in the teacher's lounge today at lunch, the topic came up of tattoos. 2 of my fellow teachers remarked how tattoos are an indication in society of the haves and have nots. and that they are a simple form of cultural conforming. What? Like wearing pants? Isn't that conforming to culture? Adorning ourselves with jewelry and the such. We criticize other cultures in light of our own being the best, the absolute right one, the one Jesus had. I mean surely Jesus was a white, suburban, baby boomer, college educated, republican protestant evangelical, right??? They just kept going on and on. I wanted so badly to lift my sleeve and raise the flag! I just wasn't ready to end my employment yet. The Celtic Cross branded on my left shoulder is the cross of Christ. The movement I have pledged my life to. It has an inner circle symbolizing my communion with Christ. And it has an outer circle symbolizing my communion with those around me. (Love God, Love neighbor) It is filled with Celtic knotwork which has not beginning or end, its eternal. My communion with God and one another is eternal. And I have the Greek letters of Chi and Rho. The first 2 letters of Christ in the ancient greek and the original symbol for Christ followers. Not a cross, and not a fish. I spent years considering this decision and had it done in Dublin, Ireland where my Celtic roots come from and the basis for the model of church planting that I'm involved with. So sorry if I'm educated and I have ink. When did cultural preference become absolute truth? The answer is everyday here in evangelical America. When will we see past ourselves and see a bigger idea than real Christians don't have tattoos? When will it be about heart transformation and a Kingdom come? That's the Christian story I want to be caught up in.

"I consider myself a Christian, but sometimes I feel very removed from Christianity." - Bono