Meeting up for a date can be exciting just because you’re getting to spend time with someone interesting with romantic potential. But you shouldn’t feel pressure to make every occasion an extravaganza. Sometimes what you need are relaxing date ideas. As well as creating space for conversation to develop – or opportunities for comfortable silences – taking your time in a low key setting can help to deepen your connection too.

“Couples don’t need to have anything in common,” said a male character in a novel I read recently. “The man can go to his club in the evenings while the woman knits or watches television.” Contrast this with a real-life couple I read about who made a vow they would only have interests or friends or pastimes they both enjoyed. If one of them didn’t like whatever it was, the other would immediately give it up in case it interfered with their love. The first example gave me a good laugh and the second gave me claustrophobia. It also got me wondering: is having the same tastes as your partner relevant when it comes to relationships? What should you do about dating with different interests?

Prayer should be a key part of the life of a Christian, but sometimes we wrongly think we should only be praying about serious things or more ‘spiritual’ things, like world peace and salvation. However, the Bible talks about praying without continually, and praying about everything. And everything includes singleness and dating!

When I ask people to list the qualities they’re looking for in a partner, they often say they’d like to find someone who’s living a full life, someone who has good friendships, interesting hobbies and dreams for the future. How do we find that person? First, we become that person ourselves.

“My now-husband David and I first started chatting on Christian Connection, after he ‘accidentally’ liked me, when he thought he was only putting me on a saved list! I initiated conversation, and looking back on our chat, the poor guy was writing me essays and I was giving him short responses. I am a truly terrible person! And to add to that, I regrettably ghosted him after a while as life got busy and I was experiencing disappointment after disappointment in my love life. Not that it is any excuse! But regardless, God had other plans…

How can dating stay fresh? Instead of getting stuck in a rut, whether going on first dates or keeping dating alive in a long term relationship, look for date ideas with imagination. Doing the same old things, going to the same places, ordering the same takeaways, going on the same walks can be an easy habit to fall into – even if meeting someone for the first time and relying on an ‘old favourite’ instead of a new idea – but maybe it’s time to mix it up a bit! Give your dating life a refresh with some simple changes.

One of the leading news sites for online dating has featured Christian Connection. DatingNews.com aims to be “at the heart of the dating industry” and is home to extensive coverage of dating coaches, matchmakers, apps, websites, and everything in between. They spoke to director Joff Williams about how the Christian Connection has grown to become one of the most popular faith-based dating platforms today.

Have you ever been on a date and thought afterwards, “I wish I didn’t talk so much about my cat”, or “Why did I wear these shoes, my feet are killing me!”? Going on a date can be nerve-racking, I know, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are 7 foolproof ways to make sure your date goes well.