Superheroes: What America Needs Once Again

Why do we need superheros today? In a country where a 3 year old can pilot an ipad, unassisted, to her favorite episode of DORA (I've seen it happen), are superheros needed any longer? Can old, outdated, 1950's print media protagonists really appeal to the up and coming 'Generation Z'? I say, YES! We've always need superheros and always will need them.

Superheroes have been an important part of American history since their beginnings. They have fought against the Nazis, terrorism, bullying, and basically all the forces of evil. They have been upstanding as presidents, congressmen and women, senators, even mayors (in the comics at least). Superheros taught us things like having a moral code (Superman), breaking free from the shadows of your past (Batman), and working with what life throws your way (Spider Man). Superheros have been and continue to be inspirations. Whether it's Superman to a G. I. in WWII or the ipad generation of today, superheros make us root for right and cheer when wrong is brought to justice. 

Now, am I saying that all superheroes are good? No, we have our anti-heros: Punisher, Elektra, Deadpool, Sub-mariner, Rorschach, Spawn, and in some cases even Wolverine and Batman. Even with these, in most cases, they do good ... just going about it in the wrong way.
  
Sadly, these anti-heros are beginning to look like saints. Now gangster movies have been popular since the 40's and continue to climb in our culture. I'm not trying to bash on a good gang flick, but the rise in popularity has become a concern of mine. Movies in which the star is a drug dealer, a mafia boss, or a convict on the run may be entertaining, but what happens when generation Z starts idolising these 'heros' over the real ones. When these things start to reform our attitudes of good and bad, making cops the bad guys and the criminals the guys we cheer for, this is wrong.

Movies where an illegal lifestyle is promoted and glorified would include: The Godfather, Scarface, Goodfellas, Lord of War, Casino, Pulp Fiction, Gangs of New York, Public Enemies, Blow, Brooklyn's Finest, Brother, Gone in 60 Seconds, Bonnie and Clyde, and Sin City ... just to name a few. Let us not forget video games such as, grand theft auto (which is what initially prompted this article), Gang Life: Gang Wars, The Warriors, 50 cent: Blood on the Sand, Saints Row ... also ... just to name a few. 

I'm not even going to get into gangster music...

With all this negative influence it's refreshing to see Batman defeat Bane. It's good to see superman struggle with the death of Zod. It's good to see Loki dethroned! Stop cheering for the bad guy, America!

To sum up: in a year of Gangster Squad, Parker, Pain and Gain, and Identitiy Theift, it's good to see some Superman holding up a moral code and fighting for truth and justice. Did I like Superman? ... to be honest it wasn't my favorite ... but amid the other movies this year, Superman has never flown higher.

Reasoning

I am no fool to think that I will persuade some with this article. My writting this is two fold: 1. to write out my thought for myself and 2. To reassure thoughs how think the same way as me.

Now I can use scripture to prove my point. So can everyone else. Any 'theologin' can twist scripture to say what he would like. I am more just asing people to use their noodles on this one.

Now I have heard many arguments about why people don't believe reformed doctrine. The biggest thing I've heard from folks is that they can not believe that God chooses His elect. Or that it is not fair that God chooses. My focus is not so much on that subject. My thoughts are on the questions: 'How can a loving God create people to go to hell?' and 'How can you say that God wants people to sin'

Some folks believe that God creates people specifically to go to hell. Some believe that God does not. Say God does not create people ot go to hell, that's a fair conclusion to be found in the scriptures. But lets think for a moment. God knows every person that will accept Christ as their Saviour. I believe both camps of thought can agree on that. So God creates John Lenin. Knowing full and well that John Lenin will reject the gospel. Is that not creationg some that is just going to go to hell? 'But Lenin had the chance to hear and believe!' Fair enough but even if he had that chance to hear and believe and God still created someone knowing full and well that he would live his whole life and go to hell.

Are there holes in my logic? To me, no. To you there are so many holes they should film a Disney movie on this essay. That's just fine.

Second is the question, 'How can you believe that God wants people to sin?' Let us travvel back to the garden in Eden. Don't you think that God could have not created woman? Don't you think that God could have not created Lucifer? Don't you think God could have destroyed Lucifer when he fell? Could God not have chosen another reality in which man and woman did not rebel and, of there own free will, chose to obey God and serve Him?

We know that sin displeases God. It angers Him and breaks His heart...but does it not seem that God could have stopped sin from happening? Would it be safer to say that it just might be part of His eternal purpose? And that though it angers Him that He is allowing it to happen for a purpose?
Once again, I am not trying to sway anyone in what they believe. If God chooses to use this post to do that, prasie Him. This is for people who believe as I do, and that this might help them sort out things in their own minds and studies.

