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SUNDAY LIFE
ARTS SOCIETY TRAVEL WEDDINGS
SUNDAY CRAVE
SECTION D >> SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2009 >> THE TENNESSEAN
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Camaraderie,
Scripture
inspire ‘Glory
Revealed II’
“Once you take all your clothes off,
you’re judged not by what you wear, but who you are.”
ROCK HAVEN OWNER SUSAN PALMER
Christian artists unite
for Bible-centered album
By Lucas Hendrickson
FOR THE TENNESSEAN
The tools exist now — laptops, Pro Tools,
high-speed Internet — so that talented people
don’t even need to be in the same city, much
less the same studio, to make those ambitious,
multi-artist recording projects.
But Mac Powell was having none of that.
“My idea was to have this great retreat where
we were doing Bible studies together and praying, having meals together, going out fishing and
swimming and writing songs,” says Powell, the
longtime front man for Christian rock band
Third Day and one of
the minds behind the
new album Glory
Revealed II: The Word
of God in Worship,
which was released
last month. “It sounds
like a dream, but it
really happened that
way.”
Powell
The initial Glory
Revealed album, which
IF YOU GO
won a special event
album of the year Dove
What: Glory
Award in 2008, grew
Revealed II with Mac
into a full-fledged side
project for Powell and
Powell, David
author David Nasser,
Nasser, Aaron Shust,
who got the ball rolling Shawn Lewis and
with a 2007 book of the Trevor Morgan
same name. Many of
When: 6 p.m.
the artists involved on
Wednesday
the first record went
Where:
Long Hollow
out on a mini-tour for it
Baptist Church
(the tour behind Glory
Revealed II kicks off in
(3031 Long Hollow
Hendersonville
Pike, HendersonWednesday with Pow- ville)
ell, Natalie Grant,
Tickets: $10, 824Aaron Shust and oth4006, www.itickets.
ers), and Powell knew
com or www.glory
he wanted to spark up
revealed.com
some of that same
camaraderie in making
the second record.
So in June 2008, he gathered songwriters and
musicians such as Hyper Static Union’s Shawn
Lewis, Laura Story, Trevor Morgan, Shane
Barnard, Shane Everett and others at a converted
grain silo-turned-hunting lodge in Pine Mountain,
Ga. for a week of creative communion.
Murfreesboro’s Rock Haven Lodge had 106 participants trying to set the skinny-dipping world record in July.
PHOTOS BY MANDY LUNN / THE TENNESSEAN
‘Scripture’ strictly defined
Initial tracks were created during that week,
with Nasser serving as de facto judge of the lyrical content’s Scriptural accuracy, and then
vocals were added later, allowing a wide variety
of guests to add their talents to the mix.
The final list of vocalists is impressive, with
artists including Amy Grant, Sara Evans, Brandon Heath, Casting Crowns’ Mark Hall, Natalie
Grant, Matt Maher and Jason Crabb.
But Powell and Nasser were insistent on one
thing when the songs were being created: The
lyrics needed to come directly from Scripture,
even to the point of debate and scrapping hours
of work based on whether a passage focused on
singing “to” or “for” God, Nasser says.
“Songwriters usually have the liberty to pull
from an arsenal of words, and it can be loosely
inspired out of Scripture,” he continues. “But we
wanted this record to be from Scripture. It was
interesting to see the artists jumping on board
with that idea. They didn’t see it as a nuisance,
they saw it as a way to worship.”
Powell says his cohorts in Third Day have
been incredibly supportive in his pursuit, which
has freed him up to experiment with more of a
bluegrass and country feel through these
records than the straight-up, Southern rock of
his main gig. Combine that with getting to foster
a creative community like this, even for a short
time, and the gravel-voiced singer just beams.
“It was a special, unique way of recording.
And now, to hear my kids singing some of these
songs, and knowing they’re singing Scripture, it
has literally brought tears to my eyes knowing
that it’s now in their hearts.”
