Two New Tattoo Ideas

So I've been thinking about tattoos.

I've got two ideas. One is an homage to a hero of mine: St. Francis of Assisi...

I like the black and white, but Alyssa and I messed around with the image in Illustrator and came up with this (the colors will probably be a bit darker and richer by the time we're done with it):

And the other is kind of a spinoff of a tattoo I saw at Cornerstone this year. At one of the seminars we went to, a girl a few seats down from us had a large tattoo of an Orthodox Icon illustration of the disciples casting their nets into the Sea of Galilee. The image was simple—all black, except for a series of thin, bright red halos around the subjects—but had a profound depth to it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. After a few hours of research, I found an image that I would love to convert into a shoulder tattoo, but can't find a copy large enough to base an illustration off of it.

It's called "Lord, Save Me," and depicts Jesus, walking on the Sea, stooping to aid a sinking Peter. There are numerous artistic versions of this Biblical moment, but none captures—for me, at least—the humility and grace and care with which Christ pulls Peter from the waves. In most versions, Jesus just looks like an all-powerful jerk who—in his divine mercy, of course—deigns to rescue a "mere mortal" from certain death.

The Jesus in the image above is the Jesus I am attracted to from the deepest part of my soul. The Jesus whom I can imagine catching Peter with a friendly chastisement. Who doesn't see Peter's weakness as evidence of his inferiority, but takes Peter in his arms with grace and humility and love, turning the situation into (dare I say it?) a teachable moment.

Let me know your thoughts.

Peace,

Joshua