Posts Tagged ‘bible’

The Bible Series and Our Racial Perceptions

Posted: March 14, 2013 in African American, bible, church, culture, faith, Jesus, justice, Race, spirituality, Uncategorized
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I wasn’t going to say anything but Ok…I’ll take this one for the team.

The History Channel’s Bible mini series has helped to bring “The greatest story ever told” to a new generation and has certainly gained a lot of buzz due to its incredible production quality and endorsement from high profile pastors such as T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen.

Of course trying to fit a huge narrative like the biblical story which spans multiple centuries and cultures is a daunting task even when you break it up into multiple episodes. Inevitably you get multiple scholars and armchair theologians criticizing the accuracy of the plot line and the omission and revision of different bible verses.

Why is “for himself” omitted from Abraham’s line “The Lord will provide a sacrifice”?

How come Moses strikes his staff on the ground instead of stretching it towards the sea?

All of these are valid questions and I have an equally valid one “Where are the people of African descent?” You may reply “They are in the series. There are some.” But my question is not “how come there is no one of African descent in the series?”. My question is “Where are the people of African descent? Where are they socially and culturally located?”

Yes the narrator Keith David is black. The angel that rescues Lot’s wife is of African descent. Balthazar one of the three wise men is black and Samson and his family are of African descent as well. So….What’s my beef?

Here is what I see in the casting of people of African descent. All of the black characters are either invisible, exotic “others”, or in the case of the one major role of Samson depraved, flawed, and deficient. Let’s break it down like this:

Narrator=invisible
Angel=exotic “other”
Balthazar=exotic “other”
Samson=screwed up!!!

Now don’t get me wrong. I believe this movie is very accurate. Accurate of the perceptions we have of people of African descent in the 21st century. We are either off people’s radar; seen as exotic “others” with a strange culture; or morally depraved like Samson who screwed his life up through sex and violence.

I do not believe the creators of the series Mark Burnett and Roma Downey intended this to be the case. This is not a judgment on them. They are just part of our society and culture. I applaud their efforts to bring the Bible to the public square ad adding diversity into the cast of characters. This is not a push to make all the characters black but a critique of our society’s already established racial perceptions.

Why does this even matter? It matters because pastors all across America were endorsing and promoting this before their congregations and it reinforces stereotypes and assumptions. It lets kids of African descent know that even if they are in the story they are on the outside. It matters because I get tired of having to prove to young African American adults that following Jesus is not following a white man’s religion. It matters because people of African descent were not marginal to the world of the ancient near east but major players and my children need to know that as I raise them up to consider the Bible and its teachings.

Shouldn’t it disturb us that Adam and Eve are portrayed as a white couple when the discoveries of anthropology and genetics say this cannot be the case. Shouldn’t it disturb us that Jesus the hope of every nation looks like a Vidal Sassoon model? I’m disturbed and I hope you are too.

Strength and honor!!!

What happens when you fast from reading the scriptures?

Posted: December 19, 2012 in bible, change, church, faith, Jesus, personal development, spirituality, Uncategorized
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You shrivel and wither and die spiritually. Not. Actually not reading the Bible for a few weeks and solely meditating and practicing the words of scripture that I knew by memory has been more challenging than I expected. One challenge is that every time I meditate on one passage the insight that I receive makes me want to look up another passage that connects with the one I am meditating on. It also makes me want to do more analytical study of the passage. The yearning for more analytical study showed me how much of following Jesus in the Western world has been reduced to the cognitive and theoretical. I would rather try to find out the “real meaning” of the verse than actually do it.

Aside from the challenges there have been many benefits to this month long scripture fast:

I have received tons of encouragement from other brothers and sisters due to the fact that I could not search the scriptures on a whim. I had to rely on other followers of Jesus to speak God’s word to me.

These past few weeks I have had the privilege of gaining new insights on passages that I have known since I was a child. This process of chewing and digesting words already stored into memory has allowed me to extract even more spiritual nutrients from the text. Being “forced” to keep the same scriptures before my mind has allowed me to see them from different perspectives.

