Saturday, February 18, 2006

About the Guys


Now that you've had some time to think about what it means to be a godly woman, how about a compaion list for guys -- an A-Z for being a godly man. If you're dating someone or considering it, ask yourself, Is He ...



A -- Accountable
B -- a Believer
C -- Courageous
D -- Discerning
E -- an Example for other, younger men
F -- Faithful
G -- Gentle, Generous
H -- Husbandlike
I -- an Initiator
J -- Just
K -- Kind
L -- a Leader
M -- Masculine
N -- Noble
O -- Obedient to God
P -- able to Provide
Q -- Quick-witted
R -- Resourceful
S -- a Sage
T -- Trustworthy
U -- Under Authority
V -- Vigorous
W -- a good Worker
X -- eXcellent in his efforts
Y -- Yearning for God
Z -- Zealous for righteousness

And if you're wondering, like I did, if there's a companion chapter to
Proverbs 31 (for men), check out Job 29. I can thank my favorite professor from Grad School, Dr. Hubert Morken, for introducing me to it.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

A Good Mate from A-Z


When last I wrote, I was responding to a reader who wanted to know how to apply the Bible's wisdom on dating in a practical, everyday way. In an effort to answer her honestly and thoroughly, I started doing a little research and discovered something that many of you probably already know. Not sure how I missed this: Proverbs 31 was written as an acrostic. Each verse starting with verse 10 (the "Wife of Noble Character" section) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It's the A-Z for what makes a good wife. In modern parlance, that's the checklist for marrying well; the "what to look for when you're looking for a wife."

In an effort to make it practical, I've written my own version. An English A-Z checklist. One for men, one for women.

If you're a man, ask yourself, is this woman I'm dating:

A -- Aware; of the big picture, of the world around her
B -- a Believer
C -- open to having Children
D -- Dignified
E -- Excellent in her pursuits
F -- Full of Faith
G -- Gracious
H -- Honorable
I -- Inventive
J -- Just
K -- Kind
L -- Loving
M -- Modest
N -- Noble
O -- Obedient to the authority in her life
P -- Pure
Q -- capable of being Quiet
R -- Resourceful
S -- Skilled, Stable
T -- Trustworthy
U -- Under Authority
V -- Victorious
W -- a Worshipper
X -- still thinking of something for this one
Y -- Yearning for God
Z -- full of Zoe "life of God"