Jennie
PurityWords June 2009
Return to Innocence

Jennie

Last week I experienced a really memorable event as I attended my niece's wedding in Ohio. Kim is a young lady just so full of kindness, so sweet. Can you see it in her face above? Her husband now is also a guy who shies away from big to-dos, preferring not to make fusses.

At the wedding rehearsal they were so innocent-shy to take each other's hands, not even kissing at the run-through. It was so, so refreshing to see a couple like this, not willing to "make a spectacle," laughing at themselves, acting out of discretion. It made all of us feel that the wedding ceremony was the holy event it was meant to be.

Our society is saturated by brash sexual messages. I flew home to Florida reminding myself to pick up a card for Kim's brother, whose birthday was coming up. In a local well-known department store, I spent half an hour searching desperately for a funny card for a young man without a sexual innuendo. I was appalled to see that 97% of the cards were contaminated and "yucky"! (Where are the comedy writers who will dare to prove that they don't need the crutch of smut to be "funny"??) What a display in contrast to the beautiful wedding service I had just seen!

What does it take to help a young person get to the altar in innocence when they're surrounded by indiscreet messages and advertising?

Again, it's a matter of the heart. What do our children consume that could contaminate the heart, even at a very early age? How do we model integrity, honesty, premarital abstinence and married fidelity? How do we teach our kids the value and strategies of avoiding messages that try to convince them to live otherwise?

The heart is known as the "seat of the affections" in many circles. Our physical responses are linked to our emotional responses. To live a life of purity and honor, our affections must be guided and formed, intentionally. That means making healthy choices about what we see and hear, valuing life, speaking wisely, and using touch as a way of encouraging, not for selfish gratification. Again, it's an understanding of the Five Doors of our hearts (the senses) and how to use them.

These are choices to make on behalf of our families every day as we evaluate what is going on around us intentionally, questioning display and content, and looking for opportunities to serve others instead of ourselves.

Ask the questions. Know the lyrics. Take the time. Preview the movies and games. Serve and protect others. Make heart-healthy choices. That's what makes purity work.
Books to Preserve Innocence

              Jennie              Jennie

For a beautiful story for 8-12 year olds that can also make a very sweet wedding gift, consider The Garden Wall. This story based on 1 Corinthians 13 shows how lasting friendship is the best practice for a lasting marriage.

Seth's friend Petra wants to create a garden for her future husband, and Seth agrees to help by building a wall to keep it safe. As the two act out qualities of true caring, words like "patience" and "kindness" are actually carved into the wall. As they grow into adulthood, one day Seth notices that the most beautful flower in the garden isn't a flower at all-it's the woman he has protected all her life. And Petra sees that the wall protecting her garden symbolizes the protection of the man by her side.

If you have a preschooler, the Preschool Purity of Heart booklet is a super primer with simple, fun, repeatable lessons for little ones on purity of heart and guarding the five doors of our senses. And you'll learn a lot, too!

All books are available on the PurityWorks web site. Visit our store to purchase the purity resources you may need today. Your purchases help support the message and mission of PurityWorks every day.
Please Visit
Jennie

For great information on technology and strategies for
 online/technological integrity

P.O. Box 940961 ˇ Maitland, FL 32794 www.purityworks.org ˇ 407-792-8141
About Jennie Bishop
and PurityWorks
Jennie
Purity is a topic often associated with teen abstinence, but Jennie Bishop makes it her business to spread a message that personal integrity is about more than sex, and relevant at all ages.

"Issues of purity affects us from the cradle to the grave, in our hearts as well as our bodies," she says.

Bishop's best selling children's picture book, The Princess and the Kiss, has received wide acclaim from organizations such as Dennis Rainey's Family Life for its simple, straightforward message of saving a "kiss" for a future spouse. The companion book for boys, The Squire and the Scroll, approaches purity for boys from the angle of an adventurous quest, dragon included. Both medieval tales also have Life Lessons devotionals available that help parents and children go deeper, even offering purity ceremony ideas.

The overwhelming response to these books made Bishop aware of the need for a practical, strategic approach to purity training for all ages. Her methodology, Planned PurityŽ, is now presented in PurityWorks seminars in the U.S. and around the world.

"Purity is a worldwide issue that crosses every boundary," says Bishop. "It touches every area of life. I believe that when the root issue of purity is addressed and individuals learn to value purity worldwide, nations will experience true freedom, greater health, growth and economic success."

Jennie speaks in many venues: pregnancy organizations, schools (public and private), churches (of all denominations) and community gatherings. Her poise and passion make Jennie a frequent guest on radio (Family Life Today, WBCL's Mid-morning Show, and more), and television (The Harvest Show, 100 Huntley Street, and others). As a member of the board for iCare, a division of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, Jennie lends her voice to the iCare vision, providing parents with strategies by which they can understand modern technology and communication devices to guard their children's purity.

Bishop's non-profit organization, PurityWorks, also mobilizes purity training efforts for children, families, teens and adults in Ukraine orphanages, with partners in Kiev, and in various outreach settings in African countries, including Nigeria and Namibia.

To stay in touch by reading Jennie Bishop's personal blog, click here.
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