Here's an interesting letter.  The lady who wrote this was from Texas, and moved to Korea during the early 20th century.  She wrote this shortly after arriving, and shortly before dying of appendicitis.

Dad, mom!

This land, Chosun, is truely a beautiful land. They all resemble God. I see their good heart and zeal for the gospel, and I believe that in few years it will be a land overflowing with the love of Christ. I was children walking over 10 miles on barefoot to hear the gospel and the love of God in them encourages me.

But the persecution is getting stronger. Two days ago, three or four of those who have accepted Christ less than a week have been dragged away and were martyred. Missionary Thomas and James were also martyred. There were orders from the mission board to return, but the most missionaries are in hiding and worshiping with those whom they have shared the gospel with. It seems that they are all planning to be martyred. Tonight, I have strong desire to return home.

I remember you mom who resisted to the last moment of me leaving the port because of the stories of the hate of foreigners and opposition to the gospel.

Dad, Mom! Perhaps, this may be the last letter I will be writing. The seed that was sown in the backyard before I came out here must be filling our neighborhood with flowers. Another seed bear many flowers in the land of Chosun and they will be seeds to other nations.

I will bury my heart in this land. I realized that this passion for Chosun that I have is not mine but God’s passion toward Chosun.

Mom, Dad! I love you.

https://pastorqkim.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/thinking-of-ruby-kendricks/

Here are some good articles about singleness, dating, romance, etc.  I loosely categorized them below.  I also listed some of my own articles in the mix - the ones listed from xanga.com.   I hope these are helpful and a blessing to you.  I am not an expert, but one thing I know - Jesus Christ is worth everything.

Foundational reminders about eternity, and the theological significance of our singleness

• http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/for-single-men-and-women-and-the-rest-of-us  - great reminder about eternity.
• http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/sex-and-the-single-person  - from John Piper, great practical points at the end of this link (though with caveat from me on #8)
• http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/20-quotes-on-loneliness  - good quotes from Paul Matthies on loneliness and singleness, with testimony
• My articles: http://tim223.xanga.com/2011/10/17/true-love-sex-purity-and-jesus-christ/  and http://tim223.xanga.com/2010/06/24/700/  (marriage is momentary)  and http://tim223.xanga.com/2009/02/14/625/  (singleness will not be forever)

 Articles exhorting to use the current single life to its fullest

• http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/love-the-single-chapter-of-your-life  - use this "single chapter" as a gift, to do what ministries are too difficult for marrieds/families to do and to do what we ourselves may be unable to do in the future
• http://www.boundless.org/adulthood/2011/dont-waste-your-disappointment - from Elizabeth Adams
• http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/nine-lies-in-the-not-yet-married-life  - reminders to focus on developing character now, not then.
• http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/single-satisfied-and-sent-mission-for-the-not-yet-married
• http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thoughtlife/2014/04/david-platt-dont-squander-your-singleness/

More 'testimonial'-type articles

• http://www.worldmag.com/2014/12/wrestling_with_god  - testimony written by Sophia Lee in Los Angeles, well said.
• http://cbmw.org/uncategorized/the-god-who-knows-the-end-of-your-singleness/  - good testimony by a 37-year old single.
• http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-single-man-s-journey-to-sexual-happiness  - Idolatry vs satisfaction in Jesus.  Easy to say, completely true, hard to live.
• Mosab Hassan Yosef, talking about his life as a new Christian in Los Angeles, in the final few minutes of The Green Prince documentary
• My articles: http://tim223.xanga.com/2007/10/14/763/  - a great quote from Ann Kiemel Anderson , http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/11/14/634/  - "thy Jesus can repay from His own fullness all He takes away" , http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/06/20/726/  - "Love and Respect" - for singles? , http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/04/22/735/  - "Affections of the heart cannot simply be removed, they must be replaced."   "God's School of Maturity" – http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/02/04/742/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/02/16/741/ and  http://tim223.xanga.com/2007/10/21/760/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/10/27/638/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2007/09/22/768/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2009/02/17/623/

