Pure Discipleship

by Lisa Coleman

Do you remember spring cleaning when you were growing up?  It would involve opening the house to air it, cleaning windows, scrubbing woodwork, and stripping and waxing hardwood floors. And don’t forget beating rugs and sunning pillows. Phew, it makes me tired just thinking about it. My ‘spring cleaning’ looks a lot more sedate as my wood floors have a coating on them, I can regularly mop plus now there are better vacuum cleaners with a plethora of attachments for all types of woodwork. The invention of dusters on extendable sticks was a giant leap forward as well thankfully!

Now days, at my age, I am looking to purge ‘stuff’. I try to regularly cull my closet of clothing I can’t, don’t, won’t or shouldn’t wear. The keepsakes I lugged around the country with our many moves have lost some of their sentimentality and I am sorting those as well. I do have some regrets though. Why, oh why did I let Clif talk me into getting rid of my record albums! And Nancy Drew books.

Do any of you have a tattoo? That’s a more permanent keepsake of sorts. They were popular with military guys back in the day. Then others became interested. By etching one’s priorities or causes on one’s person in ink, the world can know what they are about, and it creates a lasting memory. Today, many have tattoos – girls, guys, grandmothers, as well as certain groups. Sadly, gang members use them to denote not only membership, but ownership.

There is a ministry in East Los Angeles, Homeboy Industries, that Father Greg Boyle started. It is a ministry that serves to remove the tattoos of ex-gang members and wipe their slates clean. For many, it is as crucial a service as it is merciful. Gang-related tattoos prevent many former gang members from getting jobs or advancing in work. For others, the markings critically impinge on mental health or put them in serious danger on the streets. There is no fee or community service required to receive the tattoo removal offered by Homeboy Industries. It is strictly a gift. Currently, there is a waiting list of over a thousand names. This paints such a vivid picture of ‘spring cleaning’ or spiritual renewal in a most tangible action. An outward evidence of an inward shift in direction.

One of the curious things about the growing list of people interested in laser tattoo removal is that Father Boyle is straightforward about the procedure. The process of tattoo removal is extremely painful. Patients describe the laser procedure as feeling like hot grease on their skin. And yet the list grows, each name representing a life that longs to be free and is willing to endure the pain to seize it.

A clean start each spring kicks the year off in a hopeful, refreshing manner. Purging closets and keepsake memory chests offers a sense of relief and a load lightened.  Removing an indicting permanent mark on one’s person can free a person to move forward with their life. Refining and purifying has many faces as we shall see in Acts 18-19 this week. Come join the discussion Sunday!

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If you cannot be with us in person, feel free to download the Bible study materials for your personal use by following one of these links: PowerPoint Slides, PDF File. You can also find the video of this session on our YouTube channel soon after the meeting concludes. And lastly, you could follow this link to download other studies in this series: INpowered Discipleship if you happened to miss one of our prior studies.

Yours in Christ,

Eric Glover   
The Gospels Class     
Brentwood Baptist Church