Twilight and Yor saying “no” to a polyamorous relationship.

When depressing thoughts start entering your mind

“A life of happiness is not based upon "Thou shalt nots." Jesus Christ did not die on a cross in order to give us more rules to follow. He died in order to save us and to obtain for us the graces necessary to love as we were created to love. Instead of thinking of God as a law-giver who sits aloof upon a throne waiting to judge you, let go of these ideas for a moment. Indeed, God has given us laws. He will be our judge. But in the end we will be judged by a God who is love, on our willingness to reflect His love.”

-Jason and Crystalina Evert, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul

“God's idea of spirituality is not something that takes up an hour of our lives on Sunday. He longs for a relationship with each of us that will permeate and transform the way we approach every aspect of life. This includes our work, our studies, and especially our relationships. Because of this, the life of a Christian woman ought to be an expression of her love for God. The same goes with how she uses her body. In a sense, purity is like trusting God with your body. It shows that you will wait patiently for the time God has appointed for you to receive a spouse from Him. In the meantime, you will not run ahead and grasp at the pleasures of marriage.”

-Jason and Crystalina Evert, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul

In the coming weeks there are going to be a lot of quotes from Jason and Crystalina Evert’s book How To Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul posted on here. I tried as much as possible to add context even though it led to some of the quotes being a big block of texts. There might be still confusing because the whole book itself had a wealth of wisdom it’s hard to capture all of them especially since the writers would often use examples to make a point. And there are times when they would use a term differently than how the secular world sees it. For example, the word “purity” is usually understood as being synonymous with “virginity.” But Jason and Crystalina emphasize that in the Christian perspective, that’s not necessarily the case. Virgins who masturbate to porn are not pure while people who had a promiscuous past but have since repented of them and are now leading a chaste life are very pure (i.e. St. Mary Magdalene and St. Augustine). So if there are anything that seems confusing to you, feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll see if I can provide a bigger context from the book.

“Purity is not about following a litany of laws. It's about encountering God and wanting to give everything to Him because you realize He has given Himself fully to you. It's not so much about making ourselves perfect for Him. If anything, it's about allowing Him to love us when we're most imperfect.

You may wonder, "But what if I do this spiritual stuff, and I try to get all holy. What's the point if there are no good men out there? What if I stay strong and pure, but he never comes?" We would ask you: What if he waits, and you never show up? What if you lower your standards to find him, and the good one passes you by? You'll always wonder what could have been. Instead of worrying about all these scenarios, here's a better idea: Take care of God's business and let Him take care of yours.”

-Jason and Crystalina Evert, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul

I haven‘t been everywhere but it’s on my list

“To find love, begin by finding yourself. People often fear that if they draw near to God, He'll wipe out their personality. The opposite is true. Many women have said, in the midst of their sin and despair, "This isn't me. I don't even know who I am anymore." Indeed, the further you get from God, the more you drift from your true identity.

God does not wish to take away your identity. He hopes to fulfill it. If you have not been yourself lately, He'll give you back to yourself. As you grow in your relationship with Him, you'll learn that holiness is not a rare gift given to pious elderly women. It's not about conforming to a mold. It is every person's calling and represents the full flowering—the full bloom of one's personality. The person far from God is like a seed that did not settle in the soil, but rolled off onto a rocky path. The saintly individuals of the world are the seeds who blossomed into roses. Yet each flower-each person-possesses her own unique radiance and reaches her full potential only when rooted firmly in Him.”

-Jason and Crystalina Evert, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul

St. Catherine of Siena, 1746, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Medium: canvas,oil

“But if holiness is the fulfillment of your God-given identity, then only by His grace will you become who you were created to be. Your gifts, talents, and other qualities do not need to be suppressed in order to follow Him. In fact, He may desire to use those gifts for a greater purpose than you ever imagined!

Choosing to live a godly life is something you should do for your sake and for the sake of the world. A great deal rests upon whether or not you say yes to God-not just once, but daily. In her book The Privilege of Being a Woman, Dr. Alice von Hildebrand reminds women:

As long as women are faithful to their "religious" calling the world is safe. But the threat menacing us today is precisely the metaphysical revolt of feminists who have totally lost sight of their vocation because they have become blind to the supernatural.

When women lose sight of their call to holiness, the entire world misses out. If you're going to help save the world (you mistakenly think we're exaggerating), begin by taking the time to make an inventory of your spiritual life. Ask yourself:

Am I interested in pleasing God, or am I trying to please myself while hopefully not offending Him?

Am I more concerned with being accepted by men or being accepted by God?

• Whose heart am I trying to win?

Am I waiting for God, or is God waiting for me?

Also, look at your daily habits, and compare the amount of time and energy you spend on your physical appearance compared to the amount of effort you spend on beautifying your soul. There's no problem with looking gorgeous. Just make sure your soul matches the rest of you.

Perhaps it's time to give your spiritual life a makeover. If you used to have a devotional life of prayer, get back in the habit. If you've never been particularly religious, don't be afraid to deepen your interior life. God isn’t hard to find. You’re probably the one who has been playing hard to get!”

-Jason and Crystalina Evert, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul

A North Carolina pastor is urging his congregants not to embrace the “God Bless the USA Bible” that includes documents central to the founding of the United States, deriding it as “blasphemous…

Vienna Austria

“If the thought of spirituality intimidates you, realize who is pursuing who. God longs for your love. Let Him pursue you. He thirsts for you. At times, when we try to grow closer to God, we feel overwhelmed because we think that our spiritual progress depends entirely upon the quality of our own efforts. At such times, it's refreshing to remember that God is the one who is in pursuit of us.

No one comes to God holy.

…

This is the heart of God the Heavenly Father. He's not hard to please. Because you're His daughter, He loves you more than even the most tender earthly father ever could. You don't need to come to Him with a halo. Come as you are, because you are the gift He desires. If you've been away from God, haven't you made Him wait long enough?”

-Jason and Crystalina Evert, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul

The Sistine Madonna, 1513, Raphael

Medium: oil,canvas

“In order to give Him the freedom to work in your life, make room or silence. Our lives are filled with so much noise and busyness that we rarely take time to pray. Even though our minds are full of life's questions, how often do we sit still long enough to hear God give us the answers? His voice will not be an audible one. However, when you begin to tune out the constant distractions and quiet your soul, you'll notice that His promptings become clearer in your heart. Don't be afraid to listen to them.”

-Jason and Crystalina Evert, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul