Christmas in Alaska

December 13 is St. Lucia Day, but it is also the day many remember the life and death of St. Herman of Alaska. I’d never heard of him until this year, but he truly led a fascinating life. He was one of the few who brought the gospel to Alaska over 200 years ago, enduring many hardships, and protecting the native people he had grown to love with his life. Some of his fellow missionaries were martyred. Father Herman died and was buried on December 13 (December 25 in the West).

I had the privilege of hearing his liturgy sung in a beautiful cathedral as a special birthday treat this year. (I have loved cathedrals ever since my mission trip to Romania in 2003). And I’ve thought about him several times, as the days here continue to get colder and darker. How blessed I am to have a warm home and relatively easy life; yet how wont I am to complain when my feet are a bit cold in the car, or there is ice covering the parking lot at the grocery store. I am humbled when I remember that many Christians have endured great hardships and horrible conditions to bring Christ to a dying people.

I believe that God has given us this great cloud of witnesses so that no matter what challenges we face in our daily lives, we can know that we are not alone. Someone at some time has faced similar things and more, whether in Alaska, or Jerusalem, Romania, or Ecuador. We remember them and rejoice in the faithfulness of God. He has a long history of doing great things with small people.

Merry Christmas from Alaska!

- by Elizabeth Jackson
photo by Sarah Plett

Christian Liberty and the Law of Wisdom

There are a lot of extremes under the banner of Christianity. That’s not too surprising, because people in general are extremists. We discover an idea and run with it until it becomes our guiding doctrine in life. It’s human nature.

The frightening thing about Christianity is that there are very few rules. People like rules. It is easier to open a book and find a rule than it is to seek the face of God. I’ve heard many people say, myself included, “I just wish God would spell it out in the Bible, it would make things so much easier…” Easier, yes… but then where would wisdom come in? Seeking wisdom means seeking God, a continual dependence on Him. When you have a rule for everything, then there is no need for wisdom, or really any kind of relationship with the Rule-Giver.

People burned by hyper-conservatism and legalism, tend to take their Christian liberty and run the other way. Like a prisoner suddenly set free they gorge themselves on ice cream and lollipops because they can. After awhile, they’ll wake up with a bellyache and wonder why God didn’t stop them or something… Well, friends, it’s called wisdom. And God gives it freely to those who ask. :-)

The ideas so many of us grew up with—homeschooling, courtship, stay-at-home wives and daughters—these are not mandates found in the Bible. Oh? Then why should I practice any of these things? It isn’t a matter of should or shouldn’t, but of wisdom. There is wisdom found in all of these things, but God has not commanded us to do any of them because, really, it is a very individual thing. Homeschooling is a brilliant idea… but it isn’t for everyone. The same goes for any other gray area we find in the Bible. Wisdom is knowing what is right for ourselves and our families.

This makes many people uncomfortable because we want everyone to be like us. It makes us feel more comfortable in our own choices. So, we tend to take very good ideas and turn them into rules. That way we can say to our neighbor, “Hey, you should be doing this…” instead of “Hey, I’ll pray with you about this decision… may God grant you wisdom.”

My husband and I are planning to homeschool our children, not because we think it is the only way, or even because we think it is a flawless concept. It isn’t. My parents were leaders in the homeschool community and we saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. ;-) We are hoping to avoid the mistakes we saw, but we won’t be perfect. Even so, we feel homeschooling is the wisest choice for us in light of what we see around us.

I am only using homeschooling as one example… the same concept can apply to really any of it.

There is so much freedom is realizing our lives don’t have to look like everyone else’s. In fact, I think once we realize that we don’t have to keep looking at others to make sure we’re ‘doing it right’ we’ll be spending a lot more time looking up… which is infinitely sweeter.

- by Elizabeth Jackson
photo by Natalie Klein of a California coastline

Teaching Little Ones

I have always loved to teach. Perhaps it is an ‘older sister’ thing. From teaching my sister to clap when I was three, to writing my own ancient history curriculum for another sister, piano lessons and Sunday school, I have expressed my love of teaching in many different ways. I used to fantasize about having my own little one room schoolhouse where the wonder of learning never ceased.

From the moment I found out I was expecting William, I was excited about ‘someday homeschooling’ him. My parents gave me a wonderful gift in home education, and I want to pass that gift on to my children. It isn’t something I had to ‘decide’… I always knew I would homeschool. What, pass the joy of teaching on to someone else? Unthinkable!

I have just begun to realize, however, that I don’t have to wait until William is four or five to begin homeschooling. I want to create for him now an environment of learning. I no longer have to fantasize about that one room schoolhouse… I can make that dream come true, right here in my own home.

But, really, what can you ‘teach’ a seven month old? God has fully equipped them to reach certain milestones, like crawling, on their own, with very little help. But I have to provide a safe place for him to be able to discover this. An environment that fosters his natural abilities. When I was in Romania, the babies in the hospital had very little time outside of their cribs. As you can imagine, most of them were very behind developmentally.

I want to foster other things in him, as well: A love of music; an appreciation of good literature; a love for God’s word. We listen to classical music every morning. I read to him a chapter out of the Bible every afternoon. I discovered my old “Winnie-the-Pooh” storybook the other day, and we have been enjoying this classic by A.A. Milne. Does he understand what I am reading? Probably not, but he loves the time we are spending together none-the-less, and he is being exposed to the things his daddy and I feel are important. There are endless ways to expose your little one to the wonders of God’s world, from nature walks and camping trips, to live music in your home.

And if ever I am at a loss for ideas, there are wonderful resources on the internet and at the library. Letter of the Week is a site I recently discovered through a friend, with ‘lesson plans’ neatly laid out for babies 3-12 months of age.

For those of you waiting for your turn in the adventures of motherhood, it is never too early to begin planning and collecting educational resources for your future little ones. And for book lovers like me, it is just one more excuse to fill those shelves. ;-)

- by Elizabeth Jackson

Photo copyright 2007 Amanda Wells.

An update from the Last Frontier...

It is hard to believe another six months have flown by since my last update in December. It is true what they say… the older one becomes, the faster time goes by. Oh, for those endless childhood summers!

Here am I, entering my second Alaskan summer, this time with an active seven-month-old baby boy, and my own little garden to take care of. The past few months have seen us move across town to a bigger house, discover new trails to walk and bike along, our first camping trip out in the ‘wild’, and long never-get-dark evenings spent with dear friends.

My life is incredibly blessed, and I would like to say it is ‘all good’, but that would be a bit too fairy-tale like, wouldn’t it? There are always the challenges that come with every season in life. Learning to balance my time is one of the biggest lessons I have been given this year. One would think that with a smallish house, helpful husband, and fairly content baby, I would be able to ‘do it all’ and have a perfectly shining household all the time. Not so. There is never enough time… and learning that oh-so-delicate balance of wife, mother, friend, and housekeeper is keeping me humble.

I love being a mommy, though. I would not trade it for the world. To be entrusted with such a tiny life, to nourish and to grow a child before the Lord, is one of the most amazing things I can imagine. To be a life-bearer is a noble calling indeed. Embrace it fully, if it is the calling you find yourself in today. God shines His face upon you.

- by Elizabeth Jackson

Identify Me

We all have an identity: certain traits and characteristics that set us apart from other people. When asked to describe yourself, what things do you say? How would you classify yourself? Usually I begin with my personality and beliefs, likes and dislikes, my situation in life… things that other people can easily grasp, allowing them to put me in their neat little box of opinions. :) Some things are easily seen: my ethnicity and manner of dress; other things are not so apparent.

I think that as believers we can all safely say that our desire is for others to see Christ in us, first and foremost. But do they? Do they see the very characteristics of Christ Jesus in our lives? Or do they see someone whose identity is somehow wrapped up in something lesser?

When a person has strong convictions and chooses a less-traveled road, it is so easy to become entangled in a sort of pride in those things that characterize and set us apart. And, suddenly, we are known as homeschoolers, feminine dressers, stay-at-home-daughters, Bible college students, health food eaters, cloth-diapering mamas, advocates of courtship… the list goes on. The convictions we hold dearly become our identity. What about, simply, followers of Jesus? There comes a time when we suddenly realize we have left our first love…

How do we avoid this pride? Should we let go of our convictions? No, but perhaps we should not be holding onto them quite so tightly. Let them fade to the background. Let us determine, like Paul, to “know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Study His life, His words, His Identity. Know Him, so that the world may see Him. Read Galatians 5, examine your life in light of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. These are the things others should see in you, that should set you apart--that should identify you.

