First, about firsts. Not like baby’s first haircut, that type of thing, but the way all of the sudden life is pitching more and more opportunities that I am not prepared for. Like a press conference. Whatever possessed me to offer the first question at my first one?
Me: “… what advice would you give young people who want to honor God by their personal appearance?”
Measurable silence.
John Cooper of Skillet, quietly, looking around while opening his bottle of water: “I’ve never been asked that before.”
Me, looking for a rock to hide under: “I’ve never been to a press conference before”.
Everybody laughs.
Buy their record,
John, his wife Korey, and drummer Lori. Both ladies played the show in their very modest outfits pictured here.
Ultimately, the answer to the question centered around modesty (imagine that!), and led into a follow-up question by the moderator about Christian t-shirts. John mentioned two in particular which I agree are inappropriate.
Have you seen the ones advertising Free Hugs? Speaker Justin Lookadoo
Rub your body here
on the front and
because I’m lonely and desperate
on the back.
There was also a t-shirt sold at the festival that said I (heart) hard core christian guys. Oh yeah? How many?
What, may I ask, is the tackiest “Christian” t-shirt you’ve seen?
Back to the theme of being unprepared or unskilled to do all the things I would like to do, I consider the simple act of asking a question at a press conference more of a success than a failure. I tried. But most of my challenges these days are in the technical arena.
Can anyone tell me how to edit the CD of the interviews and post it to the blog? I’d be willing to send you my itunes card with 15 or 20 songs from Creation artists.
I don’t think that is a stupid question at all! Just because it wasn’t a ‘fluffy’ question and made him think. I think that it is totally relavent due to the band’s influance on Christan young people, and the decay of modest apparel considered ‘cool’. Anyway, I think you did a great job and we are proud that you’re ‘ours’! 🙂
What you need to do, Rebecca, is use Windows Media Player or some other “ripping” application to get the CD onto your computer. If you choose an MP3 format, and select a really small number for the MHz, you should be able to get a small enough file that you could put online.
Once you’ve got it there, there’s some players out there that you can attach to your page. Some friends of mine have done this for sermons on sites for churches– I’m sure they could help.
I think that is great! You gave them the opportunity to really address something that obviously they are not used to addressing and to make them think on things of a little more importance than “what’s your favorite song?”
It is good for the teens to hear people they admire and other than their parents saying that they need to be modest!
I think you did a great job, no embarrasement here!
Aah. Yah win some, lose some and feel horrible about the rest. We all have our moments.
I “happened” to have a few “heated remarks” with one of the veteran editors at my first writer’s conference. She thought I was horribly naive when I expressed that God is sovereign and the ultimate copyright administerer. Why should we fear? If he allows our stuff to be plagarized, there IS a reason. Like Job, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away… Blessed be the Lord. Sometimes we won’t know the reason.
I struggled with it for a long time because I was the new kid. But what really rattled me is that it was a Christian conference and a Christian editor! I may be naive, but I trust God BECAUSE I know I can be naive and he will walk with me. Can’t beat it.
We need to ask the hard questions even if nobody wants to answer or is at a loss for words.
Good for you! You’re not alone. 🙂
I thought it was a great and very appropriate question. You are a fashion blogger (hence the question about personal appearance) and you and they are Christians at a Christian event (hence the honor God) and it was a family event and they look young enough that they probably have a youth following (hence the young people part).
I think it was the perfect question! They just didn’t realize they would be asked questions by a fashion blogger or they would have been more prepared. You might have made it easier for them by easing into the fashion question, though. Did you ask him about his faux hawk?
oops, there was supposed to be a “just kidding” after that last comment!
Tackiest T-Shirts, a tie between:
“Modest is Hottest” across the bosom of a baby-doll t
“Jesus is my OG” spotted at church this past Sunday.
Yeah, I know what OG stands for.. 😉
~Anna
Thanks for all the encouragement, all of you! 🙂 I’m really okay about the whole thing now; my daughter who was with me (who took the picture here) said I never embarrassed her!
Janel~ I am so thankful. At least everybody in this situation was nice!
Beth ~ I think you nailed it. It wasn’t a bad question, I just needed to set it up better. It came off rather abrupt. And no, I didn’t mention his hair. 😉 I had hoped to be able to ask the lead Hawk Nelson guy about “-hawks”, but we didn’t get to see him. (It’s always a challenge for them to set up press conferences with the artists who perform the first day.)
Anna ~ I had to look it up. 😉 And I agree with you. I’ve always had a distaste for the phrase “modest is hottest”. The word “hot”, in my mind, equals “provocative” in a sexual way. Why would it be desirable to equate that with modesty?
MIn ~ I will try working on that this afternoon. And I’ll email you later about the itunes card. 🙂
No need, Rebecca– call it just helping out a friend. 🙂
There was also a t-shirt sold at the festival that said I (heart) hard core christian guys. Oh yeah? How many?
—————
heh heh. I never would have thought of that! But that’s what it means all right.
Wherever did you get the idea that you flubbed your first question? It was spot on. And I admire how you can think on your feet with a quick icebreaker comeback, so they didn’t feel dumb.
Thanks Vildy. My real error was just in not properly introducing myself first.
Looking back, it was a really fun time. But it’s great to be home!
i think putting a Christian message on a shirt cheapens the sentiment. it’s like putting a statement of your beliefs on the same level as “i really like this band ——“
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