I have a thing about tattoos. I don't personally have any, and I probably never will. (Not because I'm opposed to it but, rather, because I overthink everything and don't think I would ever be able to decide what image to get and where to tattoo it.) However, I appreciate hearing stories about why other people get their tattoos, especially if it's connected to their faith journey. In photography I love the rare moments when someone's tattoo fits in the story of the photo I'm taking.
I’m excited to launch a new series called Kavilali Tattoos. We’ll be following stories of people who have tattoos to symbolize their faith in Jesus. The first story features my awesome friend Brenden.
I record the interviews with each of my subjects and ghostwrite their stories into a series of posts that contain photos of my subjects and their tattoos.
Now I’ll introduce you to Brendan, my first subject for Kavilali Tattoos.
Sea turtles are known as creatures that migrate and go from place to place. Ten years ago I got this tattoo because of the Scripture in Hebrews that talks about Abraham’s faithfulness to move to a different place when God called him. Originally the turtle was meant to be a reminder that I am a sojourner on this earth.
Today my tattoo reminds me of the crossroads my family is at. My wife and I will be moving to the West Coast soon. The house we’re living in has been in a constant state of renovation since we bought it as a fixer upper, and we also are not as grounded in church community in St. Louis as we would like. For these reasons my turtle tattoo resonates most with me right now.
As followers of Jesus it is a gift that we don’t have to be rooted in this earth. When things fail us here we have hope in the Kingdom to come. While my wife and I sojourn through struggles with mental health, the hurt caused by friends we aren’t close to anymore, and work things that aren’t going according to plan, my turtle tattoo reminds me that God is good and He has called us to this place just for a certain time.
The compass tattoo [pictured above the turtle] reflects the reality that God is not a GPS. God many times isn’t going to tell you exactly where to go and what to think; his leading is gentler. I see that in my journey as a missionary--He has invited me to attend this prospective missionary gathering, lead a Bible study at that university, help others showing the Gospel to those people. I’m glad God gives gentled guidance like a compass; I don’t like being told what to do!
“For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
-Hebrews 11:10
I wasn’t a sojourner for God growing up, and the self-centered compass I was using directed me to the things that brought instant gratification.
St. Louis is very Catholic. I grew up here, and I went to Catholic school from kindergarten all the way through my college years at SLU. My dad was nominally Catholic, and my mom was agnostic. One day I came home and told my mom, “Today I learned that God loves me more than anyone else!” My mom responded, “That’s not true, I love you more than anyone else.”
I was good friends with a kid from a strong Christian family. A lot of my time was spent in their home growing up, and I saw my buddy’s parents living out their lives for Jesus.
Although I was exposed to faithful role models, the question I asked myself to guide my decisions was, “How do I bring immediate satisfaction to myself?” I partied a lot and lived in the glory of being a strong athlete.
Then in the Fall of my senior year of high school I tore my right shoulder labrum in football and my promising senior baseball season was taken away. I got drunk at a house party on New Year's Eve and woke up in the snow, alone. Some random guy ended up trying to help me. I felt shocked the next morning. How could my friends abandon me in such a vulnerable moment? I didn’t feel like I belonged to anyone, and my seventeen-year-old self didn’t believe I’d ever be able to rely on anyone again.
I decided to give the Jesus thing a try. One I started college at St. Louis University, I got connected to an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship staff who helped me grow a lot in my faith journey. Eight months after deciding to follow Jesus I got this Hebrew tattoo on my right shoulder, which means, “belonging to the Lord.”
I got this tree tattoo on my side to remind me that I’m rooted in God’s love. Ephesians 3:17-19 says, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” God’s love is symbolized by the tree growing out of a heart.
We go through so many seasons, as plants go through cycles and seasons. If these plants are connected to the right source, they continue to grow deep roots no matter the season and how dead things may appear. Sometimes I cry out to God; I genuinely don’t know so I ask, “Are you there?”
If we are connected to the right source our roots of faith continue to grow, and they can even intertwine with the roots of other believers. That rootedness allows us to be faithful. Through the years of life, as I sojourn from place to place, spiritually I can be fruitful because I’m rooted in God’s love.
My ship & net tattoo is a piece that continuously challenges me. In the book of Mark, Jesus is walking along and sees a couple guys fishing. He asks them to come with him, and they drop their nets to follow him. I’m amazed at the willingness of the disciples to drop everything and be able to trust Jesus that much. The tattoo reminds me to ask the question, “What are the things I still hold tightly to, that I need to drop in order to follow you and call other people to follow you?”
God calls us to be fishers of men. Immediately after becoming a Christian I felt this calling. We aren’t just bringing these “fish” into our own nets for our own community. Fishers of men are sent out to connect men and women to God so that they, in turn, can become fishermen and bring redemption to other communities.
Hiroki came to the U.S. from Japan just after making a decision to follow Jesus. At SLU, I studied the Bible with him and one other guy twice a week. Hiroki had so many questions; he was eager to learn about Jesus. He’s a fish that swam up to the boat and straight up asked, “Can I get in?”
For a while Hiroki got on the phone every day and did a Bible study on the book of Mark with his friend in Ohio. After he finished studying, Hiroki returned to Japan; he tried to start a Bible study at his workplace and became a leader in his church.
One of the most missional students I’ve seen in my life began his faith journey not sure that he wanted to do any of that “missional stuff.” Hiroki just wanted to learn. My experience discipling him taught me how to be a good fisherman, how to pastorally care for someone and to point out places of correction.
“ ‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ ”
Brenden serves with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, daughter, and chocolate lab.