- by Elizabeth Lorenz

True Love - Part Three (B) :)

Elizabeth had an excellent addition to the post made on Friday:

Marriage is the only relationship in which one can experience all the loves at once. In marriage, charity and brotherly love are just as important as eros, romantic love. Love in its fullest expression is realized in marriage in a way that other human relationships, with their necessary boundaries, do not allow. It isn't about assigning more value to one kind of love over another, but, rather, recognizing that God designed only one human relationship to encompass all the loves together, as an expression of the fullness of His love for His people: namely, marriage.

True Love - Part Two: When Happily Ever After Doesn't Happen

Elizabeth's courtship and marriage have been a beautiful example to me of true, godly love far different than the media or even the formulaic "courtship story." Her unswerving trust in the Lord is rare and challenges me when I grow weary.

One goal of this series is to scratch the veneer off those rose-colored glasses. Romance is wonderful. Being head over heels in love is amazing (I speak from personal experience). But...those things are the after-effects of a lifestyle committed to True Love as God defines it. - Natalie

I am a Romantic at heart. Whenever I read a good love story or courtship account, I add “and they lived happily ever after” to the end, even if it is not written in so many words. I often look back on my own life, forgetting all the troubles and deep heartaches, remembering only the golden days and laughter. I see through rose-tented glasses, and in many ways that is good… to dwell on the hard things in life brings a heaviness of spirit hard to shake. Believe me, I know: my life in many ways has not been easy. Dwelling on the good was one way I learned to cope…

I thank the Lord a thousand times over for the blessings He has brought into my life these past few months. In some ways it seems the end of my story is “and they lived happily ever after” for I truly am deeply happy in my new life and marriage. But on the other hand, I know my story has hardly even begun: many roads lie ahead that I have yet to travel. And certainly, even, these past eight months have not been all roses: illness, miscarriage, long, cold winter in an unknown land. God has been more than faithful through it all.

It is so easy to think that once we get married, everything will be good. Hardships will grow easier, life will be rosy most of the time. That “happily ever after” will begin the day we say, “I do”. But what if something happens, and happily ever after isn’t there like we thought it would be?

In my church back home, I knew a beautiful and godly young woman not much older than me. She had married the son of one of our pillar families: someone everyone admired and looked up to. They seemed so happy, and she was such a godly example of womanhood to us all. And then one day, when their first little son was still very young, he just left… left his family, his church, his wife. We all prayed fervently and hoped for restoration, she more than any of us… and for several years she waited. We all shook our heads and wondered how this could happen, happen to her of all people. Even in the backs of minds that should have known better, we somehow fell prey to the belief that “happily ever after” should have been her reward. Did God not see her faithfulness?

Let me say this now, once, very clearly: "Happily ever after" is not a reward for godliness. Marriage is not a reward for a life lived in obedience. Just because you do everything the “right” way, and wait patiently for God’s timing, for God’s direction, for God’s mate, does not guarantee that the path before you will be smooth.

Trials await every child of God: if you are not experiencing them now, you will. Godly families lose jobs, lose health, lose children, lose husbands and wives every day. We know this, but we like to forget. We don’t ever like to think that we could be the next Job whom God allows bad things to happen to. We wince, because these are such gloomy thoughts: but James says “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials…” Why? Because the testing of our faith produces something of far greater worth than a life lived happily ever after: perfection in the truest sense of the word. A life hidden in Christ and sanctified for His glory. A life He is able to use.

Is our longing for a happy ending necessarily a bad thing? No, I think this is a holy longing, as we wait for heaven and our true happily ever after in eternity. But it can cause us to loose our focus, cause us to forget what is really important: living life to the fullest now, not someday. Do not pine for what others have been given, for with their blessings will come trials designed for them and their sanctification. Embrace life, the good and the bad, and you might just find that your happily ever after has already begun...

