Sexting or sending photos in a long-distance relationship can be a real temptation. And if your boyfriend is asking you to send something, you may not be sure how to respond. Why should you pause before you send that photo? Joy Skarka, director of discipleship at Authentic Intimacy, offers these five reasons for thinking twice before …
Before You Send that Photo: 5 Good Reasons Not to Sext Read More »
You’ve probably been warned not to think about marriage too much while you’re dating. It makes sense — you don’t want your emotions to outpace your level of commitment. But you need to think about marriage at some point, don’t you? When’s the right time? How much is too much? How often you should think …
How Much Should You Think and Talk About Marriage While Dating? Read More »
Spoiler alert: the Bible does not mention long-distance relationships. It doesn’t even mention dating. But the Bible can help you answer any question you have about dating, from Can I miss my boyfriend too much? to Should we get married? Whatever you’re wondering, the Bible can provide you with at least one of the following: …
How to Find Answers to Any Question You Have About Dating Read More »
Transitioning from a long-distance to a local relationship is a big change. You’ve waited so long for the day you’ll finally be together. When you know it’s coming, the excitement is hard to contain. At that same time, you might be nervous. If you’ve never lived in the same city before, you may worry the other …
Transitioning from a Long-Distance Relationship to a Local Relationship Read More »
Growing up, I was told to find a husband who would be a strong spiritual leader. But when I started dating, I wasn’t exactly sure how to know if my boyfriend was one. After all, I learned that limiting spiritual intimacy while you’re dating can be healthy. As my boyfriend, he was not in the position …
What Really Makes a Man a Strong Spiritual Leader Read More »
You don’t have to be a track star to know the importance of setting a healthy pace when you’re running a race. If you sprint as fast as you can during your first lap around the track, you’ll regret it when you reach the fourth. Doubled over with exhaustion, the end will feel miles away. …
How to Set a Healthy Pace for Emotional & Physical Intimacy Read More »
By asking the question, “Why don’t churches talk more about dating?” we’re making an implicit assumption: churches don’t talk a lot about dating. To be honest, I don’t know if that’s true. There’s no objective criteria or method for evaluating how dating is discussed in every church on the planet. But I do think it’s …
When you first began a long-distance relationship, you may never imagine yourself spending hours upon hours calling one another. But before long, you find yourself wanting to talk every day for hours on end. Eventually, you may start to wonder…should you talk every day in a long-distance relationship? Every couple’s communication is different, so it’s …
Should You Talk Every Day in a Long-Distance Relationship? Read More »
Wondering what the best books for long-distance relationships are? I frequently recommend books to people who ask me for long-distance dating advice. One of the reasons I do this is because books shape the way we think, and a lot of relationship problems are best solved by changing your thinking. One helpful principle I’ve heard …
The 5 Best Books for Long-Distance Relationships Read More »
“I’m judging you right now.” That’s what one of my friends said when I told her I was moving to the city where my long-distance boyfriend lived. Her words felt like a slap in the face. I didn’t know how to respond. Maybe you’ve experienced skepticism or judgment about your long-distance relationship, too. Some people’s …
How to Separate the Good Advice From The Bad: A Helpful Two-Part Test Read More »
“So, you’re planning to date long-distance for four years?” my friend asked when she heard that Reed and I had started dating. It was our freshman year of college. “I guess — I really don’t know,” I said, pushing the pasta around on my dining hall tray. Waiting until graduation sounded like a long time, …
Here’s How To Know How & When Long-Distance Should End Read More »
Worried about long-distance relationship problems? The list of challenges in your relationship might feel awfully long. However, not every problem is a cause for concern. Some issues fade naturally or turn out to be less serious than you originally thought. How do you know when you should be concerned, though? I think it’s helpful to …
How Disastrous Are My Long-Distance Relationship Problems? Read More »
At 2 am, the pillow fights always stopped. The third chick flick went to credits, our young voices grew hushed, and the serious conversations began. Those middle-of-the-night moments were always my favorite part of sleeping over with friends when I was growing up. I cherished the rare honesty spurred on by sleep deprivation, and the …
Throw Out These 4 Toxic Beliefs About Serious Conversations Read More »
Struggling with long-distance relationship communication or running out of things to talk about? You’re not the only one. When I talk with women in long-distance dating relationships, many say that communicating effectively with their boyfriends is their biggest challenge. “Communication problems” is a sweeping category, though. If we want to figure out how to fix …
15 Effective Long-Distance Relationship Communication Solutions Read More »
Do you believe the advice that you should “marry your best friend?” If the quotes on my Pinterest boards from middle school are any indication, my answer has been “yes” for a long time. Today, my answer is still yes, but not for the same reasons that I believed in middle school. Below are three …
Why You Should Marry Your Best Friend — And What That Really Means Read More »
How do you keep boundaries you want to break? I struggled with that question a lot while we were long-distance dating. When we weren’t together, my commitment to our physical boundaries was fierce. But when I was finally in his arms and no one was around, I didn’t want to keep our boundaries at all. …
The Secret to Self-Control: How to Keep Boundaries You Want to Break Read More »
Nobody likes jealousy in a long-distance relationship. But when you’re apart from your boyfriend, that sickening feeling can sneak into even the healthiest of relationships. You probably don’t want to feel jealous— you’re terrified of becoming that girlfriend — but you can’t just wish away the feelings of hurt, sadness and anger. This is the …
5 Wise Steps for Dealing with Jealousy in a Long-Distance Relationship Read More »
This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you’re looking for a solid foundation for Christian dating, Not Yet Married is a great place to begin. “Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness and Dating” by Marshall Segal is probably my favorite book on the topic …
A Review of “Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness and Dating” Read More »
Note: This post contains affiliate links that support Dating at a Distance at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The five love languages take on a unique significance in a long-distance relationship. One reason is that the honeymoon stage of a relationship often ends earlier for long-distance couples. …
A Guide to the Five Love Languages in a Long-Distance Relationship Read More »
If you’re struggling to keep your boundaries, you may have told yourself one of these common excuses. It may seem like no one else struggles like you do, but 1 Corinthians 10:13 points out that “no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” The devil has a horrible inability to innovate. Your …
Do You Tell Yourself These Common Excuses for Sexual Sin? Read More »