I’m not sure why but I’m intrigued by tattoos. I’ve even thought about getting one. I have a friend who has many tattoos and every time I see them, I think of the story that they tell. Like the dog-tags on his arm that tell the story of his love for his dad and brother who served in the Army and Air Force. Or the many tattoos of his favorite college sports teams. They each have a story associated with them. It’s like he has marked his story on his arms to let others see who he is and what’s important to him.
His tattoos remind me of a story about three boys. They were kidnapped by an evil man. They were forced to change their names to give them a new identity. They were then brought into a society that liked to brand or mark their captives with a special marking to show that they were no longer who they used to be. They were marked to give them a new identity. Continue reading
Have you ever watched one of those home rehab shows? You know the kind of show where someone buys a house that is rundown and falling apart. Then they sink some serious cash into fixing it up. And when it’s all said and done, you can’t even tell the house was run down in the first place. I do love watching shows like this. I love to watch old things made new. It’s very rewarding to be able take something that is broken and fix it, making it good as new. 
In the movie Men of Honor a young diver goes through intense pressure to become a Naval Diving Officer. After an accident, he loses his leg and needs a prosthetic to allow him to walk. After a period of recovery, he attempts to finish his officer training only to find out that the regulations have changed and the armor is now heavier. The climax of the movie comes when he is called to walk 12 steps carrying this new armor’s weight using his prosthetic limb. 
Several weeks ago a good friend of mine moved away. Not just around the corner or to a new church, but he move across the country. I have to be honest and tell you that I was not all that excited about this. But I knew that he was going where he needed to go. After making his decision to go, he packed up the family and the belongings and headed across the country for a new start. 
recently ended a sermon series titled Jesus Says at 
