My oldest niece turns 16 this weekend. Bobby and I will join them for supper tomorrow night and present her with two presents: one is a box of candles, and the other has books and an i-tunes card. Along with her candles, her Dad will receive an Amish courting candle holder. The stand is in the shape of a heart, the actual holder is a swirled piece of metal that has a wooden knob that moves around the swirl, pushing the candle either up or down. According to the card that goes with it, if an Amish father likes his daughter's suitor, he'll push the candle up high. The boy can stay until it burns down to the metal. If he's not overly crazy about the boy, he'll set the candle low, so the boy can only stay for a little bit.
And the books... I spent yesterday reading one and skimming the other. The one I read was "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Josh Harris. I had heard a lot about this book, and my niece actually informed me it's his younger brothers who wrote the best-selling "Dare to Do Hard Things" book. I was very impressed with the dating book. It's not an arrogant "this is the way things should be" book, but a heartfelt listing of why he personally quit dating. I was reading the book to make sure a) it was something Emily would read, and b) that there wasn't anything doctrinally off the wall. What I was not expecting to find was things that struck me, in my life, today. Here's some of the quotes from the book that meant something to me:
Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. If God sees a sparrow fall (Matthew 10:29), do you think he could possibly overlook the broken hearts and hurts we cause in relationships based on our selfishness?
We've been playing in the sandbox; God wants to take us to the beach.
Christians have always had a choice to imitate the Master or slip into the more enticing pattern of love provided by the world.
A model wears clothing to attract attention to the designer's creativity. The model displays the designer's work, but the designer's reputation, not the model's, is on the line. In the same way, as Christians, we model God's love, whether we realize it or not.
The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, "This is love." God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, "This is love." ...True love always expresses itself in obedience to God and service to others. Good feelings are nice but not necessary.
When we extract the poison of self-love, our entire motivation in relationships is transformed. ...We shouldn't allow feelings to set the tone or the pace for our relationships.
Part of the reason we've adopted the immediate gratification mentality is because we've lost sight of the biblical principle of seasons (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)...Just because something is good doesn't mean we should pursue it right now.
Waiting for God's timing requires trusting in His goodness and wisdom. We develop patience as we trust that God denies us what we think is good only because He has something better for us -both now and in the future.
We often have pricked consciences but unchanged lives.
If we really examine our hearts, we'll find lies, selfishness,lust, envy, and pride...It's like discovering your sweet old grandmother's picture on the FBI's most wanted list at the post office. This one made me laugh, but it's oh so true!
We don't define a person's true character by the image that person wishes to convey or the reputation he or she hides behind, but by the choices and decisions that person has made and makes every day.
I think this book will be one I'll pass on to other kids in the future. Whether they decide to date or not, like the author says, is a decision each believer must decide for himself. But he's got some excellent points that every single believer needs to evaluate and consider about the body of Christ and our role in it.
And the books... I spent yesterday reading one and skimming the other. The one I read was "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Josh Harris. I had heard a lot about this book, and my niece actually informed me it's his younger brothers who wrote the best-selling "Dare to Do Hard Things" book. I was very impressed with the dating book. It's not an arrogant "this is the way things should be" book, but a heartfelt listing of why he personally quit dating. I was reading the book to make sure a) it was something Emily would read, and b) that there wasn't anything doctrinally off the wall. What I was not expecting to find was things that struck me, in my life, today. Here's some of the quotes from the book that meant something to me:
Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. If God sees a sparrow fall (Matthew 10:29), do you think he could possibly overlook the broken hearts and hurts we cause in relationships based on our selfishness?
We've been playing in the sandbox; God wants to take us to the beach.
Christians have always had a choice to imitate the Master or slip into the more enticing pattern of love provided by the world.
A model wears clothing to attract attention to the designer's creativity. The model displays the designer's work, but the designer's reputation, not the model's, is on the line. In the same way, as Christians, we model God's love, whether we realize it or not.
The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, "This is love." God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, "This is love." ...True love always expresses itself in obedience to God and service to others. Good feelings are nice but not necessary.
When we extract the poison of self-love, our entire motivation in relationships is transformed. ...We shouldn't allow feelings to set the tone or the pace for our relationships.
Part of the reason we've adopted the immediate gratification mentality is because we've lost sight of the biblical principle of seasons (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)...Just because something is good doesn't mean we should pursue it right now.
Waiting for God's timing requires trusting in His goodness and wisdom. We develop patience as we trust that God denies us what we think is good only because He has something better for us -both now and in the future.
We often have pricked consciences but unchanged lives.
If we really examine our hearts, we'll find lies, selfishness,lust, envy, and pride...It's like discovering your sweet old grandmother's picture on the FBI's most wanted list at the post office. This one made me laugh, but it's oh so true!
We don't define a person's true character by the image that person wishes to convey or the reputation he or she hides behind, but by the choices and decisions that person has made and makes every day.
I think this book will be one I'll pass on to other kids in the future. Whether they decide to date or not, like the author says, is a decision each believer must decide for himself. But he's got some excellent points that every single believer needs to evaluate and consider about the body of Christ and our role in it.
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