Dating with Pure Passion

Rob Eagar

Description

For Christian singles, spiritual union with Christ must be the foundation of all of their relationshipsincluding dating relationships. Rather than looking to people to meet needs only God can fulfill, readers will learn how to let Christ's sacrificial love ignite within them a passionate desire to share His love with a special person.This practical guide includes plenty of suggestions for establishing successful dating relationships anddealing with the pressure to get marriedexperiencing healing for past hurtsfinding and attracting mature singles to datechoosing whom to marryresisting sexual temptationEach chapter concludes with a personal Bible study as well as group discussion questions, making this a valuable resource for private devotions, small groups, or premarital counseling.

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736934237
• Langue: English

Extrait

Rob Eagar views relationships through the lens of God s unconditional love and acceptance, bringing hope and the incredible possibility of lasting joy. Dating with Pure Passion is a great resource for anyone seeking God s design in lasting relationships. Louie Giglio founder of Passion Conferences
Rob Eagar helps singles no longer feel like second-class citizens. Dating with Pure Passion points out how true fulfillment and great relationships are found by discovering pure passion for God and others. Shannon Ethridge bestselling author of the Every Woman s Battle series
Dating with Pure Passion communicates a message that singles of all ages desperately need to hear. Scott Hitzel Pastor to Singles, Saddleback Church
Rob Eagar offers a rare blessing indeed: a male perspective on romance. Dating with Pure Passion is armed with insights, honesty, and truth to help singles forge healthy relationships with each other, with themselves, and with God. Camerin Courtney Managing Editor of Today s Christian Woman
With balance, depth, and deep honesty, Rob Eagar explores the heart of romance for singles and aspiring couples who are wondering if their relationship is truly one for keeps. Dating with Pure Passion is a must-read for anyone trying to navigate today s dating scene with integrity. Paula Rinehart bestselling author of Sex and the Soul of a Woman
Rob Eagar writes as if he is inside the heart and head of the reader. Dating with Pure Passion is a must for singles who hunger to experience life to the fullest. It skillfully depicts what passionate living looks like and shows how to get there. I heartily recommend it. Dr. Steve McVey bestselling author of Grace Walk
Rob Eagar has an extraordinary ability to connect with single adults at the deepest level. He lovingly points singles to Christ as their source of wholeness and preparation for successful relationships. Steve Grissom President, DivorceCare
Dating with Pure Passion is a must-read for all Christian singles that will be referenced and recommended for a lifetime. It is one of the precious few books that present hands-on teaching about our identity in Christ-the power to live out what the author proclaims. Rob has done this well. Dr. Bill Gillham bestselling author of Lifetime Guarantee
After many years of counseling Christian couples who relate out of emotional baggage and misconceptions, I m thankful to see a book that helps single men and women understand that fulfillment and completeness can only be found in Christ. Dr. Anne Trippe marital and family therapist
Too many Christian dating resources just resemble popular self-help therapies. Dating with Pure Passion gets it right by teaching singles about their completeness in Jesus Christ. Rob Eagar shows singles how the love of God can transform all facets of their lives, especially the way they date. Scott Tanksley Director of Single Adult Fellowships North Point Community Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Dating with Pure Passion is more than just another how-to book on dating. Instead, Rob Eagar teaches truths of being a new creature in Christ and illustrates how these principles can manifest themselves appropriately in a Christian dating relationship. Don Munton Minister to Single Adults First Baptist Church, Houston, Texas
Dating with Pure Passion is an outstanding tool for singles! Rob Eagar will help you set healthy emotional and physical boundaries, attract the opposite sex, date for the right reasons, and enjoy completeness in Christ. I d recommend it to any of my single friends! Holly Wagner author of God Chicks and When It Pours, He Reigns
ROB EAGER

