We realize that you have so many questions on your mind.  We're interested in hearing from you and want to know what's on your heart.  Some questions we'll take a look at in this series include:

• What is love, and how do I express that love to someone that I care about?
• How do I know when I'm ready to date?
• What does it take to make a relationship last?
• Is it okay to date someone who isn't a Christian?
• How can I move beyond my broken heart?
• My boyfriend is jealous and controlling.  I don't want to lose him, but I feel like I can't be myself anymore.
• I want to remain a virgin until my wedding day, but how do I deal with the pressure when taking the next step feels so right?
• Is it really wrong to have sex outside of marriage?  We love each other.
• How far can we go?
• Is oral sex wrong?
• Is masturbation a sin?
• How do I deal with sexual temptation?
• My friend struggles with homosexuality.  What should I do?
• I've made some big mistakes in my last relationship.  Will God forgive me for what I've done?

Pastor Kris will be accepting questions - some of which will be replied to by posting the response on our website, while others will be addressed during our Sunday evening Student Life meetings.

All questions submitted are anonymous, so that you may feel safe to ask what is on your heart without feeling embarrassed.  Please know however, that Pastor Kris will always welcome direct questions and discussions and can be reached by email at revkrisperry@yahoo.com, or by calling 570.385.3941.

We want to hear from YOU!

Parents & Students: We will post series articles, handouts, and outlines on a weekly basis while journeying through this process together.  We encourage both parents and students alike to study the materials provided and to feel free to contact Pastor Kris Perry to discuss any comments, questions, or suggestions that you may have!  We believe...and have been receiving great feedback about how this series is impacting the approach to dating for several of our students. 

While additional material is covered during our Student Life Teen Night sessions, the following files will provide a snapshot for any sessions you may have missed.

Please note: We will be using various forms of media throughout this series.  Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to post this media on our website at this time.

Parents & Students: We will post series articles, handouts, and outlines on a weekly basis while journeying through this process together.  We encourage both parents and students alike to study the materials provided and to feel free to contact Pastor Kris Perry to discuss any comments, questions, or suggestions that you may have!  We believe...and have been receiving great feedback about how this series is impacting the approach to dating for several of our students. 

While additional material is covered during our Student Life Teen Night sessions, the following files will provide a snapshot for any sessions you may have missed.

Please note: We will be using various forms of media throughout this series.  Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to post this media on our website at this time.

Are you having trouble downloading our handouts?  Some files on our site require the Acrobat Reader in order to view .  It's free and available from Adobe's website.  Please visit the Adobe site to download Adobe Reader by visiting www.adobe.com .

Are you having trouble downloading our handouts?  Some files on our site require the Acrobat Reader in order to view .  It's free and available from Adobe's website.  Please visit the Adobe site to download Adobe Reader by visiting www.adobe.com .

Hey!

OK, I admit, this feels a little geeky.

I mean, how many guys write a letter to the girl they'll marry someday - even before they meet the girl?  Probably not too many!  But the world is a weird place, so even though we haven't met yet, I thought you might need some encouragement.

To answer the first question you may be wondering about me, the answer is yes.  I'm definitely keeping myself sexually pure.  I do this partly for God and partly for you.

I figure if I'm going to ask you to marry me someday, you must be pretty special - so special that you're worth waiting for.  Yeah, I know, plenty of guys  have given in to temptation and found a girl who's willing to have sex with them.  And I have to admit...I've felt that temptation, too.  But I'm not giving in!  Like I said, you're worth waiting for.  Besides, I wouldn't want a memory from some shallow sexual encounter with another girl making me feel guilty on our wedding night.

How about you?  Are you still saving yourself for me?  I notice some of the girls in my youth group wear purity rings, and that's cool.  I'm proud of them even though none of them is quite right for me.  But whether you wear the ring or not, I hope you're staying pure for God and me.  I mean, who would want an apple after several other people have taken bites out of it?  In the same way, my ideal dream girl isn't the one who some other guy (or worse - guys) has already taken to bed.  So I hope you're waiting like I am.

