When you were a kid…
What was the worst trouble you EVER got into?
1…2…3…
Tell.

Chris my tattoo artist told me before he even started…”Hey man.  I’m just gonna let you know, this first finger you are getting inked, your index finger, it has some deep ass callouses.  Like deep.  There is no pigment attached to the bottom half of the side of your finger.  This means that the tattoo is not gonna stay after just one session.  you are gonna have to keep coming back, dozens of times until that shit sticks.  And even after it sticks, it will be faded and you will always have to get it touched up…
It’s pretty much a prescription for a lifetime of guaranteed needle pain.”

I looked at him, not really getting it, but getting it, and said…”Well let’s do this then.”
It looked sick.
Amazing.  but after a few weeks…there she went.
The ink started fading.
Not on any of the other fingers…Only on the index finger with the callouses.
And I went back in for a touch up.
Chris smiled.
He knew i got it now.
And when he was done touching it up it looked as good as new.
He said…”See you in a few weeks.”
My finger is faded again.
Not as bad as the first time it faded, but enough to understand what Chris was talking about.
The callous on the inside of my finger is going to take work and pain in order to keep looking good.
And when I go in again on Saturday, I’ll walk out with it looking clean, and in a few weeks, or maybe this time 2 months, I’ll need to feel the needle on the side of my finger again, because of the callous that has developed there.

Work with me…

Look at your spiritual lives.
Look at the callouses that have grown all over it.
The church has defeated you.
The perfect wife has deserted your soul.
Jesus seems like a distant 4th cousin.
Your ministry has fired you because you got caught but your boss didn’t.
You are done.
Calloused.
Over it.

Then comes Jesus again.
Gently knocking on your ethos.
You want to ignore Him but you can’t.
You want to run but you can’t.
He is loud now.
“Come back.  I’m waiting.  It’s not going to be easy or painless, but it will be worth it.”
So you head back.
Here is where Chris my tattoo artesian plays the role of your sanctification.
Your calloused heart is not going to be an easy fix.
It is not going to be one session and everything is as it was.
To be honest, it will never look as pretty as it did the first time your heart got tattooed by the love of Christ.
It will take work.
It will take many sessions, but once again you will wear the mark of Christ.
And once again you will be marked by your faith.
It won’t look pretty.
It will actually look a bit gnarly.
But it will be deeper set than any of your other friend’s faith.
And it won’t ever leave once it has past the callousness into the pigment that is deep below.
At this point the fresh inked people with no calluses will see your faded, black turned to green inked fingers and want to know how you kept it there.
And it is your responsibility to not sugar coat your journey…
To not bow to those who want a pretty, gift wrapped, fresh tattoed faith..
And tell them that you and your faith faded because of your calluses, and although it is painful to keep heading back to see Chris, your sanctification tattoo artisan, it is worth every ounce of pain it takes to get the ink deep, past the callous, and into your pigment…
So that you are marked with an ink that is not shallow, but deep set.

It’s better that way…
Los

The message? Timeless.

The need? Endless.

Their passion? Limitless.

Let’s be honest, shall we? There are men and women who take Jesus’ challenge to change the world, and give their lives to live, breathe and actually do what he said.

These people rule me.

Join us as we honor them.

 
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There are two ways you can honor these men and women.

Attend the Gala on October 24th at Fox Theater in Atlanta! I know, I feel like that word is a little too fancy for us Ragamuffins, but they really want us there! In fact, Ragamuffin readers who use the discount code “LOS” get $25 off ticket price. (Before October 2nd)

Partner with them! You can be a corporate or ministry partner right now. They’ve got some amazing partners and you can join them in making the night possible.

Let’s give honor where honor is due.

On the other hand my iPhone is probably my BIGGEST distraction that takes away from me BEING PRESENT when I am a church attender.
And tweeting a line from a sermon removes me farther away from BEING PRESENT there than I’d like others to believe.
Other things that I that do not help Sunday church PRESENCE are…
1. Green rooms
2. Pastor hideouts
3. Media overload
This is the theme that the team I work with at Catalyst is busy honing in for this October’s Catalyst Atlanta event.
I am more excited about this theme than ANY other I have been involved with.
You can join us here!
So please help us with some honing in of ideas.

What are some things that you think keep church staff and attendees from being present on a Sunday morning and what are some solutions?
Los

I love stories of second chances. Hope restored.

Prison fellowship launches people into lives of grace and builds hope for second chances.  They specialize in removing the bars and ensuring that prison doesn’t have to be a life sentence.

Most people who survive prison are truly locked down for life.

Our U.S. prisons and jails are filled with 2.3 million people. Every year, more than 700,000 are released. And within 3 years, more that 50 percent of them will be back in prison.

How do we beat those odds?

By giving second chances.

Tangible hope.

For every shirt you buy from Prison Fellowship, a shirt and tie are donated to a prisoner. A simple, practical solution for someone who typically walks out of prison with nothing.  A chance for a job interview. A symbol of dignity. Men and women can walk with their heads held high knowing that someone believed in them- even when the odds were against them.

Listener “Wooden Heart” from Nathan Corrona on Vimeo.

2 of my favorite things sliced together in 4 minutes of goodness.
Spoken word with a southern flare and a visual to die for.
Well done Dust.
Applause please Ragamuffins.
Los

Well The Family and I have been nominated for  The Peoples Choice Awards tonight on CBS! We got nominated for the “Favorit Viral Video” Category and have been invited to the awards ceremony to see if we have won. Follow us on twitter and check out twitvid to see all the updates from the awards.

Will try to post as much as I can from awards.