The best benefit is being given more space to put the words of the Bible into practice. This has been also the most challenging and the most convicting. This time has allowed me to see how the most basic principles of the faith have been absent from certain areas of my life. All of my anxieties and fears and pride cannot be covered up by more knowledge. It’s hard to be distracted by my disobedience with a false sense of growth. My appetite for more information about the bible is being transformed into a an appetite for more application of the Bible. John Wimber used to say “The meat is in the street” meaning we grow in Christ as we put the words of the Bible into action. That’s hard to do when you are constantly looking for clever theological cookies in the cupboard ;)

Last but not least I got a taste of what it’s like to be a part of the persecuted and underground church. In many countries owning a Bible is illegal or at least hard to come by. Many of these followers of Jesus nourish themselves spiritually with cut out pages of the New Testament or the stories of Jesus they can remember. In the United States where bookstores carry Bibles for every marketing niche and hotels give away copies of the Bible it is easy to take God’s word for granted. During this season I am standing in solidarity with the great men and women of God who possess a strong vibrant faith in spite of not having access to the whole Bible.

This has been an amazing month of experiencing a new discipline and I’ll be glad to conclude it on Christmas Eve as I read the birth narratives in the gospels to crown up the first annual Scripture Fast :)

So what do you think?

Do you find you know more about the Bible than you actually put into practice?

What do you do when the Bible grows stale?

Have you ever thought about the fact that we have numerous Bibles in this country but so many don’t read them?

My After Thanksgiving Fast…From Scripture???

Posted: November 24, 2012 in bible, church, faith, Jesus, spirituality
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20121124-122004.jpgThe Day after Turkey Day

So it’s the Day after Turkey Day. Otherwise known as Black Friday. Also known as Tryptophan Slump Day. It’s the day when we think “Why did I eat that much?” and wonder how we are going to make room for cookies and candy at Christmas time. It is a sign of our country’s obsession with food and our growing obesity. But there is another obesity that many in Christian culture are not aware of. It is biblical obesity.

Obese Christians

Biblical obesity is a disease that has plagued many in the Western evangelical world. It is marked by knowing inordinate amounts of scripture but the scripture not being utilized for what it was intended to do. Instead it just becomes dead weight. The cause of biblical obesity is the overabundance of bibles, preaching, and Christian books and the emphasis on knowing scripture intellectually and not practically or emotionally. This kind of approach leaves one able to quote and misquote a lot of scripture and argue about scripture but never being able to put scripture into practice. It is also one of the reasons why divorce rates are high, the church is still segregated, and why people are dropping out of the church in droves. We are an overweight church in need of a workout.

Lose the weight

So my proposal is to lose the weight. How? Let’s go on a scripture fast. Let’s meditate on and put into action the verses and stories of the Bible that we already know. For a whole month. It will be hard. It will be difficult but it will definitely be productive. You will truly succeed in changing your blood type to “B” for Bible.

Here are the benefits:

  • You will really really know the Bible by heart
  • You will identify places you need to grow.
  • You will live out the scriptural precedent to be a “doer of the word and not just a hearer”
  • You will stand in solidarity with the persecuted church of today and down through the centuries. Many do not have whole Bibles and have to obey just the scripture or half a page they have tucked away under their bed or in their coat.

Here are the rules:

  • No reading the Bible unless you are a pastor, student, or writer and you need to use it as a reference for your work
  • Whatever you remember from the Bible you need to meditate on it at least three times a day

Join me
That’s it. An After Thanksgiving Fast. It’s that simple and that powerful. I have already tried it for a few days and it has been life giving. Old scriptures that I didn’t even know I knew started rising up in me. I started to develop a deep hunger for God’s word and actually wanted to read my Bible instead of doing it because I have to. Who’s down to try it with me?

Naming my addictions Pt 4: Food

Posted: October 30, 2012 in bible, change, culture, faith, Jesus, spirituality
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This is number four in a five part series. Read the 3rd installment here

Brazilian churrascaria. Ethiopian doro wot. Cornish hens and rice. Coconut cake. Yes I love food. I love it in an unhealthy “get your name tattooed on my chest after only 2 weeks of dating” kind of way. It definitely is an Achilles heel and a major weakness. When things get tough I make a b line to the three things our bodies are hard wired for: fat, salt, and sugar. One night during a time of intense stress I ate a whole quart of ice cream. Enough said.

