S.W.A.P. ABUNDANT LIFE SINGLES MINISTRY

Well as you may know I have journeyed into the world of online dating.So far it has been very interesting. I have run into some scammers and also into some genuinely nice people. Some have become new friends and some have a possibility of becoming more. All in all I have to say that it is good way to meet people. I do have a few tips to offer.

1) Find a reputable site to join. Christian Mingle is a very good site and moderately priced. eHarmony has the most in-depth screening process it is a very good site but can be rather expensive. There are also sites that cater to specific races.

2) Make sure that you know your requirements in a mate and stick to them.

3) Develope a thick skin. You may show an interest in someone that does not have an interest in you, or after a few conversations you may not hear from them again. There may be several reasons for this, perhaps they do not fit your requirements or you do not fit theirs. If this is the case it is probably best for both of you.

4) If you look at someone's profile and you are interested in the person say "hello". You would do the same if you met the individual in person. There is no harm in saying hi. If you are a female he will know you are interested and can take the lead from there.

5) Respond to all interest. If you are not interested in them thank them for their interest in you and wish them well in their search. It never hurts to be polite and wouldn't you want someone to do the same for you.

These are just a few things I have learned so far. I still have a lot to learn. If you decide to try it can be fun, just remember to stay safe.

I'll keep you informed,
Peace

Okay, I said that I would keep you updated on my online dating experiences. So I have joined five (yes 5) dating sites. I am only an actual paying member of one and that is Christian Mingle (I'll tell you why later). The topic of today's discussion is are these guys actually reading my requirements or just looking at my picture and going for it? I am 48 years old with 2 children at home, both boys, one a teenager and the other is eight. I set the age requirement 44-57. I figure that is a good age range to handle the activities I like as well as my very active boys. So why am I getting responses from 67 yr olds. Now I know some very active 67 yr olds, but they are not trying to raise boys the age of mine. After football, basketball, school and ministry functions and work, I'm tired and I am only 48!


Then there is the fact that on four of the sites I am not a paying member therefore I cannot receive nor send emails or communication of any kind thru their site. So, at the end of my most awesome profile ;) I specifically state this and give my personal email address as point of contact. So what happens next, I get 5 emails and a smile…thru the site, that of course I cannot read. Puzzled I view my profile to make sure that viewers see the profile as I wrote it and sure enough, there it is exactly as I wrote it, contact information and all. After this happens a few more times I decide to move this information to the very top of my profile knowing this will resolve the issue. The next day I check and I have 11 new emails, yep you guessed it, all thru their site that I cannot read! As frustrating as I find this, it tells me something about these men. They are only interested in what they see, the outward appearance and not, who I really am and what I am looking for in a mate since they obviously have not bothered to read my profile. That being the case I am not interested in what they have to say anyway.


Brothers and sisters there are some things that we just cannot compromise on. One of those is dating a person that does not respect or even care to know who you are! From these I say, don’t walk, run!


Now I do not want you to misunderstand, I have gotten some good response also (that I could actually read) and I am actually enjoying the process of meeting and getting to know new people. All in all I think this is a good way to meet people. I think done the right way you find out more about the person, then someone you may meet at church, work, the store, etc.


Next week I will tell you some of the sites I have tried and what I think of them. In the meantime won’t you please tell me what you think?

Peace