New CTA President NEEDS HELP. https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/t8663 Runboard| New CTA President NEEDS HELP. en-us Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:32:03 +0000 Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:32:03 +0000 https://www.runboard.com/ rssfeeds_managingeditor@runboard.com (Runboard.com RSS feeds managing editor) rssfeeds_webmaster@runboard.com (Runboard.com RSS feeds webmaster) akBBS 60 Re: New CTA President NEEDS HELP.https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/p165869,from=rss#post165869https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/p165869,from=rss#post165869Cutting and pasting a past post from new CTA leader, just to familiarize everybody more with him: GOD & TATTOOS...the neverending battle (thankfully) ------------------------------------ GOD & TATTOOS...the neverending battle (thankfully) I have read over the course of the last few months, lots of posts, blogs and comments about tattoos and God, about Christianity and Tattoos, about Religion and Tattoos and even though I am tattooed and a tattoo artist I have always felt compelled to stay silent and rather than argue or make a point....to trust God and smile, cause I know he is in these battles and in the end, he will prevail for his own purposes. Which I have no idea what they might be in each persons life. Last night at 4AM in the morning God woke me up out of a perfectly peaceful sleep, which I have not had in such a long time and I wasnt sure why. Well, it was to share some time with him, unhindered from my daily routine and so he could tell me he loves me, which made me cry I am so blessed. I got online and did some things I wanted to do, checked mail and was actually looking for a email or comment from someone in particular when I notice a Post from a brother about tattoos. I wandered into his page and read his blog and I felt God begin to stir me to words.........it is these words I wrote below and am now posting here to share with my friends as well. Now remember it is 4AM and I cant type all that good or even spell for that matter....I mean, I am a tattoo artist, why do I need to know how to spell (wink, wink). In many ways in life you will run across things that will test your faith. Faith in what God has shown you, on who God is to you and in every situation....whether we are right or wrong, God is working. God is working in us, God is working in others and God is using others to work in us and using us to work in others. Our God is an awesome God and we should not simply see him as so simple in anything because he is bigger than that, bigger than we can imagine. In everything, I believe God is working. We are called to two things and everything begins and ends in these two things....everything. If anything does not begin here and end here it is wrong. MATTHEW 22 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. Because of our brokenness and the fact that we are of God, with God but not God, because we live in a broken world, because each of our journeys are different, just as each of our personalities and struggles are different. God, in his infinite wisdom, grace and love must and I believe does, use every circumstance, every choice, every struggle and every joy not only in our own lives for his purposes but also in the lives of others for his purposes in them. Which is why the verses in Matthew, which sum up the law and the prophets are so key and so important in our everyday lives....in our every thought......in our every choice. Regardless of our sinful thoughts, our sinful emotions or possible even our sinful circumstances or choices....no matter how legalistic or grace filled they may or may not be, God is working and is both trying to show us his love for us, is asking for us to show him our love for him but also asking us to show others the same. I have two full sleeves (unfinished), my neck is covered, my entire back is covered(unfinished), my chest, i have tattoos on my stomach, my legs and I got all of these before I was saved. I have not been tattooed for five years and I do tattoos for a living!!! Since before i was saved I have not been tattooed. BUT and above all.....I plan to get more and not to respresent Gods glory through what the images are or what they say (although I will say it is another way to show Gods glory) but more importantly because through the conflict they bring forth both in me and in others....God can work and his glory and love, his abounding grace can be found, can grow stronger and can bloom. It doesnt matter to God if I am tattooed or if I am not..... what matters is can he use them, will I allow him to use them and me no matter how much I am condmened or accepted???? If not, if I will not allow him to use them (to give my tattoos to the poor, so to speak) then they are WRONG for me to get and for me to have and an inner conflict will arise and begin to destroy my relationship with God and others. (The exact reverse of Matthew 22, which is sin.) I can promise you that right now standing here before God with a clear conscience and a heart that knows I love God and want to please him in all things. A heart that wants to align my life with his in all things......my tattoos only matter if God can be found from them.....not in them. But more importantly than my tattoos or my right to have them or not have them, right or wrong in anyones eyes, are a few aspects that to me rings infinately more clear and of the upmost importance..... My tattoos allow me infinite opportunities in the church to shows Gods amazing gift of grace and love to those who enjoy tattoos, even if they do not have any. To those who are in