The reason why it is so easy for me to go to food for for an escape is that this addiction goes in the category of acceptable vices. I mean the church seems to condone it. When was the last time you heard a sermon on gluttony. I have never heard a sermon or even a casual mention from the pulpit and yet this vice of all the others is the most widespread. And when it’s time to do something together most churches get people together…to eat. See I’m not just talking about being obese. I believe obesity is just a symptom of our overall food addiction.To put it simply food has become a drug and not just fuel for survival.

There are many ways I am choosing to break free from the cycle. Eating more veggies and grains. Also when it comes to eating sweets and desserts I choose smaller portions. The best way to combat the addiction to food is by being aware. Aware of my emotions in the moment I want to scarf something down. Answering the question “Why am I eating?” is the most important thing to do in battling this addiction. While being hooked on sugar, salt, and fat it’s hard to distinguish true hunger from wanting to escape through my taste buds. So asking that question gives me a chance to pause and dig deep into my motives and discover what I am truly hungry for. And hunger deep in the soul is behind all addiction. Don’t you think?

If I was stranded on a desert island…spiritual survival kit

Posted: April 17, 2012 in bible, faith, inspiration, personal, spirituality
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One of my favorite movies is Castaway. Besides the great acting by Tom Hanks one of the reasons why I love it so much is the impossible situation he is faced with and how he managed to forge a life from the scarce resources that he could gather on the island. I am a big fan of shows like Survivor Manand Man vs. Wild (they need a female version of these shows just to balance things out. Women have to survive too. I’m just sayin) because they bring you back to the essentials you need to live-to survive.

One of my recent projects has been the altoid survival kit. It’s almost complete and will include:

20 iodine tablets
Magnesium fire starting stick and striker
Para Cord (wrap around tin)
Reflective tape (across top)
Ultra thin mirror (glue on inside bottom)
Ultra thin 20 millimeter AA liquid filled button compass
Anti diarrhea pills,
6 ibuprofen tablets
1 small packet of antibiotic ointment,
A small suture kit
A small wad duct tape neatly rolled over itself shiny side up
2 safety pins
2 feet aluminum foil into a tiny rectangle

But the most important thing I would take with me would be a copy of Romans 8. Why? Because I believe it is the greatest chapter in the Bible. It is poetic, inspirational, and theologically thick all at once. It is the gospel and the Christian life all compressed into one chapter. But the one thing that I believe is the shining quality of Romans 8 is it’s capacity to buoy hope.

Personally I have been in need of hope. After taking a paycut and experiencing a dark night of the soul brought on by a boatload of ministry stresses and failures it has been hard to see past the next day. Then I started memorizing and meditating on Romans 8 and things changed. I wasn’t even expecting them to and was only deciding to be faithful in digesting the Word. Grace can surprise us.

Let’s face it. Between the wars, natural disasters, racism, classism, divorce, poverty, and just plain old random bad days this life can be unrelentingly depressing and if you don’t have any hope you will be submerged in that depression. This world is desperately in need of hope and not just individualistic materialistic hope. No we need a hope that the birth pains we are experiencing will soon transition into cries of joy. That’s the kind of hope I would need on a deserted island and it is the ultimate hope for an entire planet stranded in a sea of despair

Hip Hop Hermeneutics: NI**AS IN PARIS vs NI**AS IN POOREST

Posted: April 6, 2012 in bible, culture, faith, justice, spirituality
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This is the first of many installments of Hip Hop Hermeneutics. I will be taking a look at popular and underground Hip Hop songs and asking questions in order to analyze, critique, and interpret them from a Christian theological perspective. Hopefully we can gain greater insight into the plight and gifts of the youth of today. That being said, if you care more about the cuss words in these songs than learning from and listening to the voice of young people today then you got some mixed up priorities!

Let’s get it in…….

