Pierced Impressions

[Nicodema]

"Us" wrinklies? LOL. Whatchooo talkin' 'bout ol' man.

[Amelia]

Doctor's new tat: 'Do not resuscitate'

By Janelle Miles

February 18, 2005

From: AAP

AN emergency medicine specialist has given himself an 80th birthday present with a difference – he's had DO NOT RESUSCITATE tattooed across his chest.

http://www.clubadventist.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/157182/an/0/page/0#157182

[NormF]

I didn't even wear a wedding ring until I was closing in on 50, and I've been married all my adult life. My conservative SDA upbringing, and wanting to please the conservative SDAs around me. For a couple years recently, between then and now, I wore another ring on my right hand, just to say to myself, "I can do this" ... and besides, it was a quiet, nice-looking ring - I liked it.

On the other hand (to coin a phrase), I also hooked my wedding ring on a piece of equipment while jumping down off a pickup, and found myself dangling a foot or two off the ground for several long seconds. It took a pair of pliers to squeeze the ring back into an approximation of round so I could get it off my mangled finger. Trust me, there was no joy in it. (I healed, no scars.)

I do still wear a wedding ring; it means something significant to me.

I have a hard time though feeling comfortable when I see metal pins through body parts, regardless of where the body part, or what size or shape the metallica, or anything else. Not only that, should you decide to use that body part, for whatever sport, what then? Will the metal help, or hinder? Somehow, for example, I find it hard to visualize how crossing swords with lip and tongue pins could facilitate a fine, extended period of arousing kissing with my wife. More like wear and tear I think. And I looked at those eyeglasses on that guy's nose and wondered to myself, if he ever takes a punch on the nose, or falls, or even just bumps against them .... For that matter, when he takes them off to go to bed at night, what does his face look like?

The question for me boils down to: for what purpose? Is one's body adequate as it is, or is it lacking something? If so, what does it need, actually? If it does indeed need help, what's the best way to do it? Isn't that what I should be doing to it then?

One thing I'm pretty sure of, a 60- or 70-year-old tattoo of a formerly bodacious nude on a wrinkled, 80- or 90-year-old arm with half the muscle and most of the tone out of it by then doesn't work anymore, if it ever did. Besides, for my part at least, I prefer my spouse's body to an arm - mine or anyone else's. Same for stick pins in various places; I like the real thing, unaltered and un-"enhanced", at least not metallically. I guess that means I'm an old fogey now. Hooda thungkit?

Regards,

Norm

[LifeHiscost]

Quote:

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However ... it could be argued that

laser tattoo removal

merely because one has bought into a guilt-trip conscience-bullying that one should no longer wear a tattoo after joining the church certainly constitutes a form of unnecessary self-mutilation and expresses self-loathing (or at least self-recrimination) -- and painfully so (lasers HURT).

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Just one thing I wish to clarify, Nico. When a person has chosen Jesus as their Savior, their Friend, their big Brother, their Deliverer, how can one have a guilt trip or their conscience be bullied, when the reality of Who we have protecting us is believed? It seems that only when one allows the decisions of others take precedence over the promises of their King, can one then be bullied.

[:"red"] "Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" [/] 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP

Lift Jesus up!!

[LifeHiscost]

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I have not felt convicted by the Holy Spirit that I must cease wearing my labret...

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Exactly my point as alluded to in my post to you just previous to this one.

Lift Jesus up!!

[Nicodema]

Thanks, LHC. I have been the victim of spiritual abuse in the past where I was told I could not expect help from or connection with God unless I did X, Y, Z first -- to "prove" I really wanted to be with God and not Satan -- and then when I did all those things I found after the initial "high" wore off I was no better off spiritually than without having done them, and I just felt completely exploited and used. Time after time I determined if I were to return to Christ "this time" I would not let that be done to me, and time after time it has been done anyway, because I have been so oppressed by Satan and my own mental/emotional health issues, and so desperate/eager to be with God and to have peace and assurance with Him. (Remember, I turned away from Him when I was 19 and gave myself to Satan instead, so this has left me with a lot of Judas complex to haunt and harrow me, not to mention some choice EGW quotes to make my lot seem hopeless, and a few spicy verses from the book of Hebrews to finish the job.)

My mind having been under the control of demonic forces for nearly half my life[:"red"]*[/], I have little, if any, practical sense of how to exercise a faith defense against those who would manipulate me spiritually. Ironically only with Satan did I have defense against that, the defense of not caring whether what I did was right with God or not, which is not an acceptable defense to be using when I want to please Him (or at least, want to want to please Him!) See what I'm saying?

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[:"red"]*[/] - as an aside, the last time I sought to come back to the Lord was in the early 1990s. I experienced a kind of "spontaneous" or sudden deliverance one night during a big-tent prayer session at campmeeting and was alarmed to discover (during the ensuing months afterwards) that after having been carried along -- owned and operated and "controlled" -- for some 10 years, I had no capacity whatsoever to think for myself or to make my own decisions. I was quite literally that empty, swept house spoken of in the parable, I had been dependent upon demonic forces to control my being for so long.

[Nicodema]

By the way, I appreciate your support in the Lord, LHC, very much. Thank you.

[LifeHiscost]

Quote:

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Thanks, LHC. I have been the victim of spiritual abuse in the past >>where I was told I could not expect help from or connection with God unless I did X, Y, Z first<<

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There are probably not that many recognized among the remnant church who have been delivered from the depths of despair, such as yourself, Nico. And since the spiritual life is a journey, not fully traveled to completion until we are changed at the coming of Jesus, you will probably always find some who will be unwilling to give you the benefit of a doubt when they see the least evidence of a flawed experience in you, nor understand the battle you fight.

Re: >> << Can you see how the assessment that people were making of you reveals a common thread in a large measure of the Christian community(not just the Adventist faith), that of determining your acceptance as a candidate for the grace of Christ based on your works. Those who make such assessments see only where you are, not how far you have come.

Jesus not only sees how far you have come, but how far He is able to take you as you submit to His grace. And so also shall your brothers and sisters in the faith see you, who themselves know their own life is a result of having been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, in spite of themselves.

[:"red"] "Now unto Him Who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. " [/] Eph 3:20

I am not one to say our flawed behavior will not bring justified negative repercussions, even as disciples of Christ, but I can say those repercussions are often from sources of the underworld, disguised as disciples. Our safety lies not in trying to determine who the false disciple is, but in treating them the same as Jesus treated His detracters, even unto death.

An impossible feat for us, but possible by claiming another of God's promises.

[:"red"] "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." [/] Rom 8:28

[:"red"] "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." [/] Phil 4:13

Keep looking up, child of God.

Lift Jesus up!!

[Amelia]

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