Practical/how-to articles regarding dating/courtship/living-amidst-peer-pressure-as-a-single/etc

• This article has a great mixture of all of the above, including the theological foundations: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/10-questions-on-dating-with-matt-chandler
• http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationships/things-its-ok-feel-when-youre-single   - great empathy, written by Paul Maxwell, for those of us who receive much advice... he also well describes the distrust and disdain we singles sometimes receive from others.
• http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2014/08/courtship-fundamentally-flawed/  and http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2014/08/courtship-fundamentally-flawed-qa/  - Thomas Umstattd's infamous and very thought-provoking posts from August 2014, which he is now turning into a book “Courtship in Crisis”, available June 2015... it's mostly about the cons of courtship and the pros of the older methods of dating, so it's more focused on "methods" than on "fundamental underlying principles and rationales."  But he describes the pros and cons of courtship very vividly.
• A set of excellent articles by Elisabeth Adams about singleness: http://www.boundless.org/adulthood/2013/odd-man-out  and  http://www.boundless.org/relationships/2012/whats-a-guy-to-do   and http://www.boundless.org/adulthood/2015/when-i-fear-the-future
• http://goodguyswag.com/how-to-pray-for-your-future-wife/
• https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-8-practical-advice-singles-1-corinthians-7
• http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2015/02/kissing-sex-jesus-flavored-bubblegum/ a more recent post by Thomas Umstattd, about the gospel, purity, sex, etc.
• http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/when-the-not-yet-married-meet-dating-to-display-jesus  - some tips on dating from a single man - somewhat oversimplified, but might be helpful.
• Set of 3 articles on dating in USA, from World Magazine: http://www.worldmag.com/2011/05/christian_boy_meets_christian_girl   http://www.worldmag.com/2011/05/a_man_s_world   http://www.worldmag.com/2011/05/refocused
• My articles:  http://tim223.xanga.com/2009/10/25/555/  - "my thoughts about relationships with girls" AND "tactics I've found helpful" , http://tim223.xanga.com/2009/04/20/things-i-learned-from-my-first-and-only-romantic-relationship/ , http://tim223.xanga.com/2007/07/06/788/  - links about courtship, http://tim223.xanga.com/2010/06/08/702/  - this one is more about church life than about dating, but slightly relevant

This is an interesting article about 'courtship'.  By 'interesting', I'm not saying I agree with it, nor that I disagree with it... it is simply 'interesting' for now...

http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2014/08/courtship-fundamentally-flawed/

Several good articles for today:

http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=27-03-035-f (Lunatic, Liar, Lord.. or Legend)

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2014/05/of-leprechauns-mermaids-and-loving.html (Leprechauns, Mermaids, and Loving Homosexual Couples)

http://hipandthigh.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/evaluating-old-earth-responses-to-young-earth-arguments-1/ and http://hipandthigh.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/evaluating-old-earth-responses-to-young-earth-arguments-2/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thoughtlife/2014/04/david-platt-dont-squander-your-singleness/ 

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/hope-for-the-despairing-heart

1 Samuel 19 -

"¹¹ Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. ....

¹⁸ Now David fled and escaped and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth."

Samuel was the one who had anointed David originally, with the message that he would be king of Israel some day (1 Samuel 16).   David believed God, and Samuel his prophet, and this probably helped him in his bold exploits like fighting Goliath, etc... it must have been pretty nifty to have a prophecy spoken over you that you would some day be king... if the prophecy came from a trustworthy spokesperson of God (since God knows the future), one could be certain that one would not die before becoming king, and that would tend to give one great boldness in battle and life in general.

However, David's success as a soldier and general caused the existing king, Saul, to become envious of him and try to kill him, multiple times and over the course of many years  (1 Samuel 18ff).  David could have simply fought against Saul and captured the kingship.  But interestingly, he did not, though he repeatedly had "perfect opportunities" to do so, including twice sneaking up behind Saul when he had no protectors.  Instead, David kept running and hiding and fleeing, rather than fight against King Saul (who was also his father-in-law!).