Ni**as in Paris

[Jay-Z]
So I ball so hard muhf*ckas wanna fine me
But first ni**as gotta find me
What’s 50 grand to a muhf*kaa like me
Can you please remind me?
This sh*t crazy
Ya’ll don’t know that don’t sh*t phase me
The Nets could go 0-82 and I look at you like this sh*t gravy Ball so hard,
This sh*t weird
We ain’t even spose to be here,
Ball so hard, Since we here
It’s only right that we be fair
Psycho, I’m liable to be go Michael
Take your pick, Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, Game 6
Got a broke clock, Rolleys that don’t tick tok
Audemars that losing time, Hidden behind all these big rocks I’m shocked
Too, I’m supposed to be locked up too
If you escaped what I’ve escaped
You’d be in Paris getting f*cked up too
Let’s get faded, Le Meurice for like 6 days
Gold bottles, scold models, Spillin’ Ace on my sick J’s
B**ch behave, Just might let you meet Ye,
Chi towns D. Rose, I’m movin’ the Nets to BK

[Hook]
Ball so hard muhf*ckas wanna fine me
That sh*t crazy (x6)

She said Ye can we get married at the mall?
I said look you need to crawl ‘fore you ball
Come and meet me in the bathroom stall
And show me why you deserve to have it all
That sh*t crazy, Ain’t it Jay?
What she order, fish filet
Your whip so cold, this old thing Act like you’ll ever be around muhf***as
Like this again
Bougie girl, grab her hand
F**k ol girl she don’t wanna dance
Excuse my French but I’m in France (I’m just sayin)
Prince William’s ain’t do it right if you ask me
Cause if I was him I would have married Kate &a Ashley
What’s Gucci my ni**a?
What’s Louie my killa?
What’s drugs my deala?
What’s that jacket, Margiela?
Doctors say I’m the illest
Cause I’m suffering from realness
Got my niggas in Paris
And they going gorillas, huh!

[Jay-Z]
Ball so hard muhf*ckas wanna fine me
Ball so hard muhf*ckas wanna fine me

[Kanye West]
You are now watching the throne
Don’t let me get in my zone (x3)
These other niggaas is lyin
Actin’ like the summer ain’t mine

[Jay-Z]
I got that hot b**ch in my home

[Kanye West]
You know how many hot b**ches I own
Don’t let me in my zone (x4)
The stars is in the building
They hands is to the ceiling
I know I’m bout to kill it
How you know, I got that feeling
You are now watching the throne
Don’t let me into my zone (x2)

[Jay-Z & Kanye West]
I’m definitely in my zone

Mos Def’s Ni**as in Poorest

[Intro]
Live From America
Yasiin, Yasiin, Yasiin
N.I.P, Sing It

[Verse 1]
Ball So Hard, Clean Clothes Look Grimy, Pretty Women Don’t Mind Me
So What’s Fifty Grand To A Young ni**a Like Me? More Than My Annual Salary
Ball So Hard, This S**t Crazy, Walk Outside, The Whole World Hate Me
Nervous Stares At The Thoroughfare, Surveillance Cameras Police Tracing
Ball So Hard, This S**t Weird, We Be Home And Still Be Scared
Its Grief Here, Its Peace Here, Its Easy And Hard To Be Here
Psycho, Liable To Turn Michael, Take Your Pick, Myers, Myers, Myers, Same Shit
Ball So Hard, Got Holey Socks, Dope Block On My Stove Top
Jumbotrons For Astronauts, High In Orbit Off Planet Rock, Say
Ball So Hard, This Chopper Chew, Its Starving Marvin, You Hot Food
Its Birds Of Prey, No Escape, Open-air Prison, Local Zoo
Ball So Hard, Who Getting Faded? Little Maurice In The Sixth Grade
No Mama, No Father, Role Model The Dope Game, Say
Ball So Hard, B**ch Behave, Standing Behind The Deuce-deuce-trey
Ice-cold, Heat Blow, Closed Casket, Cold Case

[Hook]
Ball So Hard, That S**t Cray
That S**t Cray, That S**t Cray, That S**t Cray
That S**t Cray, That S**t Cray, That S**t Cray

