In some ways this is a story of boxes, of labels, and of preconceived notions. When I started off into the ministry, I was told that I would have to cut my hair, take out my earring, and learn to fit in if I was going to serve God. “It is impossible to be a spiritual leader, and still dress as ‘one of the boys’”, they said. Basically I was expected to wear suits, dress well, and generally not stand out in any way as far as my outward appearance went. (My inward appearance is a whole other story!). Well, wanting to be a good minister and all, I did what I was told. But as time went on, it became clear to me that denying who I am, is not the way Jesus called me to be. By the time we got to Oregon, I had my earring back in, and my suits stayed in the closet. We did a lot of work with the homeless, and various other ‘scruffy’ looking people, and found that the people I was talking to were far more likely to listen to me dressed that way, then they ever would have been if I was wearing a suit. Now there is nothing wrong with suits!! However, there are times and places where they may not be as useful as others.
Now, I have said all of this in order to shed some light on the issue of boxes. In some ways, what I was told was…”Hey, you there! Yes you with the hair! We are all pleased as can be that you are giving your life to Jesus, but kindly climb out of that box over there, and get in this one over here!! Yes, yes we know you are comfortable over there, but we just don’t think it is a good idea to have a ‘preacher’ in that kind of box! Now really, how would it look? So you just come on over here and we will show you all about Jesus in this box where we live!!”. I am left with one simple nagging question; what about the people I left behind in that box I came from?
My wife and I have struggled much with the questions of what it means to be a minister, and what a ministry could or should look like. We have dreamed of a ministry that allowed us to be less politician, and more disciple of Jesus. We have longed to see a place where people could encounter Jesus right where they were, right there in their own little boxes! A place where doubts and fears could be discussed openly. A place where grace and understanding would be the response to sin, as opposed to shock and revulsion. A place where ‘scruffy’ people could learn about God in a setting, and with a vocabulary, that is familiar to them. A place where I could live out the ministry I believe Jesus has called me to live.
I hate to keep referring to my life, but please bear with me just a little longer… Shortly after coming back to Michigan, I found myself in a tattoo parlor in Tennessee with some of my best friends and brothers (and sisters) in Christ. We were there on a grief retreat, and decided that ink was the best way to commemorate our losses. I learned something from that. Tattoos, while having a bad image in some peoples minds, are powerful things. When you permanently commemorate something on you, it becomes part of your daily life. The tattoo I wanted was a Trinity Knot (a symbol for God), and I chose it as a sign to myself and God that I would serve Him no matter what circumstances I found myself in. Now every morning, and every evening there it is. You can’t forget it, you cant really erase it. It is a commitment, and you have to deal with it. God has often used physical reminders of faith and commitment. Circumcision, frontlets and scriptures on door posts, the shaving of your head, just to name a few. Much like the religious icons of old, that were used as tools of devotion, a tattoo can function in the same manor. In many ways it is a modern (as well as deeply personal) form of icon.
Now I guess I have made you read through all of that to get to this point… I would like to share my vision of a ministry with you. Imagine if you will a place of community. A place where people come together to talk and share their lives together. For many people churches serve this purpose, however there are many, many more that will never think of stepping inside a church. Where do these people go? Coffee shops, and tattoo parlors are two places that tend to gather people together. These are places where people will come, sit down, and talk with each other. They are places of instant community. I would like to see such a place open as a ‘missional’ outpost. I would like to see a coffee shop/tattoo parlor (yes, you can have those two in the same building) that us ‘scruffs’ could reach out to a segment of society that desperately needs Jesus, yet is all too often over looked (or even worse, dismissed). Such a place would serve a number of functions. Talented musicians could play and hold open mic nights that would bring people into an environment where ‘devotion’ might sound a little different than they imagined. Great coffee sipped over open and honest discussions of faith and struggle. Tattoos given, and celebrated, in an atmosphere that understands what it means to declare your beliefs in ink. Worship services, bible studies, and prayer could take place in a setting that few would have labeled ‘church’. Yet I feel this is exactly the kind of thing Jesus was talking about when He asked us to be salt and light within the communities we live. A place where Christians could be scruffy, and scruffs could become Christians. Not asked to please come out of their box and conform to ours, but rather loved, accepted, disciple, and nourished. Then they in turn could go into
all the world and……
I think in some ways God is calling me back to the box He found me in. I think He always has been. Jesus saved my life, and changed me forever. How can I not go back and tell Gods’ story to the people in that box? How can we as Gods people not go into all the boxes, and tell them of a God that loves without measure?