Crystal Renaud is a nose-pierced, tattooed and at times pink-haired girl who loves God, the Church and helping the broken find restoration. She is on staff at Westside Family Church in Kansas City. She is also the author of the book, Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts (check it out!) and you can find her on her blog, PinkHairedGirl.net and on twitter @pinkharedgirl.

1. Tell us something God's been talking to you about lately.

In my LifeGroup, I am reading "The Search for Significance" by Robert McGee. I have a love/hate relationship with this book so far because of the questions it is forcing me to ask myself. But God's definitely showing me how much I rely on and value the opinion of others, rather than His own opinion of me. It is a hard lesson.

2. Please tell me you're not a Chiefs fan - are you?

Haha, I honestly say I am not a Chiefs fan. I mean, how could I be? I do find that I try and cheer them on if they are playing, but I don't have high expectations of their winning. But with a new coach coming on next season, anything's possible.

3. Regardless, catch us up to speed on this whole women-being-sexual-addicts-thing. These type of struggles are so synonymous with men in our culture and the Church.

Well, the women being sexual addicts thing is a big deal. A big deal that unfortunately not many are talking about. While seen primarily as a problem for men, statistics are showing that every 1 and 3 women have a porn addiction. And that's just the women willing to admit it. Many count women out for being sexual addicts because they aren't known for being visually stimulated. But what women have that puts them into a whole different field are their emotions and they will feed an emotional need with any means necessary.

Meet Adele Sakler! Her and I set this interview up to intentionally force a conversation - not a debate - about Christianity and Homosexuality. Her and I's hope is to help those of us conservative minded Christians to at least hear from the 'other' side.

Adele currently resides in Richmond, Virginia and blogs as the Existential Punk and is the creator and site administrator of Queermergent and you can also find her on Twitter as well. She is currently going through long-term treatment for Chronic Lyme Disease, other tick-borne diseases, and heavy metal toxicity.

Adele has been a Christ-follower for 20 years and an “out” queer woman for two and-a-half years. Her involvement with the emerging church and Emergent Village has filled the better part of 10 years. You can listen to a recent interview with Adele on Irreligiosophy and read a recent article she published on The Ooze.

1. Tell us a little about yourself, your partner and what you're up to right now in life.

I have been a Christ-follower for the past 20 years and involved in the emerging church conversation for a better part of the last 10 years or so. I attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I was born and raised, getting my BA in Communications/PR & Advertising. I attended Regent University to pursue an M.Div, but disliked the program due to its overly intellectual focus. I struggled with deep depression and attempted suicide at one point because I was told I would go to hell if I pursued being gay. I then entered the Communication School at Regent and received my MA in Film. In 1997 I moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. In 2002 I moved to Richmond, VA to live with a friend for 5 months to save money before moving to N. Ireland for 2 years to work with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). I returned to Richmond in 2004 really ill and was diagnosed in March 2005 with Chronic Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases that I had since I was around 7 years old. In September 2006 I finally came to peace with myself in relation to my sexuality and at peace with G-D. I came out and have been the happiest, most joyful ever in my life.

I met my partner that following December and we just celebrated 2 years in December. This past October we were married in California before Prop 8 passed. My partner is a wonderful friend and care-giver. She teaches scuba diving, First Aid with the American Red Cross and aquatics classes at a local gym. We have a small travel business that she mostly runs.

I am currently going through long-term intensive treatment for my Lyme Disease, other tick-borne diseases and heavy metal toxicity. I am unable to work due to the nature of my illness as it affects my energy, joints, muscles and cognitive such as short-term memory loss, word-finding problems, brain fog, etc.

To keep sane I blog, Facebook and Twitter. I am hoping to write my memoir and have some upcoming possibilities of being involved with some other writing possibilities for books.

