Blaximus Longwood

My wife was formerly promiscuous. I was a virgin. She was then radically born-again. Committed to church, evangelized constantly, Puritan books in her bedroom, prayer journals, grief over past sexual sin, etc. We got to know each other well for over a year, dated for four months, engaged for two and a half, and didn't sin sexually with one another. Our first kiss with each other was at the altar on our wedding day (reaction pic attached!). We've been married for over five years now, and she's been the most wonderful and godly wife, mother to our three children, and homemaker you could imagine. She's more pure than most virgins, as biblical purity has less to with past sins (though they certainly matter) and more to do with one's current posture of the heart and daily decisions to honor the Lord (Matt. 5:8). We're far too quick to forget the story of the woman labeled as a known "sinner" (likely a prostitute) in Luke 7:36-50 who was washing Jesus' feet with her tears while kissing them too. The Pharisees were shocked that Jesus let a public sinner do this. Jesus responded with a parable about debts being forgiven and ended with this powerful conclusion: "Her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little" (Luke 7:47). Everyone seems to highlight the benefits of virginity, and it certainly is a blessing. But we forget to highlight the benefits of being forgiven much as well. My wife knows the depths of Jesus' forgiveness more than most people, enabling her to more easily live out a life of passionate love for her Savior. A woman or man's past sexual sin matters. But what matters far more when it comes to deciding who to marry is if the person is truly born again, if their repentance is real, if they truly have a heart for Christ, if they truly follow Jesus and obey his commands. "God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world ​— ​what is viewed as nothing ​— ​to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence. It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us ​— ​our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, — in order that, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" (1 Cor. 1:27-31) "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17)

If someone argues that a former promiscuous woman is "damaged goods" and questions whether a Christian young man should marry her, remember Rahab. She was a Canaanite prostitute but became a mother in the lineage of Jesus. God redeemed her, cleansed her, and Salmon married her.

Outdated CPR training is putting women’s lives at risk. Women who suffer cardiac arrest outside hospital are significantly less likely to survive than men, and one overlooked reason is that CPR training almost never accounts for female anatomy. A Duke University analysis across 47 U.S. states found women are 14% less likely to receive bystander CPR. In the UK, the gap is similar: only 68% of women get CPR from bystanders compared to 73% of men, with many people citing fear of inappropriate touching or concern about injuring a woman’s chest. The problem is compounded by the tools we train on. A global survey revealed that roughly 95% of CPR manikins are designed with flat chests; only one widely available model includes visible breasts. As a result, most trainees never practice the slight technique adjustments needed for women and often hesitate in real emergencies. Research published in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services offers hope: when trainees used manikins equipped with realistic silicone breasts, they were almost twice as likely to feel confident performing chest compressions on a woman. Experts say updating training manikins to represent both male and female anatomy could eliminate hesitation, close the gender survival gap, and save thousands of lives.

What opinion will get you in this position?