Kristin Fry - Beyond the Swipe: Honoring God, Respecting Yourself, and Finding the Right Match

Dating is more complicated than ever. What Kristin offers in Beyond the Swipe is both helpful and hopeful. This is a spiritually practical book for not only dating well but honoring God in the midst of it all. Its full of wisdom, honesty, and vision for how to hold out for and hold on to Gods best for you.

Jarrett Stevens

author of Four Small Words and pastor of Soul City Church

I absolutely love Kristins wit and wisdom in so many areas of life, particularly this topic. She models healthy relationships with others, God, and herself, and her voice is refreshing and encouraging.

Annie F. Downs

best-selling author of 100 Days to Brave and Looking for Lovely

Beyond the Swipe is a must-read for not only those wanting to do dating right but also those of us who have young adults experiencing the dating world. Dating dynamics have certainly changed over the years, and this book has equipped us to help our children. We are so grateful for Kristins candidness and her ability to delicately balance truth, love, and laughter in these pages. With stakes high and the odds against marriages in todays culture, Beyond the Swipe is a timely resource that will breathe much-needed hope, confidence, and knowledge into those seeking long-lasting, self-respecting, and passionate relationships. Thank you, Kristin, for this terrific resource!

Chris Brown

Ramsey Personality and nationally syndicated radio host, and

Holly Brown

speaker and executive pastor of Embrace Church

The desire to meet the right person has never changed, but the landscape of how we are finding them definitely has. In this age of smartphones and dating apps, Kristin has written the book on how to best navigate this ever-evolving scene. Kristin is both clever and insightful as she offers practical advice. I cant wait to recommend this book to the people around me in the dating world!

Rodney Anderson

singles director of Buckhead Church

Beyond the Swipe by Kristin Fry is a helpful book for any of us traversing the tricky and ever-changing waters of dating. Kristin asks good questions, provides sound teaching, and gives us practical tips and tools for navigating our single years with purpose. I found the discussion questions at the end of each chapter challenging and natural to talk about within my group of friends. Read this book and let it be a time of self-reflection. God does not withhold good from us, whatever season of life we are in.

Esther Fleece

speaker and author of No More Faking Fine

Beyond the Swipe: Honoring God, Respecting Yourself, and Finding the Right Match

2018 by Kristin Fry

Published by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel Inc., 2450 Oak Industrial Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in reviews.

Distribution of digital editions of this book in any format via the internet or any other means without the publishers written permission or by license agreement is a violation of copyright law and is subject to substantial fines and penalties. Thank you for supporting the authors rights by purchasing only authorized editions.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

All photos courtesy of Unsplash.com, from the following artists: introduction Brooke Cagle, chapter 1 Jamez Picard, chapter 2 Guiherme Stecanella, chapter 3 Shannon Whittington, chapter 4 Azat Satlykov, chapter 5 Averie Woodard, chapter 6 Caleb Frith, chapters 7 and 9 Priscilla Du Preez, chapter 8 freestocks.org, chapter 10 Sergey Zolkin, conclusion Leon Biss.

ISBN 978-0-8254-4513-2

Printed in the United States of America

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To Jamie,

who believed in me before I believed in myself, and believed possibility into reality.

Thank you.

D ating Things are a little different these days. When I was growing up, there were two ways a guy would ask a girl out: in person or over the phone. Not a cell phone, a landline (remember those?). If someone called the house to speak with me, they needed to make it past whoever answered the phone firstsometimes my dad!

Looking back, I think Id still choose the old way. It took a bit of courage for the guys to approach us, but it was uncomplicated. Im thankful for the ones who had the confidence to pick up the phone, call my house, and ask me out. But Im most thankful for the way my husband, Andy, was clear, kind, and direct with me. He didnt play games. I never had to wonder where our relationship stood. At the appropriate point in the relationship, we talked about it. We had face-to-face conversations.

Fast-forward thirty years. We now have three adult children who have experienced dating in an entirely different context. Every imaginable option is at their fingertips. But that didnt change what we taught them. Honor and respect are timeless. We have taught our sons to respect women, and our daughter to believe she deserves nothing less than that. Most importantly, we wanted them to know that their value and worth have already been established by our heavenly Father.

Andy and I have heard countless stories of what dating looks like these days. I can certainly imagine that its difficult. But here is what I know to be true: Settling for the wrong person is never the right thing to do. Compromise does not end well. And being okay with being treated less than you deserve is selling yourself short. And yet, Ive seen so many women do this. Ive walked woman after woman through the fallout of heartbreak. This is why Im so grateful to Kristin for tackling this topic. Its timely and needed because the current of culture is moving so rapidly in the opposite direction.

Through Beyond the Swipe, Kristin will empower and equip you to recognize and wait for the guy who will honor and prioritize you. She will help you understand how to successfully navigate todays dating culture and believe that Gods best is possible for you. Ladies, you are worth pursuing. If you doubt that, then this book is for you. If you dont doubt that, this book is still for you. You will be given practical steps to take as you move through the dating scene.

Im so glad youre taking advantage of this opportunity to learn from Kristin. She has been a part of our organization, North Point Ministries, for many years, working with hundreds of single women and men. Kristin is living this story with you, and you will be both challenged and encouraged by her heart and experiences.

Sandra Stanley

Author of Comparison Trap and Breathing Room

W e all love happily-ever-after stories. Thats why Disney movies and chick flicks are so popular. Despite our past experiences and current realities, and whether we are comfortable admitting it, I believe there is something inside all of us that hopes happily ever after will happen to us too. Its the forever kind of love we want. Its the reason we see Nicholas Sparks movies on opening night. Its the reason we were Team Jacob or Team Edward. Its the reason we throw parties just to watch