- by Elizabeth Jackson

Merry Christmas from Alaska

As I sit here in my dark living room this morning, looking out at the snow piled high on our balcony and the lights from the city twinkling through the fog, I am thinking how different this December is from last. Last December the fact that it was still completely dark at nine-thirty in the morning was rather depressing. This year it is just part of a life we have gotten used to and even love. Alaska in all its drastic and extreme beauty.

Last year was our first Christmas as husband and wife. It was special, but also hard to be so far away from family. This year we have little William Allan, our precious two-month-old baby, and it feels right to be spending Christmas together, just our own little family. Our first Christmas tree shines brightly in the corner, and William’s first ornament—a polar bear—dangles from the branches with the other decorations.

It has been a year of wonderful memories and growth in our Lord. Learning to accept and embrace this place where we live; to be a family together; to make important decisions together. It is the year we found our church, the year our son came to us, the year we experienced loss together and came out stronger for it…

May God bless you all this Christmas as you remember all the things He has done for you this past year. And especially as you remember what He did for you 2000 years ago in a little town called Bethlehem.

Blessed Christmas wishes from Alaska,

Elizabeth Jackson

Pursuing Greatness

I lead a small life.

In the day to day fibers that make up the fabric of my existence, I do very little of note. The sun pours through the windows of my Alaskan home; I smile, yawn, and squint at the new day ahead. What brings meaning to a small life? It is a question I ask myself often enough. Never wishing my contentment and peace to turn to complacency and indifference, I continually search for meaning, for that which takes me beyond myself: we all search for validity one way or another. Some find it in accomplishment, in achievement, in a difficult task well done. Some find it in ministry, in life-long service, in sacrifice. I have looked for all these things in my small life; I have tasted of achievement and ministry and service, and have found them pleasing. The world says I am nothing without them: but God says I am nothing without love. Instead of pursuing the most excellent, we believe it is expendable: the icing on the cake, the addition to everything else in life.

What brings meaning to life lived in quiet? To a wife who lives to please her husband and her God? The world shakes its head at all she could have been. She smiles, knowing she has found all she was ever searching for. No talent, no gift, no life is ever wasted when poured out in love for another.

“…the greatest of these is love.”

- by Elizabeth Jackson

Thoughts on Friendship

C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien on the mysterious glory of friendship...

"Is there any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of friends by a fire?"
-from The Letters of C.S. Lewis

"The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are."
- C.S. Lewis, Selected Literary Essays, "Hamlet: The Prince or the Poem"

"You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin--to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours -- closer than you can keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends."
- The Fellowship of the Ring

Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If i had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, "sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends." I know I am very fortunate in that respect.
- C.S. Lewis

Reunion with YLCF Team members

Last Saturday I met the beautiful and too-sweet-for-words Lanier (left) for a fruit smoothie and talk time before boarding my plane for Alaska. She was walking without any sort of brace on her healing ankle which was good to see. I know her long recovery from the accident has been wearying.

We talked about all sorts of things--basically just continuing the conversation we hold each week on the phone. How nice to get to speak in person even if just for an hour! If only Alaska and Atlanta were closer together...
The next day I got to hug Elizabeth (and Baby) hello when they picked me up for church. The last time I saw her was Gretchen's wedding and Baby is definitely more active and growing. Elizabeth is absolutely adorable. What a comfort to have friends to walk with entering my new church home for the first time. The rest of the day was spent with the Jacksons talking, walking, enjoying a rare sunny late-summer afternoon.

Yesterday Elizabeth and I got together again to run a few errands, explore a used bookstore and eat Chinese food. What a blessing to have friends right here, in real life, to spend time with, to share with, to lean on.

- Written August 8

Mr. Right

The question was recently asked: where do I draw the line between holding out for God's best [in a husband] and holding out for an aethereal dream that may be blinding me to reality? How detailed were you in your expectations for your husbands? And did God provide every detail of your dreams? Where did your dreams meet reality?

Let me begin by daring to be a little radical: I did not have detailed expectations, nor did I have a list for my future husband. I did not really care if he liked the same music I did, if he dressed casually or formally, or if he loved to read as much as I do. My only consistent desire and frequent prayer in those early days of waiting was “let him be a man after Your own heart, dear Lord, as David was.” And God delighted to answer that prayer.

