Since becoming a Christian I've wrestled with a lot of things that a person can or cannot do. What does the bible say about alcohol? What does it say about drinking? What does it say about sex outside of marriage? Etc. One of the things that I have learned as a christian is that often times there are things that are black and white, and there are things that aren't. One thing that isn't exact is tattoos. When it comes to something such as tattoos I personally rely on my convictions from the Holy Spirit. If I feel conviction(correction) about something then I don't do it. For instance drinking isn't a sin, drunkenness is. However for me personally I refrain from drinking simply because I am convicted in keeping a clear conscious at all times and therefore choose not to drink.
With all that being said I understand that there are people who agree and disagree with christians getting tattoos. This blog isn't going to answer any of those questions, however I will say that God gave me divine inspiration for my latest tattoos. The one on my ribs has been planned for over 2 years, and my full sleeve was created by the Lord and myself through prayer and simply talking with my Papa. This blog will explain the significance and meaning behind both of my newest tattoos and I hope it'll seek to open up your eyes and heart to the creative nature God gives us.
The Ship:
I have been planning on getting this tattoo for a while now. Back when I first came to know Christ in 2010 I learned a lot about early christianity and the persecution of the early christians. During those years christians used a number of symbols to identify themselves as christians. One of the symbols used to represent the Holy Spirit(Spirit of God) is a ship with open sails. In the tattoo world tattoos represent various things as well and a ship represents the individual and their journey through life. The ship is me and it has open sails representing that I am lead and directed by the wind of the Holy Spirit(Acts 3). The stormy seas and sky represent life and my personal journey on the stormy seas of life. Not pictured is the Chi Ro. It's seen in the picture below:
The Chi Ro is the first 2 greek letter is in the word Christo or Christ. It's in the shape of an anchor because Christ is my anchor. There are guns visible on the ship which represents my warrior mentality and the fact that I'll never stop fighting for the cause I believe in. Lastly written underneath is "hold fast". In the sailing years sailors would say hold fast to the rigging, meaning be strong and hold what you have, hold the ship together in the storm. In the tattoo world a lot of people get "hold fast" on their knuckles and other places. For me God lead me to Philippians 2:16 which says "holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." This is a reminder to me to hold fast to Gods word through every trial in life and continue to labor for Him knowing that it's not done in vain.
Armor Sleeve:
Outside of arm
My armored sleeve has many meanings for me. The armor itself reminds me that "our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens."(Ephesians 6:12). I am a warrior in the natural but also in the spirit, I've fought numerous battles in Iraq throughout 3 deployments and I'm still a fighter now, it's just a different fight. And in fact it's one where I simply enforce what Jesus has already done and I remind the devils he's already lost.
Armor also reminds me of David, Saul tried to get David to wear his armor to fight Goliath but the armor didn't fit because it was made for Saul and not David( 1 Samuel 17:38). This is a reminder that my armor is my own, my call and favor are my own as well and I must stay in my call and heed the voice of the Holy Spirit for the path and direction of my life and not try to be anyone else. Many good men have fallen trying to walk outside of their calling and trying to be someone else.
The notes in the armor are the actually notes of the hymn "Amazing Grace" you can actually count in 3/4 measure the notes and sing off my arm. The reason for this is that Israel sent the worshipers before the army(2 Chronicles 20:21) knowing the importance of worship before the battle. In my life worship is the battle, life is a battle of what/Who we worship. We either worship God or we worship the devil with our lives, it's as simple as that to me. Worshiping the Lord with playing instruments and singing is a very important part of my life.
The trinity symbol barely seen on the far right picture represents the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all together as One God.
The I X O Y and greek E was used back in the Roman times when christians were persecuted. It's the greek abbreviations for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Or Jesus Christ the Savior is the Son of God.
Underneath that is MMX, which represents January 1st 2010. At midnight ringing in the new year in 2010 I gave my heart to the Lord as I took communion alone in my house with pita bread and orange juice. That night I told God if He was real He had a year of my life to prove it to me, and He did.
The original tattoo I got when I was around 19 years old. It's an angel beating a demon and about to annihilate it. I was at a trying time in my life at that time having just returned from Iraq on my first deployment to Iraq. I was nearly killed by an Improvised Explosive Device that blew up in the middle of our foot patrol. This tattoo represents my inner struggle between good and evil and I always knew good would overcome.
Armor Sleeve:
Inside of Arm
The crouched archer ha a lot of meaning to me and it's usually the favorite part of the tattoo for many people. It represents myself as an evangelist shooting the arrow(Word of God) to pierce the hearts of men. This simply means that I deliver my message in truth and with accuracy as the Spirit leads not being afraid to speak truth and life into those I have in my sights. It also reminds me of 2 Kings 13 when Elisha was passing away he asked the king to shoot an arrow of victory into the arrow. He then asked him to smack the ground with arrows and the king only smacked the ground 3 times. Elisha responded "you fool!" if you would have struck the ground more times you would have defeated your enemy but because you only struck it 3 times you'll be defeated. This story reminds me to go all out for Christ and not to limit what I do but to go above and beyond unless told otherwise.
The dove is one of my favorite parts, it represents the Holy Spirit(Matthew 3:16) I heard a message by Bill Johnson of Bethel church recently. In the message He asked people what would they do if they had a dove resting on their shoulders? How would they go about their day without chasing it off? Many people responded that they would walk very carefully. He responded "that is true, however more importantly you'd be aware of every movement of the dove and what it was doing." The point is that we need to be aware of the Holy Spirit in our lives during ministry and during our daily lives. The dove in a visible spot reminds me to be aware of the Holy Spirit and follow His leading and don't quench the Spirit and chase Him off.
Lastly the chain mail or rings everywhere. Armor is continuously being modified and upgraded after each battle. Its a learning process and my armor is no different it's upgraded and modified. The chain mail represents an upgrade in armor during the medeivel ages such as my armor is updated and upgraded. However it's more so symbolic of the church. In chain mail every ring has a purpose and without each ring in its place there is a hole and weak spot in the armor. Everyone in the body of Christ is needed and we each have our place. I need to remember this and help people grow into their place and encourage them and strengthen the body. We are all needed although we maybe different. The strength of the armor is in each ring in it's proper place.
Since I'm always asked. Between the tattoos it was 23 hrs of tattoo time, meaning time under the gun. It was spread out over 4 days, the last 3 days being in the same week in which I did 15 hrs that week. The tattoos total cost around 50,000 rupees or just under $600 USD including a tip for my amazing artist(shout out to BJ of mohanstattooinn.com). In America the average price runs $100 an hour minimum and can run upwards of $150 an hour. So yes $600 is a lot of money however I saved around $2,000 USD by getting it done in Nepal. Plus I sold my Harley and my truck so I could make some memories and do some fun things during this trip. This is a lifelong investment that fits both of those criterias.
I hope you enjoyed this blog and my tattoos. It was fun praying for and with my artist and doing ministry that way last month. God healed His back after my first session and he asked me numerous questions about the Lord. I was also able to pray for him and bless his family and business after my last session. Often God opens doors for us in ministry that we never take advantage of. As a whole we don't love well, yet it's the greatest things we are commanded to do, "Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself." I want to love well, true love from my heart. This tattoo is a reminder and testament of Gods faithfulness and love in my life, but also it's a way to open doors with people to share the gospel when they ask about what it all means. It's all about the Kingdom, always has and always will be.
