Initial Splotches of Digital Ink

Ah, my initial foray. I'm hoping that this will evolve into a weekly digest of my ruminations, but between a full time Bachelor's program and a full time job hawking shoes at a certain Arkansas-based retailer (I know, I know, screw me for supporting the evil empire), let's just say we'll just see how it goes.

Microbio(-graphy, not -logical): Born in Missouri, grew up on a farm, graduated from high school in a class of twenty, was initially headed for the Air Force, felt called into ministry, moved to Oklahoma City and started a Bachelor's program in Pastoral Ministry, got married. I realize that it sounds like I'm just generally sold out, but the truth will soon spill from my digital quill. (Did I mention my dabbles in poetry? :) )

You're probably wondering about the name. A victim of my own nitpickiness, I mulled about 487 different names in my head (okay, more like thirteen) before settling on Scarlet Over Jade. As I thought about it, I thought about the dichotomy one can often see in life between power and powerlessness, substance and shadow, scarlet and jade. In my mind, jade represents those things which are of marginal consequence, at best. Jade is money. Jade is this earth. Jade is that collection of petty things we chuck into the storage shed of our lives. Of course, much like jade, they might often look very tantalizing - yet that glitter is a fraud.

Scarlet, on the other hand, is sacrifice. Scarlet is life. Scarlet is the shedding of blood for a cause that transcends the self, physically or otherwise. Scarlet is meaning. Scarlet is truth.

Hence the name. :)