the church family and are not even interested in tattoos or like them, I am a symbol of Gods infinite grace. To those in the church family who dislike tattoos and feel they are sinful, I am an opportunity to show our freedom from law (Galatians 5,6) and able to be a branch for Jesus to work through (John 15:5). To show his love, his grace, his glory but also for me to be a witness of that grace and love through loving our brothers and sisters in even more ways...for me to grow. From blessing them (Matthew 5:44) regardless of how they feel or what they say and from being patiently steady, silently truthful, lovingly still in my approach and to simply watch God work, to let God be God and to trust him with all of my heart (proverbs 3:5)......to be a witness to his glory before and above my selfish (and prideful) desire to be a vehicle of his glory. Which in the end, usually ends up being a lot more true, a lot more worthy and a lot more loving. God is perfectly capable of being God, even if we fail to let him. To those outside of the church God gives me daily opportunities to work in places where those without tattoos could never be a witness or never fulfill his work with grace, with authenticity and above all....with love, which we only know through grace. Not to show how much better I am (belieeeevvvveee me, i am not)....not to show others the "truth" (what do I know of truth?? Only God knows truth!!) but to be a light of grace, of unconditional love (1 corinthians 13:4) and to bare others burdens (1 Corinthians 13:7)....it is that simple and that clear. To LOVE GOD AND LOVE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS....no matter how many colors they are or are not, how much they accept me or not or how much they believe what I believe or not. So I say to you my brothers and sisters..........God is in you, in this situation and in these opportunities for each of us as well as for others......as well as for each person who witnesses this, reads this or is a part of this situation in each of our lives.......for his glory, for his purposes.........because of love. It is how I believe we can see the gigantic picture of the gift of life in this world, all the people in it....... shrink right before our eyes to a singular vision and a singular purpose........true love. Not only Gods but our own.....which are both commandements. Many blessings to each of you on your journey, I know you already are but I pray for you right this second that you will not lose heart and that in that heart......LOVE WILL RULE. THANK GOD FOR HIS LOVE THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.....WHOM WITHOUT NOTHING IS POSSIBLE. warchild nondisclosed_email@example.com (urania235)Thu, 23 Nov 2006 23:15:44 +0000 Re: New CTA President NEEDS HELP.https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/p165785,from=rss#post165785https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/p165785,from=rss#post165785Hi Jayme I have sent you an email. I am keen to help in whatever capacity I can so the CTA can flourish again. God bless Neilnondisclosed_email@example.com (neiljansons)Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:02:03 +0000 Re: New CTA President NEEDS HELP.https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/p165780,from=rss#post165780https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/p165780,from=rss#post165780I'll contact you via email, but it also might be a good idea to communicate here on the discussion forum to keep folks informed on developments and progress in regrouping; (Except for discussing the details of how we're secretly plotting world-domination through brainwashing a horde of tattooed love-zombies recruited under the guise of the CTA to be our shock troops - that stuff is top-secret, and will have to be discussed in code. From henceforward, our code will be to make it sound like we're discussing Hebrew or Greek translations for tattoo designs. So remember, whenever "Hebrew or Greek translation" is discussed on this forum, it's code for the mind-controlled tattooed love-zombie business, and you'll have to read between the lines.) I was never official "staff" for CTA, but my role has included: cranky moderator on this forum; designed the T-Shirts & had them printed; made my own variation on the old "Eternal Ink" tract that Rand produced years ago; Did an oddball music and audio feature for the old site called "OffTrack" that was designed to push the limits of good taste and provoke discussion. I'm pretty busy with other projects, but can continue working "behind the scenes" in the same capacities as before.nondisclosed_email@example.com (urania235)Tue, 14 Nov 2006 13:53:50 +0000 New CTA President NEEDS HELP.https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/p165779,from=rss#post165779https://bchristiantattooassociation.runboard.com/p165779,from=rss#post165779Hello!! First off I want to say Ive been getting emails and responses from people via the message board and I would prefer people to contact me directly. It would make it abundantly easier for me to respond. My info: Jayme Whitaker Nightmares & Daydreams Tattoo (Owner/artist) Email: jayme@ng2tattoo.com www.nightmaresanddaydreams.com (coming soon) I AM ASKING ANYONE WHO WAS A PART OR IS A PART OF THE STAFF OF THE CTA TO PLEASE CONTACT ME AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVIENANCE. So...As far as I can tell and as Freak has explained to me....this would include Neilandsons & Urania235. If I am missing anyone, please contact me as well. Thanks a lot for your help. Look forward to the future!! God bless. jaymenondisclosed_email@example.com (warchild33)Tue, 14 Nov 2006 11:36:14 +0000