Author	Thread: Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts....
Admin	Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts.... Posted : 4 Aug, 2010 09:38 PM I believed in all of the romantic stories that I had heard over the years when I was younger. When I was younger, I embraced the notion that someday would exist that extraordinary bond of heart and soul that transcended race, age, income, status, prospects, potential or intellect. I truly thought that we discover one another and the heavens would open up to a choir of Angels rejoicing in our union. Sitting in Sunday School listening intently to the stories of David and Bathsheba, Ruth.... so much love in those stories. I remember this day as if it were yesterday. I was in seventh grade and took a field trip to the theatre to watch the 1968 production of Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" with Olivia Hussey and sitting there, male and macho as one can be at 13, crying.... "Tempt not a desperate man! Hold! Hold! Hold! Once more I say to you, hold! My love... My wife... Death that hath sucked the honey of thy breath... ..hath had no power yet upon thy beauty. Thou art not conquered. Beauty's ensign yet is crimson in thy lips and in thycheeks... ..and death's pale flag is not advanced there. Dear Juliet, why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe that unsubstantial death is amorous... ..and keeps thee here in dark to be his paramour? Here. O, here will I set up my everlasting rest... ..and shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last. Arms, take your last embrace. And lips... O you, the doors to breath,... ..seal with a righteous kiss... ..a dateless bargain... ..to engrossing death." And then I grew up. I grew into a world where status became the measure of a man and a woman's figure the measure of her worth. In a world that taught "what's in for me", against the teachings of a church that offered as best it could, to hope and await the great "by and by". So as a Christian man now, I wonder, whether rightly or wrongly, why have let circumstances rob, or at least stunt, our hearts? We are created by and for love and yet we have seemingly allowed the issues to the day, the world dictate to us what is or is not the very essence of our being. God created through love. Christ died and shed His blood because of love. The Holy Spirit offers guidance and instruction because of love. So when, oh when, did we grow so bright and shiny that we have discarded the very essence of our existence. Does anyone else believe that without or without, even with the needs of the day, bills, payments, money, work and the hours in the day, love is really all the matters? And if so, how does one relate that one's dating/love experiences? I am truly interested to know what others think. Please know, that this is not about critiquing or judging, but rather, in hearing what others think and feel... Post Reply
View Profile History	Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts.... Posted : 5 Aug, 2010 06:48 PM Oh, I LOVE that version of Romeo and Juliet!! I totally want to grab my DVD and watch it now! =) To a certain extent, I do think that love is really all that matters. I think the entire process of dating/courting, getting married, and starting a family has been so muddied by modern, secular culture. Ultimately, the purpose of all that we do is to glorify God. Our words, actions, decisions, and relationships should point to Him. Marriage is meant to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church. That said, it is difficult to focus entirely on the Biblical perspective of things. We're all in the process of being sanctified and our flesh, with all of its selfish desires, rears its ugly head all of the time... Post Reply
eliazew View Profile History	Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts.... Posted : 6 Aug, 2010 03:21 AM Its definitely there alright but its just a little harder to see because of deceptions we see every day a little harder to feel because of the way people (we believe are in love )show it a little harder to notice because of the loss of trust we have in people but trust me its there Post Reply
View Profile History	Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts.... Posted : 6 Aug, 2010 08:30 AM @pixy - Thanks for the insights!!! "Ultimately, the purpose of all that we do is to glorify God." So very, very true! @eliazew - Agreed! Post Reply
Rabbit32 View Profile History	Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts.... Posted : 7 Aug, 2010 12:00 AM The love of many have grown cold...God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path....And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[b] 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations....The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights....Come away, my love! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.... Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy[c] as enduring as the grave.[d] Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. 7 Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned. Ild say my god is the biggest romantic ever Post Reply
View Profile History	Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts.... Posted : 8 Aug, 2010 01:19 AM I think love is fearless. I think it's is ever present in every moment we encounter, but diluted with whatever the fear we have. The more fear the less love. Both are basis' of what we express to others, ourselves, or in our tasks we need to complete through out the day. So yeah, even though it's easy to forget sometimes, I still think love is all you need. Post Reply
View Profile History	Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts.... Posted : 12 Aug, 2010 08:51 PM Ok Just by reading the topic this i what came to mind, God created Romance just as he created everything! So if its between the right people that God created for each other then YOU will have an en better love story than Romeo and Juliet! The thing about our world today however is no one wants to wait on God and Divorce is to easy to comeby! People dont pray about relationships and listen to that still small voic telling them to r like the wind! They Go into marriage thinking "if it dosnt work out we can always get a divorce" and in my opinion if you have that mind st to start with then you shoulnt get married!! I know I dont sound as intelegent as all you guys do, but I just wanted to share my simple thoughts! Post Reply
View Profile History	Christian romance: dead or alive? Your thoughts.... Posted : 15 Sep, 2010 01:01 AM You definitely have a point, GodsGirl. Many people (or most, I've never seen statistics) want for things like love and marriage to happen on their time rather than God's, or with whoever comes along rather than who God might want for them. I see particularly among my female peers a dire urgency to find "the one" before the other ladies do, or people wanting to find somebody as a means of affirming their worth. So many of us have our priorities way out of order. Post Reply