Men Writing Christian Romance

by John Long

There is so little said about Christian romance written by men that one would think it never happens. Fellas (and ladies if you're sneaking around in here), here's a wake up call.

Any writer, male or female, taking the time to seriously understand their reader, can deliver heart pounding, God seeking, gut wrenching, tear jerking Christian romance.

You want proof? How many people cry in church, listening to a male pastor? I am a male pastor and I came to adulthood preaching the Word in such a way as to elicit emotional and intuitive response. My goal was to strip people of everyday defenses and thus bare, be a conduit between them and the greatest love story ever told.

God's unending, enduring and universal Love story began with a command, "Let there be light..." and continues in every corner of our angry, ugly, hateful world.

As a pastor I had to learn to write messages that clearly but emotionally deliver romance every time. God's message is the most romantic message ever written and like a good Christian romance novel, comes chock full of action, suspense, mystery and heart stopping scenes of love. The key is recognizing God's romance for what it is and translating it to your romance.

I'm not much of a writer but I will post a very short except from a novel I wrote, recently, with a bit of romance.

It's from, "If I Were the Last Man Alive," by me and the set up is as follows...


Two people survived a solar event that emptied the world of people and animals. They meet, fall in love and decide to find a way to have a wedding over the course of 24 hours. The man speaking is a young widower who is reminiscing about asking his late wife to marry him. It's a man speaking in a romantic voice but It's Still a Man.

Remember I am not an accomplished writer but write romance because it's fun, challenging, rare for a man and tells a story in a way that is unique.

Let me know your thoughts.
Cheers.




I wondered if I felt that way the day I realized that Arthea loved me.

We had just come from church. We were going to meet at a restaurant after service for brunch. Her family came in one group and I rode with my folks. Arthea and I had been dating fairly regularly and it was time for us to introduce the families to each other.

Arthea knew my folks and I loved hers. We enjoyed a camaraderie that was unusual in my experience.

At lunch I noticed our fathers deep in conversation about their respective jobs. It made me feel good to know they enjoyed each other’s company.

Mom and Arthea’s mom were deep in discussion. I wondered if they were thinking about marriage plans. Was Arthea also thinking about wedding bells?

It was at that exact instant that I knew I was in love. I suddenly envisioned the two of us walking out of the church, just married, being greeted by all our family and friends. I wanted that. I wanted it so bad that Arthea thought I was feeling ill and asked if I needed some air.

She offered to walk outside with me, so I took her arm. As soon as we were away from everyone, I kissed her. The kiss was pretty average, but Arthea could tell it was an important moment. She turned to face me and waited.

“I love you,” I said. “I have been in love with you since the moment we met and I can’t live without you any longer.

Arthea Rose, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. Will you marry me?”

My heart was beating its way out of my chest as I waited. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. I knew we were there. She just needed to find her voice.

“Jamie Miller, you have made me the happiest woman in the whole world. YES! YES! YES! I will. I will. I will.”

She laughed and cried at the same time. We hugged and held one another for the longest time. Then I looked up and saw both moms standing there. They had heard the whole thing. Their tears flowed just as fast as Arthea’s.

Their arms were around each other and then they parted to hug us. The hugs turned into a group hug and the tears increased until my father wandered out wondering what was wrong.

“Daniel!” My mother was so proud. “Daniel, our son is getting married! Can you believe it? They’re getting married! We have to put on a wedding!”

She turned to Arthea’s mother and pleaded. “You will let me help, won’t you? My son and your daughter are only getting married once, and I don’t want to miss a thing. Please say I can help you plan.”

Arthea spoke up. We were in such sync we knew the answer to this one. “Mom? You and Jamie’s mom are going to put on a wedding. Can you believe it?’

Then they hugged and cried even harder. That’s when Arthea’s dad walked out and the women all pounced on him.

We finally finished brunch and met back at Arthea’s so the moms could get to work.
We were serious about having a small wedding. The two moms joined forces and dove into the task of planning a wedding that would take place two weeks from that Sunday.

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