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
All emphasis in Scripture quotations has been added by the author.
Cover by Terry Dugan Design, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover photo Digital Vision
DATING WITH PURE PASSION
(Formerly published as The Prayer of Passion .)
Copyright 2002 by Rob Eagar
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Eagar, Rob, 1968-
Power of passion
Dating with pure passion / Rob Eagar.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-1670-7 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 0-7369-1670-9 (pbk.)
1. Single people-Religious life. I. Title.
BV4596.S5E24 2005
248.8 4-dc22
2005001512
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 / VP-CF / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my wife, Ashley, whose unyielding reliance upon Jesus Christ and commitment to our relationship has made marriage more passionate than I ever dreamed .
I love you .
Acknowledgments
No author can write a book without the assistance of others, and I want to thank those who helped make this project a reality:
To Barry Grecu and Richard Harris, who first encouraged me to follow the desires that Christ placed within my heart.
To my parents, Bob and Betsy Eagar, my sister, Melanie, and my in-laws, Joel and Judie Padgett, for supporting me when I quit my job to follow my dream.
To Andrea and James Fowler for donating a computer during the writing process.
To all of the focus group participants who contributed stories and insight to this book, including the Atwood and McMichael families, Nancy, Jan, Jim, Andrea B., Deane, Erika, Dave, Mona, Lisa, Dave, Charles, Dawn, Kevin, and Malissa.
To Lori Burton, Gray Absher, Anne Trippe, Bob Christopher, Greg Smith, Steve McVey, and Tom Grady for their patience to read and comment on my rough manuscripts.
To my agent, Greg Johnson, for your counsel and encouragement.
To everyone at Harvest House for supporting me and helping me spread my message of Christ s passion to the world.
To my wife-Ashley, you are the most beautiful and wonderful woman in the world. I will forever be thankful for your encouragement, advice, editing, and tireless sacrifice. You endured so much for the sake of the book. Most of all, you believed in me when I almost gave up. Thank you for being my best friend. I am so madly in love with you.
To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who created me, rescued me, and loves me more than life itself. May my life and this book be a reflection of Your glorious, passionate love!
C ONTENTS

1. T HE P OWER OF P URE P ASSION Discovering the Longing of Your Heart
2. P ASSION FROM H EAVEN Celebrating Your Spiritual Marriage
3. W HERE S THE P ASSION ? Dealing with the Pressure to Get Married
4. C HOOSE Y OUR P ASSION Determining the Best Person to Date
5. T HE P URSUIT OF P ASSION Finding and Attracting Healthy Singles to Date
6. T HE E NEMY OF P ASSION The Impact of Sin on Your Dating Life
7. T HE B OND OF P ASSION Discovering God s Design for Sex
8. C ONFRONTING C OUNTERFEIT P ASSION Dealing with Sexual Temptation
9. G UARDING Y OUR P ASSION Protecting Your Heart from a Premature Commitment
10. T HE S ABOTAGE OF P ASSION Recognizing the Baggage That Destroys Relationships
11. T HE C OMPASSION OF P ASSION Breaking Up with Sensitivity
12. E MBRACE Y OUR P ASSION Questions to Consider Before You Get Engaged
13. P ASSION A WAITS Y OU Conclusion
N OTES
About the Author
Resources for Singles Young Adults
Other Good Harvest House Reading
1
T HE P OWER OF P URE P ASSION

Discovering the Longing of Your Heart
I don t ever want to see you again. Her words stung as I listened on the phone in disbelief. Around the room, pictures of her stared back at me. In one image, she smiled, wearing her favorite dress. Another photo captured her laughing on our first date. And nearby, a large portrait framed her as she beamed in her wedding gown.
I love you. Please don t go, I begged. Instead, the phone went dead, and so did our marriage.
I huddled on the sofa in our new apartment. Only seven months earlier, we had joyfully joined as husband and wife. What happened? I thought she loved me. How could she discard our relationship so casually? Surely, she will come back , I thought.
A week later, my best friend visited to buoy me in my loneliness. Why would she leave me? I asked him. I am devoted to her.
Maybe there is hope if she is still wearing her wedding ring, he said.
Wanting him to be right, I walked into our bedroom, where her clothes and the scent of her perfume remained. I fumbled through her jewelry tin and prayed that I wouldn t see a small, sparkling stone.
But there it lay, the precious symbol of my commitment. It was true-my wife no longer loved me. I crumpled to the floor in shock as my friend rushed to catch me. In agony, my heart faltered, and my lungs fought for air. My whole body seemed to shut down as I sobbed uncontrollably. I would have died in tears had my friend not been with me that evening. Like a brother, he supported me and kept me from losing my mind.
My dream of lifelong intimacy crumbled before my eyes. Is this it? I cried. Is this all you get after falling in love-a broken heart and your name added to the divorce statistics? Emotions of despair, anger, and humiliation hit me all at onc