HUFFMAN, TEXAS – A local man runs a tattoo shop, but he has a unique side job. Scott Hill is also a minister.
Hill opened Anointed Ink in Huffman a few years ago.
"A lot of people come in," said Hill. "It's our goal that they don't know we're a Christian shop. Not everybody pays attention to the name."
Beyond the body art, he hopes customers take something else with them forever. They just have to say the magic words.
"You'd be surprised how many people ask, 'What does anointed mean?' And as soon as they say that, there we go," Hill said.
Ask about the name and you might find yourself in a deep, spiritual conversation.
"I'm going to sew a little seed into you and when you leave I pray that you'll think about what we talked about," Hill said. He added, "So I'm going to change your life no matter what."
Hill admittedly has kind of a wild history, but found his way back to God a few years before he opened the shop.
It started as a labor of love but with a mission to minister.
"In a world that's going crazy, maybe we can help a little bit," Hill said.
Anointed Ink was thrust into the spotlight when Hill and his friends appeared on Jeff Foxworthy's game show, "The American Bible Challenge."
A national audience learned of this unlikely story: The last people on Earth you might expect to see spreading the word of God and the surprising souls on the receiving end.
"We love that opportunity to see a giant biker guy, crying in your chair, praying for him, to teach them or show them love where they're not going to get it otherwise. Who thinks they're going to be loved on in a tattoo shop?" Hill said.
Anointed Ink is basically like any other shop expect for a few rules.
"We don't do anything satanic. That would actually be counterproductive for us. We don't do drug-related, gang-related or any pornographic tattoos," Hill said.
But they will cover those up. For some of Hill's customers -- former prisoners and gang members looking for a change -- fresh ink can help with a fresh start.
"People definitely change." Hill said. "But you got to get rid of the symbols sometimes to move on in life."
What also separates this artist from the rest is the direct connection he makes between prayer and his passion. Hill prays over each new bottle of ink.
"In the Bible they took pieces of garments, the disciples and put them under people's pillows on their bed and they would get heeled," Hill said. "So if you can do that with a garment, why not ink that stays in your body forever?"
For Hill, it's his higher calling flowing through the needles and into the skin … the opportunity to change lives one tattoo at a time.
As part of the game show appearance, Anointed Ink competed to help the charity Inner City Ministries of League City. The group works with troubled youth to break the cycle of violence.