A little correction...

After my dear mother, who I know agrees with what I at least meant to say in that statement commented "dissagree," I knew I had gotten the wording wrong. :/ So to clarify: 'dating to find a marriage partner' means basically not dating for fun, but to discern the suitability of someone you strongly think (and have prayed about) you might marry. That means not dating until you're ready to start thinking about getting married soon-ish.

Sorry about that. :/

Cassie xoxoxo

A little experiment

I want to do a little experiment on my blog. A trial. It may have one component. It may have two. Possibly more. I'm not quite sure yet. Basically it's to get a quick handle on what the majority of people who read my blog think in one area.

Anyway, for this I need 'audience participation.' It's the only way it's going to work. I'm going to make a statement. I would like you to post a very brief comment. Just one word: "Agree" or "Disagree." That's all you have to do. But if people don't do it, this won't work. So please, please spare 30 seconds to write a comment. :) Thanks!!

Here's the statement:

The purpose of dating is, or should be, to find a marriage partner.

So: do you agree or disagree???

Cassie xoxoxo

P.S. Feel free to ask in the comment that your answer not be posted. That's fine. :)

Get Lost

Picture from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15798308-get-lost

Get lost. You. Yes, YOU!!! No, no, don't close down my blog. Get lost... in God!

"Get Lost" by Dannah Gresh is a book that I've read lately... and loved. No, make that LOVED. Wait, make that LOVED!!!!! 

Here's what the back cover says:

Have you ever ditched a friend for a guy? Filled your journal with more thoughts about guys than God? Found yourself jealous because that other girl gets all the dates? Maybe it’s time to get lost—in God.

Discover how to get so lost in God that a guy has to seek Him to find you.

Dannah Gresh traces God’s language of love through Scripture to help you pursue your heart’s deepest desires and seek love the way God designed it to be. Because once you identify your true longings and let God answer them, you'll know just how to respond when romantic love comes along.

With a guided ten-day Love Feast Challenge, Get Lost will help you see for yourself how getting lost in God opens the door to lifelong fulfilment.

Actually, this book is even better than it sounds from the back cover. More profound. More challenging. More life-changing. More God-focused. 

Check out the first few lines. I picked up the book in Koorong one day, flipped to the first page, and this is what I read:

This book is about God

          ...and guys

                   ...and how we get them mixed up.

Oh, do we ever.

"EEEEE!!! I love it already!!" my mind and heart scream. I put it on my Christmas list. I got it. I started reading it. I loved it more as each page progressed. You know when you read something that you just feel is truth? Well, that's what this book felt like to me. But it didn't just confirm what I knew. It went further than I had explored. It challenged me. And so when I got to the second half of the book, a 10-day devotional entitled "The Love Feast," that invited me to Get Lost in God... I accepted. With a huge amount of fear and trepidation, trust me. (After all, you never know what God's going to ask you to do when you get lost in Him!!! When He takes over your world!!!)

I can't say that I am utterly, completely transformed, or that I now hear and obey the Lord's slightest wish all the time. But I do feel that changes have taken place. Baby step changes, but still changes. For example, I now ask God to show me where He's at work every day (that's resulted in some interesting things, trust me!). I'm now willing to crawl out of bed at 6am to have my devotions (which is HUGE for me!!), so it's not crammed in just before I go to bed. Etc, etc. 

So yes, I very much recommend this book if you want to grow closer to God, so much so that guys come a distant second... (Which I can't say I've reached yet, but I think I'm on my way!)

Cassie xoxoxo

P.S. Yes, I am aware that it's Valentines Day. That's why I posted this today. Because "Get Lost" is all about love - a love (agape) relationship with Jesus. 

P.P.S. Go to http://g.co/doodle/425u35 and click on the heart to see what I made 'specially for you!!

Lesson at Youth Group

On Friday, I went to youth group. That's nothing out of the ordinary. But on Friday I saw something that reminded me again of how futile, and what a waste of time, crushes are.

Before small group time, a bunch of girls in my grade suddenly crowded around the window of the auditorium and exclaimed excitedly to one-another. Going to the window myself, I asked what was happening. The girls pointed to two dots of light down in the carpark and told me that one of the boys in the grade above us was asking out one of the girls in our grade. The boy, who I'll call Caspian, had candles lit and was waiting for the girl, who I'll call Amy, to come down.

After small group time, the new couple walked in holding hands, and all the girls exclaimed over how adorable it all was. How Caspian was so sweet, putting effort into make Amy feel special. I agreed that that was indeed "cute," and that Caspian was a cut above the rest (which actually isn't much of a huge compliment when you know the kind of people who go to my youth group). But my heart rebelled when my leader said, "Young romance, I just love it. Young love is so sweet!" I couldn't help but think back to a year and a half ago, where a different scenario played out...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We were in the dinning hall at youth camp, just after a meal. Caspian was clearing and wiping tables. Actually, he'd done that most meals. I soon found out why.

"Caspian has a crush on Tasha! [Not her real name.] That's why he's serving, to try and impress her. Isn't that cute!!"

No, I thought, that's not cute. Tasha is one of, if not the most respected girl in youth. My guess is that she would hate the thought of someone abusing the act of service to impress her. And regardless of that, crushes are still not cute. And how long will it be till he forgets her?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That is what I remembered as I watched Caspian give Amy a hug. And... it encouraged me. It encouraged me to keep holding onto my convictions and my standards, because I don't want to end up dancing from one crush to the next. I want to hold tight to God, not a guy. I want to serve because I love my Servant King, not because it will impress someone else. I want to put effort first and foremost into my relationship with God, and then into my relationships with my family (both my literal and spiritual families). May this reminder encourage you to do the same. :)

Your sister in the Journey,
Cassie xoxoxo