Scripture Scraps

A few months ago I found this really awesome project on Pinterest. It's a Smash Book turned Scripture book. Love it! So I decided to make one for my daughter. I am filling the book with verses that I can already begin praying over her. But I absolutely cannot wait until we can read it together! Kids can absorb so much at a young age so why not plant seeds of faith in her heart from the start, right?!

I plan to put a picture of our sweet girl in the pocket :)

Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him in prayer, pleading for your children. 

Lamentations 2:19

Great book on praying for your kiddos. 

Sermon on the Arm #1...."The Ship"

First off, I'd like to clarify that this post is in no way, shape, or form an attempt to justify my tattoos. To be honest, I don't feel the need to justify them. What I am going to do is explain the meaning of each portion of my tattoo in a series of blog posts. This is the reason behind my recent full sleeve tattoo adventure in the first place...to point to Christ. I can't tell you how many complete strangers I've had ask me about my tattoos and what they mean. One word of advice, if you're going to have Scripture tattooed on your body...please know the verses word-for-word because you WILL be asked! And hey, the more people that ask me about them the better.

The first piece of my sleeve tattoo that I'm going to dive into is "The Ship". Anyone that knows me well enough, knows that I have an affinity for anything nautical or pirate related. (Yes, I am a complete Pirates of the Caribbean nerd). Who wouldn't want to be a pirate? Ok, I'm not saying I want to partake in the lying, stealing, cheating, pillaging, and plundering that normally comes to mind when thinking of pirates. However, I am deeply intrigued with the adventure of sailing the world, the freedom to make port wherever you so desire, and journeying into uncharted waters. The key words here are journey, freedom, and adventure...words that followers of Christ, sadly, rarely associate with their faith. We are not called to a mundane existence as followers of Christ, to be labeled as watered-down, stick-in-the-mud, pew dwellers! We are vessels, carrying the good news of the Gospel, called to great adventures while carrying out the will of God! With that being said, lets dive into "The Ship" tattoo. 

As you can see, the tattoo is of a "pirate-ish" ship on stormy seas and the Scripture that goes along with it is on a banner that reads, "Acts 27:15". Acts 27:15 reads, "The ship was caught by the storm and could not sail against the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along by it" (NIV). This verse precedes the shipwreck of Paul while he was being transferred on a ship as a prisoner to Rome. At first glance, the verse is not vividly profound or does it really even speak or teach towards how we should live out our faith. However, those that know me, know that I like to look deeper into Scripture. I'm often amazed at at all the symbolism that can be found in God's Word if we look at it through a biblical lens and let God speak to us through what we see on the pages of the Bible. When I look at this Scripture, I see tons of symbolism. 

For the the fun of it, reread the Scripture and substitute "your name" for "The ship" and "we". Also, substitute "Holy Spirit" for "wind". Was that confusing? Ok, here's what mine would look like:

"Ryan was caught by the storm and could not sail against The Holy Spirit; so Ryan gave way to it and was driven along by it."

When I look at this passage, I see the storm as any hardship that may come up in life...confusion, divorce, heartbreak, death, loss of a job...the list goes on and on. I think its no coincidence that one of the symbols of The Holy Spirit in the Bible is the wind. Sometimes even in the midst of our storms, we still try to paddle against what The Spirit would have us do. Until we give way to The Spirit and let it drive us along, we're headed for shipwreck! If we are trying to discover our God-intended direction, we must let His Spirit drive our ship. A ship is also known as a vessel, which can carry all sorts of things. As Christians, we are also vessels. We don't carry cargo, but we carry the Gospel of Christ! We are called to carry this message to the ends of the earth and to every port our vessel docks in.

I think everyone struggles with "hearing The Spirit" and "being led by The Spirit". I think we struggle because in order to allow The Spirit to guide/lead us, we have to die to our own desires. Giving way to The Spirit to lead our lives is not easy...but I guarantee it will lead you on a path of God-filled adventure and journeys! 

"Yo Ho, Yo Ho...Its a pirate's life for me...."

Written by Ryan Thomas

Tattoos by Jason "Nug" Smith @ Next Generation Tattoos in Locust

Back To The Books

Last week Ryan started on his second year of online classes through Liberty University after taking a little break over the Summer. He is working on getting his BA in Religion with a minor in Intercultural Studies. So proud of his hard work and dedication while balancing both full time work & school. It's exciting to see how God is already using what Ryan is learning through Liberty with our high school small group. We have been meeting most Tuesday nights in our home for about a year now. Our lives have been so blessed by the students that come each week and it encourages me in my own walk. Many of our high school students in our group graduated this year and are journeying into a new and exciting phase of life. For some college, others career. Too many churches lose their youth once they move on to the college season of life and we refuse to see that happen. Next Saturday we are starting a college/career small group called "Shift" and hope to potentially guide and just do life with these 20 somethings. These years in a young adults life are key in forming their identity, world view and theology. As Chuck Bomar put it..."You're not seeking to grow a ministry-you're looking to develop a sustainable culture in which college-age people feel loved and a part of the church as a whole." As much as I have hated that this adoption has taken so long I can also see how God has still been faithful and has given us new opportunities to jump in and serve. Had we gotten a referral a long time ago we wouldn't have had the chance to be so blessed by sharing life with high schoolers and now college age. Thanks to all of you who have supported and encouraged us along the way!