Hi Friends!  This week has been insane with mid-terms, work and starting into term papers…sometimes I wonder if I’m living through it, or just kind of floating along on top while someone else lives my life!  Here’s what I’ve been chewing on this week.

Accountability…do you have it in your life?  If not, find some!  Last semester, I allowed busyness to exclude several mentors and close friends from my life.  It was hands down one of the worst semesters of my life, as far as spiritual growth goes.   This semester, I made it one of my new year’s resolutions that not only was I going to prioritize time for those people to be in my life, but I was also going to choose two or three of them to be completely and totally honest with in every area of my life.

As I have allowed myself to spend quality time with these ladies and share openly with them, I have found that three main benefits have come out of it.

1.   Our relationships are deeper. As ladies of all ages often express a lack of community to me and how much they miss it, I have come to realize how beautiful and enriching it is to have true community.  Not just ladies to drink tea with, but ladies to share LIFE with.

2.    There has been healing in my life. Often times when events of the past hurt us, we go cover the pain and repress the memories so that we don’t have to deal with it.  I was walking through life thinking I had dealt with most of the issues of the past and yet as I started talking to my “big sister”  she was able to point out behaviors and beliefs in my life that are still very much a result of past hurts.  I’ll never forget her telling me that my life is very much like a chronic illness (and I think this can be said of all of us), we walk around in pain…but the more pain we are in, the less we recognize it and the more we just accept it.  It is only when true healing comes that we are fully aware of how much the pain was holding us back.

3.    Though the temptation to sin still pops up on a daily basis, I find that it is much easier to resist it. It doesn’t mean that I’m perfect now, or that I no longer sin.  However, knowing that I am going be talking with someone I love about my actions has stopped me from a lot of wrong.  Whether it is thoughts, entering relationships I shouldn’t be in, or that little white lie.  It’s hard to confess our sin to one another and no one wants to confess more than absolutely necessary!!!

So where are you at?  Who is there that you can have a completely open relationship in order that you might grow and find freedom in your walk with Christ?

Andrea

Well girls, here’s a thought:  how far is too far?  Most people don’t draw a line anywhere, and most Christians draw the line at intercourse.  The hardcore Christ-followers might back it up even further, but let’s be totally honest- many will toss it out the window if a boy sticks around long enough.  Many live with regrets.  Many wish they that still had their virginity.

In Christian circles, people make a HUGE deal out of staying a virgin until marriage.  It’s understandable… impurity is sin.  AND- as someone who, by God’s grace, was a virgin AND married a virgin, I can say that it was TOTALLY worth it!  But it’s not a dealbreaker.

Preachers do this thing when they talk about virginity- they say “and if you’re in this room tonight and you’ve already given away your virginity, you can become a virgin again.  It’s called recycled virginity or second chance virginity.”  They then go on to explain that if you stay pure, in God’s eyes, you’re good.  That seems to make most people happy.

So let’s throw a monkey wrench in the plans…

Get Your Virginity Back

Yes, you read that right- for a couple grand, a hymenoplasty will give you your physical virginity back.  Doesn’t matter if you lost it years ago, you can now become a technical virgin again.  Great news!  So now you can sleep around all you want, then tell God you’re sorry, get the opp, and marry a virgin right?!

Of course not.  Obviously not.  All this operation does is add to the truth:  that purity is SO MUCH MORE THAN PHYSICAL.  Girls, please listen- God desires your holiness.  He craves your righteousness.  He desires your purity.  He created you for ONE husband.  He created your sexuality for ONE loving marriage relationship.  Don’t mess around with one of his most creative gifts.  Realize that sexuality is HIGHLY spiritual, and that it has implications far beyond your physical body.  You need to find out what those are okay?

This might help you start: You can check out Sex God by Rob Bell.  I’ve also just added a new book to the Sex Shop.  It’s called “Technical Virgin” by Hayley DiMarco.  How far is too far?  Hayley might just blow your mind.

Be pure this weekend.