Dads Talk Purity

This post was the catalyst for a whole new site. You can find it at www.DadsTalkPurity.blogspot.com.

The new Sherwood film, Courageous, opened this past fall. If you've not seen it, I assure you this is not a "spoiler" post. It is however, a resource I hope many dads find helpful.

In the movie, one of the dads takes his teenage daughter out for a very nice date. The intent of this date was to talk with her about protecting her innocence and waiting for God's man for her life to engage in the intimacy of sex.  This Daddy-Daughter Date is a great concept. In fact, I shared this same experience with my oldest this past Valentine's Day.

As our big date approached, I wanted to be prepared for what I would say.  I didn't want to just wing it. Like many, I turned to the internet for assistance only to come up short handed. I did stumble across a few things that pointed me in the right direction, but nothing exhaustive. Through much prayer and many drafts, I finally crafted something I felt said what I wanted to communicate.

If you're interested, here is a bulleted list of how I structured the conversation.
If you're REALLY interested, there is a link at the bottom for the full script. Note: I didn't read this to her, but practiced it over and over before we left for our date. I did however have an outline on my phone to glance at occasionally. Hope this helps...

• I want you to know how blessed I am to be your dad!
• I know your mom took you away for a "Purity Weekend", but as your dad, I wanted to share a male's perspective...
• Let me ask you a question first.  What's your understanding of purity?
• A long time ago, I landed on this concept.  A young lady's purity is like a pearl in an oyster...  
• That's sounds very honorable and noble, but I'm here to tell you as a male, it's a lot easier said than done...
• Males are visual creatures with an attraction to sex like a bug is to a light bulb...
• Because we're visually driven we do stupid things like...
• Boys will use love to get sex and girls will use sex to get love....
• This longing is what makes you vulnerable in the area of sexual purity....
• You have to create guardrails in your life to protect you from veering off the pathway to purity...
• Daniel 1:8 tells us that Daniel resolved not to defile his body. 
• Standards - What limitations will you set in your dating relationships? 
• Your Appearance - This is a challenge due to the impact of culture. 
• Dating - This is where it gets hard. Your mom and I want you enjoy the dating experience.
• Reminders - What tokens will you create in your life to help you remember your commitment to your future husband? (This is where I presented the purity ring)
• Pledge - I know that a pledge is only as good as the person making it, but I wanted to mark this day as a day when you and I made a promise to each other.  (Contact me for a copy).
• I must make add an additional perspective and this is where it might get a little awkward...
• That's why your purity is so important...
• Listen to 1 Corinthians 7:3-5...
• I want you to know how much I love you and how special God made you... 

Click HERE for the script.

Here is a resource for purity rings: