Crossing Lines (like Christ)

 

There I was standing in an old dilapidated brick building, holes in the ceiling and open to the elements. Then Kyle walked in with plastic bags full of paint cans and rollers. He walked with purpose to the center of the space and pulled on elastic gloves. As he started painting a wall, I wondered what made a person paint graffiti?

As a child I remember the joy of coloring. How simple; pick a color and start filling in the blank space. However one thing that always seemed to be a deviation from acceptable behavior was “Coloring Outside the Lines.”

Those who colored outside the lines risked criticism but created something completely their own. They were able to dream something bigger; visualize lines that told a story and came to life. They were the dreamers, visionaries, risk-takers, or simply troublemakers.

When I first saw Kyle I wondered if he was one of those troublemakers who colored outside the lines in Kindergarten and just kept breaking the rules as he got older. I wasn’t sure if he was someone I should talk to or not. (Ingrained habits of childhood – “Don’t talk to strangers.” especially someone painting graffiti in an abandoned building.)

But Kyle was not what I expected. He was a polite young man with a hobby of adding life and beauty to broken spaces. His paint told a passionate story. I learned that he and his girlfriend are traveling artists, painting on contract across the nation. While traveling, they look for broken spaces to add their art, often approaching local businesses that are run down and offering to add life simply for the cost of supplies.

I shared with him that I am a pastor and would be doing a series “Crossing lines – Like Jesus.” I planned to use images of his art and symbolically talk about how God can bring beauty to our broken and abandoned lives. When I came back I found he had painted a cross, almost hidden in a doorway to the building. It cried out – “This is holy ground; yes it was broken, shattered and falling apart, but with the light flowing down through the crumbling rafters on his fresh paint, it looked like stained glass, consecrated and beautiful.”

 

 

 

To Kill or not to Kill

Capital Punishment is one of those issues that can find many passionate opinions on both sides.  And the reality is that most of us cannot understand the depth of passion that some family members feel.  Recently in Iowa there was a murder and robbery in Algona and Humbolt that brought out many strong feelings of retribution and empathy.

Considering these crimes committed allegedly by Michael Swanson I am sure there are many opinions surfacing about what is justice.  On KCCI’s page you will find the facts and reactions of community and other readers.  This is obviously a boy who made a poor choice that will affect many people.  One victim left 10 children.  Families and communities will struggle to answer the questions; why, and what now?  And although he is only 17 there is already consideration of trying him as an adult, and in some comments I have seen people promote the death penalty.

In Iowa we no longer allow the death penalty.  This web page contains some basic facts about the death penalty in the US. As of 2009 there were somewhere over 3,000 people on death row in the in United States.

As thinking Christians we are faced (as the rest of society) with horrible acts that affect whole communities.  How are we supposed to respond to violent acts like this?  How do we balance the words of scripture and interpret God’s Justice and Mercy?  I hope you will follow the link and vote your opinion on Capital Punishment.