Sometimes, self identifying as something doesn't make it true. In one of the early epistles of the computer hacker canon, The Cathedral and the Bazaar, the author observes that "hackers" cannot really identify themselves as such. Rather, the existing community of "hackers" identifies the new programmer as one of their own. In some ways, I always saw this as the way (life lived as a form of ongoing) baptism into faith should be like. We don't have the right to call ourselves Christians or pastors or any other thing with in a traditioned community. Only the community can name us and identify us as such.
From my perspective you will always be both friend and pastor not because of any titles you or I claim as your identity, but based on my own experience of our infrequent, yet meaningful relationship. So as your virtual tattoo artist, I like to imagine that somewhere in a fancy Gothic Latin script you are sporting "2 Corinthians 3:3"
Sometimes, self identifying as something doesn't make it true. In one of the early epistles of the computer hacker canon, The Cathedral and the Bazaar, the author observes that "hackers" cannot really identify themselves as such. Rather, the existing community of "hackers" identifies the new programmer as one of their own. In some ways, I always saw this as the way (life lived as a form of ongoing) baptism into faith should be like. We don't have the right to call ourselves Christians or pastors or any other thing with in a traditioned community. Only the community can name us and identify us as such.
From my perspective you will always be both friend and pastor not because of any titles you or I claim as your identity, but based on my own experience of our infrequent, yet meaningful relationship. So as your virtual tattoo artist, I like to imagine that somewhere in a fancy Gothic Latin script you are sporting "2 Corinthians 3:3"