I Have a Confession.....

Many teenage girls are sick with promiscuity and immodesty. This is usually because of the lack of a father or the lack of a father who showed them the love and support they needed. So because they lack that love, they search to fill the void with the love of another man, which turns into the wrong man or many men. But what they find is not love, but lust and infatuation which quickly boils down to hurt and loss. So when we talk about purity to girls this is usually a topic we hit on. But I'm here to say that I am one of these fatherless girls!!!!! Its true, my real father chose not to be in my life, and even though a man stepped in to that position, i never felt that love from him. As a result, something in me wants to feel affection from a guy even though my mind knows its a cheap imitation of love. Its my flesh. For some reason I feel if i get affection from a guy, its going to fill that void that I have. So why am I not out there being promiscuous? Because I realized who God is and how perfect His love is. I had to make a conscious decision to go against every feeling I had. It's been tough and its something I still deal with, but i know that if I deny myself, God has so much more in store. He promises to be a Father to the fatherless.
So I wanted to write this as encouragement to anyone who can relate. There is a God who loves us and He is the only answer to our problems.

Ladies! You are Fearfuly and Wonderfuly Made!

Identity Crisis

via Pastor Steven Furtick by sf on 9/13/07

I heard somebody on TV the other day saying that Britney Spears has gotten too fat.
And my first reaction was: "I wish I could cover the ears of every 13 year old girl in America right now."
I seriously wanted to throw up.

As a young pastor who wants to see the next generation rise above surface level spirituality, nothing makes me sadder than to imagine what it must be like for all the young ladies who are being force fed the lies of the modern media.

Should we take care of our bodies? No doubt.
Is it okay to care about fashion and appearance? Go for it.
(I personally love the way my wife works hard to dress well and look good for her man. And I try to do the same for her. That means I wear what she tells me to wear. It's that simple.)

But I'm deeply concerned that this generation of gals is beholding the wrong standards.
So I'd like to offer a few pastoral observations to my wonderful female readership about the impending American female identity crisis.

1. Nicole Richie is too skinny. Make sure you're drawing your inspiration from reasonable and truly beautiful role models. You don't get a "pretty point" for every rib that I can count. In fact, I shouldn't be seeing your stomach at all. Put some clothes on.
2. The girls on My Super Sweet 16 are not normal. They are bratty and disgusting. You should not act like them. If you do act like them, your parents should beat you. Not put you on restriction. Beat you. Yeah, I said it.
3. If you will cultivate Christ like character and pursue God with your whole heart, you'll attract guys with the right stuff. Your identity has got to run deeper than your make up and new shoes. Make guys respect you for what's within you.

I am passionate about this. I want to exalt true and lasting beauty that doesn't fade for the young ladies who sit under my teaching every week. I want them to know who they are and who they belong to. I want them to hold themselves in high regard as women who are uniquely crafted and completely loved by God. And I want them to practice selective hearing, so that the next time some talking head tells them Britney is too fat, and it makes them feel inadequate, they'll turn off their TVs and fill their minds with the thoughts of God instead.