Fallen

God has placed on my heart a burden for the young ladies of our church.

As I have worked with many of these women in the past ten years it has been on my heart to share with them God's gift of purity. God blesses us so richly by giving us marriage, in his design. It is a covenant that is to be binding - unbroken and unblemished. God calls each of us to a life of purity. Not just sexual purity, but holy living in all aspects of our lives.

My heart aches tonight.

My heart aches because I have heard, again, of a young woman who was told deceptive lies and was lured into the bed of a young man because the desires of the flesh were controlling their hearts. Now, as a result of sin, something so precious was taken away that can never be fully recovered. Now, as a result of sin, there is shame, regret, suffering, heartache.

How is it that the young men and women in this sinful world can combat the messages of "Cosmo" and the like? It is a huge challenge to live in such a way that runs in the opposite direction of what the world says is natural, normal and completely OK. The Lord tells us not to awake these passions until the time is right. Doing this takes much self control and discipline. It requires us to daily put on his full armor so that we are equip to handle situations when they arise and we are clouded by our desires. But most importantly, it takes complete trust in the promises that God gives us. God so longs for our marriages not to be infused with shame, regret, suffering and heartache. He wants us to enter into the covenant of marriage pure so that we don't have to deal with the results of sin.

I am so thankful that our Lord offers forgiveness, grace and mercy. He tells us that if we confess our sin, HE is faithful and just and will forgive our sins. There is a chance for a new beginning; an opportunity to start fresh, to put off the things of this world and to set our minds and hearts on things above. This does not mean that we will not deal with the repercussions of the choices we make, but it does mean a fresh start.

In light of this, please do not take for granted the things that you can never get back. Hold tightly to them. Jeremy and I pray so hard for purity in the lives of Jack and this little baby growing inside of me. We are so thankful that the Lord protected our dating relationship and kept it pure.

As I move forward from this heartache, God has laid it on my heart to be bold in this fight for purity. Our dear sisters who are walking with the Lord and have pledged to remain pure will have our undivided accountability in their relationships. Jeremy and I have agreed to continue to pointedly ask these dear sisters about their purity. In addition, we will also ask the men in their lives if they are helping or hindering these young ladies in their decision. God's Word tells us that sin occurs in darkness. Deep conversation with our sisters regarding their spiritual development, in addition to their fight for purity, will hopefully provide light - so that this sin cannot gain a foothold in their lives.

Go Daddy Go! Run Run!

Jeremy ran the Twin Cities Marathon this morning. It was quite a difference from last year. Last year we have 96% humidity. It was HOT. Today it was around 50 degrees and rainy.

Jeremy did a great job. We are so proud of him. He smashed his time from last year, beating it by about 45 minutes.

Here are his results:
Jeremy Dyer
RACE TIME
FINISH
3:31:59 (amount of time to finish)
11:32:02 (time finished)
PACE
08:05

We will have pictures up once we get them transfered to the computer!

Congrats Jerm! You did an awesome job!

Dead Already?

I am definitely not as into the political scene as my hubby. I usually just catch as much as I have to in order to make a sound decision on who to vote for and occasionally I volunteer. I do, however, think about politics sometimes. Maybe I do that because it is such a surprise to Jeremy! Anyhow, here is my latest thought:

No matter where you draw your line in the sand, I wonder if you have made the same observation.

Has the media already nailed McCain's coffin shut? As soon as Palin arrived (and even before) on this political stage as the potential "next in line," it seems as though McCain has been deemed near death. The question continues to be thrust into our faces, "Is Palin ready to be 'one heartbeat' away?" I would argue that the question should be, "Is there really only 'one heartbeat' remaining?"

At 72 years of age I certainly would not say McCain is young, considering his opponent is still younger that his eldest child. However, I would definitely not check his pulse either. Remember when Cheney was highlighted as being close to keeling over due to his heart condition? Well, he is still ticking, right? My grandparents are in their early 80s and they manage to kick it to Florida and back every year.

The real underlying questions in this "one heartbeat" assertion are this:
1. Does Sarah Palin have enough experience to step up and run the country, just in case...?
2. Is America ready for a woman to hold the position of Commander in Chief?

The answer to these questions are up to you to decide. I just thought I'd weigh in on the ageism that I saw in our media!