for women only

Hey all - thanks again for your thoughts and prayers regarding my purity talk on Sunday. I think it went well...I'm praying that God touched each girl in new way. That she will take one thing with her that will draw her closer to Christ.

I can get pretty stressed out before I do a talk. I love being there, interacting and connecting with others.....I just don't like the prep work! :) Clint has dubbed himself my speech writer as he has always been very involved with helping me.

I do struggle with wanting my talks (the few that I've done) to be great so I look good. Embarrassing to admit...but true. This is something I have to work on..."It's not about me!" is a slogan I say to myself a lot! I pray that God can work through my humanness and bring about excitement and motivation in others. In my spirit, I truly want my life to shine for His glory ALONE, yet in my humanness I really like to be praised and acknowledged by others! And thus I say again..."It's not about me!" Isn't it wonderful that we serve a God who loves us...no adores us despite our many flaws and imperfections?! I praise You Lord!

For my talk, it was difficult to decide what exactly to expound on. But ultimately I chose focus on emotional purity and why modesty is important. I also shared quite a bit on how men think...in hopes that it would give them even more of a desire to be modest.

I remember really understanding more about the "inner lives of men" when I read "For Women Only," by Shaunti Feldhann. That book impacted me greatly, giving me new perspective on my man and men in general. The struggle that our Christian guys have to remain pure is incredibly difficult as they are bombarded on all sides by sexual temptation.

Our guys are visual beings...God created them that way but it has to be controlled. In Shaunti's book, she asked happily married and devoted Christian men what what would be first going through their minds in the following scene depicting a top executive (very attractive women), conducting a business meeting.

"A very attractive women walks to the whiteboard. She has a great figure and her well-fitted suit shows it off tastefully. As she begins her presentation, the women is friendly but all business."

These are some of their answers. To be honest, when I first read these - I was so surprised. It made me feel such compassion for all Christian men who are really trying to live purely.

*Great body....Stop It! What am I thinking?
*I check to see if she's wearing a wedding ring.
*I wonder if she finds me attractive.
*I feel an instant tightening in my gut.
*I bet she's using those curves to sell this deal.
*Look at her face, look at her face, look at her face....
*It is hard for me to concentrate on her presentation because I'm trying so hard to look at her face and not her body.
*I have to be ruthless about pushing back these images - and they keep intruding.
*I wonder what's under that nice suit? Stop it. Concentrate on the presentation.
*If I'm not careful, a few minutes later I might be wondering what she's like in bed.

Wow! As a women who loves and serves Jesus I want to be above reproach. I feel that it is our job as Christian women to help out our brothers in Christ. Of course, each man and woman is responsible for his/her choices...but as women we can help these men by dressing modesty and acting appropriately around them.

If you have not yet read "For Women Only," I'd strongly recommend it. It has changed my perspective and helped me become a better wife to Clint. It's a book that I should read again and again as I will likely be affected differently each time.

Love to you all!