Call me sentimental (because I am) ...
but I've saved a few things from our wedding.
I put them out for display in early October and I'd like to share them today.

Three years ago today, Jake told me he had been thinking about it and he was "ready if you are."

I was ready!

So three years ago today we became an us.

A little more than  two years later, we became Mr. and Mrs.

My bouquet.
The tablecloth from our sweetheart table.
Dark brown napkins.
Ball jar centerpiece with acorns and bittersweet branches.
All from the wedding.

Why I believe it is perfectly fine for Christians to have tattoos.

Because I'm taking my own advice, and I'd love to hear what you think about these things, too.

I'd like to make this a regular topic, whenever the spirit moves me.

"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."
Leviticus 19:28

Seems pretty straight forward, no?
Except when it isn't.

I'm going to make this one brief.

1. That last statement "I am the LORD" occurs very often in this book of the Bible. The idea here is that Yahweh is giving his people guidelines for living that will keep them living righteously, and not like their pagan neighbors.

2. The pagan neighbors in this case regularly let their own blood, making cuts and markings on themselves, to express their agony and garner the attention of a god. (Yahweh does not want His people to do this, there is no need.) The closest word we have in our language to describe such a thing is "tattoo." Clearly, the word means something very different today than how it's being applied in this passage.

3. This is the one and only time the word "tattoo" appears in the Bible.


And thus, I believe this scripture is admonishing us to not harm ourselves or cry for an idol's attention ... not to keep our bodies tattoo-free.


PS: It's also helpful when studying the Bible, to read a variety of translations, in order to get a broader picture of what the original text might have meant. Examples here.

Fellow Chicagoans, and anyone who might be visiting:

Do yourself the favor and dine at the Waterfront Cafe, 6219 N. Sheridan Road.

Ashley first introduced me to this little treasure.

We both live near here, so it's terribly convenient.

We recently brought our boughs along with us for a date,

and the pictures are a little blurry, but just look at that ambience:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to know why.

Sweet Luisa came over the other night.
Jake has band practice once a week and I'm desperate for friends to keep me company on those late nights.
We made quesadillas, watched a movie and talked a lot. (You gotta love a girl who has something so pressing to say about the last scene that she pauses the movie.)
We got to talking about tattoos ... naturally. And Luisa wants one.

Luisa's Mother says: I don't get it. The Bible says tattoos are wrong.
Luisa: The Bible also says to sacrifice goats. Do you sacrifice goats?
Luisa's Mother: Well ... no.
Luisa: Okay, you give me a call when you start sacrificing goats and I'll get my tattoo removed!

I might also add this funny conversation my friend Lauren told me that she had ...

Lauren's Mother: The Bible says our bodies are temples and we are to take care of them!
Lauren: You decorate the temple, don't you? So I'm decorating my body.

Lauren does have a tattoo.


* First of all, God bless our mothers! God bless our fathers, our sisters, our brothers, anyone who keeps us accountable to the Word of God. People need accountability.

* But second, and this is the point of the darn whole post right here,
It is incredibly important that you know why you believe what you believe. And why it affects your choices. While it's true many parts of the Bible are culturally bound and no longer applicable to our lives--it is a dangerous thing to joke about it's Law. It is a dangerous thing to undermine its divinity and its credibility.


I am not singling out Lauren and Luisa. I used their stories because they are hilarious, and they both love me so I know they will forgive me for sharing them. (Plus, everyone needs a little religious humor now and then.)

We all make these jokes, I am not without fault.
But I have a question ... do you know why is it that we disregard Biblical teaching about ceremonial cleansing and we follow its teaching about purity and honesty?

Absolutely anyone who hopes to lead a Biblical life participates in scriptural interpretation, whether they know it or not. So for your sake, for the community's sake, take your interpretation seriously. Please. Consider why some rules no longer apply and why some do. I began this journey last year and I'll continue it my whole life. It's fascinating knowledge and it will season your faith and your witness.

If you're interested in more about interpreting the Bible, I highly highly highly recommend the book How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.

PS: I don't like telling people what to do. But I really believe in this. And I am kind of controlling and bossy with the ones I love. I'm doing this because I love you.

A little Monday humility.

How was your weekend?
Mine was fabulous, let me tell you.

After a whirlwind of weeks of planning, two Chicago InterVarsity chapters gathered together for our fall retreat.
Everything we talked about and prayed about was focused on the idea that these students' lives are transformed by Jesus and that as a community they are sent to transform their campus.

We sang, we ate lots of carbs, we slept on very hard floors under emergency lights that would not turn off (and this little lady needs to sleep in complete darkness).
It was a holy, holy, holy weekend.

Truly, I'll joke about sleeping under a fluorescent light, using my fleece sleeve as a mask because I'm too claustrophobic to pull the blankets over my head ... but I would do it again and again.
The church where we held our retreat was incredibly hospitable.
And I didn't move to sleep on a couch in the dark hall out of solidarity with my students ... and also because it seemed a little scary to sleep alone in a huge room!

Well let's get to that part about humility, shall we?
I'd like to show you these hilarious screen shots of me giving a talk.

I have to admit, I was a little surprised (pleasantly) to see so much movement, because my one of my coworkers nicely told me I can be a little too stoic and I honestly know I usually look like this:

Although I cringed like crazy, I learned a lot by watching a recording of my self.

Happy Monday!