The ever evolving X-men--A Lenten Meditation

The X-men have been around since 1963. They were created by the genius and awesome that is Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The "X" in X-men stood for extra. There was something extra to their genes. They were also for a while referred to as the children of the atom. They began to mutate because of radiation exposure.

It was 1963, just after the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was the height of the Cold War. The world was on edge. And this group of people, not bitten by radioactive spiders, not given powers by gamma rays, not given powers by unapproved space exploration, but just because they were born that way, had powers and were to defend not the free world, but defend humanity and themselves.

Over the last 40+ almost 50 years, the X-Men have battled various villains--mutants and human alike. They've also battled discrimination, genocide, and ostracization. Though they were at the fringe of society, they still were driven to protect it at all costs, even undo death.

Over the years, they've been revamped, reintroduced, rebooted. In the late 80's they had their own cartoon show. And again in the early 90's FOX came out with another one. In the early aughts, X-men Evolution came on the WB. There were also three major theatrical releases, one Wolverine movie and a prequel coming out soon. And now, there is an anime version coming out soon. The show is ever evolving and rebooting. Ever being looked at from a different perspective. It is a story filled with interpersonal relationships, disenfranchisement, and down right angst at times. Each person has their own personal baggage. Some have dealt with it. Others have not. But each time the story comes out to another generation, it is rebooted to apply to the time. And it is welcomed with open arms, sometimes even from the purists.

So what in the world does this have to do with Easter?

Jesus, for one, has been around a lot longer than the X-men ever have. He lived, died, and rose again almost 2,000 years ago. He is seated at the right hand of God, and still lives today. Even the purists say that. One of the things that I've always marveled at with the X-men is that though they were hated, despised, attached, ridiculed, they were still willing to lay down their lives for humanity.

We read in 1 John

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16

Though he was hated, despised, attached, ridiculed, he still willingly to gave his life for not just humanity but for you personally. He was humble. He was meek. Did he get angry? Boy howdy he did (check it out here)But in the end, he went willingly to lay down his life for you. For me. For us all.
Yet, can we reboot Jesus? Can we take the same message he spoke, look at it from a different perspective? A story of a real man who live 2 millennial who changed the world. As we approach Easter, we need to look at the fact that Jesus is more than a man, but one who sacrificed all for you. This is the importance of Easter.

How can you take the same story of salvation from sin, death upon the cross and reboot it so that it applies to each generation and yet still keeps the integrity of the story?

Sorry if I offended--A Lenten Meditation

I've been mulling over this post since yesterday. Yesterday afternoon I had to do a run up to Mitchell about 45 minutes away. While I was there, I stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up some items that I couldn't get in town. I'm pushing my shopping cart around and doing what I usually do when shopping in a big store--I'm looking for a quick checkout lane. As I walked by, I scanned the register area, some with screaming kids, some with food and other items piled to the sky. One person had a palm tree in their shopping cart. Then I found it. I found the prime register. Only one small family--a man and a woman in their 20's and a little boy--and a few groceries. I pulled into that lane.

Then, I thought to myself "Watch, this is going to be the lane that they'll need to do a price check or something on." And sure enough, no sooner did I say that to myself that trouble began. First they had to do a price check. Then a void, which meant waiting for a supervisor. Then the credit card reader thingy-do-hicky wasn't working. Okay, not a problem. Then their card was declined. Okay, problem. They started to look a bit embarrassed. They shuffled their feet. They didn't make eye contact with anyone. They then took some non-essentials out of the cart to return. Still not enough. The supervisor, still there, offered to suspend the account. The young couple quietly walked to the ATM.

My items were rung up. Credit card reader thingy-do-hicky didn't read my card either. Which made me a bit nervous. But it went through on the register. My stuff was bagged up when the young couple came back and told the cashier to put the items back. I then told the cashier that I would take care of their order. I took my card back out of my wallet and began to hand it to the cashier. The young couple looked shocked and then ashamed. They said no repeatedly and then left. The cart had been filled with food and kids clothing. Not alcohol, no frivolous items. Cloths and food. And they walked away. I could feel their heavy hearts in my soul as they walked out.

I felt bad. I felt that in my attempt to help, I offended them.

If I did, I'm sorry.

I wanted to help.


I began to think about a time when a Rich young man came to Jesus and asked what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus told the man to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. The rich young man walked away saddened because he had much wealth.

This young couple walked away--did they have too much pride? Did they have too much shame? Was it a combination of the too? I didn't want to give a handout, I wanted to give a hand-up. But they walked away.

They walked away broken and sad. As I was driving out of the parking lot, I tried to look for them, maybe offer again to help (or would that be like stalking?).

I began to think about Lent. Lent is for them. Lent is for those who are broken and saddened.

There is a song by Barlow Girl that rings so true (it is edited to a Teen Titans story arc)

Easter offends and mends at the same time. There's something honestly offensive about someone going above and beyond doing something completely gracious for you without your asking. For me with that young couple, it was neither above nor beyond. It was a small tab. A very small tab that they couldn't afford. It wouldn't have taken much on my part.

On the other hand, our tab with God is high. Very high. A tab for sin that we can never pay back. Jesus went to the cross to pay what we owe without our asking. And that offends us. We didn't want it. We need it but we didn't ask for it.

