Olympic archer saving herself for marriage

As an Olympic archer, Jennifer Nichols has no issue keeping her eye on her target, and her love and relationship values were no exception. In fact, the celibate athlete didn't even lock lips until she was 27 years old!

"I saved my first kiss for the man I knew I was going to marry — my fiance," the 28-year-old devout Christian tells Us Weekly of smooching her now-fiance, Chris Hardy, 25.

"I made that commitment when I was about 13 years old. I knew that I wanted to save my kiss on top of purity. I felt like a kiss was something very special and I wanted to save that."

For the pair, who met while attending Texas A&M and have been dating since December 2009, it was love at first sight — or bite.

"We were both in the same political science class," Nichols describes to Us. "I saw him from across the room and I was really attracted to him and then one morning I was coming from my Arabic class and I had a box of donuts and I saw him sitting on a bench so I offered him some donuts."

Continue reading at www.usmagazine.com

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Paul F

Kissing, dating. She has already compromised herself. She should have saved her first kiss for the wedding ceremony. As for dating, that is just a more acceptable term for serial romantic teasing. Courting is the Biblical way of doing it.
- Rich
  
  Paul F – I understand your point, but do not agee. That degree of chaste is extreme and is not biblical. Nowhere does the Bible state you should not kiss until the wedding ceremony. Jennifer Nichols should be commended, not criticized for honoring her vow, her Christian faith, and her future husband.
  - Paul F
    
    I believe that dating is not biblical, nor is kissing someone who is not your husband/wife/child.
    - Steve03
      
      Did not the Christians of the Apostolic Churches greet each other with a kiss?
      Ro 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.
      1Co 16:20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.
      2Co 13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
      1Th 5:26 Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.
      1Pe 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity.
      - Paul F
        
        Do you REALLY believe that is the same type of kiss!?!?
      - Evermyrtle
        
        Reading about her an her principles, what kind of kiss do you think it was? People who will stand strong on their principles and take the abuse that they sometimes face , they need encouraging not tearing down. It pays each of us to look inward at our own lives and try to change our own short comings than it is to be so critical of others. We are all sinners and if we say we have no sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us. WE cannot help others until we get our own lives into step with our SAVIOR and HIS WORD tells us that we should not think to much of ourselves
      - Paul F
        
        Then, do you think that only perfect people should try to help other people?
      - Devasahayam
        
        You seem not to have understanding of culutral differences–the cultural norms of the first-century Muddle East (and the current Muddle East for that matter) were not those of Western Europe, from which those of America derived!
      - Paul F
        
        ALL cultures are degenerating. Cultural norms are NOT our standard; God's Holy Word, the Bible, sets our standards.
    - Rich
      
      Paul, list the scriptures that support that. Your confusing cultural with biblical, which only leads to legalism. Jennifer's Christian faith glorifies God. Your extremism just makes people think some Christians are out of touch.
      - Paul F
        
        Please, show me where you find dating, either in instruction or practice, in the Bible. I can show you numerous places where courting is found in the Bible.
      - Steve03
        
        Isaac (by proxy), Jacob, and Moses all got their wives by something very much like speed dating. Saul had his dating encounter, too, but he was fixiated on his father's missing donkeys and missed his chance.
      - Paul F
        
        Please explain how you think their situations compare to dating. I think you are completely wrong.
- Devasahayam
  
  Agree — first time I locked lips was 2006/04/15, my wedding day (and the result was not picture-perfect; my wife was a bit dazed, and didn't even hear the officiating pastor pronounce "you may now kiss the bride").
- bighoss
  
  Good grief, Paul F!
  
  The woman is probably in the top .0000025 percent of women in this nation insofar as sexual purity is concerned.
  She does not need to adopt your wacky quasi-Muslim standards of behavior.
  - Paul F
    
    So, you believe that Christian purity and separation equates "wacky quasi-Muslim standards of behavior".
    - bighoss
      
      I do not find any Biblical standard of Christian purity and separation that equates to the rigor of Paul F's extreme standard.
      
      It is his standard that verges close to the extremes of Muslim "purity."
      - Paul F
        
        You only associate it with extreme muslim purity because they are about the only ones who promote purity these days. Sadly, most Christians have left true Biblical purity and adopted many of the world's standards.
- SilverHairedSaint
  
  Legalist.
  - Paul F
    
    Legalism is NOT seeking to honor Christ by obeying His commands. Legalism is seeking favor with God by trying to obey His commands. MAJOR difference!!
- TooToo
  
  You're an idiot!
  - Paul F
    
    You're a stimulating conversationalist.
Paul F
Wayne

What a joy it is to see a woman of virtue showing others that it is OK to be pure. I am so proud of her for her stand for purity and the example she sets for others.
Enrique Viruet

She is a contemporary Mary; She is a example for the USA and the World.
Evermyrtle

