In Honor of Those Who Serve - 9/11

To my comrades past and present, and especially to those in the 519th MI BN...I think of you often.

Dating for Dummies

And now on a serious note...

Do Christian singles have a rough time connecting with that someone special? I have no idea (but I did date my one and only for four years before we got married and we've been happily married for 15 years).

Dwindling congregations and a lack of experience in relationships have left many churchgoers struggling to find a partner, according to clergy.

There has been a sharp rise in the number of worshippers signing up to internet dating sites, but clergy are concerned that they are losing personal skills, such as flirting and reading signals.

Now hundreds of Christians are attending courses designed to make them more successful in turning a first date into a long-term relationship.

Here's some of what they're learning:

Lessons include how to greet someone, how to hold good eye contact and how to judge whether the other person wants to be kissed at the end of the evening.

"The workshops are all about giving people the confidence to make their date a success. They go through the whole process of what is acceptable to talk about and when it is appropriate to try to take things to the next level."

Mr Spalton (Peter Spalton, known as the dating doctor) said that chat-up lines can be a good way to make someone laugh and feel relaxed, but that some Christian jokes might not be well received.

And pick-up lines to avoid:

- 'Now I know why Solomon had 700 wives. He never met you.'
- 'You float my ark.'
- 'I didn't believe in predestination until tonight.'
- 'Let me sell you an indulgence - it's a sin to look as good as you.'
- 'How many times do I have to walk around you before you fall for me?"

Perhaps we need more workshops, seminars, Sunday school lessons to help the singles out. Do they teach this at seminary? If not, they should. I know this is easy to make fun of after all, I'm married.

U.S. Army Drill Team

Discipline...