2. Summarize for us your journey in life up to this point.

I grew up Presbyterian as my mom was an elder in our church. My dad was a non-practicing Jew who only attended our church at Christmas and Easter. My Jewish grandparents paid for me to attend Catholic private schools starting in fifth grade. My father was emotionally and physically abusive and so I saw G-D as a mean old man sitting up in heaven waiting to punish me for every wrong move I made. During my junior year in high school mu father became deathly ill with an incurable cancer. From diagnosis to death, which occurred three weeks before my 17^th birthday, was five months. Nearly three months to the day after he died, his parents and grandmother, the Jewish side, were killed in a fire in their home caused by faulty wiring and a faulty alarm system wherein the house was struck by lighting. I complete lost my faith in G-D for over a year until a desire started coming back towards the second half of my senior year. My Catholic high school showed me great love and support and I believe this was the catalyst that drew me towards the Divine once again.

Twenty years ago this month I had a ‘born-again’ experience at a charismatic church where an American missionary to S. Africa was speaking. Hell was one of the topics being preached, so at the end of the evening I went forward for the altar call to ‘receive’ Jesus into my heart. I did this because I was afraid of going to hell. Thus, I was purchasing my ‘fire insurance’. I attended Pat Robertson’s graduate school in Virginia Beach, Regent University, to obtain an M.Div so I could be a youth pastor. I began to seriously look at my life-long struggle of same-sex attractions. The school and my therapist along with my charismatic church back home always communicated that being gay was a sin, a choice, and those who actively pursue it will go to hell. I was shell-shocked and confused. I attempted suicide and spent a month at two different times in a psychiatric hospital. I even did reparative therapy and attended ex-gay ministries to 'pray away the gay', which never worked.

In 1997 I moved to Los Angeles and began living a double life as a Christian and as a gay woman. I began to read Brian McLaren and found him writing things I had felt inside but was very afraid to express outwardly to anyone. In 2002 I went to Northern Ireland to do a DTS (Discipleship Training School) with YWAM. I met the great Peter Rollins and we developed a great friendship. His teachings and writings on postmodernism and Christianity radically shaped how I viewed my faith. I could no longer hang onto certainty with regards to interpreting scripture. There were more important things in kingdom living than where we go after we pass from this world to the next, like poverty, AIDS, the environment, etc. About 2.5 years ago I FINALLY came to terms with my sexuality. I found peace with myself and with God. Coming out was fairly painless with the exception of a few people who still think I am in sin and going to hell. I no longer hold this view and I am ok if people think that about me. I hate labels as they are so limiting, but are sometimes a necessary evil. After being a right wing Republican most of my voting life, I now consider myself an independent that leans more liberal than moderate.

3. My hope here Adele is that the one side, the more conservative Christian side, can hear from the other side, the more liberal. I think a lot of Christ followers have a hard time understanding how you can say you're a lesbian and actively living that lifestyle and at the same time say you are a follower of Jesus. Explain that.

I do not see being queer anymore a lifestyle than straight people see themselves living a lifestyle. I do not see being queer as a sin and the way I understand and interpret the scriptures used to speak against homosexuality is different. I lived many years thinking and believing the way conservatives view scripture and gay people. Yet, through my journey I have come to the conclusion that those scriptures are taken out of their cultural and historical contexts. I see the Bible as a story of G-D's relationship with people and not a 'how to' manual meant to be used for all time. I cannot help that I am a queer woman and I would have never chosen this way of life due to all the hatred towards us. I could ask all the people who call themselves Christ-followers how they can be Christians when they act so diametrically opposed to Christ with their unloving and hateful actions and attitudes to those they disagree with on whatever issue it mat be. Yet, there is a G-D who love us all unconditionally and extends grace and mercy to us all. I get it more wrong than I do right but I love G-D and Jesus and do my best to follow G-D and Jesus. Could I be wrong? Sure, but I am living my life as best as I can and at the end of the day, it is between me and my maker and nobody else. What gets me though, is how certain many conservatives think they are in their beliefs and interpretations of Scriptures. In my opnion, none of us has a monopoly on what G-D's full intent for our lives is as we only use 10% of our brain capacity. G-D is knowable yet is a mystery too.

4. Many Conservatives believe that you are not born gay, but rather that you are choosing to live a lifestyle that is both unnatural and immoral - what is your response to that kind of thinking?