Ms. Cheap is
taking the day off.
Look for Bargain
Bin on Monday.
LIFE EDITOR ARIENNE HOLLAND, 726-5976, AHOLLAND@TENNESSEAN.COM
NO SHIRTS,
NO PANTS,
NO PROBLEM
Rock Haven nudists shed bad body image,
help set world skinny-dipping record
By Jennifer Justus
THE TENNESSEAN
MURFREESBORO — Drive through the
gates at Rock Haven Lodge, and it’s the
nude volleyball players you see first.
Tanned skin — so much skin — in various
shades of beige and brown like the sand
patch where they play. Then there’s the
tennis court. On a recent Saturday, two
men played a match in nothing more than
white sneakers, socks and one black knee
brace.
It’s been a busy summer at Rock Haven
Lodge, Tennessee’s only nudist park sanctioned by the American Association for
Nude Recreation. Last month the resort
helped set a skinny-dipping Guinness
World Record, with more than 13,000 nudists splashing in pools across the country,
and the park has activities planned through
the rest of the year. Nudist recreation —
including nude cruises and “nakations” —
has, after all, grown from a $120 million
industry in the early 1990s to about
$450 million today.
So given its dip toward the mainstream,
what’s the appeal of leaving all body parts
bare? Nudists enjoy pointing out that the
original Olympic athletes competed in the
buff. They often cite the freedom and natural state of it all. And they leave behind
insecurities about body image along with
the trappings of a wardrobe that might
label them as lawyer or lumberjack.
“There are people from all walks of life
here. And that’s the thing,” said Rock
Haven owner Susan Palmer. “Once you
Military veterans Don and Elaine Rawlings have lived at Rock Haven Lodge in
Murfreesboro since 1997.
take all your clothes off, you’re judged not
by what you wear, but who you are.”
‘A lot of eye contact’
Palmer peels off her T-shirt before stepping out of the park’s office and hopping
onto a golf cart for a spin around the property. She’s tall and thin with a short gray
haircut, and she sits comfortably in her
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When Richard Lloyd, a professor in the sociology department at
Vanderbilt University, explains
nudism from an academic perspective, he can’t help but throw in an
anecdote from The Simpsons.
70
Clothing-free, shame-free
When Homer runs from the house
in a rush — forgetting that he’s
wearing no clothes — Lisa calls
after him: “Dad, hide your shame.”
Lisa had a point. Lloyd said that
nudists repudiate the idea of shame
— a concept that for some goes
back to Adam and Eve, original sin,
and their awareness of being naked.
“This is the statement that people
are making — a freedom from bodily shame,” Lloyd said. Going nude is
a way for people to say “I’m OK
with who I am,” he continued.
And group nudity can promote
community and become a social
leveler. When everyone is nude,
status symbols are moot.
“It’s certainly democratizing,”
said Lloyd, who acknowledged
that nudism isn’t for him. “Clothing is a dominant way in which we
construct identity.”
For many, though, no clothes
means sex. But Lloyd says that
when everyone is nude, it de-eroticizes the state of being naked.
Still, everyone’s human, and one
of the guidelines of nudism —
along with taking a towel for sitting
everywhere one goes — is to practice discretion. Any outward signs
of excitement should be covered.
After all, Rock Haven Lodge is a
family park. There is a 13-year-old
resident, and some vacationing or
member parents bring children.
Carolyn Hawkins, public affairs
coordinator for the American
Association for Nude Recreation
in Kissimmee, Fla., said she raised
her son and grandson in nudist
parks with “no reservations at all.”
But raising a child in a nudist
parks raises some eyebrows.
Even if eroticism is removed from
the equation, said Aimee Lyst, a
child psychologist with the Pediatric
Associates of Franklin, her concern
for children exposed to nudism is
their ability to assimilate in more
typical social settings. Boundaries
outside a nudist park are different
from boundaries inside, and children must learn to live within both.
