Holy Ghost Tattoo

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.' But Jonah ran away from the Lord..." Jonah 1: 1-3

    Not very often do I find an inspirational story in the newspaper, especially one that mentions the name of Jesus, but listen to this as I must share it.

    Six years ago, Steven May was a liberal, secular tattoo artist whose life was about to change. His son had invited him to church where Steven accepted the Holy Spirit into his heart. Following his conversion, his occupation just didn't suit his beliefs anymore, so he sold his tattoo parlor in Kent, convicted about the types of tattoos he'd been creating.

    Freelancing as a graphic artist, he was surprised when God prompted him to open a new tattoo parlor, this time for the purpose of evangelism. May avoided this call for a long time for various reasons. Six months ago, God nudged him anew, this time with a specific location in mind in Madison Township, where a "For Rent" sign advertised the space. Again, he ignored God.

    But God has a way of getting one's attention, sometimes in humorous ways. A semi truck and trailer was having trouble making a turn, which caused a very convenient traffic jam in which sat one Mr. May who was positioned directly in front of the empty store that was for rent. The Lord used this prime time to convince the tattooist to take a leap of faith. This time, he obeyed God.

    Since its inception, not a day goes by at May's Holy Ghost Tattoo parlor without a request for prayer or inquiries about Jesus, and May has no problem talking freely about his faith saying, "The Lord is going to come out in my conversation because He is in every part of my life."  All are welcome because, according to Steven May, "all of them are God-bearing images, whether they realize it or not."

    As I read about the harmonious partnership between a tattoo artist and his Lord, I couldn't help but think of the prophet Jonah who ran from the work God had in mind for him. But, look what can happen in the hands of the Living God when we obey Him. The wicked Ninevites believed God and repented of their ways following Jonah's heralds, therefore God relented and did not bring the destruction upon them. Like Jonah, once Mr. May obeyed the word of the Lord, an empty storefront became an island of hope for many who need to hear about Jesus. 

    With a victor's shout, I can picture Mr. May joining the reluctant prophet in the words of Jonah's prayer:

"Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. I will say, 'Salvation comes from the Lord.'" Jonah 2: 8, 9