Heterosexuals do not choose to be heterosexual anymore than gays choose to be gay. I do believe a genetic component is a part of it. Why would I choose to be gay when there is so much hate directed to my community? I look at my being queer as a gift and am happy even though it is a tough road to walk because of all the insensitivities expressed towards us queer people. I think they are uninformed and ought to get to know some gay folks for who they are rather than just pass on simple judgments.

5. My side of the fence, if you will, is constantly being asked to be more open minded, but that is a two way road. I believe you and I can believe fundamentally different things about God but still be in relationship with one another, still be friends. But what do we do to bridge the gap between my beliefs, which sees homosexuality as a sin and yours? How do we both find a middle ground?

I agree we can believe different things and still be friends. I have several conservative friends who have issues with this topic. I respect their beliefs but where the rubber hits the road is that they love me unconditionally and do not hurl insults at me. We agree to disagree. Not everyone has to come to my way of believing and interpreting scriptures. I just ask us all, conservative and liberal, to hold our beliefs loosely and to show respect and love. Just a word of note: Those in the LGBTQ community have often been deeply wounded by hurtful hateful and hypocritical conservatives so we are raw and reactive at times due to this. I think conservatives need to recognize this.

I also think we need to begin looking at the planks in our own eyes rather than looking at the specks in the eyes of others. We need to find common ground and have dialogue from those point of interest. To tell someone they are not a Christian because of X, Y or Z is very unhelpful and extremely arrogant. G-D is the only judge of that issue!

Circular arguments of repeating mantras on either side must stop and true listening must take place. That is where getting to know both sides - real human beings - is very important in my opinion. Tearing each other down gets us nowhere and I think brings Jesus to tears.

6. Another big point of contention, most recently emphasized in Prop 8, is the legalizing and redefining of marriage. Explain your stance on gay marriage and specifically why you think domestic partnership and marriage are not equal.

I am all for gay marriage. Conservatives say we are trying to redefine traditional marriage. Traditional marriage as we know it today was redefined from a long time ago. In Biblical times marriage was where a man owned the woman as property and there was not much love in those relationships. Gay marriage does not threaten marriage but rather strengthens it. We get yelled at by conservatives that we are living together out of wedlock but when we want to marry, we are told we are a threat. How illogical this argument is to me! My wife and I have the same ups and downs, struggles and enjoyments of any married couple. We pay taxes and should have all the same federal benefits as straight married couples. We were married in California in a civil ceremony. To me it is fear and ignorance to say we threaten marriage. Gay marriage has been around for many years in other countries and those countries have not broken down and fallen off the face of the earth. We live in a country where it is NOT a theocracy and where there is separation of church and state. We are all created equal under our nations Constitution and religious entities cannot impose their beliefs on society at large. Domestic partnerships are not offered in every state and where they are offered, differ on the rights afforded people. We must pay attorney's fees in order to get medical directives and power of attorneys and we still do not have the over 1100 Federal rights afforded Heterosexual married couples. States do not have to recognize marriage or domestic partnerships from other states under the federal DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act).

Here is a very true but sad story for you to consider: A lesbian couple from Washington State, who have children, had all their ducks in a row with regards to power of attorney, medical directives, etc. They went on a Rosie O'Donnell family cruise leaving out of Florida. While on the cruise, the one had a stroke and was flown to a hospital in Florida. The partner had her paperwork faxed to the hospital but the hospital would not allow her or their children in to see their family member. The woman ended up dying. If there were federal protections for gays, we would not be having to hear about this very sad story.

A big thank you to Adele for taking the time to answer my questions and for the courage to do this. Please respect Adele, me and yourself and do not leave ignorant, empty or hateful comments. We all need to move from debating to conversing and modeling the Christ we follow - the same Christ who was only ever abrasive and spiteful to the know-it-all folk of His time. No anonymous comments will be accepted on this post - if you don't have anything nice to say, just keep it to yourself.

Life has a certain complexity about it - does it not? A complexity built out of relationships, pains, victories, tension, beauty, aspirations and dreams. A complexity that is so beautiful - because even the pain and tension gives more than it takes. This has been a constant theme in my life over the past few years and a real growing experience in learning to appreciate the bumps and lows of life.