80
The nervousness came when
I contemplated, ironically, what
to wear. At my closet the morning of the skinny-dip, it hit me
that my clothes wouldn’t matter. The only thing between me
and hundreds of strangers
would be a layer of sunscreen
and the slim reporter’s notebook that I suddenly wished
were a legal pad.
By the time I drove past the
nude volleyball players, I was
petrified. At the office I met
owner Susan Palmer. Thank
God she had a shirt on.
“Now, this man is nude,” she
warned as she saw Rock Haven
resident Nick Nixon approach.
We shook hands.
I’ve never looked more
intensely into a man’s eyes.
“Don’t look down,” I kept
thinking. “Do. Not. Look.
Down.”
And then it happened.
Under the warm sun, I felt a
light breeze — but so much
breeze. I was experiencing the
outdoors as I never had before.
I began to understand, to relax.
Susan introduced me to
some of Rock Haven’s members by the pool and in the
clubhouse. I mingled, and marveled once again that no one
seemed to notice I was naked.
When the skinny-dip commenced, a man who looked to
be in his 20s took a running
leap while his fellow nudists
cheered him on. The pool
became one big chlorine soup
of shapes, sizes and shades
hooting and celebrating.
I sat quietly, bobbing in the
shallow end. And stone cold
sober in the light of day, I felt a
tinge of the light-hearted innocence of my first time swimming in the nude. This wasn’t
about sex. It wasn’t about
appearances. It was just about
being free.
Standing at the edge of the
pool, one of the nudist regulars
asked if I’d be back.
“No,” I said. “It’s not for me.”
I meant no disrespect. While
I never felt like Gisele, I did
find a freedom in being who I
am, relaxed and comfortable in
my skin just the way it is.
And though I was ready to
be dressed again, I took my
time on the walk back to the
park’s office — towel thrown
over my shoulder.
² Rock Haven Lodge is a gated family nudist park at 462 Rock Haven
Road in Murfreesboro. The park is open from April 15 through the end
of September for visitors and year-round for members. Rock Haven is a
gated community, and clothing is not optional, which owner Susan
Palmer says protects members and visitors from gawkers. For information, call 896-3553 or go to www.rockhavenlodge.com.
² Etiquette calls for nudists to carry a towel for sitting or lounging and
a second towel for use after swimming.
² Nudist parks must obtain separate permits from the state for campgrounds, pools and hot tubs. Like hotel or public pools, waters are
tested for temperature, chemistry and proper lifesaving equipment.
90
‘Now, this man is nude’
Feel the breeze
own skin. She’s also 63 and has had
a mastectomy.
Not that anyone would judge at
Rock Haven. At nudist parks, gawking is not cool. Unlike swimsuitstrutting scenes in Vegas — or the
local YMCA, for that matter — sizes
don’t get sized up the same way.
“There’s a lot of eye contact,”
Palmer said.
Driving past the tree-shaded
camping area, the clubhouse, pool,
snack bar and cabins, Palmer
waves to other nudists — some
200 are members or visitors, and
there are 22 full-time residents —
while trying to articulate what she
likes about the lifestyle.
“Just the freedom of being in the
sun. Just being in nature,” she says.
“See how nice that breeze feels?”
Palmer wasn’t always comfortable going nude. In 1993, when her
late husband suggested they try
nudism on a trip to Jamaica, she
said, “You want to do what? You’re
out of you’re mind.”
But after stripping down for a
swim under the hot Caribbean sun,
the couple asked hotel staff to
move them from the “prude side”
of the resort to the “nude side.”
By January of the next year, they
were members at Rock Haven.
And in 2005, previous Rock Haven
owners Nancy and George Volak
convinced the Palmers to purchase
the property, since the Volaks
were moving to George’s native
Czech Republic.
Today, Palmer sees plenty of
shaky hands when the paperwork
gets signed at Rock Haven.