1 Samuel 24 relates one of these times, when David was close enough behind King Saul to secretly cut off a piece of his robe, without Saul even noticing.  David's men urged David to kill Saul.  But he refused, saying "I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed."  In other words, David resolved to wait until he could have the kingship "in the right way", rather than seizing it for himself "the wrong way" out of impatience.

He believed (enough) in God's promise, such that he was content to wait, and wait, and wait.

From whence came this faith/trust?

Probably from many factors... but perhaps one of these factors was this brief meeting with Samuel in 1 Samuel 19:18.   David was telling Samuel.... "Remember, you anointed me the future king!?!? But then why is all this happening to me?  The king is trying to take my life!?  Where is God?  I try to follow God and do the right thing, and what do I get for it?  I'm on the run for my life.  My own king, the one I have served sincerely and faithfully, is trying to take me out.  Why?  What's the point of continuing this approach of 'waiting' and 'doing things the right way'??"

What did Samuel tell David?  ...that old prophet, who had counseled and provided justice for thousands of Israelites over the years, who had originally anointed Saul and had seen Saul's heartbreaking perfidy and turning-away from God... then had anointed David but had not yet seen the fulfillment of his prophecy.

His words are not recorded.  But he apparently listened to David, went with him on a trip to a town where he could be temporary safer, and gave him some powerful advice, which kept David on the path of walking with God for the next few months or years.  Many times in our lives too, the advice of an older godly person at the right moment can be extremely beneficial.   Maybe Samuel shared with David what he had seen in his own life, that God's answers to prayer are often very slow, but worth waiting for... and that God always keeps his promises.

Here's a great article to ponder for Friday!

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/nine-lies-in-the-not-yet-married-life

Regarding this CNN article, "Why young Christians aren't waiting anymore", which linked to a Relevant article reporting that 8 out of 10 unmarried "evangelical Christians" between 18-29 have had sex (only slightly less than the national average of 9 out of 10 for the same age bracket), I have a couple thoughts.

First, as I mentioned in my previous post, many people who call themselves "Christians" are not true believers in Jesus.   They are merely 'culturally' Christian, with no real understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.  Many of them have not even read the Bible, and are perhaps only vaguely aware that the Bible explicitly forbids sex outside of marriage (in more than 40 places, e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4, Hebrews 13, and many others).

Second, here's an interesting excerpt from the article:

The article highlights what challenges abstinence movements face. Movements such as “True Love Waits,” encourage teens to wear purity rings, sign virginity pledges and pledge chastity during public ceremonies. Yet many of these Christian youths eventually abandon their purity pledges....

This is sad and unsurprising, that such outward, public, visibility-focused, man-centric, pledges and covenants and rings and tokens are ultimately failing to help keep (at least 8 out of 10) young men and women pure until marriage.

What is really needed is a true heart-understanding and knowledge of Jesus Christ... knowledge of God's awesome, magnificent, heartwrenching, self-sacrificing, pure, unconditional, LOVE for us.   As Tim Keller says, all sin in the life of a Christian comes from a temporary disbelief in the Gospel.   The Gospel is the good news of how God loved us so much that He Himself paid the penalty of sin that would have cost us eternal death/torment/destruction...  and how He calls those of us who are enabled to understand and believe this to repent of our sins, "turn around", and walk in "newness of life", following Him in new paths of purity and love.

If we really understand God's love for us... if we really consider how much suffering Jesus Christ endured for us because of His love for us... if we really understood how much glory is waiting for us on the other side of death...  then temptation would lose its power.

When temptation strikes, e.g. late at night between a young man and a young woman alone with their feelings and their hormones, a "virginity pledge" or "purity ring" is not going to have any real power.  What is needed instead is a generation who truly knows God, who is truly astounded and deeply satisfied by His love for us... so that we can respond to the temptation as Joseph did - "How could I do this great evil and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9)

Memorial Day greetings!  May we remember what is truly important.

Here are two topics which some may find interesting.