I'm thankful that I can trust my life in the hands of the Potter - and brings me to an old post back when I started this whole blog thing.
______________________

Over that past few weeks I've had the opportunity to connect with friends from college, some of my local homies and my mentors - here are three consistent things I've learned, discussed and seen.
First...
God uses some pretty unique threads, even crazy threads, to weave our life together with. Our lives aren't today what we thought they would be 5 years ago - and they won't be what we imagine them being in 5 more years. But it is God's faithfulness to us, his love that pulls it all together. If you're like me, sometimes from this limited human perspective the weaving looks kinda crappy - but it's these unique threads that when looking back on our life will mean the most. So we can rejoice with Paul in our weakness, celebrate the failures and enjoy the dry, boring season of life because it is God's story.
Second...
It's the struggles that define us. Without the struggle, whatever it is, life would only hold a limited significance. No matter where we are, with or without a job, with or without funds, with our without a purpose - it is our current struggle that calls us to be better and hold closer to God. Today’s struggle, whether small or impossible, only leads to tomorrows struggle, because to struggle is to live.
Third...
Being a friend is messy. A real friend, a true n' blue friend is there no matter what. If I expect to be a friend, I have to be ready for the messy reality of what a deep friendship entails. It means I have to be ready to see them for all that they are and love them. It means I have to be ready to challenge them with tough love, which is a hard thing to do. And I have to be ready to receive tough love, which is an even harder thing to do. It is too easy to write someone off, to give up on them - but a true friend is ready to get down in the mud, be authentic and live the struggle together.

So there is an epic debate across our land that divisively splits between the White Castle Haters and Lovers.

I have several friends, who I love and respect very much, who persist to not only consume this vile, greasy, grossness - but maintain that it is heavenly! Now I know what you are thinking, 'They must be white trash!' But they're not, in fact, one of them isn't even white. They are decent men, hard workers and one of them is even a pastor - I know!

Outside of these specific few friends, everyone I've ever met who loves White Castle is a pot head - and under the influence of drugs, maybe then I would consider allowing these slimy burgers into my body - but I don't smoke pot, I don't do drugs and I feel embarrassed for my friends.

Many-a-time these dear friends have been at my house and said, 'Hey, let's get some WC,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, lets pack our arteries full of grease, then poop our pants and spend the night in the ER!' That sounds like fun - I mean seriously - the only reason I could see going to a WC is to intentionally associate with the lowly of this world, because that's what Jesus would do.

The photo below is courtesy of the She's So Ghetto blog and takes the debate to a whole other level. Yeah! They are getting married at a White Castle - wow!


Anyway, I do pray for my friends and hope to be a positive influence in their lives and help deliver them to higher standards in fast food providers. Please join me in praying for them.

I can't imagine that there is any one reading my blog that would seek to defend WC, but that's what I thought about cowboy boots too?

Open mindedness is spoken of a lot in our culture. I have many friends who speak of their ability to be open minded like the ancient Greeks used to boast of the highest virtues. In fact, I consider my self to be pretty open minded, at least on some level, but as of late I'm struggling with what people really mean by it.

I believe most people would define open mindedness as the ability to be open to new thoughts, beliefs, people and experiences without prejudice. The idea of being inclusive and not exclusive - speaking of truth from a personal perspective, not a universal or absolute one. But can truth be personal? Can truth be subjective?

I get that our culture doesn't want to talk about who's right and who's wrong and instead focus on working together. I get that - but that can not mean that everyone is right. Can it?

Yet, regardless of how subjective you believe truth is, death is absolute - you will die. And upon your death absolute truth will be known - either it will be absolutely true that nothing happens, or absolutely true there is a heaven and a hell, or you'll be reincarnated or whatever - but it will be true. It will be reality - and not how we sought to define it or believed it should be, it will just be.

So there is a right and a wrong. I mean, we all believe what we do not because we think it doesn't matter but because it absolutely matters and we think we're right. We all grapple with our own existence and the existence of God because we want to know what is right - what it should look like, what we should do with it. We are all seeking reality, not our own form - we are seeking the truest reality we can find. But what we often find is our own form of reality, which is where I submit to the subjectivity of it all - but it does not rule out absolute truth.

