Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Well everyone, Happy Valentine's Day!
While my friend Jana at Circleville Bible College is being hit on today by guys galore, I figured I would take this time to answer her question on what people think of dating and relationships. It would seem like a fitting day to have such a discussion and since I haven't touched that subject yet on my Blogger, then here we go.
I don't really care which way people decide to date--casually or seriously. Two people can structure the deal however they want. I prefer dating seriously (as in "You are going to see me and I am going to see you for as long as this works"). There has to be some certainty as to where the relationship is going and I feel dating seriously does that. Call it off whenever you feel the need to do so. Plus, I want commitment. I don't apologize for wanting commitment in a relationship. I am completely willing to be committed myself (imagine that: a guy who actually wants to be committed! LOL). I understand that commitment can scare certain girls away (just like it does guys) and being friends is ok for a time, but after a while if you aren't ready to be committed to someone, then you probably should reconsider your readiness to handle marriage (or even dating seriously). So handle the manner in which you date however you wish. I don't really think that is the major issue.
The major issue is what you look for in a guy/girl. I am shocked at the "Christian world" on two levels (and I am speaking in generalizations here). Obviously the most important factor is the other person's spiritual walk with the Lord, whether they have integrity, seek to serve and honor God in all they do, etc. Sorry for the cliche here, but "it's a heart thing". By no means do I consider myself an expert, but I feel you can get a good sense as to how legitimate someone is in their spiritual walk just by talking with them on two or three ocassions. There are people who will fool you, but again there are always exceptions to the rule. I feel that the problem with guys is that there honestly are not enough spiritually strong ones out there for Christian women to enter into a relationship with. I am a guy, but I will not make excuses for my kind. As a whole, we have really failed in being men of God and servants of Christ. Our priorities are out of whack (turned toward ourselves) and living the Christian life rarely takes first importance in our lives. I am not talking about having a passive personality here either. My attitude, for example, is generally passive and laid back, but I don't consider myself "spiritually passive" (if that is what you want to call it) at all. As for Christian women, what is the major issue they face? I just feel that they don't make good decisions regarding guys (whether it's going out with ones they shouldn't be going out with or turning down ones that they should be dating). Now I know the biggest response I get from girls here is: Who are you to say who I should or shouldn't date. I won't comment on that here simply because I think the results speak for themselves. I don't know if girls make bad choices because there aren't enough good guys out there to make good decisions on or whether society leads them to base their decisions on other things (like looks, popularity, money, intelligence, etc). Your guess is as good as mine. I do think both of these problems are interrelated, though (not enough good guys and girls making poor decisions).
I don't know how else to explain the current state of things. I think it speaks poorly of the Church today. I think regarding relationships we (the Church) are in many instances as weak as the rest of the world (divorce rates are about the same). How else can you explain this? If anyone has any ideas or thoughts, please let me know. If you would like me to elaborate on my views on dating/relationships, let me know that as well.
Hit up www.geocities.com/billswebsite to read a paper I wrote on dating in college. Don't worry, I still have some hope in Christian relationships (maybe I'll talk about positives/desires in dating relationships in my next post). Talk to ya later. God bless. Peace.