Hey, don't think that you shouldn't have fun and get to know other guys before me.  Truth is, I want you to spend time talking to a variety of guys.  (That's how you'll know I'm better than all those other dudes when we finally meet!)  But I wanted to give you this heads-up:  Lots of guys out there pretend to be guys like me.  Don't let them fool you.  If they try to get intimate before marriage, they've just tipped their hand.  Dump 'em!

As long as I'm writing from the heart, can I mention something that's bugging me?  It's about clothes.  Non-Christian guys love it when girls show off their bodies.  You know what I mean: short shorts and skirts, bare stomachs, skimpy tops.  Some fashions might not show skin, but they're so tight they might as well be painted on.  They reveal every curve and encourage superficial jerks to think lustful thoughts about the girls wearing them. 

I don't write this to complain.  I just want to encourage you to set a higher standard.  It would kill me to finally find you - and then to see you wearing stuff designed to glue other guys' eyes to your body.

Sure, I know what some girls say:  "To catch a guy these days, this is the kind of bait we need."  Garbage.  Tell your friends that any guy who can be caught by flashing skin isn't worth having.  That's not the kind of guy who's going to stick by you and be faithful after you've gotten married, had a baby and gained a few pounds.  That kind of guy will always be lured to other shapely bodies.

You probably wonder what I look like, so you'll know me when we finally meet.  Sometimes I wonder what you look like, too.  Almost every time I meet a new Christian girl, I wonder if she's you.  I might not recognize you at first sight, but be patient with me.  I'll want to get to know you, to make sure you're sincere and not just putting on an act.  But when I see that you truly love God, when I see what a beautiful soul you have, I'll begin to suspect that you're the one for me, even if you don't consider yourself attractive.

Well, this has been kinda strange writing to you like this.  But with so many people our age messing up and doing dumb things they can never undo, I figured this letter was worth the extra effort.  So stay cool; stay pure; stay close to God, and I promise that I'll do the same.  Deal?

Hey, pray for me, OK?  I'll pray for you, too.  We don't have to know each other's names to do that.  After all, God knows!

See ya (someday)!

Hey!

OK, I admit, this feels a little geeky.

I mean, how many guys write a letter to the girl they'll marry someday - even before they meet the girl?  Probably not too many!  But the world is a weird place, so even though we haven't met yet, I thought you might need some encouragement.

To answer the first question you may be wondering about me, the answer is yes.  I'm definitely keeping myself sexually pure.  I do this partly for God and partly for you.

I figure if I'm going to ask you to marry me someday, you must be pretty special - so special that you're worth waiting for.  Yeah, I know, plenty of guys  have given in to temptation and found a girl who's willing to have sex with them.  And I have to admit...I've felt that temptation, too.  But I'm not giving in!  Like I said, you're worth waiting for.  Besides, I wouldn't want a memory from some shallow sexual encounter with another girl making me feel guilty on our wedding night.

How about you?  Are you still saving yourself for me?  I notice some of the girls in my youth group wear purity rings, and that's cool.  I'm proud of them even though none of them is quite right for me.  But whether you wear the ring or not, I hope you're staying pure for God and me.  I mean, who would want an apple after several other people have taken bites out of it?  In the same way, my ideal dream girl isn't the one who some other guy (or worse - guys) has already taken to bed.  So I hope you're waiting like I am.

Hey, don't think that you shouldn't have fun and get to know other guys before me.  Truth is, I want you to spend time talking to a variety of guys.  (That's how you'll know I'm better than all those other dudes when we finally meet!)  But I wanted to give you this heads-up:  Lots of guys out there pretend to be guys like me.  Don't let them fool you.  If they try to get intimate before marriage, they've just tipped their hand.  Dump 'em!

As long as I'm writing from the heart, can I mention something that's bugging me?  It's about clothes.  Non-Christian guys love it when girls show off their bodies.  You know what I mean: short shorts and skirts, bare stomachs, skimpy tops.  Some fashions might not show skin, but they're so tight they might as well be painted on.  They reveal every curve and encourage superficial jerks to think lustful thoughts about the girls wearing them. 

I don't write this to complain.  I just want to encourage you to set a higher standard.  It would kill me to finally find you - and then to see you wearing stuff designed to glue other guys' eyes to your body.