[Verse 2]
These Young Bloods Is Looking Scary At The Mall
They Wearing Pants, You Can Still See They Drawers
They Rob A Ni**a In The Bathroom Stall
They Took His Life Cause He Ain’t Want To Take It Off
Singing, Ball So Hard, That Shit Cray, Ain’t It, Bey? Diabetics, Fish Filet
Ball So Hard, Your House So Cold, Ni**a It Ain’t Spring
Every Winter F*cking With My Heat Again
Bougie Girl, Grab Your Hand, Show You How To Do This Ghetto Dance
F*ck Your French, We Ain’t In France, I’m Just Saying
Prince Williams Ain’t Do It Right, If You Ask Me
If I Was Him, I’d Put Some Black Up In My Family
Fake Gucci, My Ni**a, Fake Louis, My Killa
Real Drugs, My Dealer, Who The Fuck Is Margiela?
Doctors Say I’m The Illest, I Ain’t Got No Insurance
It’s Them Ni**as Who Poorest, Be Them Rebel Guerillas, Huh

[Interlude: Malcolm X]
I Don’t Worry. I Tell You, I Am A Man Who Believed That I Died 20 Years Ago
And I Live Like A Man Who Is Dead Already. I Have No Fear Whatsoever Of Anybody Or Anything

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
To The Kings And Queens And Everyone In Every Place, Yo
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Towers Of Babylon Rise Up And So They Shall Fall
As It Was Written Before, Amen, The Show Goes On
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
These Devils Out Here Lying, Acting Like The People Ain’t Dying
They Silver And They Gold, Ain’t Never Saved A Soul
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Signs Through The Earth And Through The Heavens, Lunar, Solar Eclipses
We Seeking For Forgiveness And Safety For Our Children
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Allah Is In Control

To get a better feel for the rhythm and style of the songs check out the video
for Ni**as in Paris here and for Ni**as in Poorest here

Questions to ask:

Is Ni**as in Poorest a dis song critiquing the excessive materialism of Ni**as in Paris? How can that be when Yaasin (Mos Def) is signed to Kanye West’ label?

In what ways is the excessive materialism of Ni**as in Paris related to the larger problem of excessive materialism in Western culture?

How is the overall message of Ni**as in Poorest aligned with Jesus’ message in the gospels?

Can you think of any more questions to ask of these texts?

What Julie and Julia taught me about my relationship with God pt 2

Posted: March 14, 2012 in bible, faith, inspiration, personal, personal development, spirituality
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In my last post I unpacked what I learned from the movie Julie and Julia about my relationship with God. As I continue to think about it more I get more heated because of what a disservice and injustice we do when we describe relationship with God in such insanely ridiculous ways. God is not our cosmic buddy or our women’s tea conversation partner. He is wholly other.

In saying that, my intention is not to dis and dismiss the supernatural but to actually elevate it. Many times we portray relating to God with such casual familiarity that those with superior B.S. antennae can see right through it like superman x ray vision. I actually think the amazing supernatural factor in having a relationship with God is not that we can sit down and have a chat with him like we can with our ace at the cafe or the pub. The amazing thing is that this wholly other person-God-chooses to not only dwell in us but to work through us.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12, 13 ESV)

That is what is amazing about our relationship with God. He has chosen us to partner with him in the work of renovating the world inch by inch. It’s on par with us choosing an ant to paint a painting to rival the Sistine chapel. We see a glimpse of it in the journey of a young woman who dared to believe she could cook like Julia Child.

