What's the deal with purity? I mean the world we live in is so covered in filth, is it even possible to remain pure with all the junk we're surrounded by?

I am 25 years old, and in my 25 years I have seen and done a lot of stuff, not all good and not all bad either. But it is because of my past experiences and hopefully what I've learned from others that I make my present day choices.

Last December I started dating this girl (Jaclyn) who was extremely cool. Very attractive, way intelligent, extremely kind, with a solid heart after God, right off the bat I understood this girl was way rad. I was super stoked about how cool this girl was so I wanted to make sure not to ruin anything. Now unfortunately it is from my own past mistakes that I had learned my limitations for "romance".

Relationships are about learning and growing, and as we think we're growing closer we can sometimes in fact be doing the opposite. The songs of solomon give a warning, "do not awaken romance before its time". This is so important because our hearts are so fragile. I think back to relationships I've been in where I thought I was totally in love and as a result I built up emotional ties. Those ties later became physical bondage. I remember thinking I wanted to get closer to this "love" of mine, and it appeared that with every inward feeling there was an outward expression. A short cuddle, a short kiss. Then a long cuddle and a longer kiss. The more I longed to be emotionally close the closer we got physically. This was in no way good. I learned a lot through that relationship. I learned what it was like to feel broken, insecure, and distant from God. I learned that pouring all that you are mentally, physically, and spiritually into a person, especially one your not married to can result in emotional suicide. We were made for a companionship that won't end. That's why I was so bent on not ruining this new relationship.

I had learned my boundaries and I new that if I even started down the road of physical intimacy that it was a one way street with no turning back. Once again I really didn’t want to ruin this amazing gift, so I made a decision right off the bat- No Kissing (if I don't start on the road, how can I wind up at the end of it). This ended up being on of the best decisions ever. As a result on Oct. 8th 2005 I got the privilege of marrying my best friend, my buddy, and the true love of my life, my wife Jaclyn. Our first kiss was on our wedding day and it allowed for a solid foundation that very few people can relate with. God's grace carried us through and we found ourselves in His amazing blessing at the end, without guilt, shame, or fear. It is nothing short of absolutely amazing and I am so thankful! "God's way really is the best way"…

By Jake Clemons