Taking it a step further, if we assumed truth is at it's core subjective to the individual, then we could not punish crime. Evil would be only in the subjective eye of the beholder. Is rape ever right? The same person who argues that truth is subjective, also makes a stand for the wrong done them in life and the right they want to see. How is that possible if truth is really subjective? Being open minded can not mean that everyone is right.

But an acceptance of absolute truth, though subjectively and often wrongly interpreted into everyday life, make sense of this whole thing. We all seek the better because truth does exist, because there is a right and there is a wrong. That truth is Love. No one argues with Love - when you see it and when you experience it you know it is Right. Truth exists - we all just need to chase it, pursue it, live it, be it and seek its purest form. Because the believer in God can just as easily justify their actions 'rightness' as the non believer can. Maybe we're all just afraid to be wrong? But the Truth and Love I believe in transcends all my finite understandings and exist independent of them. I'm just trying to live within reality where love and truth best co-exist.

When I think of stories from the bible and their lessons, their value comes not just in that they happened, but that they happen. If the story of Moses, the burning bush, the 7 Plagues, the freeing of millions of Hebrew slaves from Pharaoh, ect, is currently happening, it is seen in God's constant pursuit of His creation and desire to free us from that which enslaves us.

It is interesting to see the 7 Plagues through the lens of the Egyptians of that time. Each plague showed the dominance of I AM, the God of a Hebrew named Moses over the gods the Egyptians worshiped. And though I never want to be accused of 'over-spiritualizing' it is not hard to imagine current day plagues coming in the form of an economic down turn, a credit crisis, global uncertainty, the rising unemployment of not just 'others', but much closer to home with our friends and our families. It is not a far stretch to see God's hand moving to realign His creations perspective and dependency from themselves to the only thing that is truly constant.

In a number of recent conversations, many people are feeling the inconvenience of all our modern day conveniences. And for those who subscribe to the teachings of Jesus, our constant struggle with faith and life has been so diluted in the conveniences of our consumerist culture. If we are honest, we know little about true dependency on God, because we have rarely had to depend on Him for anything. A problem we have not yet fully come to realize.

But as our world continues to seemingly fall apart, at least for a moment we are gaining new clarity. A clarity we had previously only scratched the surface of, but never really wanted to come to grips with, or needed to for that matter. And consumerism has not just replaced our need for dependence on God, it also offers services to handle our identity, security and stated value in this world. It tells us that we can be who ever we want, pursue a life of comfort, consume more than is needed, live beyond our means to somehow achieve the 'dream.'

May we all take heed of the moment and reevaluate our priorities, dependencies and securities. If we are learning one thing, the economy, our leaders, the dollar, banks, CEO's, pensions and the so called American Dream are fleeting and lack the substance to offer us little more than self-centered quick-fixes. May we all seek something bigger than ourselves, something with an eternal perspective that gives us mission for this lifetime and lives on when we die. I'm convinced that at the end of my life my regrets will hinge on my selfish pursuits and not what I did and sacrificed for others.

This is a cool promo video from my buddy Mike and the work he's been doing for the Teen Challenge Global Internship program over the past year (more info here, apply here). This video reminds me of some of the truly life-altering experiences I've had on missions trips. There is something about being out of your element, depending on God and thinking of others more than your self - which sounds a lot like the way Jesus explained God's mission for us in this lifetime. Anyway, thought is was worth sharing...

Back from my 2 week staycation and not really excited to be at work. Long breaks from work lead me to believe that I could get used to not working - but I shall endure.

Anyway, my family and I had a great time together, watched movies and played with all the new toys. Micah turned 4 this past weekend - which again reminds me that my life is going too fast.

But we also had a chance to connect with Ryan and Ashley, who paid us a visit from Oklahoma. Ryan and I grew up in Colorado together and we haven't seen each other in a few years. We had a great time, went snowboarding for 2 days and brought in the New Year together. And then our good friends Mike and Candice stopped in. They were speaking at a conference in Cincinnati, not far from this, and then crashed at our place for a few days.

