More on Thread the Pore

I love it when you ask questions!!!!

And I am happy to be the source for all of your nose piercing info. So here’s the skinny…
I have to be the biggest goofball to roll up into Heat Street for a piercing. It was about 10:45 am, and there were no other customers there. I guess the preschool hours are not a hot piercing time 🙂 Lloyd, the owner – we use to be in the same Sunday School class, and another guy were kicked back watching TV when I arrived. So, my lil’ nerdy self begins to ask a lot of questions. You know, I really just wanted to talk about it to get warmed up to the whole idea – you know like an episode of LA Ink or something. But I don’t think piercing dudes are all that into talk, so I found myself in the surgical chair much quicker than I expected. Did you hear me? There’s a little surgical room that looks very much like a doctor’s exam room.
During the research phase of this decision, I grilled two other people with nose piercings and discovered that a piercing gun is not used for cartilage piercing. Yes, that was very bad news. I really liked the efficiency of a gun – pierced in one second flat. No piercing guns at Heat Street, no sir-ee. I did not witness any of this, but Lloyd explained that he would stick a piercing needle through my nostril (no local anesthetic, thank you very much) and it would be pulled out through the bottom of my nose. Somehow the nose stud (or whatever you call the thing) was attached to the needle and fed through after the needle. That sounds awful to me, but it wasn’t that bad at all. Thread the pore (the needle part) took only one or two seconds. Wrangling the stud into place was a little uncomfortable and was somewhat akin to having a tooth pulled but much quicker. The whole process took maybe a minute or two.
I was very curious about what would actually be inside my nose too. I knew there couldn’t be a back to hold it in place, and there isn’t. Mine is curved like the silver stud below:

I think it’s actually called a nose screw. And I don’t have a clue about how one goes about removing the blasted thing. Some twisting and finagling to be sure…

I think all of the swelling has gone down today because it’s very wiggly, and I’m not liking that so much!
I’m not feelin’ this is a long-term gig, but it’s an interesting experiment/experience nonetheless…

Behind the Piercing

Okay, I really am pierced (it’s a little itchy today). And there is no noble reasoning behind it. It doesn’t symbolize or represent anything, and it’s not a manifestation of some internal darkness. It really just boils down to the fact that I really became intrigued with having a nose piercing about four months ago, and if you’ve been reading here a while, you’ve heard me mention it a couple of times. You also may have heard me express some regrets about things I didn’t do when I had the opportunity. It became quite clear that this was going to be added to that list if I didn’t give it a whirl, so I did.

I didn’t immediately love it, but I am growing to like it more and more. I really don’t like the whole discovery process where people will see it for the first time; it honestly makes me quite anxious. I emailed Carson’s teacher (because I volunteer in their classroom) and told one of her friend’s mom on the phone because I just wanted them to know in advance of seeing it for the first time (that sounds so silly but I felt much better after that).

Chris and I have actually talked extensively about getting the piercing for months. I did it with his complete blessing. We had agreed that I would wait until after the business trip to Virginia – which made Monday the day. I was chickening out, and Chris called three times to see if I had gotten it done yet. He was not lettin‘ me off the hook, and I’m glad he didn’t. He digs it – calling it cute, cool, and sexy (depending on his mood and mine).

I absolutely in no way regret doing it!

Carson is not a fan, but it’s not a big deal to her. She gives it a thumbs down, she says. Campbell says she is going to get her nose pierced when she is big like me. She has touched it and looked inside my nose to thoroughly check it out. I talked about it with both of them before doing it, but I didn’t tell them when the deed would be done. When Carson disapproved, I seriously considered forgetting the whole thing out of respect for her opinion. Then I decided there might be a better lesson at hand; as long as I am not disobeying Scripture or the leadership of the Holy Spirit and as long as I am not hurting anyone – I should not let the opinions of others dictate my choices. After all, I am praying that she (and her sister) will be socially courageous when it comes to being different in Jesus’ name.

It bears repeating that there was no noble reasoning behind the needle (that went slam through my nostril), but it has brought me face to face with my own desire for social acceptance. I don’t like feeling like people are having conversations about me behind my back, but I do like knowing that I went for it even though it would be an unpopular choice in some circles (thank you to those who left encouraging comments!). I like knowing that I’m not going to have to add another item to my regret list. I’m discovering that I needed my own shot of social courage… So while this is honestly a little humbling, it’s causing some neat introspection.

O Happy Day!

189 people in attendance for our first NewSpring Florence service!

1 more person who will call heaven home!

One Big, Glorious God who did it all!

It was all I hoped it would be and way more!

Thank you for your prayers.

The God of Caterpillars

I last taught Sunday School on September 10, 2006. It was probably the last time I will teach SS in my whole life. It was a day when hundreds of people would leave that church, never to return. We all knew it was our last, and I was scheduled to teach on sex. I did not. I taught about caterpillars instead. And about how God specializes in taking things that are messy and dirty and ugly and turning them into beauty.
I played this song by the Newsboys:

You are the author of knowledge
You can redeem what’s been done
You hold the present and all that’s to come
Until your everlasting kingdom
Lord, I don’t know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead me to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt
You are the God of tomorrow
Turning the darkness to dawn
Lifting the hopeless with hope to go on
You are the rock of all salvation
Lord, I don’t know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead me to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt
Oh, Lord, you are the author
Redeeming what’s been done
You hold us in the present
And all that is to come
Lord, we don’t know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead us to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt
And now two years and one month and nine days later, beauty emerges from what was messy and dirty and ugly in our lives.
NewSpring Florence launches at FMU’s McNair Science Building at 10:30.
He is faithful! Need I say more?
Check back on Monday for some scoop on how things go…