May God get the praise for all He accopmlishes through us.

Day 27 The Acts ix Saul's Conversion

for he is a chosen instrument of mine

Sorry for the lack of postings. I've just started working third shift and this is the reason for the delays.

Saul was chosen by God for a special service. God had chosen, long ago, to use Saul to give the gospel to the Gentiles. God has special plans for all of us.

I told my fiancee the other day that I have never chosen what church to God to. The choice has always been made for me. I have either gone with my parents, to my college's church, or the church where my fiancee goes now.

Could I choose to go to a different church? Sure. I had a hard time with this. I had never chosen for myself what church I wanted to attend. Then God worked in my heart to show me something.

When we have no control over a situation, then we know God is in complete control (He is in control of ever situation, we just realize it more during these times). Since I was not the one choosing where I wanted to go, Then God was the one choosing for me.

God places us in places and situations even when we don't realize it. I praise God for every congregation He has brought me to.

Day 26 The Acts ii Pentecost

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

When I read the book of the Acts I am amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit. What He did in the apostles' lives and what He did through them.

I want to have this filling of the Holy Spirit! What Christian wouldn't? I believe if we simply ask God for the filling of the Spirit and believe that He will do it, then He will.

We complicate things. In today's times we do not believe these things can happen, that is why we do not see them any more. Believe and you can move mountains.

Day 25 Lk xxiv The Ascension

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.



This is it. This is a sum up of Christianity. Think about the weight of these words. Christ tells us what was accomplished by His death. The repentance and forgiveness of sins.

First thing we see is that Christ opened their minds. Christ has to first open your mind. Then he tells them that He has fulfilled the scriptures. And these people were still shocked that He did what He said he was going to do. He rose on the third day.

And by that He has given us the repentance and forgiveness of sin, but not just to keep to ourselves! It should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations.

Proclaim it!

Day 24 Jn xx The Resurrection

Peace be with you

A small phrase but it is repeated several times in this passage. Christ was saying to His followers because, well, it was a scary time. They thought for sure that Christ had died! Now here He is walking and talking with them. It is quite an or deal. They were pretty shaken up.

When Christ comes into our lives things get shaken up. Our world view is shattered and reformed for us from the Bible. Even after we have been saved for some times, God will send things our way that will, make ripples, disrupting our peace.

Christ final message, in the book of John, is peace. Don't worry, don't fret, don't get worked up. Peace.

Day 23 Jesus Death

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" ... When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

The thing that stood out to me was the actions of the guards. Pilot delivers Christ into the hands of his guards. They beat him, put a crown of thorns on His head, put a purple rob on Him, and put a reed in His hand. The solders then kneel and mock Christ.

Think about it, this is Christ, God's son, what they were doing in mockery was some of the greatest blasphemy recorded in scripture, mocking the prince of Heaven. But by the end of they day their world had been turned upside down.

When Christ gave up the ghost the rocks broke open. The veil in the temple ripped (it was old to be sure, but it was also several inches thick). The graves were opened and the dead were brought back to life. The dead even went into town and talked with their families.

Then the head of the solders said, 'Surely this was the Son of God'. I can't imagine what that solder felt like as he rehearsed in his head when he had hit Jesus and mockingly knelt before him. Just an interesting thought.

Day 22 Jn xvii High Priestly Prayer

glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,

It is all about giving glory to God. God is the controller and driving force behind the whole universe. Whenever we accomplish a task, no matter how small, it was all God's doing. Anything good done through us was done by God.

Even Christ here was saying, 'glorify me so that you, ultimately, will get the glory. When we get a job, clean the house, or just breath, it is all God's doing. Do we praise Him and give Him, His glory?

I know that so much of what I do I attribute to myself, when in fact, it is all God.

Day 21 Jn xv. The True Vine

for without me ye can do nothing.


Christ was the one who said this. When was the last time you sat down and really thought about what you had the power to do? Think about it?

You are nothing outside of Christ. Human's would like to think they are something, when in reality you are not. You can only be something when you are in Christ and He is in you.

Christians are the worst at this. Cause we think, strip Christ away and I'd still be a pretty good person with fair morals. Wrong, you are a good person with fair morals because if Christ in your life.

We are, and can do, nothing without Christ.

Day 20 Jesus Power over Death

Jesus wept.

In Bible college guys always joke about preaching from this verse. It is one of the two shortest verses in the Bible, the other being, Rejoice always. When I was in college I had my fair share of poking a little fun at this verse. Then i started thinking how i actually could preach this verse.

