Are you smarter than your hormones?
That was the question posed to more than 300 women and young ladies gathered at Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Dothan, Oct. 25 for Pure Freedom, a three-hour mother/daughter event designed to encourage open communication about purity.
The game-show-meets-talk-show event “targets purity of the heart first and foremost,” said Michelle Wilder, a member of Ridgecrest Baptist who attended Pure Freedom.
“It focuses on being pure in heart and mind so you can be pure in relationships and marriage later.”
Developed for moms and their 13- to 18-year-old daughters, the event was founded in 2011 by author and speaker Dannah Gresh as the next step up from Secret Keeper Girl, which confronts the issues of modesty and true beauty for girls aged 8–12.
Ridgecrest student pastor Lloyd Blank said he received a lot of positive feedback about Pure Freedom from the moms who attended the event.
This was the first time the Columbia Baptist Association church has played host to a Pure Freedom event.
Although he did not attend Pure Freedom, Blank saw the night as a great way to “strengthen that bond between mother and daughter, which they desperately
need.”
The evening began with a rendition of “Let’s Make a Deal,” followed by a time of praise
and worship with Ridgecrest’s praise and worship team and national worship leader Stephanie Peters.
During that time Peters shared her story on remaining pure until marriage.
Brittany Logan, youth chaperone from Ariton Baptist Church in Dale Baptist Association, said Peters’ ministry and testimony were “outstanding.”
“[Hers] was one of the stories that touched me the most,” Logan said. “It showed the girls that remaining pure can be done.”
Author Suzie Weibel then spoke, proceeded by a game show called “Are you Smarter than your Hormones” and a “Truth or Bare” fashion show.
The fashion show featured local “modesty models,” such as 14-year-old Michaela Wilder, to show girls how important modest attire is to remaining pure.
Gresh wrapped up the evening by explaining why God intends women to only share themselves with one man.
When our bodies feel a “good feeling” it releases dopamine, which our brains recognize as a good sensation, Gresh said.
Experiencing these “good feelings” can become an addiction, she explains, and God intends us to only be addicted to our husbands.
Logan said Gresh’s approach was “exceptional,” making attendees laugh and cry while delivering God’s perspective on purity in a way that touched the heart of everyone present.
By the close of the evening seven girls accepted Christ into their hearts.
“I truly believe that because of Dannah’s words and encouragement, many of the young girls who were there will remain pure until marriage,” Logan said. “I so wish that I would’ve gone to something like the Pure Freedom tour when I was younger.”
For more information about Dannah Gresh or Pure Freedom, visit purefreedom.org.
Share with others: