pinakidion
About Me #
Pinakidion is greek word that means “writing tablet”. It appears once in the New Testament in Luke 1:63. This is a part of my name story. Read the verse and the rest of this page and you’ll understand the name of the site in a second way that is more personal to me.
This site serves as a writing tablet for my journey in life. Much of that journey involves my faith, but in recent years it has grown to encompass my interactions with deaf culture as well as my adventures as a father, husband, writer, and a geek. Going forward, these are the things I will write about. I also hope to put together some Christian resources. Truth be told, it’s more for me than anything, but I’m happy to share whatever I can.
On this site, I’ve written quite a bit about my faith as well as my thoughts on a particular denomination, the International Churches of Christ. I became a member of the ICoC in April 1991. In April 2006, I requested that I be removed as a member of the local ICoC, though I still worship there to this day. This put me in an odd position in that I was not an official or legal member of the congregation, yet I performed as a member in every other regard. At the time of my resignation, I intended to eventually worship elsewhere. I have since decided that I want to stay here. Without the love of people here, I would have never taken the steps to reclaim my identity and my dignity, both of which I lost during my time in the ICoC in another city.
I went by John for about 27 years, but that is not the name given to me by my family. My family told me the story of my birth and my name many, many times. My mother still does. My parents love me and though they do not understand my constant insecurity of not belonging, they do everything they can to beat back the darkness and embrace me for who I am.
It is better to be loved than to be understood.
For what it is worth, the matter of my official or legal membership never became an issue. There are simply more important things in all of our lives. I think that I am an official member now, though I didn’t go through any formalized process. I teach adults and Sunday School from time to time. I am welcomed and feel respected here.
I am passionate about many things, especially in regards to matters of faith. Any criticism is intended to be an expression of how much I care. I will listen and consider whatever somewhere shares.
There is a recent movement to examine your faith called deconstructing. Maybe I was ahead of my time as I have been deconstructing since 2003. Then again, even St. Augustine deconstructed his faith at great length. Not everyone that deconstructs leaves their faith behind. A better term for my personal process could be reconstructing.
I want the church local and global to be a city on a hill despite the actions of many of its architects. This is true inside and outside my denomination. Thoughts and ideas evolve over time, so if you have something to share with me, feel free to contact me.
Welcome to the site, I hope you enjoy your visit.