We all seem to view Jesus as this Germanic looking, red head, with moosey, teased hair. He walks all around the desert, gliding as he goes, acting like a guru from Jackie Chan. This view is of course wrong.

Jesus was very God and very man. He had the wisdom of God with all the emotions and feelings of a human. This verse is used for jokes but look at its context! Jesus is crying because a good friend of His just died. I've never had a close personal friend die, but I have helped people who have. It is an extremely tough experience.

We worship a Christ that weeps when things happen to us. He knows what it is like to lose a close friend. He sees crowds and is moved with compassion! When you are alone and crying you can be comforted knowing that even Jesus cried when He was on this earth. Christ knows how to comfort us because He has been there before.

p.s. If you want a true view of Christ check out Revelation xix.11-16

Day 19 Jn v Jesus' Authority

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

People have been searching for eternal life for most of recorded history. Christ is one of few people that claim to offer eternal life. Why are people so prone to steer clear of Jesus Christ?

People have an attitude inside of them. This attitude is bad or good depending on how it is shown forth. It is self-dependency. You hear small children, teenagers, new employees, and old folks all say 'I can do it myself.' For a stubborn child, who really can not do it and keeps trying, it can be sin. For a new married couple that appreciates all the help they are getting, but knows they can not be a charity case forever, it is maturity.

In every area of life, from pouring milk, to learning to drive, to religion man 'can do it himself.' A view point has, I am sad to say, has sneaked into the church. The view of self-sanctification. I like my blog post to be short, so I won't get into the vast amount of details that could be covered but I will say, you can not make yourself holy.

I was raised by great parents who I love, but in the churches we were in, I was taught self-sanctification. Or that, 'you are the one who makes yourself better. The less you sin the less tempted you will be. The less you sin the more holy you become. this is false.

Do we give up trying to live clean holy lives all together? By no means! If you think that it is your actions that are making you more holy, you are dead wrong. You are the one who got you into this sin mess. Christ is the one working in your life to make you more like Him and the Father.

Day 18 Jn iii Ye Must be Born Again

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Being born again is a very interesting thing. It goes opposite of a 'normal' life. In our earthly life we are born then we die. No questions about it, we are born, then we die. But in the spiritual life things are backwards.

When born into the earthly life you may be a healthy and strong baby, but you are spiritually still born. You are, spiritually speaking, dead in your sins, then you are born. You go from death to life. You are born again. They both follow a pattern, but one upside down from the other.

In your earthly life you (I hate to use tenses)start a mental conception of God's, in eternity. Then you are born in the flesh, then you die. The spiritual life is a mirror image. You are dead to begin with, then you are brought to life, or born.

Have you been born again? http://elseidie.blogspot.com/2011/10/day-15-lk-ii-christs-birth.html

Day 17 Mt v&vi

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

There is so much in this passage! The passage can very easily be a series about the core teachings of Jesus. A great many things jumped out to me. God laid on my heart this, 'Do not be anxious.'

There was a situation recently where I felt my fiancee was in danger. I rushed as quick as my car would take me! Instead of taking my time, doing to speed limit, and getting there in a good amount of time, I just freaked. I sped, like no bodies business. Thus from speeding I had a spin out, which lost me time in getting there and could have killed me and others. Also I picked up a cop on the way there, who also took my time from getting to her and had every right to arrest me.

All I did in worrying is almost kill myself and get arrested. Then once I got to her apartment and the cop was processing me in the parking lot I am sure this did not make the situation any less stressful for her.

What I'm saying is, God had everything under control. If I had gotten there one minute sooner or later she would still have been ok. Instead of trusting God I almost made a bigger mess. What can we really do in this life if it is not the will of God? Nothing. God is in control of every situation. From your recent break-in to your sick child. God is moving and working in your life through these situations.

Trust God. Believe that He is in control. Give Him the glory.

(I did not get a ticket. Once the officer saw how shook up my fiancee was he let me off with a warning, which is the biggest break I have every heard of!)

Day 16 Lk iv Who Christ is.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Christ, using scripture tells us who He really is. He tells us what He came to earth to do. This is an amazing passage. I have got to be honest I have never seen this before.

Christ did all these things, both physically and spiritually. He has healed the blind and given enlightened eyes the the wicked. He has proclaimed good news to the poor and also gives good news to all humans who are poor with out His riches. He set Barabas free and also freed the sinner from their chains.

Search, refresh, renew or find out the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.

Day 15 Lk ii Christs' Birth

for my eyes have seen your salvation

Christ is the Saviour of the world. I have lived my whole life believing this. I wanted it to be made real to me, and not just something I had heard from birth and would believe because.

I can not tell you the moment in time when I was saved. I do not remember praying a prayer. I don't remember reciting a creed. I really can not say anything about the moment when God saved me.

What I can say is this, I know God has saved me. I believe Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Saviour. I believe when He died, He died for me. I believe He has forgiven me my sins and has made a place for me in heaven.

How do I know this? It is what I believe. It is nothing at ALL what I have done, but all what God has done in me. My eyes have seen the Salvation of the Lord.

How can you know God has saved you? Simple Believe on Him. (questions? pioneerjameswood@yahoo.com)

Day 14 Isaiah's Prophecy liii

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. (I really wanted to use a different translation to change it up a bit...but the ESV best expressed the wording here.)

We all know this chapter. I memorized it for Sunday School and memorized it again when I was in choir for 'Messiah'.

This is the zenith of prophecy in the old testament. David did a great deal of prophecy for the Christ, including what Christs' last words would be. The highlight of all the old testament prophecy is summed up here in Is liii.

It was the most powerful trade in the account of history. He was punished, we were forgiven. He was crushed, we were made whole. He was chastised, we were given peace. He was broken, we healed. He bore your depression, worry, and anxiousness. 'Never was something so precious given for something so vial.' -Brian Stocks.

Pray that today God would make the sacrifice of Calvary real to you again.

Day 13 Ezra iii Laying the Foundation

the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping

Like I said in my last post I have just come through a rough patch in my life. Now I am out of the trouble. Not only out of the trouble but moved on to a whole new chapter of my life.

The last chapter ended with a lot of pain, hurt, distrust, anger, and even hate. When I flipped the page and started the new chapter, it looked a lot like the old chapter. I was still very angry and hurt. I really adopted the DONT TREAD ON ME way of thinking. I was still clinging on to things that did not matter.

God has really been working in my life. He is laying a new foundation. Here in Ezra is the rebuilding of the temple. They have to start from scratch, square one. The foundation. You may be at a new chapter in your life as well. Forget those things that are behind and press towards the mark.

Day 12 Daniel iii Golden Image

And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?

There are many applications to this passage. Some I've heard are: stand when no one else is, trusting God through any persecution, Christ is with you in the fire.

I wanted so badly to bring some new thing to light here. In the stead I will just write what God has put on my heart. It is not always easy to stand.

There was a time not too long ago that I had to stand my ground on an issue. It was almost like what you'd read in foxe's book of martyrs. I was questioned and asked to renounce what I believed.
Threatened with all sorts of punishments (I make it sound harder than it actually was because I'd like to be vague on the circumstances). I was the least questioned and threatened among my friends.

It was a very tough time. I had just discovered that I had anxiety troubles (medical, not just usual fretting) and I did not have medicine for it. Add on top of that all this pressure to change my belief...I honestly thought I was going to loose my mind (this I will not downplay, but I will not go into details)

Through it all Jesus, whether I felt it or not, was there with me. Looking back I could not feel Jesus with me, but l know for sure He was there.

Christ will be with you in all your temptations.

Feare ye not, stand still, and beholde the saluation of the Lord which he will shew to you this day. For the Egyptians, whome ye haue seene this day, ye shall neuer see them again. The Lorde shall fight for you: therefore hold you your peace. Ex xiv.13 K (Geneva Bible) Verse that got me through.

Day 11 2 Kings xxv Exile of Judah

So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.


I am at a time in my life where it feels like exile. I have felt more alone and more afraid than right now. Still the feeling of exile is there.

There are times that God has appointed in our lives to be times of exile. Times where we may be cut off from certain people or when we are around people and still feel dreadfully far away.

During these times search yourself. Find what God is teaching you. You may not know for years what is being taught. God does everything for a purpose. I do not believe in a God that plots and plans around what man will do and changes His mind cause He can't control what is going on.

Trust that God is in control and trust that the situation you are in is exactly where He wants you to be.

"Be acquainted, then, with thine own heart: though it be deep, search it; though it be dark, inquire into it; though it give all its distempers other names than what are their due, believe it not." -John Owen (quote from Dr. Joel Burdine)

Day 10 1 Kings xviii Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God

This story is worth reading today (all the bible is worth reading ya nit pickers [i look forward to your comments]). Elijah goes up against 450 prophets of Baal and totally (and figuratively) burns them!

But, once again, look at the motive in Elijah's prayer. His reason for calling down fire from heaven was so that God's people would believe. He was not worried about getting his pride hurt or looking foolish, Elijah's purpose for this was to show God's power, so that, His people would believe.

Don't pray for your personal success today unless it's directly connected to the glory of God being manifested through successes. -Maggard (thefieldistheworld.wordpress.com)