Mac's Musings

most young Christians have no idea what Christian dating looks like practically. Here are some insights to help Christian men date in a way that honors God.   1. A Definition of Intentional “Intentional” is one of those words that sounds right, but no one really knows what it means. So I would like to clear that up. Here is my working definition for intentional and how it relates to how a Christian man should pursue a woman. The intentional man repeatedly and constantly goes first and takes on all of the risk of rejection. He always lets the girl know where he stands so she feels secure and isn’t left guessing. (On the other hand, don’t weird her out by talking about marriage on the first date.) Approaching her initially: Intentional: “I’d like to take you out on a date.” Unintentional: “Wanna hang out sometime? My roommates are all gone this weekend.”  Paying the bill: Intentional: “I’ve got it.” Unintentional: “Can you cover half the bill? I’m pretty br...

1. Repeat after me: “You are loved.”  I am not kidding. Repeat. After. Me. Out loud, often, with conviction. These are such simple words to say, but they have the most deep and resounding impact on our souls if we would just believe. God says to his daughters in Jeremiah : "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." Until you have tasted God’s eternal, steadfast, redeeming love, hold off on looking for a man. You may just end up settling for a quick love that cannot fill your core heart’s longing. Even if you are not currently being pursued by a man, you are constantly being pursued by Jesus. 2. You are less beautiful than you think and more beautiful than you believe. Our sin makes us ugly. No amount of makeup, clothing, or confident, flirtatious façade can change that fact. It takes a humble, redeemed woman changed by God to admit the ugliness of her sin and rest in her beauty in Christ. We must repent of ...

In the first commandment God tells us who to worship: only him. In the second commandment God tells us how to worship, and to not worship idols. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”  – Exodus 20:4–6 An arty, jock, altar boy I was raised Catholic and served for a few years as an altar boy while attending Catholic grade school. I’ve got an artistic bent. I like architecture, interior design, music, visual arts, etc. Growing up I was an odd mix: a jock who played a lot of sports, a fighter who got in more than a...

Social researchers Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker expose nine myths about sex and relationships among emerging adults in America (ages 18–23) in their book, Premarital Sex: How Young Americans Meet, Mate, And Think About Marrying . What follows are their myths: Myth: Long-term exclusivity is a fiction Truth: Half of all marriages last a lifetime, and extramarital affairs are not as common as assumed. Myth: The introduction of sex is necessary in order to sustain a fledgling or struggling relationship Truth: The quicker sex enters a relationship, the sooner the relationships fails, and most relationships fail. Myth: Boys will be boys. That is, men can’t be expected to abide by the sexual terms that women may wish to set. You may not want the double-standard to be there, but it’s there Truth: Women may enjoy sex as much as men, but they do not think and feel the same way about it. Generally they “set higher standards for their relationships.” Myth: ...

Troubles chasing me again, Breaking down my best defence, I'm looking, God, I'm looking for you Weary just won't let me rest and fear is filling up my head. I'm longing, God I'm longing for you But I will find you in the place I'm in, find you when I'm at my end, Find you when there's nothing left of me to offer you except for brokenness. You lift me up, you'll never leave me thirsty, When I am weak, when I am lost and searching I'll find you on my knees. So what if sorrow shakes my faith, What if heartache still remains, I'll trust you, my god I'll trust you. 'Cause You are faithful and I will find you in the place I'm in, find you when I'm at my end, Find you when there's nothing left of me to offer you except for brokenness. You lift me up, you'll never leave me thirsty, When I am weak, when I am lost and searching I'll find you on my knees, my knees. When my hope is gone, when the f...

No pain, no gain. Heard that before, right? Me too, lots of times actually. But I never really understood or appreciated it until very recently. I never knew to expect quite so much pain, in such a myriad of wondrous ways, especially without any clear discernible ‘gain’ in sight. Stuff is going wrong and you think, wait a minute, why aren’t I happy? Isn’t God supposed to make me happy? Isn’t that what the pastor said? Didn’t he say I’d get all my hearts desires? Why aren’t I happy God? Quick, make me happy!   God isn’t obligated to make you happy, He’s committed to making you HOLY!   The story was told of a man who goes for an interview in a town far away. He leaves his hotel bright and early the morning of the interview but gets caught in a traffic jam. He can see the building in the distance so he gets out of the taxi and starts running, but it’s raining heavily. He gets there 5 mins late, soaked to his skin, and is told to take a seat and wait. He w...

Hi, someone sent this to me, thought I'd share. Enjoy. There is such a thing as Nigerian English. It is the particular variety of English spoken by Nigerians in Nigeria, and it differs significantly from standard British English. This is important because English is the most commonly used language in the world, for communications, scholarship, business, international relations and diplomacy, education, science and information technology, and entertainment. Nigerian English is not the same as Pidgin. Pidgin is not English- it sounds like it, being mostly derived from English words, but the words have been so modified and other words added, that the product rather than being an English variant, is another language entirely. Nigerian English on the other hand is an English variant, just as is American English. It is said to have several sources, the major one being linguistic improvisation- the wholesale replacement of local language expressions with English words, whi...

What's Okay, What's Not, and Why by Paul H. Byerly How far can you go without a marriage license? It would be really nice if the Bible said "with thy lips together thou may kiss, but with thy lips parted thou shalt not kiss" or "above the waist you shall touch freely, but below the waist you shall not touch." Because such detailed limits are not given, some will suggest that God does not care if we slip a hand under a blouse, up a skirt, or into a pair of pants. It is increasingly common for Christians to believe, and even teach others, that as long as the penis does not enter the vagina, it's "not sex." Why didn't God spell it out for us in the Bible? Actually we think He did, but because we are products of the society we live in we don't see it. Up until very recently it was commonly accepted that stimulating the breasts or genitals directly or indirectly WAS SEX. In the days before reliable birth control many pros...