Warning: This was written in one sitting in Starbucks after a lot of caffeine.  Editing may be needed.

Back in 2005, I was not yet fully Reformed in my soteriology, I was not Baptist in my ecclesiology, I was not yet charismatic in my pneumatology, nor was I complimentarian in my understanding of gender roles.  I knew little about what genuine church growth looked like, nor how true discipleship was done.  And in that time between my junior and senior year of college (a.k.a. “3rd and 4th year of university” for you Canadians reading this), I had my first real dating relationship.  I was 21 going on 22, and I knew little about how or what I should be doing in such a thing.  Nor did my local church teach me much about biblical betrothal or what Christian courtship looked like.  In short, I was ignorant, stupid, and young.

Yes, I was young and stupid; and ignorance is no excuse.  I should have known better.  For the sake of the relationship, I had no mentor couple, nor did I have pastors who would encourage me to pursue biblical manhood, nor did I have church elders (same thing, imho, as “pastor”) who exhorted me to take the initiative, step up, take the lead, and pursue a girl (who was pursuing biblical womanhood).  I soon found myself to be 22 years old, with no godly influence in my life to tell me to stop messing around, and just grow up, and get married.  I certainly knew I was a born-again Christian, but you might as well call me one of those former “carnal” Christians who was trying to discern the post-breakup crisis moment in my life.   I was just waiting for a Divine epiphany to wake me up from my slomber, fill me with spiritual power and an ability to maintain purity of heart.  For the most part, this could all be attributed to my spiritual upbringing.

Dismounted patrol near FOB Blessing

Originally uploaded by The U.S. Army.

U.S. Army Soldiers conduct a dismounted patrol in a village near Forward Operating Base Blessing, Afghanistan, Oct. 19, 2009. The Soldiers are assigned to the 4th Infantry Division’s Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jennifer Cohen

She looks away from the troubles and miseries and obstacles of life that seem to make the future bleak, and she focuses her attention on the sovereign power and love of God who rules in heaven and does on earth whatever he pleases (Ps. 115:3). She knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows his promise that he will be with her and will help her and strengthen her no matter what. This is the deep, unshakable root of Christian womanhood. And Peter makes it explicit in 1 Peter 3:5. He is not talking about just any woman. He is talking about women with unshakable biblical roots in the sovereign goodness of God—holy women who hope in God.

–John Piper, This Momentary Marriage, pg.97

Planning meeting with a sheik in Karmat Ali

Originally uploaded by The U.S. Army.

U.S. Army Soldiers tell a sheik at Karmat Ali, Iraq, Sept. 10, 2009, that the Al-Hajrat Grammar School in his town has been chosen to be refurbished. The Soldiers are assigned to the 1314th Civil Affairs Company, 17th Fires Brigade. The Al-Hajrat Grammar School has 13 teachers and 600 students.

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Samantha R. Ciaramitaro

When used as an accessory to a suit, a handkerchief is known as a pocket square. There are a wide variety of ways to fold a pocket square, ranging from the austere to the flamboyant:

*The Presidential, perhaps the simplest, is folded at right angles to fit in the pocket.
*The TV Fold looks similar but is folded diagonally with the point inside the pocket.
*The One-point Fold is folded diagonally with the point showing.
*The Two-point Fold is folded off-center so the two points don’t completely overlap.
*The Three-point Fold is first folded into a triangle, then the corners are folded up and across to make three points.
*The Four-point Fold is an off-center version of the Three-point Fold.
*The Cagney is basically a backwards version of the Four-point Fold.
*The Puff or the Cooper is simply shaped into a round puff.
*The Reverse Puff is like the Puff, except with the puff inside and the points out, like petals.
*The Astaire is a puff with a point on either side.
*The Straight Shell is pleated and then folded over to give the appearance of nested shells.
*The Diagonal Shell is pleated diagonally and then folded.