Let me further this train of thought by adding that, before marriage, I did not believe in The One. Oh, yes, once you marry a man he does indeed become The One: but until the two are made one, he is only one of many possibilities. Yes, I grew up believing that God has a special someone out there for everyone (or almost everyone), but the more I study the Scriptures and the world around me, the more I realize that this fairy-tale view of life is not being played out in reality. Isn’t God sovereign? Yes, and no less so in giving His children choices and wisdom to make those choices. The fact is, we cannot truly comprehend His sovereignty or the mysteries that surround the circumstances of our lives: we only know that before us lie many options, from the mundane to the life changing, and by His grace we will choose wisely and consistently with His revealed will. And even our mistakes are somehow worked for our good and His glory in the end. What freedom there is in knowing such truths…

So, where do our dreams meet reality in choosing a real life husband? As I think we all know, no man is perfect: but you must also know in your own heart and mind what you are willing to compromise on, and what you must absolutely remain firm in. For me, the most important thing in a man besides a real and growing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was his heart: is he kind, is he gentle, is he humble, is he brave? My husband is all these things and more. He came in a package I was not quite expecting yet fell in love with all the same: quiet farm boy, long hair, faded clothes, lover of music. Not nearly the neat and trim person I had been imagining all those years. Thank God my imaginations had not become idols, and I was willing and able to see the man for what he is worth: someone any girl would be blessed to call husband.

I did not make lists and I did not pray detailed prayers for my husband to be—there is certainly nothing wrong in doing so, but my fear is that far too many girls have created idols in their minds, and therefore miss the real thing when he is staring them in the face. Neither should any be willing to compromise on the things we hold most dear: just be certain those things are consistent with Scripture and not merely your idea of what a godly man should be.

Some have said God gave them everything they asked for in a husband. God chose to give me far more than I ever could have asked. After eight months of marriage, I still stand amazed at this godly man, this gentle leader, this romantic husband of mine. He is not perfect, and neither am I—but together, I pray, we glorify our Lord in this state called holy matrimony.

-by Elizabeth Jackson

A Good Wife

Most of us have given thought, and perhaps even have high ideals, of what makes a good wife. I know I thought about it often in the days before my marriage, for I wanted to be not only a good wife, but the best wife, by God’s grace, I could be. I did not expect perfection (I knew myself too well), but I certainly thought that at the very least, my husband would come home to a fairly neat and clean home each night, with dishes washed, dinner prepared, and a smiling wife, smelling of rose oil and hair shining. Little did I think that six months into our marriage, I would fail all of my expectations.

I did not expect that my husband would come home to a mess of clothes, dirty dishes, and papers. And a bathroom that hadn’t been cleaned in longer than I care to remember. I did not expect that dinner would be that last thing on my mind, or that I would be lying on the couch in my nightgown, hair unbrushed, sipping water out of a spotted glass. Had I never heard of morning sickness? Yes, I suppose, but I didn’t think it would ever happen to me. At least, not to this degree.

Some days I do feel well enough to actually get dressed, do the dishes, and at least attempt to plan dinner. But I cannot help but sigh, as that vision of a good wife, the best wife, slowly fades into the distance.

But there is one more thing that I did not expect: a husband so understanding, so loving, and so kind, that after a long day of work he comes home happy to see me, telling me that I am beautiful--even when I look green and bedraggled. A husband who does everything in his power to ease my discomfort and keep our home running smoothly. Who tells me every night that I am the most wonderful wife, when all I can do is smile weakly and kiss him from my reclining position. I am deeply humbled, and reminded daily: is this not our position in Christ?

I may have failed all my expectations, but I have learned some things about being a good wife, too. She is not the one who can do everything she dreamed of perfectly. She does not always have the cleanest house, or the most nutritious suppers laid out every night. She does not even always get dressed. But she does rejoice in whatever circumstance she finds herself in, she does continue to praise her God when things don’t go her way, and she does love her husband with her whole heart, even when her ability to show him through works has been diminished.

Oh, and the morning sickness? Knowing we will be able to see and hold our little blessing in a few short months makes it completely worth it.