This story is pure joy in my SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. How pleased HE must be. I am so happy to know there is someone out there still that has some self respect and self control
Deepizzaguy

Thank goodness Miss Green Arrow is one of the good gals that represent our country in the Olympic Games instead of the prima donnas.
bighoss

In this week's Newsweek Magazine there is an article about another virgin, the splendid female Olympic sprinter Lolo Jones. The article says that Miss Jones has "confessed" to being a virgin. What an unfortunate choice of words. My dictionary defines "confession" as "a formal declaration of guilt." "Confess" is defined as "to disclose or acknowledge acknowledge something damaging or inconvenient to oneself." A confession? An acknowledgement perhaps, but not by any means a "confession"?

You go, Lolo!
- Steve03
  
  As in the Confessions of St. Augustine or the Confession of St. Patrick? Skip down to meaning # 4 "An avowal of belief in the doctrines of a particular faith."
  Besides, was "confessed" her word or the reporter's? Regardless, even sprinters and reporters have been known to employ irony. Even the Biblical authors use it.
  - bighoss
    
    The word was obviously chosen by reporters and it was used in the same sense as the term would be used to describe the "confession" of someone guilty of some offense or failing. It was decidedly NOT used in the sense of a Christian "confession" such as those cited above by you or below by Evermyrtle. She was not making any avowal of her faith; she was simply saying that premarital sex was not in her life plan.
- Evermyrtle
  
  Bigboss, I have not a clue where you get your info from, but I did find something that may help you.
  
  Romans 10:10 For with the heart an believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
  11. For the scripture says, whosoever believes on HIM shall not be ashamed.
  
  I Timothy 6:13 I give you charge in the sight of GOD who quickens all things, and before CHRIST JESUS, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession:
  
  14. That you keep this commamdment without spot, unrebukeable, unto the appearing of our LORD JESUS CHRIST
  - bighoss
    
    The confession one makes as part of the salvation experience is nowhere near the kind of "confession" Newsweek was describing.
- Paul F
  
  That just goes to show how wicked/pagan our society has become.
msjallen

I commend this young lady and pray that other young peope will realize that God has someone special for each of them and keep from sexual activities until after marriage. I do admire Jennifer. Kissing doesn't always lead to sexual activities nor does dancing or swimming with both sexes as a denomination taught when when I was growing up.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old (mature), he will not depart from it.
- Paul F
  
  However, those activities, at best, do open the door to Satan who can use them to bring about sin.
  - msjallen
    
    Not that you are but I heard this when I was brought up and it speaks of self-righteous, legalistic, religous and full of arrogance "Christians". The more Bible Doctrine that is taught in the home and at church the better chance kids have to avoid sexual activities instead of pushing "no-nos" down their throat. The Lord will lead them.
    - Paul F
      
      The persons who said that to you may have been any or all of those things, but don't confuse the message with the messenger. The message IS correct.
      
      You are correct about Bible doctrine.
Guest

Tasting the fruits of a sinful kiss is a temptation young persons should avoid. After all the reason to remain chaste (without physical contact leading to lust) only leaves an "imprint" in the spirit of the man/woman (boy/girl) of what something special would always be compared to the husband/wife…and that would be an imprint of evil leading to sinful thought. I wish I'd remained chaste until I had married… and this coming from a married 68 year old man!
- bighoss
  
  A little headsucking won't contaminate your soul.
  - Paul F
    
    Actually, it probably will.
    - bighoss
      
      Not in my caseI But I never got into the kind of tonsil hockey that is a lot more dangerous than simple kissing.
SilverHairedSaint

Irony of ironies. Between the article and the comments regarding this article about purity I noted an advertisement for singlesnet.com. This advertisement was a suggestive photo, taken from above, which gives a teasing view of this young woman's breasts, and the tease, "view more pics".
Great move (NOT) on the part of whoever is in charge of advertising for Zonica.com.
SilverHairedSaint

Irony of ironies. Between the article and the comments regarding this article about purity I noted an advertisement for singlesnet.com. This advertisement was a suggestive photo, taken from above, which gives a teasing view of this young woman's breasts, and the tease, "view more pics".
SilverHairedSaint

It is amazing how quickly the morals of the world, especially the USA, have changed. When I was a pre-teen and early teen, premarital sex was a taboo in our society. Abortion was illegal and birth control included abstinence, calendar timing, condoms and the impossible physical motion of withdrawal just prior to ejaculation.
Now look at us — articles discussing purity as abnormal are considered news.
FedupWiththisKindofThing

Wow… SilverHairedSaint… you obviously do not speak from experience. It is quite possible to withdrawal just prior to ejaculation. I've done it around 1000 times. The result is often entertaining as well. Get real, think for yourself, people. Your way of thinking is archaic and irresponsible.