"So I have this friend..."

There is a dying art that, I think, must be resurrected to give hope to the Christian singles scene. It’s not arranged marriages, although I respect that it’s been a generally accepted custom for thousands of years. But this time, I’m referring to matchmaking. Yes, matchmaking.
When one thinks of that word, images of Grove City College, Nancy Paxton, or some Jennifer Lopez-type cavorting around in a pink suit photographing young men and women in Central Park may come to mind. We shudder when we think of these two words: blind date.
Think back to March, when I wrote a post about my friend Cory setting me up with two guys when I visited in Washington, D.C. One was more of a set-up sort of meeting, the other an actual dinner date at a steakhouse. Sure, neither of those amounted to more than a few interesting evenings. The point is that, friends look out for friends... but we don’t often look out for ours in that way.
It seems like many couples meet through friends. How often do you hear someone say they met their spouse out clubbing or at the gym? During the course of the week, I probably encounter 250 or so complete strangers during my errands and running around. Approximately 10 of them will be males around my age. Then you figure that 5 of them will be in a relationship. That leaves five single dudes, with possibly one or two being even approaching normal. And the chances they’re a Christian? Not highly likely. And what about the chance you’ll hit if off in the compatibility department? Okay, so by now... I’ve probably invoked feelings of despair in this audience and I apologize for that.
So here’s the deal. We’ve spent months complaining about our singleness. How we never meet anyone. We’d never go out with the single Christians we already know. (Perhaps someone else we know would be perfect for them???) That’s why we need to take more of an aid and assist approach.
For me, when I’m giving of myself - helping out with my church youth group, trying to set up two friends - it feels terrific. The feelings of loneliness fade away. I’m loving Jesus and loving other people and can love myself.
Awhile back I was talking online to an awesome guy I knew in college. All of a sudden, a thought struck through my brain like lightning. A girl who I roomed with while interning in Pittsburgh was now living and working in the same city he’s in. They’re both really interesting, cool people and I could honestly picture them hitting it off in person. She also seemed like his type physically. The girl is adorable and down to earth. On a whim, I gave him her AIM screen name and a link to her personal Web site. He contacted her, and has been hanging out with her for months. Will they head to the altar? Who knows?
What I’m saying is, the more of us who give this a shot, the more people we’ll meet. Therefore, increasing the chances of coming into contact with someone meant for US, who we may not have met otherwise. It’s sort of like the MySpace network, except offline. Another advantage is that we really know the people in our lives. What they’re like, what they’re looking for.
What won't work is setting up friends with random people just to send them off on a blind date. We need to use judgment, discernment, and sensitivity.
I’m closing in on my 24th birthday, and just went on my first blind date a few months ago. I can count the number of first dates I’ve had with the fingers on both hands. I’d absolutely love for friends to help me in this area, as I’m pretty hopeless on my own. Why are the Godly, cool, smart, attractive twentysomethings sitting at home on Friday and Saturday nights? The answer is partly because we’re not making an effort to introduce many of our friends. By doing so, we’d all be expanding our social circles exponentially. Think about the endless possibilities.
To help kick start this Yenta-ism for the 21st century, I make a move to award 20 points if two friends you introduced go on a date. 10 points for giving someone a friend’s email address/phone number/MySpace URL (with their permission of course). 5 points for just introducing those friends in person, or inviting both of them to a social gathering with that thought in mind.

I leave you with this line from Avenue Q's "The Money Song" to serve as more of a humor-driven motivation...

When you help others,You can’t help helping yourself!
When you give to a worthy cause, you'll feel as jolly as Santa Claus!