Good times.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

I pray that your time with your friends and family this season is blessed and though rarely perfect this time is all we have, so don't take it for granted.

And I pray that the beautiful story of Immanuel would be alive in you today and that you would carry that into the New Year. God is with us, God is with you and there is a world to change.

I just watched this video over on Ragamuffin Soul and had to share it. This is an unusual perspective from an atheist, and it really challenged me. How much do you have to hate someone to not share your faith if you truly believe it is the answer? I once heard it said that you can't truly care for someone without caring for them spiritually. You can't say you love someone without also caring for their soul, for their eternity, for their relationship with God - if that is what you really believe.

Thoughts?

Things have been crazy busy with the regular Holiday season kinda stuff and then life and church stuff. But these two little guys are a beautiful constant in Julie and I's life.

The real blessing of kids is that whether I succeed or fail - they don't care. Micah and Kaiden aren't concerned with the economy, they innocently trust. They don't know what my passions and dreams are, they just want me to play legos with them. They are a beautiful reminder of what is important in life - they keep me grounded and I can't wait to get home tonight to play with them.

Thanks to our friend Kirstynn for the photo's.

Today I'm thankful for my Jewel and our relationship.

I'm also thankful for my monkey - also known as Micah.

I'm thankful for my buddy KK or Kaiden.

Even though it is boring, I'm thankful for my job.

I'm thankful for the awesome church community we are a part of.

Very thankful for all our friends and family!

I'm thankful for my home and all I've been blessed with.
You can think it's dumb, but I'm thankful for the Broncos - I love 'em.

What about you?

We are excited to be hosting the 1st annual Walk With Love today. I'll post some pictures when we are done, but a bunch of our awesome friends here in Michigan pitched in to help raise money for Mike and Candice McGarvey.

Groups in Georgia, Colorado, New Jersey and Florida joined in as well (they did a 10k - but we were too cool, so we voted 5k). Mike and Candice work for an non-profit called Teen Challenge, which is a drug and alcohol recovery program. My own father is in one of their 1100 centers.

It isn't too late to help out if you would still like to make a donation - email me and I'll hook you up with the info.

If you already donated and/or participated - thank you so much for joining the cause!

The first annual Walk With Love is only a week away, but it isn't too late for you to join in and help out.

We will be running/walking/riding/biking a 5K next Saturday in downtown Howell to benefit Mike and Candice McGarvey. You can find out more about these two good friends of ours here, here, here and also here.

If you would like to just donate, email me at kevin@thethirdplaceonline.com and I'll give you the info needed.

And if you donate you get your very own Walk With Love t-shirt!

Don't be shy, they need YOU to help out - even donating just give 10 or 20 bucks will help out tremendously.

This is a good lead into some thoughts on faith that I want to share this week. Thanks to Matt Gaw for re:posting it from some other guy. If you don't know Matt, he is a cool guy from my home state and a missionary to the Ukraine - check him out.

Exactly one year ago I checked off a life dream of mine - to enter a ring and box somebody and survive. I posted the actually footage here and it explains more of the why. I remember telling people that I was going to do it and so many people thought it was dumb. The first time I spared someone, I too thought it was dumb. But when the actual night came, I was in shape, I had been trained, my family and good friends were there and it was an amazing experience. It felt like I had whip-lash for a week, but is a night that I will never forget. A night when I did it because I wanted to. And now I know 'I couldn't have been a contenda.'

Pursuing your dreams in life is a fun and crazy ride.

For those that have never met my dream, let me introduce the two of you - meet Arbor Place Cafe. I love the logo, courtesy of the very talented Jeff Boriss from my church community.

Most people are accustom to hearing me talk about third places, but if you've never read 'The Great Good Places' by Ray Oldenburg, you may be confused.

But when my family and I moved to Michigan, it was the first time in my life that I was without my third social avenue. And it was in that time that I began to dream about an organic, storefront church community in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I love Ann Arbor, it reminds me of the people, the diversity and the openness of my Colorado upbringing. And it seemed like a solution for so many problems within the church, as I see it. You can visit the ole website at www.arborplacecafe.com and see the unfinished potential of what was going to be.

