Tattoo or calfskin Bible?

Okay, this is a weird post. But, for my birthday my wife has said I can either get a tattoo or a calfskin Bible. Honestly, I am really confused about what I want. I have wanted a tattoo for about two years now. I know everyone has a tattoo now. I don't want a barbed wire tattoo to show off my massive arms (joke) or a dolphin on my ankle. I thought about getting a Trinitarian symbol or a Celtic cross. Both symbols represent my union with Christ. But, I am afraid I will get sick of it and want to laser it off in two years. On the other hand, a calfskin bible is the Cadillac of all bibles. I won't have to buy another bible again. I have this bonded leather bible I bought in November and it is falling a part. It was all I could afford. So, I am asking for your opinion. What do you think?

30 yrs. old

I turn 30 yrs. old today. I can't believe it! My twenties are officially over. I feel like an adult now. It's hard to believe that I have been married 61/2 years and have two children. Half of the time I still think I am 19. It's funny how my life seems to fly by. It is cool to see how much I have changed. I think God has done some major healing in my life in the last ten years. I am definitely not as fearful or overly sensitive as I was. I also think I love people a little better. It's also funny to think that I am also still the same person I was when I was nine years old. I still throw tantrums and live for the approval of those I love. I still like video games and basketball. I still dream about the future and what I will be and where I will live. It's cool to see how the story of my youth has great continuity with the story of my adulthood. I look forward to how my story will unfold in the next decade of my life as the Lord Jesus continues to make my story, his story.

A jealous love part 1

I stumbled across 2 Corinthians 11:1-3:
"I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

These verses have been tumbling around in my head for the last five days. These verses show me this intense devotion Paul has to love those who are on his path. He knows the weaknesses of the Corinthians. He knows what seduces and deceives them. His love for their wellbeing drives him to pour out his life for God's beloved. Paul seems to be the broker in this wedding deal between the church and Christ. He is the one who has made a promise to present her to Christ as a pure virgin. The question I keep asking myself is "What am I jealous for in the lives of those I love?" Often I am jealous of people and what they possess. But, I am often not jealous for what they could become. I am finding the work of the church is tied up in knowing who people are and what they struggle with. It is understanding what deceives them, what keeps them from moving closer to their Bridegroom. I want to flesh this out more, but the church needs to be a community of people who know each other. A community that sees each other on the journey of life, a place to belong. I would encourage you to check out Jerry's blog he is trying to wrestle with what it means to create community among college students. Anyway, I have to run.