Date Like You Know/DatePrep (week 1)

Discussion Questions:

Intro: Is This Book For You?

  1. What are your current thoughts/feelings about dating?
  2. What would you consider a reasonable goal for your dating life? Why?
  3. How do you feel about making a life-giving, lifelong marriage the goal of your dating life? Turned-off, Indifferent, curious, excited, overwhelmed, or something else? Why?
  4. How do you feel about the idea of following a person (Jesus) more than following a set of principles?

Chapter 1: Do You Have a License to Date?

  1. If you had to obtain a license to date, what requirements (knowledge, skills, tools) do you think one should meet to secure one?
  2. What would it look like to approach your dating life like a tower you wanted to build or a battle you wanted to win? (see Luke 14:28-32)
  3. What can we learn from King Solomon (in 1 Kings 11:1-4) about the impact dating relationships can have on our lives?
  4. When you consider dating, do you think about the danger of risking your heart? Do you think of the danger of risking the hearts of those you date?
  5. When it comes to the admonition to “guard your heart” (in Proverbs 4:20-23) do you personally tend to be more overprotective or careless and why? How would you describe the ideal balance?
  6. How did the lemming painting analogy aid your understanding why so many seem to get hurt so badly in the dating world?
  7. How are the relational patterns you establish early in your dating life (and even before then) connected to the sort of marriage you will likely wind up in? (See Galatians 6:7-8)
  8. How can poor relational choices and patterns catch up with you, even if you escape any consequences?
  9. What friend/family member/mentor could you invite into your dating life to help you compensate for your blind spots?

Video Resources:

Check out the following three videos which elaborate on the topics addressed in the introduction and chapter one:

  1. The Wrong Way to Look at Dating (addresses how dating is more like learning to drive a car than ride a bike)
  2. What’s Really at Stake When You Date? (addresses the heart issues of dating)
  3. Do You Have a License to Date? (presents the importance of relationship education (LoveEd) for healthy dating)

Or watch all three videos in our Purpose Driven Dating playlist on our FMUniversity YouTube channel: