Amazing Grace

I had the distinct privilege of baptizing twenty two men last night at Charlotte Correctional Center. 22! There were black men and white men. Tall. Short. Skinny. And lastly one particularly large man (close to 400 pounds!)

The testimonies were incredible. Every one of them has a story. They've been to places most only see on seedy Lifetime movies. Most of them have struggled with addictions. Some are serving time for violent offenses. A few were loud and boisterous. Others very circumspect. But all have experienced the incomparable grace of God in their lives.

There were men with braids, others with corn rows, and still others with ponytails. And tattoos. Every one of them seemed to have multiple tattoos. For many, the tattoos told the story. Many of them are symbols of hatred and violence. Expressions of deep, dark feelings boiling for years just below the surface.
All of that seems now to have been erased. As if the baptismal waters washed away the last vestiges of that old life. The tattoos remain. But their message has been radically altered. Now their testimony is, "I once was lost but now I'm found."

Once again I am in awe of God's amazing grace.