This is a photo of Jen and I on our recent camping trip to the Adirondacks...



We had a great trip even though we had a severe thunderstorm ushering in a cold front--and helping me catch a cold.  This was our first vacation together.  My family goes camping in the Adirondacks every summer and this year we took Jen with us.  She loved it!

Going camping together might seem to imply that we'd be sleeping together.  Not so.  Jen slept in the pop-up with my mom (different beds) and I slept in the tent with my dad.  Getting engaged didn't change our standards at all.  We're honoring God by waiting until we're married to sleep together.

It's not easy to wait.  But it's also nice to have a peace knowing that we're glorifying God.  We've had people assume we were sleeping together and then be surprised when they found out otherwise.  We've had people tell us that we should wait a couple years to get married and live together in the mean time--giving us more time to plan the wedding.  Honestly we're not concerned with having a fancy wedding, we just want to honor God.

If you're reading this and you're sleeping with someone outside of marriage, I hope you will not feel judged or condemned.  It's never too late for grace and forgiveness.  But I hope Jen and I can be an encouragement to you in our willingness to do what's hard and also pleasing to God.