Hey There, Lonely Girl

I will be strengthened with all power according to God's glorious might so that I may have great endurance and patience and joyfully give thanks to the Father Who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1: 11-12 (NIV)

More than 4,000 people responded to emails calling them to dance "like you've never danced before" at 6:53 p.m. in Victoria Station in England. For two hours, MP3 players and iPods emerged and the crowd danced wildly to their soundtracks in silence. Why?

Because we all have the innate need to connect, to be a part of something bigger, a community with shared interests. All around the world, flash mobs are being promoted through web sites and emails calling people to pop up in select public places to do something silly for a brief period of time and then quickly disperse.

Activities range from pillow fights to entering Home Depot in slow motion.

31 Days, a website that documents Kate's search for a Valentine's date, this year mobilized a flash date that drew in gals dressed in either pink or red and guys bringing a flower or chocolate at London's Trafalgar's Square. Yes, word has it that a date came out of it.

Guess the best part of connecting via blogs or chat rooms is when the words become flesh! Glad to hear that people are taking risks and having fun connecting in 3D.

What a thought! Maybe we should try a flash mob for Christian singles? Where would we go? What would we do when we showed up?

Beware of Spiritual Dating

What is spiritual dating? It's happens when you are friends with a Christian guy.....but you've both agreed that you aren't going to date but remain just friends....but you are really subconsciously sort of dating. Sound confusing? Well... it is.

I've heard about a half-dozen stories from friends who were heartbroken after having been in spiritual dating situations without having even been aware of it.

If two people are hanging out and sort of "spiritually dating" why don't they just go ahead and openly date, you may wonder? I have found that it's usually because both people have already predetermined that their destinies are not at all connected and therefore, they are not meant to get married.

In any case, the two spiritual people agree to pray with one another - alone. Oh, oh. Spiritual ties start forming and you become even more drawn to one another even though you know that you are not meant for one another. Together, you enter spiritual depths of intimacy....but you're just friends.

He starts calling you daily - more than some of your closest girl friends....but you're not dating. Like many older single women starved for attention, this begins to arouse the woman in you.....repressed attraction begins to brew. Oh my! Then, he begins to touch you .....put his arms around you.. pat you on the knee.....make flirtatious comments.....but you're just friends.

Remember, you're not meant for one another, but face it, a part of you likes the attention from a guy.

No matter how much you try to reason or excuse yourself by saying you're just friends or that he needs your prayers, the heart thing kicks in and boom.....the heart starts to beat to the rhythm of the calls.... the attention...and you're hooked... but you're just friends.

What to do? Be honest with yourself and the purpose of this "friendship." Are you subtly using one another to meet your needs for attention from the opposite sex? Like the Word says, let your yes be yes and your no be no. If you're going to just be friends, then act like friends and not as couples and set up boundaries. And if at all possible, seek pastoral counsel or someone who can hold you accountable...give you a fresh and prayerful perspective....like the truth.

Even though he may be a faithful member of a Christian church, remember, he's still a guy and you're still a gal .....with a vulnerable heart. Take care of it.

Men Missing In Church

Have you noticed the absence of men in Christian prayer groups, churches and singles events? Where are they? And, how are Christian women supposed to be "equally yoked" if the men are missing in church? Christian services are quite a different scene from the male-dominated mosques.....not that I would want to be in a male-dominated mosque.

Well, guess what? There is now a new tribe of brothers trying to make the Christian church more "man-friendly." God Men spokespersons have been on Good Morning America and Nightline saying that the reason why 60 percent of church-goers are women is because services are geared to women. Do you think Christian churces are too girly-girl? They also say that the church's image of Jesus is too meek for most men to relate to. So they stay away.

Some of these followers - like David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church - claim that today's Christian praise music targets "love-starved women" with lyrics that sing about Christ's extravagant love. He says, "Gals buy about 75% of the praise and worship CDs. I don't know any man who follows Christ for his "intoxicating fragrance."

OK. I confess. I am one of those love-starved women. Yes, I'm always starved for more of Christ's love. It's an insatiable hunger! More, more, more!

The scripture that comes to mind from the amplified version says:
"The Lord gives the word {of power}; the women who bear and publish {the news} are a great host." Psalm 68: 11.

Could that be why there are more women in Christian churches? Or why the first evangelist of the risen Christ was a woman?

Or are there more women in church because men need a tougher image of Christ like the strong, robust and angry Jesus at the temple? Is it because they are tired of "a bearded lady" image of Jesus - that's actually what one of them said on the Nightline piece!

Frankly, I'm always happy to hear about places or events where men can come together and have honest guy-talk that they normally wouldn't feel comfortable sharing otherwise.

Call it women's intuition...but God Men seems to have a different approach than that of Promise Keepers that used to fill stadiums with praying men seeking to become Christ-like men of integrity.

Yes, we need to examine why men are missing in church, but is God Men the answer?