Purity with a Capital “P”

Written by cycleguy on December 8th, 2010

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how things are sensually-charged these days.  It used to be said, “Sex sells.”  When that saying first made its rounds, what was seen then now seems tame in comparison.  Sensuality, sexual promiscuity, living together, teen pregnancy, and other “results” of our cultural freedom are running rampant.  It is obvious that something or Someone must stem the tide.  That Someone has always been waiting and ready to do so but He also needs His people taking stands for purity.  Several years ago Joshua Harris opened a few eyes, as well as gained a few naysayers, with his book “I Kissed Dating Goodbye.” The crux of the book was how he and his wife-to-be chose to not kiss during their courtship.  Yeah…now you know why it opened a few eyes and gained its naysayers.

Into this picture comes a couple whom I personally know: Ryan & Hope East.   Ryan & Hope began attending the church I pastor about a year or so ago after being invited by some friends.  They have three children:  Anna (3); Caleb (2) and Rachel (newborn).  I found out after an evening of eating Mexican with them and another couple that this was no ordinary couple.  Ryan & Hope are on a mission from God.  Yeah, yeah, I know sounds like the Blues Brothers.  🙂  But seriously, they are.   He was 17 and Hope was 15 when they met.  Ryan was leading his high school Bible study called Christian Student Fellowship.  Eventually they began dating (after he asked permission from her parents) and their journey toward Lifestyle Purity began.  With Ryan’s urging they chose to make a vow of purity that included several boundaries-boundaries they worked on together.   Their desire for purity and holiness is chronicled in their book “A True Fairy Tale: An in-depth Bible Study with Real Answers to Lifestyle Purity.” Trust me when I say this is not a lightweight book.  This is an in-depth study that is wrapped around a Fairy Tale which Hope wrote for Ryan when he left to do mission work in Ecuador for four months.  It is not a “I-can-sit-down-and-in-one-sitting-do-the-study” either.  At 241 pages it will take some time to work though but please trust me when I say “it is worth it.”  They are blunt-some may turn ten shades of red over their honesty about some subjects like masturbation,  self-esteem, and Hope’s “freedom” in a previous relationship (she put the brakes on just in time)- but they also share their victories over temptation and how their fairy tale ends.

Neither I,  nor Ryan and Hope know what the future holds for them.  Only God does (obviously).  His (and then their) dream of returning to Ecuador as a bi-lingual missionary hit a wall with the birth of the Anna within a year, and then Caleb, and now Rachel.  But bitterness is not in their vocabulary.    They live simply so he can work and Hope can stay home.  But they do have a dream of this message reaching thousands.  You can help by at least checking out their book.  You can get it from Amazon here or AuthorHouse here. The plan is for them to present this to our older youth on Sunday nights beginning in January.  In fact, we are meeting tonight (Wednesday) to discuss and plan the approach so the 14 weeks worth of lessons can be meaningful to the young people.  I would like to ask you to consider purchasing a copy of the book for yourself.  Do what I did.  I read the bulk but skipped the questions and study.  To summarize I will quote Ryan & Hope from their book: “For us, sex was worth the wait, and purity worth the battle.”

So…please don’t wait.  Go now and order one or two or three or…  🙂  You will be glad you did.

 

9 Comments so far ↓

  1. lindaM says:

    Hi Bill,

    I think it’s wonderful if a couple can do this. There’s no doubt that it is worth it for men and women who have encountered sexual abuse.

    In our society sexual abuse against children is continually accelerating. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys. That’s a lot of kids.

    In some families ‘even in the church’ children are being sexually abused by their own parents or close family members.

    The question is what do these children do with a book like Ryan and Hope’s? They’re traumatized by sex. For them sex has to be taught from a slightly different angle. They’ve already been forced to give up their sexual purity.

    On he other hand, we know that God is good and God is great. He can help that person. He can redeem their sexual purity. I think that kids have to be taught this as well. In any group of kids you are almost surely looking at someone who has experienced forced sexual contact. Many times full intercourse.

    • lindaM says:

      Hi Bill
      First line should read NOT encountered sexual abuse.

      • cycleguy says:

        It is often the seeds of abuse that cause young people to become promiscuous. What better place to learn about God’s gracious gift of pure sex than in a loving environment? i think Ryan & Hope’s book is what is needed.

  2. Toby says:

    Ordered! Thanks for the tip!

  3. Jim F. says:

    Thanks for sharing this Bill – it will be a great resource. I am finishing a series this weekend on purity with the teens. I am having them write a letter to their future spouse this weekend telling them why they are choosing purity which they are giving their parents to hold till their wedding day when their parents will give it back and they present it on their wedding night to their spouse. They are also writing a letter to their parents which will serve as covenant between them and their parents. I can then use this study as a follow up resource with them. Thanks for sharing Bill.

    • cycleguy says:

      Jim: great ideas about the letters. hope someone holds their feet to the fire. this will be an excellent study to follow up. Love it! Thanks.

  4. Michael says:

    That is amazing. Gonna check out the book Bill.