losing the relationship. Here are five tips on how to disagree well.

“People are either inspired or think we’re slightly bonkers after discovering we were married within a year of meeting, with a blended family of 5 boys aged 8-13. It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind experience and we often pinch ourselves we are doing this. But we are a testimony to what God is able to do when a relationship starts with faith. I had not been on Christian Connection for long and was ready to give up when L responded to my brief message in August 2019. I don’t think either of our circumstances matched our desired lists, but I had spoken a little about my faith and something I shared resonated with L.

Online dating can sometimes seem like a success just for other people. Couples who’ve met on Christian Connection know otherwise! For some, it was a case of on-and-off membership until the perfect connection happened. For others, that final search, wave or message before closing their account led to a life-changing relationship. Though some couples meet quickly and without any bumps on their road to the altar, others tell a different tale. Learning the stories behind the smiling faces and wedding photos can be both an encouragement and a guide for CC members. Timing matters, but so does not giving up!

As 2020 draws to a close, we look back on a challenging and eventful year. The blog posts which made our top 5 for this year reflect the impact that the coronavirus has had on all of our lives. But the message of hope and the determination of people to find love and connection is a common thread.

The importance of a shared spiritual connection is vital to lots of single Christians, and going to church together is often a great way to start learning what you have in common. Whether you can meet in person at the moment, or attend an online service or group, getting to know each other in a faith setting can make a big difference. Many Christian Connection members tell us how important church is to them. It’s the place where they find community, support and like-minded people to worship with. It’s also the place they’ve found very helpful as they date and build relationships.

“Our number one tip to be successful is to be honest with each other,” Alexandra and Carl, who got engaged after meeting on Christian Connection, told us. Telling the truth about yourself and your hopes for a relationship can feel risky. Yet, many of the couples who’ve found love on CC tell us how important it was to them to keep honesty at the centre their dating and relationships, from the very first step to their happy-ever-afters. Here are some of their stories.