Customer Reviews

Eyes Wide Open: Avoiding the Heartbreak of Emotional Promiscuity

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The dangers of MySpace and similar web locations are well known. Such sites are places where people can "pretend" to be someone else - you don't know who you're really talking to. A predator? A criminal?

Author Brienne Murk tells us there's another danger, too. Chatting on-line, sending instant messages, meeting over the internet -- teens and others can get unwisely involved at an emotional level, even if they maintain a distance and live out a decision of sexual purity.

Purity is more than sexual abstinence, Murk argues. Using Scripture and many examples from real life, Brienne Murk (recording artist and member of "Myrrh") shows that purity is not just physical: it is mental, emotional and spiritual too. Teens and college students should be "saving themselves" in ways that are more than just physical.

Well-written, timely, filled with protection and wisdom for today's teens. A great book to read together as a youth group, interacting about the key concepts and ideas here.

Dr. David Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Author of Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent

I read this book and was so struck at the author's transparency and abiblity to take an honest look at our culture's "dating scene".
To hear an actual young woman hear the heartbeat of God and be brave enough to go against the flow of what the world says about relationships and how we should handle ourselves and protect our hearts is so timely.
I would say this book is definitely not just for singles...it is MOST definitely for ALL of us---married people need to protect their heart from emotional promiscuity in this day and age of the internet.
May God encourage Brienne and keep her heart close to His as she seeks His face for truth.

This book is long overdue. So much has been written and talked about concerning abstinence before marriage, but few have addressed the subtleties that lead to unintended premarital sex. Brienne has hit the nail on the head by giving those that are interested in guarding their hearts, some practical suggestions and warnings. Everyone I have spoken to regarding this book is equally excited. The ideas put forth in it, if followed by young people, could totally revolutionize this and future generations as they search for ways to live their own lives to the fullest, and to build others up at the same time!

"Even if we aren't having sex, endless cycles of dating and breaking up are...promiscuous. We are casually and indiscriminately giving away our hearts, one piece at a time."

Author Brienne Murk of the popular music group "Myrrh" has developed a youth seminar based on living one's faith in the real world. She and her sister, Heather, are frequent speakers at camps, conventions, churches, and youth events. Now in her 20s, Brienne relates to the challenges facing today's teens, offering them hope and help.

In Eyes Wide Open, Murk encourages teens to decide in favor of "emotional purity" by setting boundaries and carefully guarding their hearts. An entire chapter is devoted to the dangers of internet chat rooms, IM'ing, e-mail and other ways that a `virtual relationship' can develop. Such settings encourage anonymity, artificial identities and danger.

The book is crammed with real-life examples of emotional entanglements, heartache, and broken relationships that flow from a shallow, unguarded approach to life. Author Murk encourages the reader to set boundaries, put goals in writing, and find mentors who will keep her or him accountable and within the limits.

Filled with scripture references, the book reveals God's good design for human sexuality, and reminds us of Biblical examples of both success and failure, from whom we can learn. Using the tools and concepts expressed in this book, a teen or college student can face the world of dating and relationships with confidence and "eyes wide open."

"True purity is more than sexual abstinence - it's a commitment, a promise, and a choice to guard your heart."

Armchair Interviews says: Well-written, timely, and encouraging.

My daughter and her friends are using this book as a bible study. They read 2 or 3 chapters and get together every 2 or 3 weeks to talk about it. She has shared much of the book with me and I am very pleased. It has been great.

I am blown away by how good Eyes Wide Open is! Brienne Murk fills a need among today's books on dating, preparing for marriage, etc. by covering the emotional aspects in a straightforward way.I believe that if today's teens and tomorrow's teens embraced this commitment to connecting with the mate God has chosen for them, it would literally revolutionize society!

The church has taught the importance of physical purity, abstinence until marriage for generations. This book takes the importance of purity to another level: the heart. The author is a young college student herself, so she writes as one who can relate to the struggles that teens and young adults face, the difficulty in waiting, and the importance of guarding one's heart and mind. I recommend this book for boys and girls as young as thirteen years old, but it's beneficial for everyone, especially singles.

My daughter and I are reading this book together. The content is very good and relative for teens and even some mature pre-teens. As we finish each chapter we discuss how she can apply to herself and relationships she has. I would definitely recommend this book.

Avoiding the Heartbreak of Emotional Promiscuity....

What a timely book. There are so many resources out there about sexual promiscuity and abstinence. This book however, addresses the meaning behind the verse about guarding your heart.

With all the advances in technology the scene of dating has drastically changed over the past few years. Almost every teen carries a phone with texting and internet capabilities. Most have their own membership to a social networking environment such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. This creates a secret and separate world that parents are often not involved in. In this environment of not seeing people face to face teens feel more at ease to share with others in more open ways than they would do otherwise.

This book deals heavily with a person's thought life and what the bible says about this subject. I think that it is sad to admit that we prepare our children for physical interaction. Making sure we talk about sexual purity and protecting ones self this way. However, we neglect to talk to our children about emotional purity. Meaning we don't teach them that getting emotionally involved is just as dangerous as physically.

The danger being that the heart is being given away a piece at a time to whomever they are investing their emotions into. What a sad problem, and so incredibly dangerous.

If you want to protect your teen so that when they marry their spouse gets their entire heart, pure and whole - this is the book for you!!!

I will be sharing this with my daughters, and my sons. I want them to walk down the aisle one day emotionally and physically pure - with the heart intact. I want them to be able to present to their spouse a perfect gift of undivided love and innocence. I think in today's society innocence has been given a bad name.

"Even if we aren't having sex, endless cycles of dating and breaking up are...promiscuous. We are casually and indiscriminately giving away our hearts, one piece at a time"

Thank you Regal for this review copy! I have so enjoyed it!

I bought this book for my daughter and I read it before I gave it to her. I thought it was a wonderful way to educate our daughters to not get "serious" with every boy she dates. Unfortunately, she was reading it too late and had a bad experience because she did not have the information first. This gave her many tools to be carrying when she is older and thinking about lifetime partners. I will give it to my sons to read as well before they start dating. This time around, they will have the tools FIRST!