The prophet Isaiah declared the profound and utter difference between humanity and God:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8, 9 ESV)

John showed how God bridged that gap:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 ESV)

Imitating the Word made flesh is nothing like having a cosmic buddy. It is far removed from the sentiment on the semi-famous t shirt that do emphatically states “Jesus is my homeboy”. In fact, I make way more mistakes than a young woman in new York trying to imitate a master of French cuisine and along the way I see the great mystery and awe of a God who”became what we are in order to make us what he is himself.”-St. Irenaeus of Lyons. Now that’s the kind of relationship I can get into :)

What Julie and Julia taught me about my relationship with God

Posted: March 9, 2012 in advice/how to, bible, faith, personal, personal development, spirituality
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Christians say it all the time “It’s not about rules. It’s about relationship.” Many people have asked me over the years “How is your relationship with God?” Most of the time I feel quite put off by the question and don’t really know how to answer it. It’s not like we sit down at the kitchen table and have casual chatter over breakfast like me and my wife. If I had that kind of back and forth with God you would think I was nuts because….he’s invisible! No matter how many ways you slice it having a relationship with God just like the one I have with Yvette is impossible ( I am not negating the possibility of God’s guidance or hearing his audible voice only the frequency and clarity which most of us will agree is quite minimal)

But what if a relationship with God was never meant to be like the kind you have with a spouse or friend ? What if having a relationship with God is qualitatively different? This dawned on me while watching the movie Julie and Julia. While I think it was a gem of a movie I also believe it can give us a framework on how a relationship with God (an invisible intangible being) is supposed to work.

In the movie Julie and Julia a young woman named Julie is inspired to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Along the way she encounters trials, disappointments, joys, and victories while becoming closer to Julia Child as she pursues this discipline. Throughout the movie we see her become changed and transformed by following in the footsteps of someone who is not around. And the movie begins to hint that although these women lived worlds apart they are connected. But how??? Julie connected to Julia by doing what she did. Although it was a different time and place she cooked the same meals that Julia Child cooked and their relationship was based on those shared practices. In the movie Julia Child was even upset with Julie but it still did not negate the relationship that was formed through those shared practices. In fact Julie was so connected and moved by imitating Julia Child’s cooking that she offered butter (worship) at Child’s Smithsonian exhibit.

And before you think I’m way out there using movies as my Bible let me go to the text to cap it all off:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3 ESV)

whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:6 ESV)

Julie got closer to Julia by cooking her recipes and imitating her practices. In the same way we get closer to God by doing his commandments and imitating his practices. Walking in the same way that he walked while here on earth.

Where should I get my tattoo???

Posted: November 22, 2011 in art, bible, personal, Uncategorized
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I am 34 years old and I have decided to get a tattoo. Yes it seems a little late but I had numerous excuses including the following:

* I did not have enough money (I have spent the same amount of money on countless other things including stupid Christian self help books that I will be selling and giving away shortly)

* I was scared of the pain (Pain is relative if you really want something)

* I was a pastor and it would have distracted people from my sermons (please! there are numerous other things that would distract them (football, lunch, my nervous pacing, their own existential angst etc.)

I never bought into the whole thing of Christians not having tattoos because it is based on some bad hermeneutics of an Old Testament verse (that’s fancy seminary talk for “people can’t read the Bible”). The passage in question is Leviticus 19:28 which states “You shall not ” ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.” This is often read as a clear prohibition against the tattoos that people adorn themselves with today. But actually this is taken out of context. When it comes to understanding the Bible the one thing that is important is context! Say it with me: All meaning is context dependent!

The context of this passage is about idol worship and sorcery. This specific verse pertains to religious rituals for the dead where people would gash themselves and give their blood for the dead. The tattoo marks would be different images and symbols associated with a certain god.

This is a very different purpose than what tattoos are for today. In the vast majority of cases tattoos are for body decoration and not to worship any idols or for witchcraft rituals.

You can read more at Sacred Ink

Now back to my tattooing dilemma. I really want one. I want to do one of an Ethiopian cross something like this…

Ethiopian Meskel (Cross

Why? I love the artwork and design but it also has a lot of meaning in my life. I have been to Ethiopia eight times and the first time totally changed the trajectory of my life. It is also a symbol of my African and Christian heritage. On top of that it is a symbol of where my life is headed as I practice contemplative spirituality. Ethiopia is a land full of monasteries where monks have been living the contemplative life for centuries. So that’s why I want to get a tattoo of an Ethiopian cross. Sometime this year you will get the chronicle of my experience with pics and everything.

Now the big question is… Where should I get my tattoo? Have you ever wanted a tattoo? What did you want for a tattoo? What’s been holding you back?