Jungle + Grace

Urban Kneads was a business devoted to being different. Outside the norm. Away from Bamboo, rolled towels, and hot stones, but walking towards modern ways of giving clients relief from everyday pain. It was about the "urbanite's" need to be able to live hard, play hard, and recover well. However, when I continued to struggle and grapple in my marriage and in my budding relationship with Jesus, I really struggled to feel that the brand could keep up with me. Now, to my gratitude, when we went on our honeymoon, I was inspired by the symbiotic relationship of everything I saw that grew and thrived within its isolated ecosystem of Maui. But this question came to mind that I really chewed on: "What is the paradoxical difference between being in an environment that continues to grow and produce all the things you need to survive and thrive with the understanding that the jungle can also chew you up and spit you out alive or dead?" 

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I really thought about this for a while. That is when I came to the realization that the Jungle represents the ways of the world. Some things are cool and other things are detrimental. The grace of God upon salvation in Jesus Christ, the meaning of the cross, or rather, the sacrifice of Jesus and his resurrection creates a separation within us that we are no longer part of this world but adopted into the kingdom of God [Galatians 2:30 | John 15: 18-20]. This is my Jungle + Grace has a hidden cross in the middle (I discovered this years later, by chance. I originally just liked the way the plus sign looked, but then only last year did I noticed that it is appropriately represented as a cross. I have accepted that it was not an accident as there are no mistakes with God, in the end.)

Truly, we always have two choices to make: for or against something. The grey areas where you don't know if things are up or down. But one thing is for sure, there is always hope when you are walking through the jungle, wilderness, desert, or whatever those seasons look like in your life. Whether they are personal circumstances, sickness, pain, etc. There is always hope. [Phil 4:6 | Romans 12:12]. The black is the long suffering that requires assistance from another in fellowship or in services. The white represents the hope, faith, and love of God. 

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Within my practice at Jungle + Grace, I do not cater to specifically a Christian demographic. But I conduct my business with those principals. But more than anything, I just want to give people hope. Whether they come in to see me for a massage to cope with anxiety, pain, or grief. Whether they are recovering from reconstructive or plastic surgery. Or even just for the joy of touch.