Another year has come to a close, and the AMH Team likes to take a look back and reflect on the amazing things God is doing!
First, let’s rewind to 2010. When we were still in high school, we realized a lot of purity ministries were missing the mark. They were equating purity with abstinence. They were making purity about rules instead of a relational dynamic with the living God. While abstinence before marriage is absolutely biblical, purity isn’t just about the physical aspect. It’s about the redeeming love of God that cleanses all aspects of our lives so we can be made whole. And we aspire to show young women that larger biblical narrative of purity.
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.” Psalm 119:9 “You should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God. . . . For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5, 7
We value purity because God values purity. Our mission remains the same.
PURITY IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE
God doesn’t just want us to passionately pursue abstinence. He never asks us to chase after goodness for goodness sake. So what does He want? He wants us to passionately pursue Him as the lover of our souls and the love of our lives. When we love Him, we will want to live as He designed.
It would be my hope that our teaching would never be insensitive to the realities of this broken world, that we would make room for the single woman trying to understand how she can express her sexuality, the homosexual who doesn’t know what to do with their same-sex attraction, the wounded girl at our purity retreats who was a victim of sexual assault, and the teenager who regrets sleeping with her boyfriend who said he loved her. The message of sexual purity is for them just as much as it is for the virgin because purity isn’t just about abstinence. That belittles the overarching message of God’s purifying love for all sinners. And it belittles the sexual struggles of pornography, poor body image, homosexuality, and lust among other things. Honoring God with our bodies is about every sexual temptation we face, not just saving sex for marriage.
Holistic purity is a reckless abandonment of selfish pleasure for the sake of something greater – God’s heart. After all, what is the greatest commandment?
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27).
He pursues our hearts. And we pursue His.
2019 YEAR IN REVIEW
72 new blog posts for young women to read on our website
16,125 total views on our blog and 8,569 unique visits – A 33% INCREASE
Developed Online Bible Study Resources on The Gospels, Isaiah, Hebrews, Romans, and Paul’s Letters including weekly Video Devos on Youtube and Instagram TV
Major life changes for the team: Ashley quit her job in TV production to pursue ministry, Alyssa transferred schools to pursue ministry in music, and Amber welcomed her first baby boy!
Spoke at Access Res Life Young Adult Group on the topic: Sexual Revelation
Spoke at the One Hearth Youth Conference on the topic: Overcoming Sexual Sin
Spoke at the Cornerstone University Women’s Conference on the topic: Womanhood & Sexuality
Attended Sexual Theology Training with Dannah Gresh’s Pure Freedom Ministries
Joined forces with True Girl as Ashley traveled as a speaker for their mother daughter events
Led a monthly Bible study group on Biblical Womanhood
Participated in the Launch Team for Girl Defined’s new book: Sex, Purity, and Longings
Created our own 4 step Bible Study Guide, inspired by Scripture
Scored new head shots and some photo shoot fun with On the Heights Photography
Published The Bible Study Planner to help integrate your Bible Study into your whole life
CATCH UP ON OUR BLOG SERIES
THE BEST OF THE SERIES: WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY
- What Will People Say… When They Hear I Had an Eating Disorder and Sometimes Still Struggle
- What Will People Say… When They Find out I’m Still a Virgin
- What Will People Say… When They Find out I’m Pregnant with a Child I Don’t Want
BEST OF THE SERIES: TRUE LOVE STORIES
- In Sickness and In Health | Tamalyn’s True Love Story
- Half Way around the World | Kaitlyn’s True Love Story
- We Love Because He First Loved Us | Beth’s True Love Story
BEST OF THE SERIES: LETTERS TO THE CHURCH GIRL
- To the Girl Who Tolerates Sin Even Though She Knows the Truth
- To the Girl Who Seeks Comfort and Fears Suffering
- To the Girl Who Closely Follows All the Rules and Still Doesn’t Feel Close to God
BEST OF THE BOOK REVIEWS
- Lady In Waiting by Kendall & Jones
- Sex Jesus and the Conversations the Church Forgot by Mo Isom
- Sex Isn’t the Problem, Lust Is by Joshua Harris
BEST OF THE SERIES: WORST RELATIONSHIP ADVICE EVER
- If You Love Each Other, That Is Enough?
- If They Can’t Handle You at Your Worst, They Don’t Deserve You at Your Best?
- Play Hard to Get to Get the Guy?
