{Put Some Clothes On}

1 in 4 girls are raped before the age of 18. Every two minutes in the U.S. someone is sexually assaulted. These are alarming statistics. These are sexual sins.

Then there are less "bad" sexual sins like lust. I don't think I need to provide a statistics for the amount of lust in the world. I think you know. Then there is adultery: roughly 40% of all married couples partake in infidelity. These are alarming statistics. These are sexual sins.

But why are we surprised? Scripture warns us that there will be sexual temptation in the world. We know this by the large amount of times we are told to guard ourselves against it:

"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." - 1 Cor. 6:18

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry "- Col. 3:5

"Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. "- Hebrews 13:4

  "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one     of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the  Gentiles who do not know God;" - 1 Thess. 4:3-5

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Satan has always tried to tempt humanity in this area. His method of choice in this day and age is media.

If you have been watching the world cup lately you know that this is true - commercials are absolutely ridiculous. How exactly do you make a hamburger commercial sexual? Hardee's has found a way. Or when is the last time you have watched a movie without a sex scene (that hopefully you fast forwarded over)? Even cartoons are full of sexual innuendo's.

Whether you like it or not, your son/brother/boyfriend/dad/husband is going to walk past practically naked women every time they step into a mall. Thank you Victoria for that.

The temptation is everywhere. It is on our televisions, saturated in commercials, on many billboards, in our song lyrics, in our malls .......

So why am I telling you this? Honestly, to suggest you should wear more clothes.

Women: Are you going to be happy if you walk into the next room and see your son/brother/boyfriend/dad/husband staring at a picture of a girl in a bikini on his phone?

If those of you who answered no: have you posted a picture of yourself in a bikini on instagram/facebook this summer? Probably. I promise you that there are sisters/mothers/wives/girlfriends who have brothers/fathers/boyfriends/husbands who struggle with sexual sin and you just fed them temptation.

I realize this is harsh and you don't want to think about this.... but have you ever thought about how the way you may dress effects those around you? Do you realize that you are feeding into the temptation of sexual sins (and the statistics listed above)?

I am no way it is your "fault" that people sin sexually: I am however suggesting the way you dress (and the pictures you post) are harming your brothers.

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I challenge you to do three things tonight. 

1. Pray for God to heal the minds of the many men who are creating the statistic that 1 in 4 women are raped. Pray for 40% of couples who are currently living a life of adultery. Pray for the media industry who is playing a key role in sexualizing society. 

2. Think about changes needed in your life that will help protect those around you from temptation. 

3. Stop thinking that watching these disgusting movies, commercials, and such are ok. It isn't. It is exacerbating the problem of the sexualization running rampant in our culture.

I am appalled at how sexualized our society has become. I am angry. I am praying that by God's grace, I in no way feed into this problem and I want to encourage you to do the same. 

xoxo, 

Jordan 

{THE PROPOSAL}

Assuming that you are dying to know how it all went down, I am going to tell you!

The day started unlike most days, simply for the fact we both woke up sick. So off we went on an adventure with a pit stop to buy medicine, tissues and cough drops. Louis had called me earlier that week to ask if for my birthday we could road trip to Southport, N.C and I with excitement agreed.

Why Southport: Two weeks before we began dating, a friend and I went to Rocky Mount for the weekend to visit Louis. While there we watched the movie Safe Haven to which I commented many times, "that place is beautiful, I want to go there." While watching this movie we were just friends just like we had been for the four previous years, but I think we both knew that was about to change.

So two weeks later we were more than friends. The week after that, Louis took me to Southport. It was amazing. So amazing that while I was living in Africa and Louis and I (via skype date) made an adventure list for when  I returned, a second trip to Southport made the number one spot!

Five hours of driving and a box of tissues later, we were in Southport. After a great lunch at Taylor's Restaurant we went to the swing.

The swing: During our first trip to southport we swung on a swing by the water for a long time (I later found out that, that day seven months ago Louis knew that he would one day propose there). While we were walking to the swing he said, "I have your birthday present, but you have to fix it (my birthday was the day before)."

So we sat on the swing and he handed me a journal. It was a journal that I bought in Africa and gave to Louis. This past week the tassel that holds it shut had broke, so he handed it to me to fix while the swing swung back and forth. After many minutes of trying to fix it (and many minutes of me being very confused) I handed back the pieces to the journal saying that I just couldn't fix it. When he took the pieces of the journal from my hand, he replaced it with a crackerjack box and said, "can you hold this while I read you something?" And then I knew!

The crackerjack box: The night before I moved to Africa Louis very sporadically said, "sooo.... what kind of ring do you want?" With eyes big as my face and  probably cheeks as red as a cherry I said, "It could come out of a crackerjack box for all I care and I would be happy!"

So while I held a vintage crackerjack box in my hand Louis began to read. He had written to me in it every night for the week leading up to saturday. "You don't know this yet, but in a week I will ask you to be my wife....."

Then, on the final note, he ended with, "will you marry me?"

So I then opened the cracker jack box where there was a small package that said, "your prize is inside."The best "prize" ever, that is!

Then, with an overwhelming amount of joy, I said, "YES!"


After an awesome day full of smiles, we headed home. My favorite memory of that drive home was when Louis looked at me and said, "how many times today do you think we have just looked at each other and smiled?" I don't know the answer to that question, but it definitely was a lot.

On the way home we made a stop that you may not expect..... Bojangles.

Bojangles: When Louis was a little boy Louis told his parents that one day when he wanted to get married he would buy the girl five large fries and ask her to marry him. Since that day many years ago it has been a running joke in his family. It only made since to end our day with a large fry.

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Now, I am sitting here in the Griffin house while my left hand sparkles and I could explode with excitement thinking about November 8th when I will become a Griffin.
                                                                      .............................
Exactly a week before the day Louis proposed we attended my grandparents 50th anniversary and had the honor of watching them renew their vows. At the very end of a fun day, my Ma threw a bouquet, and I caught it.

 

The prophecy of the caught bouquet came true, and I hope that in fifty years I too will be able to throw a  (second) bouquet with Louis by my side. I am so thankful for people like my grandparents and so many others who have been an amazing example of what marriage is. I am thankful for the many people who have shown us an overwhelming amount of love and encouragement these past few days. I am  so humbled by so many people's kind words. Most of all, I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving to our sovereign God who has been gracious enough to bring Louis and I's lives together. He is good - and we are thankful.