TLW is an international Christian campaign designed to challenge students to remain sexually abstinent until marriage and sexually pure thereafter.  TLW encourages young people to make a five-part commitment for sexual purity:  to God, to themselves, to their family, to friends, and to their future spouse/children.       True Love Waits has a four-fold purpose: ¨Guide students to make a commitment to sexual abstinence until marriage. ¨Allow students who have made a commitment to abstinence a chance to reaffirm that promise and challenge other students to do so. ¨Guide parents of students to make or reaffirm a commitment to biblical standards of sexual behavior and model a life committed to sexual purity. ¨Give adults a tangible way to affirm and encourage students making a commitment to sexual abstinence until marriage. Teaching Period:  March 3, 2010 through April 28, 2010   Celebration of Commitments Celebration Date:  TBA

These are the underlying themes we stress. The specific program materials change each year.   Committing to God: God loves you and wants the best for your life. He made you valuable and precious - respond by keeping pure. Committing to Yourself: As a valuable person you should respect yourself enough not to settle for second and third best. Show you care about yourself by standing up for purity.  Committing to Family: Your family counts on you for many things. Staying free from the hassles of premarital sex helps keep your current home environment more enjoyable.  Committing to Friends: You can model purity for your friends to see God’s plan and come to know Him better as a result of your behavior. Committing to future Spouse/Children: Isn’t that special someone worth waiting for? And encouraging your future kids will be easier if you model purity now. Celebration of Commitments (ring ceremony) A time for the youth, parents, family, and church body to come together in support of those who have met the challenge.

It’s God’s plan   God is not a cosmic party-pooper. He has the best designed plans for our lives. If He is all-knowing than shouldn’t we follow His instructions? for spiritual health Sexual sin hurts your spirit like no other sin because it is so personal. And disobeying God’s plans for sexuality has very damaging and lasting consequences.  for physical health Older generations had to contend with just a few sexual diseases, our youth are at real risk for getting over 25. And since sex involves two, your future mate’s health is at stake also…not to mention the struggles with babies having babies. for emotional health Sexual intimacy involves connecting with another in a way many adults are not mature enough to handle. You bind yourself to another, and many youth are being devastated by the tearing away that often takes place after the quick “high” of the act.  for social well-being Relationships function so much better when there are boundaries. Imagine if people just did whatever they felt like doing without regard to one another’s feelings.   Sexual intimacy is best expressed within the boundaries of love and marriage.

True Love Waits® is one of several approaches to challenging teenagers and college students to make a commitment to sexual abstinence until marriage. Created by LifeWay Christian Resources, True Love Waits is designed to encourage moral purity by adhering to biblical principles. This youth-based international campaign utilizes positive peer pressure by encouraging those who make a commitment to refrain from pre-marital sex to challenge their peers to do the same.

FAQ ABOUT TLW - FOR YOUTH What does sexual purity mean exactly? Sexual purity includes abstaining from intercourse until marriage, but that is not all it means. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28). By Jesus' definition, being sexually pure means not even dwelling on thoughts of sex with someone other than a spouse. Until you are married, sexual purity means saying no to sexual intercourse, oral sex, and even sexual touching. It means saying no to a physical relationship that causes you to be "turned on" sexually. It means not looking at pornography or pictures that feed sexual thoughts. Sexual purity does not end with marriage. Marriage partners are supposed to experience sexual love with each other in a way that is fulfilling to both. However, purity means being completely faithful to your spouse in thought and deed. "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral" (Heb. 13:4). Is sex a bad thing? No. God designed us as sexual beings. He invented sex! He also made a place for it--marriage. In Genesis 2:24 God tells of His plan for marriage, that "a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." The sexual relationship makes the two become one flesh. The Bible speaks of sexual immorality, so there must also be such a thing as sexual morality, right? That morality is based on God's plan for sex. If we're in love, isn't it OK? God created sex for a lifetime commitment between one woman and one man. Sex outside of a committed marriage relationship violates God's standards. When you are wearing a wedding ring, you won't have to hope your partner loves you; you will have heard your spouse pledge to you in front of God, your families, and your friends. Anything less cheapens sex. What if things just happen? Sex is not an accident. Sex is progressive, meaning one act leads to another. Things won't "just happen" if you set boundaries and stick to them. If you make the decision now to abstain from sex and to live a pure life, then you will already know the answer before you encounter any compromising situation. Plus, the Holy Spirit gives us self-control to use when we are tempted. INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM http://www.lifeway.com/tlw/

FAQ ABOUT TLW - FOR PARENTS The Sexual Side of You - by Susan Lanford Adults rarely reach a place of perfect knowledge in any area of life-including our own growth and development. Reaching adulthood is not like stepping onto a wide, flat plateau that stretches for miles and never changes. We continue to change throughout life, and one area in which we change is in our understanding of our own sexuality. Married folks need to tend to their sexual needs. After all, a husband and wife, in a loving relationship, are the best instructors in how to grow sexually in marriage. Here are a few reminders to help you be the best example possible: Make your bed a haven from the hassles of everyday life. We're all busy people, and few parents have a lot of extra time. As a result, marital sex usually takes place at the end of the day when a husband and wife finally crawl into bed. That's why it's important to protect that time. Don't continue any arguments in bed, and don't try to solve the latest parenting dilemma or plan the next family vacation during intimate times. Protect this time and make it a safe and secure place as your regain a sense of intimacy. Remember that growing an intimate marriage is more important and more satisfying than the act of intercourse. God said that the two would become one. That's a wonderful mystery that married couples can explore for the rest of their lives. It involves deep, lasting respect and friendship-something that will last well beyond the momentary thrill of intercourse. Marriage gives you more power than any other relationship in your life. You know your spouse better than anyone else in the world. That's a blessing and a curse because that kind of power can be used to build intimacy or to tear it apart. In addition, the act of intercourse itself can be used to edify or to humiliate. (See Paul's words to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 7:4.) Marriage is as much a spiritual union as a physical union. Paul pointed to this principle when he compared marriage and Jesus' relationship to His church (Eph. 5:21-33). Because marriage is spiritual, there will always be a sense of mystery to it. We never figure it all out in our married life because the mystery itself is God's good gift to us. He has provided us with an interesting way to spend a lifetime-experiencing the ups and downs of marriage day by day. Most importantly, adopt God's view of sexuality in your marriage and His view of your spouse. If you've never done a systematic study of Scripture to find God's view of marriage and sexuality, plan a time to do just that as a couple. Make a covenant together to identify God's view of sexuality (and each other) through the lens of the Bible. Song of Solomon would be a great place to start: doubts and fears about appearance, the joy of physical attraction, the pain of physical or emotional separation, the thrill of making up. It's all there!   (This article was adapted from "Knowing Who You Are as a Parent" by Susan Lanford, published in Christian Sex Education, compiled by Jimmy Hester. Nashville: LifeWay Press, 1995.) INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM http://www.lifeway.com/tlw/

For more detailed information, please see the Youth Director Brother Martin D. or the Assistant Youth Director Sister Nadine P.         Come Visit us anytime! Of course you are always welcome to join us. The only requests we make are that you participate in all activities (we do some crazy things) and that you alert your young person that your are coming.   1 CORINTHIANS 6:12, 18-20 Back to BCAN Youth

THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS - Rev. Luz Celeniar Tirado, Senior Pastor

61 Winthrop Street  ~ Taunton, MA 02780

(508) 822-3454  ~  Fax:  (508) 821-3147

BACK TO HOME

"And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."   -  Mark 13:37