No "Grind-Fest" At Our Prom

This blog entry actually started over a month ago when two of our Grace Prep students decided to hit a local public school prom. They were dressed in their best and had beautiful dates. They couldn't wait!
They lasted twenty minutes.
In their words, "What was happening in there is not something I can reconcile with the Bible I read." I didn't probe. I just applauded them for their discernment and the courage to leave. (But I did hear that they used the word "grind-fest" with some of their friends.) An adult chaperone told me that there were many girls there who were lifting their skirts so that their thongs showed during the "grind-fest." (Yes, I also wondered why the chaperone didn't stop it, but was processing it all in shock so I didn't get to ask.) Somehow I'm pretty sure that this event didn't pass the test God gives us to think on things that are "pure, lovely, true..."
I'm not actually trying to nail the public school prom. I'm hoping to remind you that there are alternatives.
Next stop, Grace Prep Prom. Bob and I dressed up including some sweet sunglasses. We weren't actually the chaperone's at the Grace Prep prom, but the student body loves my husband's leadership so much that they moved the prom to work with my travel schedule so we could be there. My son, Robby (who just nailed the SAT) took his friend Lauren Dimicco who is beautiful inside and out. We decided to just make an "appearance" so Robby could have the night to be without us since we're always around, but I think we were officially one of the last to leave.
Several of the public school students who were at both our event and the other one I just mentioned said, "Wow, this is so much more fun than..." Funny, isn't it. That in the innocent, non-sexed atmosphere they were having "more fun." One of the hardest kids from that particular school came. His name was familiar and I found myself thinking, "So this is the bad boy I've heard about! He actually seems kind of sweet." When the students were inviting Bob to jump in on the fun, he stood in shock. All he could manage to say was, "Did you just call your principal "Bob?" "That's his name," answered another one. The boys jaw just sagged to the floor. I think by the end of the night we'd won him over, but I'm not sure he'd ever seen an authority figure be someone loving and approachable.
Did I mention that last year at our prom, one of the girls in attendance prayed to surrender her life to Christ for the first time?
There are always alternatives to entertainment that presses against our quest for holiness. Have the guts to say "no" to anything that's not pure, lovely and true. And please don't fail to say "yes" to a little bit of fun to replace it.
Here's the questions that I think we all need to ask. When was the last time you "left" some form of entertainment in mid-stream because you knew it didn't make the cut?