We had a solid business plan, generous investors, 90% of our equipment purchased, managers in place, good connection with a local roaster, a great marketing plan, fantastic downtown-on-main-street location and then.....after God opened door after door.....they all closed. We ended up losing the lease on the space, failed to get the rest of our working capital secured and when combined with the downward spiral of the economy, it became evident that the risk was outweighing the potential for success.

It was one crazy ride. And I miss it. It was fun taking the risk, negotiating a loan and a commercial lease and it was even cooler because in the end we learned a lot and lost nothing.

I was reminded of it the other day, reminded how crazy pursuing God-size dreams can be, reminded how awesome my friends are (especially Dave Webber) and reminded that God isn't finished with my life nor this dream, it's just on hiatus.

For a little more on the third place, you can check out my old website here.

It's no secret that I love tattoos. I have made a bakers dozen of these pieces of art work permanently a part of me. I was recently asked to explain them and thought I would take the time to post an explanation of the ink that is forever sown under the surface of my skin.

Let me start by explaining why.

There is no reason why - I just wanted to. In fact there is no reason for anybody to get a tattoo, they just choose to. You don't need them, they don't do much for you. It is a lot like explaining why you would pierce some part of your body or why you like watching football - you just do.

With that said, there is also no reason not to. Some Christians feel quite adamant that you should not tattoo yourself because the bible says so. When pressed they point to the only verse that roughly translated states, "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you" (Lev 19.28). Here's a few reasons why that doesn't necessarily work as a reason:

• Many scholars agree that this refers more to a mutilation of the body as a form of pagan worship, not really tattooing as we know it.
  
• When some translation use the word tattoo, it is only trying to attach a meaning we understand in our current culture to what was originally written in ancient Jewish law.
  
• Jesus came to free us from the very law this was written in, the same law that forbid men from shaving and everyone from wearing clothes woven of multiple materials.

Now no one would say that I shouldn't shave - right? No one repents of wearing their 80% cotton, 20% synthetic material shirt - do they? Probably not and we would all agree that those laws don't apply any more, or have relevance in our daily lives.

However, I understand how people feel like, if it sort of says it, then we followers of the Way should abstain. And if that works for you, then awesome - but hopefully you aren't at the same time questioning the legitimacy of my walk with God because I feel differently.

See, the big picture is that Jesus came to free us of the law - not to delete or abolish the law, but to fulfill it. All of the law was good, but was only a mere shadow of what is found the man named Jesus. In fact I'll let Paul wrap this up in his guidance. He was trying to settle disputes that had arisen from Jews demanding that Gentiles adhere to Jewish culture in order to be Christ followers. The early church had serious issues between those who did not eat unclean animals and those who did - here's what he says:

"One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him." [Romans 14.2-3]

Some of our close friends know about a new job position that I've applied for that will be a huge transition in my families life. Not huge like moving to another state, but huge in what it could mean for us and huge in that I will have the chance to be back in ministry and serving others like I long to do.

The problem is, I have no idea what is going to happen. It's been two weeks since I applied and it will be a few more before I hear anything. And let me just say that this interim period is killing me. At moments I have this ball of anxiety in my stomach and it consumes me - it's all I can think about.

I heard a pastor once say that being unwilling to forgive someone is really saying to God that you don't trust Him enough to deal with the issue. Thus, vengeance is wrong because you are taking action yourself, not trusting God to work all things out for you. I believe this current lesson in patience is the same thing.

Do I trust God enough to guide me and those making the 'hiring' decisions? Do I trust that God's plan for my life, since He sees the whole picture, beyond this next step? Do I trust Him enough to close the wrong doors in my life and open the right ones? I do - but I have to continually remind myself of it.

The hard part is that Julie and I both have moved from being excited about the possibility to being passionately consumed with the idea. We are so excited and it is all we can talk about and neither one of us is enjoying this refresher course in patience. O' patience.

Please pray for us as we wait - please pray for us as we dream - please pray for our future.