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Though it's hard to push aside all my desires for affection and romance, when I struggle, I imagine what my husband will say when I say to him, "The wait was hard, but you were worth it. Though I've made mistakes in some friendships, this book has helpen me not to have a bunch of rules to follow, but a principal of serving God to the fullest and having complete faith in Him.
In high school, I felt uncomfortable with the concept of dating, even among Christians. As for courting, what the heck did that mean.In college, I was impressed by a friend of mine and found out he held to the same beliefs Harris has.
This book gave me the answer for the questions I had. I'm sure someday my husband will thank me for saving my heart for him.
This friend had quite an extensive dating history, and doesn't have much good to say about the dating scene. I on the other hand, have never dated.
I am honouring my husband by acknowleding that he is alive today, and though I don't know who he is, I can still serve Him by being faithful to him. I made sacrifices to honour you because I love you" Josh Harris gave me good reason to believe what I believe, and I truly believe that when I get married, my marriage will be better because I started serving my love long before I met him.
Jesus always has our best in mind. Josh's book was such an encouragement to me when I was single. You'll be blessed as you'll read that God can bring you a mate anywhere, anytime that is perfectly suited for you. Being single can also be a time of great fellowship with Him while you wait expectantly for your spouse to be revealed to you. Mary Singer Wick, author of "My Heart's Desire: A Journey Toward Finding Extravagant Love".
She had some good friends and that was more important to her and this book helped her understand that point. We wanted her to get her degree before marriage and so we mailed her this book to read. My daughter went off to college and we wanted a way to say that boys were not necessary at this point to date and have a serious relationship. Joshua Harris writes in a way that is easy to read. She has since passed this on to other friends. It did work for a little while. He said many things in a personal way and did better than I would have done. Great for Highschool or College age.
I suggest Henry Cloud's "How to get a date worth keeping" for the people over 25. First, this approach is effective if you are still in college or a recent graduate, in an environment where there are alot of singles around you. You may not agree with me but please know that I write from the heart. Which leads me to the second reason - I believe that there are many single Christians over 30 in part because they are not comfortable interacting with the opposite sex in a romantic relationship or have personal issues that keep them from getting to that stage in the first place.
As I have gotten older however I realized that there were a few problems with this idea. I don't usually review books but I thought I would review this one. He suggests that you try to interact with as many people of the opposite sex as possible, with the help of a group of Christians who can help you avoid pitfals along the way. "I kissed dating goodbye" is written by a Christian who based the book on his own dating experience when he was very young. In an environment where young singles hang out in groups, this idea makes sense.
This approach helps you learn about the opposite sex but mostly learn about yourself and the issues you may bring to relationships. I found that his book only encouraged me to hide from the opposite sex and as I got older, the suggestions became unfeasable. I first read this book about 6 years ago and really embraced the message. Cloud's book will help to deal with those issues. But as you get older, people don't do this.
You must continue to go to God in prayer of course but you have to make an actual effort to meet other single people as you hit 30 and beyond. It is written by a Christian who is a trained psychologist and he is one of the authors of the very popular "Boundaries" series. I encourage you to check out Cloud's approach instead.
While all of them were very insightful, Josh Harris's book went further than just discussing these topics as concepts, as he elaborates on them using scripture, personal anecdotes, and describes the practicality of how we can be all that God intends for us to be by simply adopting His view of the proper roles of sex and dating.I think most readers will come away with a deeper understanding not only of dating, but why it is important to cultivate a deeper and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" is such a wonderful book. Wow.where do I even start. It is at this point that we are able to understand the importance of our singlehood and how we may grow in grace to be positioned for a future meaningful dating relationship.I encourage all people -- teens, young adults and mature adults-- to purchase the book. Reading this book has truly transformed my attitudes towards sex and dating. As a 23 year old, male, Christian single, I've read many books on singlehood and sexual purity. Josh Harris provides a practical discussion on a range of issues from sexual purity to courtship. This book is truly a must read.
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