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What in the world?! What is this guy saying about that...thing...behind him?

Shark Infested Waters

Shark Infested Waters

I just got back from Captiva Island where I saw sharks for the first time (outside of a zoo). We were walking along the shoreline at dusk when these shark fins appeared about 7 feet away from us. I was like "WOAH! AUGH! LOOK!" and we all freaked out and leaped out of the water. Yes, you read that right. We were only about ankle deep in the water when the sharks were about 7 feet away from us. The beach had a huge drop-off about 7 feet into from the shoreline where sharks and manta rays would feed. It was seriously SO crazy scary!

A Manta Ray and a Diver (not me)

It was my first time ever to see manta rays. We went out on a boat one day and stopped on top of this HUGE school of manta rays. There were hundreds and hundreds of them just under the surface of the water. It was really strange because they were evenly spaced. I thought there were coral reefs or something at first, but upon further examination, I was like "Ohmylanta! Those are manta rays!"

A Tan Me, Stephanie, Kristin, and Casey

I also got a tan which is good because nobody ever believes me that I'm half Mexican.

You Say I Only Hear What I Want To

At the frail age of 24, I am considered to be an "older person" by some. Who knew?!

I had the privilege of playing in New Albany with Jaime Barnes last weekend. The audience was spectacular. The highlight of the show occurred in the middle of the set when I covered "Stay" by Lisa Loeb. I started to introduce the song and assumed that everyone knew both Lisa Loeb and the song. It was THE big hit for the small town of Big Spring, TX, so surely these people would be able to sing every line with me. As soon as most people hear me sing "you say," they join in with "I only hear what I want to."

But there was a problem with this theory. The audience was made up of 90% high school students. They stared blankly at me as I spoke about this big hit. I asked that everyone who had heard of Lisa Loeb raise their hands. Not one hand went up. Not a single one! I was dumbfounded. They all looked at me like I was ancient for assuming that they knew who she was (and still is)!

So, maybe I'm getting old. I AM officially in my mid-twenties.

Plus, maybe I'm old for laughing at this, but Mr. T dancing makes me smile. The eighties make me smile. People born in the eighties make me smile. Take a trip down memory lane (if you even know who Mr. T is!) with this Mr. T video!

1981 was a good year. I raise my glass (of sweet tea) to everyone born in the early eighties and everyone who knows who Lisa Loeb is. "You say...I only hear what I want to."

*********UPDATE***********
Friday, July 15
Maybe I am getting old. I find myself comparing the kids I babysit to different tv/movie characters from back in the day. Just today I called one little girl "Punky Brewster" and compared one little boy to "Veruca Salt!"

Is It Just Me?

Is it just me or does Dr. Nettles look like Bob Dylan?

dylan/nettles

My gorgeous boyfriend took me to see Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson in Nashville a couple of weeks ago. I ended up in the front row. As I gazed up at Dylan, he smiled a huge smile and I thought "wait a second...that looks like Dr. Nettles' smile." I started to look more intently at Dylan's facial features. Lo and behold, he has the same facial structure as Dr. Nettles! Not only that, but he also has has the same eye shape as Nettles! I

started to laugh at myself, but the similarities are undeniable!

So, is it just me, or does Dr. Nettles look like Bob Dylan?

The Boldness of an Anonymous Commenter

Wow-great responses on the modesty post. There is one comment, however, that blows my mind. A student at Southern (an anonymous student, mind you) has boldly (while hiding behind an anonymous name) repremanded me for caring about modesty among Christian women. Here's the comment our anonymous friend made:

All I have to say is this: GET REAL!!!! We do not live in a bubble just
because we are Christians and Seminary students! Do any of you actually
believe
that these guys really want girls to cover up??? Come on. You
people
are a joke.
Being here at SBTS I have come to realize one thing:
The people
who are "of the
world" are much more honest, real, and caring
than anyone I
have met here. It's
up to each person what they wear or
what they don't
wear, I don't really care.
Quit being Pharisees; share
Christ with people
instead of sharing our
Puritanical Baptist ideals.

So, "anonymous," all I have to say is this: YES!! I really do believe that guys at SBTS want girls to cover up! If a man is fighting to stay pure, he should want girls to cover up! Let's get this straight, though. In marriage, his wife can wear whatever she wants. I would even encourage married women to dress immodestly (in the privacy of their home) for her husband. A bride's body should be celebrated by her husband.

It is probably true that in his flesh, any guy would want a girl to prance around wearing next to nothing. However, for those who live in the Spirit, there is conviction. There is an honest desire to please the Living God who is both loving and just. This applies to the things that they look at, think about, act on, etc.

I want to create awareness for females. Believe me-I was once the worst of the immodest girls. I didn't have a clue about how the male mind works. I knew that if I wore certain things, I got attention and it made me feel good about me. That's as far as I understood my immodesty to go. The Lord opened my eyes to understand the reality of disgusting sexual sin and lust that is often caused because females love to show off their bodies with tiny skirts, low-cut shirts, and other revealing styles that are popular in Western culture. I am not saying that in order to dress modestly one must dress in an unattractive manner. Rather, I am strongly suggesting that if one wants to be fashionable, there are flattering styles available that are also modest.

"Anonymous"-GET REAL! Lust is a very real sin. Sexual sin runs wild in our culture. As Christians, why should we be involved in it ourselves, and also tempt others to fall into the same gross sin? Please, take John Ross up on his offer. Have lunch with him.

I appreciate (although the anonymity loses much of my appreciation) your desire to share Christ with people. I also desire to do this. However, if a girl's cleavage is hanging out of her shirt while she points to the Scriptures, she can create a major distraction from the message of the gospel. Does the Lord still use girls who dress immodestly to further his Kingdom? Yes, I believe He does. Doesn't He use sinners to accomplish His purposes every day? Yes, of course He does. However, He does so despite our sinful natures.

Other readers-what do you think about this? I would especially like to hear from other SBTS students. Does modesty really matter? Will a Christian be held accountable for the clothing that she chooses to wear? Do SBTS guys actually want SBTS girls to dress modestly?