Proud to be a prude - there is a fine line between entertainment and immorality

We seem to live in a society where it is more socially acceptable and expected to be nude, rude and crude, rather than a prude. Well, today I am coming out as a prude, owning it and proud to be it.

A friend from Maryborough visited on the weekend and she is a bit of the 'adventurous' sort. She organises things and enjoys getting out and about, so when she suggested her and I go to Dracula's on the Gold Coast I was sceptical but agreed to it. In my naivety however, I was expecting more of a Rocky Horror style Cabaret with vampires scaring me. I am known to be jumpy and get frights easily (I had to stop watching 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' in my late teenage years as it gave me nightmares, lots of them) but decided that since I am now 40, I should really be a little more daring. My idea of Dracula's was that people would jump out and scare me, there would be zombie type songs and a few scares along the way - so I didn't research it, I just assumed (mistake number one) that it was a show as far as shows go. You know, entertaining, funny some talent and all that jazz.

After the tickets were booked I told my ladies Bible study group and they said they had heard it was a bit dodgy and my work colleagues said the same. I was feeling a little nervous but thought that this is a show people rave about (that is all I knew of the show) and if it is for the public, it can't be that bad. I was wrong...

We arrived and were greeted by 'deathly' looking beings who were intentionally rude to create the atmosphere of <insert spooky music here> fear. Since I don't want to be sued for giving away what happened, the room and the ghost train ride were as I expected, a bit on the scary side, like make you jump. The next part blew my expectations to smithereens. Nude, rude, crude - that hardly even describes it. The show began with some singing, dancing and some inappropriate sexual jokes. Already, I felt uncomfortable but I thought that it may just be the start and that it would improve. I was wrong. Again. It went from crude to cruder and I went from prude to pruder. As I ate my meal I tried to close my eyes and ears to the blasphemy that pierced my soul. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I needed to get out of there, but I felt bad as my friend had organised it and I didn't want her to leave on my behalf. It took a while before the official show called 'Nine Pints' began. The show was divided into 9 sections, i.e, 9 pints. I didn't even make it through all of the first 'pint'. A person in headgear in the shape of a sperm danced onto the stage. That was it for this old prude. I just couldn't stay and be attacked by vulgarity so opposed to my faith, so I got up and left, but not before praying for the people in that room. My friend popped out after act 1 finished to see if I was ok. I told her that she should stay if she pleased and not leave because of me, but she left with me and also informed me that after I left, big blow up 'private parts' (I did have the scientific names here, but apparently I am  too much of a prude to even have those words on my blog and removed them...) emerged onto the stage...I am glad I left when I did (though earlier would have been even better...)

While sitting there amidst this 'attack', God's spirit in me grew stronger and louder. I fought it and convinced myself that it would okay and that I would survive the show, but the power grew stronger and my mind was playing some scripture through my mind. First I was thinking of Philippians 4 v 8 and the words '...whatever is pure, whatever is lovely...if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.' Nothing about this was pure or lovely. I was then playing Sunday's church messsage (as we work through the book of Ephesians) over in my mind. Ephesians chapter five, in particular, was looping in my thoughts, like a record stuck, particularly in verse 4 where it says 'Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place,' it basically then goes on to say that these acts will have no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. I do not think it coincidence that the message at church on Sunday would literally convict me and strengthen me when this darkness was looming and trying to envelope me. 'Walk as children of the light' the Spirit was reminding of this passage again and again. I tried to squash it, ignore it and hoped it would go away, but it didn't. Finally I prayed for courage to be obedient to my holy convictions, and immediately, my legs stood up and marched me out of that place.

I may be a prude, but more so I am a follower of Jesus. The price He paid for me is eternal, no amount of money or critical opinions matter. It is hard being a human and being fearful of being judged by others, but I am being transformed. I make mistakes and sin and fall short, but I am being created after the likeness of God, learning to walk in love and holiness learning from the most loving sacrifice of all all, the greatest gift of all. My human nature will let me down, but with His strength and in obedience to Him, I will perservere to walk as a child of the light, filled with the Spirit and living loud for my Lord.

Thank you for reading.
Choose light and be blessed,
Much love,
Jax