Father Daughter Purity Ball at the Broadmoor

I got a chance to be involved in "the" Father Daughter Purity Ball here in Colorado Springs last Friday. It was fun to help out there, and I was glad I got the chance to see it happen. I was also impressed with the way that the event took place. Overall, this counter-cultural movement is impressive, and I admire Randy Wilson and his family for their motivation to spread a message of purity to families around the world.

While, at the ball, I was glad to see the number of fathers who seemed to have the hearts and the devotion of their daughters. I don't know if this was a result of the purity movement that the Wilsons have started here; I would guess that it's more because of the Biblically-inspired convictions held by most of the families. However, it was encouraging to me, as a male, to see that there are still young ladies out there who care about devoting themselves to one man. I thought that my sisters were the last two left! :P

I don't think that the ball itself will change the hearts of any of those who attended (who knows, though, I could be wrong, I have been once or twice before), because those who paid the price to get into the Broadmoor probably were already serious about this issue. I do think, however, that this is sending a message to the world that real people are making a commitment that seems impossible in our culture. I pray that the Wilsons will be able to stand up to the ever-increasing amounts of media attention which they seem to receive constantly. It must be hard to be in the spotlight that much. Despite that, I know that God has given them gracious speech and has been working through them, and I'm sure He'll continue to do so.

I believe that purity is an important issue in our world today. The media seems to think that purity only has to do with abstinence from sex (Google 'Father Daughter Purity Ball' and you'll find many articles which show this). However, that is only a small part of what is meant by the word which occupies an important place in the title of this yearly event. Purity is a state of mind. It involves committing yourself to one person for all of your life, even when you don't know who that person is. It consists of refraining from playing with relationships. I could write a book's worth of information about this, but others have already done it, and I'm getting sleepy. I really don't feel like writing a book tonight.

My point is that the Father Daughter Purity Ball is significant in that it encourages young women to stay pure, not only physically, but also spiritually and emotionally. This is an important idea, and it really is coming across well.

Now for the few bad things that I noticed. I'm almost afraid to write this part, on the off-chance that someone may actually read it someday. However, this blog is the place where I put my thoughts so I can keep them organized **edit: now that I look at this entry, I'm inclined to say that this entry is far from being organized :-)**. Sort of like a journal in cyberspace that anyone can stumble upon, but nobody will.

Once again, it's time for the bad things I saw about the ball. First of all, I think that some of the daughters there just didn't understand. I know that I can't make that judgment, but I got a fair amount of information to make this assessment. One of the Mothers was talking about how her daughter was disappointed that her friends couldn't make it there that night. I also saw a few girls (maybe only one or two, I didn't count) who seemed to spend more times with friends than with their Dads.

The only other complaint I have about the ball is that some of the clothing worn by the daughters seemed to be a little bit on the immodest side. Part of the ball's focus should be for Fathers to make it apparent to their daughters that there is no need for strapless, backless, short, or tight dresses. What matters the most is what's inside of the girl, and she shouldn't feel like she is only beautiful if she wears such attire.

Maybe I'm overreacting (my sisters tease me and tell me that in my world all women would wear burkas), but I felt that for an event that gets international attention more caution could have been taken, especially considering the theme of the ball. I know that the Wilsons were not responsible for the clothing of all of the guests, so I can't really blame this on the ball itself, but on the individuals who made questionable choices in how they dressed.

Those criticisms may seem a lot more harsh than I mean them to. Please don't think that I am implying that this ball is not important, or that it is a "bad" thing. I am simply pointing out that there were a few minor things which I thought hindered the message of the purity movement.

All in all, the ball was a huge success (as I'm sure it has been since it started). The facility was fantastic, and I know that all of the daughters were aware of their Father's love for them, because the Fathers went out of their way to make it obvious. This movement's message is important in today's culture, and is spreading quickly.

I keep reading articles about the ball, and wondering if the reporters went to the same event that I did. Don't expect objectivity from the mainstream media. Don't be too quick to judge the sincerity of the ministry, either, even if it has its flaws (and you can see that even those that I pointed out are not serious).

God is working in the lives of families and individuals to bring them to Him. I was encouraged to see Him working in the lives of others, and, as is probably apparent by now, He has been working in my life, too.