- by Elizabeth Jackson

In Your Perfect Time

Believe me * I’m not afraid to * Teach me * To learn Your ways * Carry me * Under Your wings* In Your perfect time * Only You * Can dreams come true * Only You * Can make me shine * Only You * Can days be right * In Your perfect time *

I heard Maire Brennan’s song Perfect Time today for the first time. Not only did the hauntingly beautiful Celtic music resound in my ears, I found the echo of the words in my heart… an echo from many weeks and months and years ago, faint yet still sounding. Waiting. For that perfect time.

I wonder how many of us can say we are waiting on the Lord… how many of us can quote Scriptures about waiting for Him. And how many of us believe that once we reach a certain place in our lives (whatever it may be that we are striving after), the waiting will be over. I think I used to believe that. That once this certain thing happened in my life (perhaps marriage?), I would no longer be waiting.

I know You told me that I’m not alone * You know that I couldn’t do it on my own * See my eyes are older now * Broken dreams behind * Fill my heart with precious love * I know it’s there to find *

I think something this past year has taught me is that the waiting never ends: because God is never finished with us. He wants us to wait on Him. But I have also learned that now is that Perfect Time. We chase after elusive day dreams, not realizing we hold the dream in our hands: the dream of purpose, peace, knowing.

And I wonder how many of us scan the skies, for a word or sign that we are where we are supposed to be, that we are fulfilling our purpose. We want it in stone. But God has already carved in stone and placed on parchment the things He desires to be known. When we weigh our dreams against these things, we find our peace in freedom. And learn to delight in the mysteries He hides from our eyes.

Free my fears and promise me * That You won’t let me go * You’re the One to comfort me * The past my God You know * Only You * In Your Perfect Time *

- by Elizabeth Jackson

YLCF writers meet face-to-face!

Last Saturday I enjoyed the pleasure and privilege of meeting Elizabeth Jackson and her husband Jonathan for the first time. It is still hard to believe that she had the opportunity to attend Gretchen's wedding--and that I got to see her!

In spite of car trouble and all sorts of exhausting adventures, she arrived at the church a couple hours before the ceremony, giving me time after pictures to sit and talk for quite a while.

At the reception I again had the chance to talk to her...and that is when we grabbed a couple pictures together. Weariness but the delight of fellowship are written all over our faces, yes?

In person, Elizabeth is much as I would have guessed: on the quiet side, but easy to talk to. Sweet as can be, and just a true kindred spirit in every way! I confess our topics of conversation are a blur--which I ascribe to my extreme lack of sleep and distraction of the wedding. Perhaps Elizabeth can remember...?

Praise the Lord for friends, both old and new.

Elizabeth Jackson's Reading List

What Elizabeth is reading these days...

Non-Fiction

• A Woman After God's Own Heart
• The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth

Fiction

• Daniel Deronda

Introducing the latest member of our YLCF team!

I am so thrilled to have a dear friend, Elizabeth, joining us here on the YLCF. I know you will all love her insights and beautiful way with words. Thank you so much for sharing with us Elizabeth! - Natalie

I always find it interesting that whenever I begin to feel the itch and desire to write again, the Lord opens an outlet for me to do so. And so it begins-- in this newest chapter of my life as a young married woman-- the sharing of my heart and thoughts here at YLCF.

I am Elizabeth Jackson, perhaps remembered by some of you as Elizabeth Lorenz, married almost four months now to my beloved Jonathan. We left our homes in California to begin married life in Alaska, where the Lord has provided home and job and supplied our every need. I feel these four months have been the most blessed of my life. As with every season in life, there have been difficulties, but the Lord has showered us with the grace to meet each trial with hope and faith. I praise Him for that.

I am discovering what it means to be a wife: and it is my desire to share the lessons I am learning with each passing day—to be an encouragement even as I am encouraged by others—to delight in this ministry within the Body of Christ.

“…speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Heart Ache

I have always believed that the point of courtship was not so much to 'avoid heartache' as to remain pure in intentions, and letting your 'yes be yes', and your 'no be no'. The reason I have a problem with casual dating is not so much that someone might get hurt, but that the word 'casual' should never be coupled with anything resembling a relationship. Heart ache is a part of life, and wherever there is love (even the purest and truest of loves) there will be heart ache. But that is the beautiful risk of love... giving your all for someone else, just as Jesus gave His all for us...

{In response to the thoughts of a friend contemplating the risks of relationships}

- Posted by Elizabeth Jackson