- World Magazine's multipart issue on the state of 'courtship', dating, marriage, etc among contemporary young American men and women, both Christian and NonChristian - http://www.worldmag.com/articles/18064  and  http://www.worldmag.com/articles/18065   and  http://www.worldmag.com/articles/18060

- Nicholas Carr on "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"  and  "Switch off and think"  (I am now going to switch off my computer.  Goodbye!)

This weekend I happened to be at an amusement park, where crowds of thousands of people milled by... pushing strollers, eating ice-cream cones, screaming on roller coasters, engaging in pda, teasing their siblings.  Kids were amazed at all the bright colors / flashing lights / blaring sounds; parents were tired by it all.  Tourists diligently snapped pictures and bought souvenirs.  Some parents were involved with their kids, others seemed preoccupied with other worries.

One could easily get numbed by the sameness of all the people passing by... the same clothes... the same body shapes... the same facial expressions... the same activities... the same screams every time the coaster cars passed the same place on the track...

But two things stood out to me.  First, according to Jesus (speaking to His disciples), "...the very hairs of your head are all numbered."   Every hair, on every single person!   Not one of those thousands of 'generic people' were generic to God.   He dreamed up each man and each woman, and knew their every thought and action, before they were born.  Each one was completely unique upon closer inspection... unique histories, desires, likes, dislikes, and loves.

Second, after contemplating the value of each person (far higher than my tired/numbed gaze originally gave credit) and the vast number of such people (in such a tiny part of the whole big world), I began thinking about the value of their Creator.   How could one man, Jesus Christ, be intrinsically worth so much more than all of us combined?   He would have looked like an ordinary man, to his peers 2000 years ago.  But if the Bible is correct, He was no ordinary man.   He was instead the Creator and Designer of all the billions of every-hair-numbered/every-thought-foreknown humans running around on earth.

How does one measure value?  And by any standard, does not Jesus Christ break the scale?

Finances - gold? silver? platinum? paper money?  All such atoms in the universe were created by Christ.  God owns it all, and loans out small quantities to us, whether we are grateful to Him for it or not.

Livestock?  God designed and created all the animals and watches over each one.

  " ¹⁰"For every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹"I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is Mine.
¹²"If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the world is Mine, and all it contains."   Psalm 50

Real estate? Land?  God made it all.  He spoke it into existence in a couple days' work.

Knowledge?  In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Power?  There is no comparison between any human and Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, who splits oceans to provide a path for his people to walk through, stills the storm and waves with a couple words, turns the hearts of kings like water in the hand, and rises from the dead after he is killed.

Wittiness?  Hilarity?  Coolness?  Popularity?  Humor?  Attractiveness?  Life-of-the-party-ness?  God invented all such people.

Physical pleasure?  Lemonade?  Chocolate?  Sex?  Frisbee?  Root beer floats?  Dopamine?  All designed by God.

Beauty?   Think of the 50 most handsome or beautiful people you know.  God designed them all.  The most stunning waterfall or sunset?  Again, God designed it.  And those who have seen Him report extreme beauty, which lasts forever rather than fading after a few years, and which truly satisfies, unlike any earthly beauty.

I am currently unable to fully clarify my thoughts on this, but this has been an index to them.   Four closing considerations:

Daniel 7
9"I kept looking
Until thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His vesture was like white snow
And the hair of His head like pure wool
His throne was ablaze with flames,
Its wheels were a burning fire.
10"A river of fire was flowing
And coming out from before Him;
Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
The court sat,
And the books were opened.
...
13"I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
14"And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.

Revelation 21
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
5And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
6Then He said to me, "It is done I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7"He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
8"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Matthew 13:44
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

Lamentations 3:24
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."

Quote: "Most churches have no idea what to do with spiritually mature men in their 20s, so they wrongly direct them to seminary or to a ministry with kids, hoping these guys will rub off on the youth and keep them coming to church and out of trouble."

This is an extremely fascinating and thought-provoking article!  http://online.worldmag.com/2010/06/02/mishandling-twentysomethings/   What are your thoughts on it?

