#Dating101

For those of you on the “scene”, here are a few tips that may help you along your journey to find “the one.”  Here is #Dating101 

1. If they site "Dumbledore" as one of the people they most look up to, it's time to break up. #Dating101 

2. If they have "Value Pawn" as one of the numbers on speed dial, you may want to ask Match.com for a refund. #Dating101 

3. If they say, "it's not as contagious as it looks" and then points to somewhere on their body....RUN. #Dating101 

4. If they claim to have been abducted by aliens you may not want to give them your real phone number. #Dating101 

5. If you’re with someone who makes reference to what Edward or Jacob would do, its time to put a stake in the heart of that relationship. #Dating101 

6. If they DVR anything with Bieber, that could be bad news for you. #Dating101 

7. If he likes to hang out at a place with a name like "The Razzle Dazzle Room" you almost bet he's NOT a scrap booker. Break up. #Dating101 

8. If she worked at a place with a name like "The Razzle Dazzle Room" you almost bet it's NOT a craft store and you can stop dating #Dating101 

9. If she refers to the repo man as an outstanding role model for her kids, she might not be up to par. #Dating101 

10. If your girl LIKES the song "Meet Virginia" (by Train) she's okay. #Dating101 

11. If she can be DESCRIBED by the song, you might have a problem. #Dating101 

12. If they have ever cited “The Urban Dictionary” in their schoolwork, you may want to reconsider.  #Dating101 

13.  If you are dating someone who can quote a line from ANH, ESB, or ROTJ or their prequels, they may be alright. #Dating101 

14. If they know what any of the abbreviations in number 12 mean, MARRY them! #Dating101 

15. If they have ever used the word “patronus” in a normal conversation, that could be trouble.  #Dating101 

16. If you suggest he remove his wool sweater before going into  the pool only to realize he isn’t wearing one, you may want to skip the swim.  #Dating101 

17. If they have ironic facial hair, you should ask them to shave, if it’s a female…yikes. #Dating101 

18.  If they refer to their vehicle as the “Free Candy” van, you may be in BIG TROUBLE already.  #Dating101 

19.  If they refer to the “Charlie the Unicorn” video as a waste of time, leave them immediately.  #Dating101 

20. IF they base their dating advice on some lame list, it’s too late.  #Dating101

Fair?! Not since the Garden of Eden

"Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest of these is Love." Hey wait! Where is fair? As you pan through the course of history throughout the pages of the Scriptures you won't see any record of "fair."

We are a culture that thrives on being "fair." With my own kids, I stress the importance of being fair. I think that some of this can be okay, but what fair does, is create a mindset that I deserve something for the plain and simple fact that someone else go it.
If we took it one steop further to its logical conclusion in eternity, what we get in salvation is DEFINITELY not fair! We mess up and do the wrong things, we seek our own desires and fulfill ourselves through earthly, even fleshly pursuits and what we get in return is eternal life?

What we deserve, what is fair is that we get death. Romans 6:23 tells us that the paycheck for even ONE sin is death. Let alone the countless times that we serve ourselves and give in to things that we KNOW lead to our own spiritual death and separation.

As I reflect on the fact that it has now been 4 months and 4 days since we left Florida, I have to fight the temptation to tell God, "Hey! I moved from Florida for this?! I gave up saltwater fishing and all of my amazing friends to be homeless in a state that has more cloudy/rainy days than teenagers have excuses?! God this isn't fair!"

I am in the midst of reminding myself that I have an amazing family, a wonderful extended family, a church family here who has accepted my family and loved us and provided free temporary housing. We have our health, we have a great school, and even some new friends that we can be thankful for. Before you shake your OWN fist at God, take a moment to uncurl your fingers to examine just what you DO have and who it came from. Blessings.