True Love

I have found myself in many conversations lately about DATING.  (dun.dun.dun)

Our family does not allow dating in the traditional sense.  We want what we believe is best for our children.  That is God's best.

We believe that God will bring the spouses of our children into their lives. They don't have to search. Try before you buy. Experiment with different brands.

They have to trust God and seek Him diligently.  If my son decides to seek after "Insert Girl Name Here" he will surely hit his mark. However, he needs to more diligently seek after God and trust HIM to bring the young lady into his life and show him that she is his bride.  She is on this planet as we speak.  I have prayed for her for years. 

I feel strongly about this and recognize others may not have the same views as me.  Believe me, they let me know ;)

However-no matter how you feel I think this is on my:

EVERY PARENT (or person that works with teenagers) MUST READ LIST:

AND DON'T wait until your kid is 13 to read--have preschoolers--great read this! WHY? Glad you asked...because you are always shaping who they are to be and if you wait until they are teens to deal with teenager stuff it's too late.

I have loved the Ludy's for years and many of their books shaped my young ladies into Set-Apart Young Women.

We are raising a son and there is not near as many books out there for young men as women and that is a shame.  However, the Ludy's do not let me down.  I did let them know I needed more guy books though!

On a slightly different note...but same theme:

I have watched this video about 5 times and each time I cry.  Mostly it is FUNNY and silly.  However, it touches me because it IS real life! My husband and son are amazed EACH time because they don't "GET" why I cry.  Besides the fact that I am a sap...and a woman...

Love Stories are REAL STORIES and they are usually filled with more difficulty than can fit into a love song.

I wanted all my teen friends to see it so they could have a more-real Love Story to look forward to.

Man it makes me laugh when I think of what I thought marriage would be like.  When I got married I was young.  I had 2 kids and I thought life was supposed to be like "The Cosby Show".  Needless to say it wasn't.  Two years into our marriage I could see the end very close in sight. I was plotting my escape.  PRAISE GOD He had a better plan!  Praise God HE saved my marriage! Praise God I can teach my kids what TRUE LOVE looks like and it is a lot more like SACRIFICE than Cosby Show.

I love to sit and talk to my girls about their marriages and listen to "real life" stories of how they make it work.  My favorite thing to ask when the girls are together is "tell me about you latest fight".  Sick? No! Just REAL!  If they tell me "we haven't fought" they are lying :)  They don't; they tell me the real deal and it is usually funny and we laugh because we know we are all IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL!  Good, bad, and UGLY!

Marriage is HARD.  but worth it!

A new friend through ifast58 recently posted this on facebook:

Have you received difficult people/ trying relationships/ the authorities whom God has placed in your life as an instrument of blessing?

and that is often what marraige and parenting are for me: BLESSING
because they are difficult, trying, and of God :)

Hope this video makes you laugh, and maybe get a tear...mostly because it's a more-real LOVE STORY!

(A More Real) Love Story from renfroe3 on GodTube.






**Update March 2014 My son has not chosen to follow our plan for courtship. He is making his own way (here is a post from Aug 2011.) As much like God as I can muster I am extending grace and mercy. It is a very interesting road.