Sure, I know what some girls say:  "To catch a guy these days, this is the kind of bait we need."  Garbage.  Tell your friends that any guy who can be caught by flashing skin isn't worth having.  That's not the kind of guy who's going to stick by you and be faithful after you've gotten married, had a baby and gained a few pounds.  That kind of guy will always be lured to other shapely bodies.

You probably wonder what I look like, so you'll know me when we finally meet.  Sometimes I wonder what you look like, too.  Almost every time I meet a new Christian girl, I wonder if she's you.  I might not recognize you at first sight, but be patient with me.  I'll want to get to know you, to make sure you're sincere and not just putting on an act.  But when I see that you truly love God, when I see what a beautiful soul you have, I'll begin to suspect that you're the one for me, even if you don't consider yourself attractive.

Well, this has been kinda strange writing to you like this.  But with so many people our age messing up and doing dumb things they can never undo, I figured this letter was worth the extra effort.  So stay cool; stay pure; stay close to God, and I promise that I'll do the same.  Deal?

Hey, pray for me, OK?  I'll pray for you, too.  We don't have to know each other's names to do that.  After all, God knows!

See ya (someday)!

Hi honey!

I was walking downtown yesterday, and I saw a couple hand in hand, just looking at each other as if there were nobody else in the whole world.  The look on the man's face took my breath away.  His eyes were locked on hers, and although he wasn't smiling, the look he gave her showed that his heart was bursting with love.  As I walked past, I couldn't help but look.  I saw that both of their left hands had wedding bands.  It made me so happy that these two people in the middle of this crazy world were so in love with each other that you could tell just by looking at them as they walked down the street!

That couple got me thinking about us.  I hope that you are waiting for me in spirit and in body as I wait for you.  I know you are out there somewhere.  I hope that you're making the right choices about academics, friends, family, drugs, sex, and drinking.

I pray you're holding onto God with both hands.  Don't ever let go!  It's so worth it!  It's hard for me sometimes to hold on to God, to not choose bad friends or wear immodest clothing.  I have made a promise to myself and God to stay sexually pure until marriage.  Dressing modestly is something I struggle with, but I try to, because I would never want to cause another guy to stumble by looking at me in a way that is lustful.  I know that the way some girls dress is hard for guys to ignore, but I encourage you to stay pure in your thoughts and actions.  I don't want guys to see parts of my body that are only for your eyes.  I'll be saving myself and waiting for only you.  I hope that you do the same.  I pray each day for more strength from God in those areas.

I love you, and I can't wait to meet you!  And maybe one day we will walk holding hands, and you will look at me like those lovers on the street.  Someday.

Hi honey!

I was walking downtown yesterday, and I saw a couple hand in hand, just looking at each other as if there were nobody else in the whole world.  The look on the man's face took my breath away.  His eyes were locked on hers, and although he wasn't smiling, the look he gave her showed that his heart was bursting with love.  As I walked past, I couldn't help but look.  I saw that both of their left hands had wedding bands.  It made me so happy that these two people in the middle of this crazy world were so in love with each other that you could tell just by looking at them as they walked down the street!

That couple got me thinking about us.  I hope that you are waiting for me in spirit and in body as I wait for you.  I know you are out there somewhere.  I hope that you're making the right choices about academics, friends, family, drugs, sex, and drinking.

I pray you're holding onto God with both hands.  Don't ever let go!  It's so worth it!  It's hard for me sometimes to hold on to God, to not choose bad friends or wear immodest clothing.  I have made a promise to myself and God to stay sexually pure until marriage.  Dressing modestly is something I struggle with, but I try to, because I would never want to cause another guy to stumble by looking at me in a way that is lustful.  I know that the way some girls dress is hard for guys to ignore, but I encourage you to stay pure in your thoughts and actions.  I don't want guys to see parts of my body that are only for your eyes.  I'll be saving myself and waiting for only you.  I hope that you do the same.  I pray each day for more strength from God in those areas.

I love you, and I can't wait to meet you!  And maybe one day we will walk holding hands, and you will look at me like those lovers on the street.  Someday.