I have lots of thoughts... too many to categorize.  Here goes an attempt anyway:

• First, the author (Anthony Bradley) raises lots of good points.
• Why send men away to seminaries so they can become full time vocational "pastors" (as in a full-time "clergy job") in the first place?  Is this Biblical?
• If it is necessary to train men for future ministry, why not train them within the church?  Why send them away?
• The article presupposes that there are "youth groups" (collections of kids whose parents have dropped them off for some form of age-segregated training) that need extra "helpers" to take care of all the kids.  Why would the parents abdicate their own responsibility to spiritually train their own kids?  Why regularly separate the kids from the parents for their weekly teaching/spiritual edification in the first place?  Is this Biblical?
• Fascinating phrase-quotes from his article: "...church communities were confused about what is normal for men in the church..."  and  "the whispers of church people who confuse spiritual maturity and vibrancy in young men with a “call to ministry.”"   Well said.  The problem is not "ministry" (service) in the literal sense, but in the cultural baggage of the word "ministry" as meaning salaried "clergy" work.   It may not be "normal" in churches for young twenty-something plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and computer technicians to be fervently concerned about the kingdom of Christ and about edifying and teaching their brothers and sisters, but it ought to be normal!   Paul's description of the "normal" church in 1 Corinthians 14 says that "When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation."  Not just the 'professionals.'
• Quote: "When a younger brother says to me that “he feels called to ministry,” I usually understand that to mean that he craves and needs validation and would like to use the church to make him feel good about himself.   Ha ha.  Understandable.  Reminds me of a graduation charge I once heard.  The speaker got right to the point quickly, saying something like this: "Your parents and friends are all telling you these days how wonderful you are.  One of the most important things you need to learn to do as part of graduating and growing up is to stop believing their compliments."  That is, to have an accurate understanding of oneself, neither too high or too low, and to focus on God's opinion rather than humans' opinion.  Bradley is correct that there is a big danger for young and talented twenty-somethings to experience too much praise and commendation by their church acquaintances, and to become proud.  "craves and needs validation"... yes... don't we all...
  But I think the solution is not to avoid putting young men and women into ministry, but rather to provide more mentoring for them.  For example, Barnabas mentored Mark in the Bible, taking him along with him on their missionary trips.  Mark bailed out once, but Barnabas patiently took him along again on a future trip.  Eventually his patience was rewarded as Mark became a mature and strong Christian man.
  One thing Bradley didn't mention was the all too common experience of a young twenty-something encouraged into "ministry" who ends up falling into public sin, such as fornication or heresy.  The Bible talks so much about this, from the requirement that overseers be "not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil... These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach" (1 Tim. 3)  to the warning to "Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others..." (1 Tim. 5).
  Also, the Bible talks about those who have fallen... and the need to "restore" them!  Don't just write them off.
  In summary as I see it: if you see a new Christian or young Christian who seems to have lots of zeal for God, (1) understanding the depth of human depravity, expect them to be full of latent evil (like King David! and others), (2) by all means put them into service in various ways (like Mark, and like 1 Cor 14 "each one"... no exceptions!), (3) put godly older mentors by their side, constantly probing and asking them and challenging them to grow in Christ and keeping them humble and accountable, (4) don't be surprised if / when they fall into sin and failure, and (5) be ready to continually encourage them back to Christ and back into (appropriate) service afterward....
• One other reason in favor of having young people get involved in youth work is that sometimes they honestly don't know what their spiritual gifts are, and sometimes putting people in various service roles allows them to 'try out' various things and discover their gifts.  When Bradley talks about people "working in vocations that they originally set out to do before they were misdirected by the whispers of church people", he seems to be warning more about the problem of telling young people who already understand their own gifts to instead go into youth work or seminary/clergical work because of their evinced fervent love for God.  I personally know some people who do not know where God wants them / what gifts He's given them, so for these people, trying out various avenues of ministry might indeed be helpful.   However, as mentioned above, intentional mentoring seems extremely important.

Your thoughts are welcome.