Nick Nixon, 48, who now lives
and works on the property fulltime, said that on his first visit he
sat nervously by the pool with his
“nose in a book all day.”
And Volak wrote an account of
her first experience at a nudist
resort for Rock Haven’s Web site.
She took one look at all those naked
bodies and passed out cold. After
coming to, she spent five hours in
the pool — submerged to the neck.
But during her years as Rock
Haven’s owner, she became an outgoing advocate of nudism, speaking
about its merits academically at
Middle Tennessee State University.
95
Casual nakedness has never
been my thing.
I grew up in a modest family. We didn’t breeze through
the house in our underwear.
And by my teen years, I had
collected enough insecurities
to master the locker room
quick-change: Wiggling underneath a turtleneck into gym
clothes without flashing a single patch of skin.
So when my editor mentioned a Guinness World
Record skinny-dipping
attempt at a nudist park, I surprised myself (and everyone
else in the room) when my
hand shot up.
“I’ll do it,” I said. “And I’ll go
nude, too.”
Okay, I had skinny-dipped.
Once. After polishing off a
cooler of Natural Light with
some friends during college. It
was an innocent celebration of
freedom. And it was dark.
But this time would be different. Older and wiser, I
would stroll through Rock
Haven Lodge with the confidence of Gisele Bündchen. I
would attempt to take readers
to another world. After all, my
only battle scar as a lifestyles
journalist had been a bee sting
for a story about honey.
Nixon had arrived to watch
the office during our park tour.
Off went Palmer’s shirt, while I
ducked into the bathroom, taking 10 minutes to disrobe. I
stepped out of the office (but it
felt like the shower), and we
climbed into a golf cart. Sitting
on our towels, of course, Susan
spoke as I frantically scribbled
what might as well have been
Sanskrit. I remember asking
her questions, but then I would
forget to listen as I marveled.
One woman — hardly a Gisele
— stood on the porch with a
striped towel thrown over her
shoulder.
Experienced nudists can
spot a newbie by how they
carry their towel, I learned.
WHAT TO KNOW
97
THE TENNESSEAN
>> NUDISTS FROM 1D
98
By Jennifer Justus
Nudists help set skinny-dipping record
99
Reporter uncovers
story behind nudists
THE TENNESSEAN
100
8D • SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2009
‘You never know about people’
Despite its growth, some nudists
prefer to keep their lifestyle under
wraps. Nudism isn’t for all, as even
the most ardent nudist will tell you.
“When we had jobs in the textile
(clothed) world,” said Palmer, who
worked as an accountant, “we didn’t tell anybody where we went on
the weekends. They’d think you
were a crazy nudist.”
Not until giving her notice before
retiring did she let the comptroller
of the firm in on her secret.
“An opportunity has arisen,” she
told him. “We’re going to buy a
nudist park in Tennessee.”
“You’re nudists?” he said.
“You just never know about
people,” she responded.
While some nudists keep quiet,
others happily debunk myths and
answer naive questions.
Rock Haven resident Don Rawlings, 56, recalled once being asked:
“What do you do in the winter?”
“Go inside,” he said. “We’re nudists. We’re not stupid.”
Rawlings retired from the U.S.
Army as a pharmacist, and his
wife, Elaine, retired as a nurse. But
it wasn’t a strict military background that had them fleeing to a
nudist park. Rather, it was partly
due to time stationed in Europe,
where society’s view of nudity is
less puritanical, Rawlings said.
Indeed, while it’s the norm in
some countries for women to sunbathe topless and for men to wear
Speedos, Lloyd noted that the trend
in the United States has been to add
“more and more trunkover the years.”
Wholly unencumbered by
trunks, Don Rawlings sat with his
wife on a wicker loveseat and
fielded a final question (mostly for
accuracy-in-journalism purposes):
Do he and his wife share the same
last name?
“Oh yes,” he said. “We’re traditional.”
Contact Jennifer Justus at 615-259-8072
or jjustus@tennessean.com.