Nudist Colony Questions

Please understand that I have no desire to come in contact with a nudist, much less become an active member of a nudist colony. Nonetheless, I do have questions about how their culture works.
Are there rules about how much clothing you can wear?

Can you wear sock, shoes, and gloves, but not shirts, or pants, or underwear?

If you wear clothes, are you looked upon as strangely as a nudist would be in like Dallas?

Is there a larger than normal bubble of personal space?
Is it 6ft instead of 3ft?

At what age do you tell your kids about sex?

What is an acceptable nudist colony greeting...a handshake...a HUG?

Do nudists only settle in a very warm climate?

As a woman in a nudist colony...if you enter the colony at a young age...do your boobs hang to your knees by the time you are 40?

How do you handle an embarrassing rash?

Is embarrassment even an issue if you decide to live in a nudist colony?

Do you marry based on physical endowment rather financial endowment?

Are teens scarred for life after going through puberty in a nudist colony?

Is starring inappropriate?

Are they allowed to sleep under blankets?

Are there stalls in the bathrooms?

Are the showers communal?

Do they wash their furniture like we wash our clothes?

Are there rules about what position you can sit in?

Do you have to sit with your legs together, or crossed, or is sitting indian style still acceptable?

Are children scorned for life (like the Amish) if they grow up and start wearing clothes?

Is there some super nudist colony scotch guard for their furniture fabric?

Is lingerie sexy in a nudist colony?

Can you wear a wedding dress when getting married?
If so does it have to be see-through?

Are they like that bapstist....No Dancing Allowed!!!?

How do nudists deal structure social gatherings...especially with teens?
Do they segregate boys and girls?

How does a nudists colony church address the issue of modesty?

Can a nudist wear a poncho or do they have to have a clear unbrella when it rains?


Interesting Fact: If your parents are living in a nudist colony, you must be naked when you go to visit them. This brings a whole new fear to meeting the parents of your girlfriend/boyfriend for the first time.

2nd Gallery Show

Suzanne and I enjoying the night
Vampire lips and candy cigarettes

My painting of Olive Oyl
My painting of Popeye
Sarah, Kathryn, Lindsey, Suzanne, and Me at the Soda Gallery with our sodas

Kenna and I

Shaina and I.

My paintings are now located at the Soda Gallery in the Bishop Arts district in Dallas. We had a great time last night enjoying some of the 250 varietys of soda and old school candy.

Paintings and Conviction

So last night I had the opening for my second gallery show this year! Praise the Lord, he is good. I will post some pictures from that as soon as I can get my computer to behave. It's so amazing to be able to show my artwork. And also completely a work of God that it happened. He has given me a vision to show my artwork in galleries. Also, to draw people to the Lord and to questioning their hearts about God's love through my artwork. 

I don't know how much you know about the art world, but this calling is not an easy one. In the world of art all things are embraced, even the most bizarre, except for Christianity in any shape or form. Muslim views are fine, as are Catholic, and devil worshippers. But not us crazy Christ followers, we just might bring down the entire world down with that stuff.  (did you catch the sarcasm in that last statement?)  Because of all this, getting people to question their hearts to see if the love of Christ could be possible in their own hearts, is very difficult to do and still be taken seriously as an artist. 

The Lord has very clearly laid out for me how to do this. Very Clearly! But in all honestly I am afraid to do it. Afraid that to do it would mean the undoing of all my hard work to get where I am. But in truth that is all blasphemy. I have done nothing to get where I am. In all honestly, I hesitate to start every painting I do, because I am afraid it's going to be terrible, because I still don't really know how all my other ones have turned out so good. My talent is all God's, I can truly take no credit for it. My fear only shows my lack of faith in my Lord. 

Last night at church, Matt Chandler was talking about the body using their spiritual gifts to build up the body. He was naming off lots of people in my church that are doing just that in a beautiful way, some of whom I know. He even named off a girl that is an artist at UNT that is using her art to further the Kingdom. This stirred in my a discontentment at my own failure to engage others with my gifts, despite the fact that I know very clearly how to go about it.  I feel very strongly that this is God's mercy upon me. He desires that I live life to the fullest (john 10:10) and in that place I will be most satisfied. It is for my good that he has made me discontent. In order to move me to honor him with the gifts he has given me. 

Spurgeon

Tonight I have been thinking about how easily my affections for the Lord are twisted to love the shadow instead of the form. I am so frustrated with myself over this. I hate that I am so easily swayed by my emotions. I want to be chasing after the Lord ravenously every moment of every day. But so many times I find that this is not the case. I am ashamed to say that there are days that when I climb into bed and peer over at the bible by my bed; and I realize that I have not even had a passing thought on the Lord. 

There are days when I feel melancholy, like I do often, and I feel that the Lord is far away. Because of this I pull away, instead of chasing the one thing that will satisfy me and bring hope and joy back into my heart. 

Counseling in doing wonders on this front...but still I struggle sometimes. 

Well, to come to the point of this blog. I wanted to share something with you that has greatly impacted and challenged me lately. I hope it does the same from you.

This is from a sermon preached by C.H. Spurgeon at the age of 20. Amazing

"It has been said by someone that,"the proper study of mankind is man." I will not oppose the idea, but I believe that it is equally true that the proper study of God's elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child is God, the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his father.

 

There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in it's immensity; so deep, that our pride is drown in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the though, "Behold, I am wise." But when it comes to this master, finding that our plumbline cannot sound its depth, that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass's colt; and with solemn exclamation, "I am but of yesterday, and know nothing." No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God.....

 

But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe.........The most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and Him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, ernest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity. 

 

And, whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatory. Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial. as a devout musing upon the subject of the godhead. it is to that subject that I invite you this morning."

                                                                                                                        C.H. Spurgeon

                              

Book Addiction

So my sister Suzanne is a book addict. No kidding. I live with her and hang out with her alot outside of home....and I still can't figure out where she get's all of these new books. She reads really fast, too. I guess that's why she can feed her addiction with such gusto.

So, to demonstrate my point, let me tell you a little story.
Tonight I came home to find a new book on the coffee table. Not really surprising. I find them all the time. Really I hardly registered it....until. Suzanne mentions the lady that lived in our house before the couple we rent from bought it. More like refers to the fact that she has since passed on. She then proceeds to tell me that we got a package in the mail that was addressed to the woman who has died. So to be helpful (?), she opens the package. Much to her delight, she finds a book in it accompanied by a letter explaining that the book is a free thank-you gift to the woman. Suzanne then decides that the woman is dead, and won't be needing it. So she gleefully cracks open the cover and begins to read.

I must say that you have stooped to a new low when you are stealing books from dead people.

I haven't had that good of a laugh in a long time!