Easter is about the price being paid and a mending of relationships, a mending of making all things new again. Jesus came for the broken and the bruised, for the hurting and the struggling, he came for rich and poor alike. He came to bring us back to God by paying the tab we owed.

Who's Who--A Lenten Meditation

I'm geeking out here big time. Dr. Who is coming back April 3!Dr. Who is in the Guinness Book of World records as being the longest running show in history. Dr. Who is about a time traveler who is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifry (Gal-eh-free). He travels around time and space in a big blue British police box called the TARDIS. As it has been explained numerous times, the TARDIS has the capability to blend in with its surroundings. Sometime during an adventure in the 1960's, the TARDIS disguised itself as a blue police box and became stuck in that disguise. The Doctor is a lone traveler and tends to pick up people who travel with him from time to time. These are called his companions. It is a way for the writers to help give voice to the viewer, being amazed at these adventures in time and space.

After a run through almost three decades, Dr. Who went off the air in the 1980's. in 2004 the show was rebooted by the BBC with the 9th Doctor being played by Christopher Eccelson. Then there was the 10th Doctor played by the very talented David Tennant. And now, just last year, the 11th Doctor is beginning his second season as played by Matt Smith.

Now, to non sci-fi and Dr. Who fans this may not make sense. How one show last so long with the main character being played by multiple people. That just doesn't make sense. There are 11 Doctor Whos but only one Doctor Who throughout the whole series. As the 9th Doctor explained to his traveling companion Rose Tyler--Time Lords have a way of cheating death. They regenerate. They die and then come back to life in a new body. It is the same doctor with roughly the same personality, yet different.

Now, what does this have to do with Easter? It is Easter Sunday when we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. The Doctor regenerates. He dies. Yet he cheats death. He continually hides from death. Each time he is about to die, he changes his look, his personality, his appearance so that he may not truly die.

Jesus on the other hand truly did die. He was dead and buried for three days in the grace. And we celebrate Easter because he didn't cheat death he down right defeated it. Jesus wasn't just resurrected he is the resurrection.

Jesus says

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. John 11:25-26

As much as I like the Doctor, he does cause problems. In fact, the British government created a fierce military command called The Unit which was created to specifically deal with Doctor related issues. After a run in with the Doctor, Queen Victoria creates an organization called Torchwood to deal with Doctor related issues. The Doctor has many times been the Earth's champion and savior and other times, unintentionally, it's worse enemy.

As we approach Easter, I think about this interesting comparison with Jesus and the Doctor. The Doctor dies to cheat death, Jesus dies to save us from death.

Jesus says

I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it form me, but I lay it down on my own accord. John 10:17-18

We celebrate Easter because Jesus did lay down his life for us. He laid it down so that we might rise up with him. With Jesus, you don't cheat death, you have victory over it.

Do you have this victory?

what I've learned from coffee--A lenten meditation

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love coffee. There's just something about it first thing in the morning that gets me going. And, no, it's not the caffeine. Okay, it's not just the caffeine. It's all the memories wrapped up into it. There's something about sitting around with friends drinking coffee and eating a slice of pie. There's something about standing around after church, coffee in hand, gabbing away with friends.

Recently, I've realized just how thankful I am for coffee.

We've all gone through hard ache and pain. We've all heard the cry of the catawampus. But what happens at the end of the tunnel? What's the outcome?

For me, it all boils down to coffee. Literally.

Take three items here--carrots, eggs and coffee beans. Carrots are hard, stiff. Eggs are fragile, coffee beans are hard and oily.

When problems hit, they can hit us hard and totally mess with us in ways we'd never like. It's a lot like boiling water. Hot, scalding, violent.

Carrots in boiling water become soft, floppy, and loose a lot of nutrients. So many times, we can run the risk of entering into a season of problems just like that and be beaten up so much we come out just floppy.

Eggs on the other hand get cooked. They look the same on the outside but on the inside they are hard...and that cooked yolk can be bitter. We can run the risk of looking the same on the outside, but be bitter and hard on the inside.

Coffee beans on the other hand are a different story. You put coffee beans in boiling water and you get coffee. Coffee beans change, they are still in boiling water, but the water now becomes coffee. Both change. And, in my open, are better for it.

Now, if life just down right stinks right now, don't become a carrot, don't become an egg. Allow it to stink but don't allow it to change you. Allow it to make you into something wonderful--let it turn you into coffee.

In fact, God promises to make you coffee

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God. Isaiah 43:2-3

Paul says something in Romans that helps me to remember that I will always be coffee because of the grace of God.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Looking at Easter, it's because of Jesus that we can truly be coffee by the grace of God.

Are you coffee?

Rockin' out--a Lenten Meditation

I like to lift to music. Loud music. Very loud hard rock Christian music. Something abut it just gets me going. I have my own play list too called Lifting Music. On it, I have Flyleaf, Thousand Foot Krutch, Skillet, Pillar and many others. Each with a good solid base line, pounding drums, great guitar riffs. There's a couple of songs that just get me going when they come on.

Pillar has a song called Fireproof that just gets the blood flowing and the energy pumping. The guitar and base from Fireproof get me going, and then the words just spur it on even more.

Skillet has two songs from their Awake album that kick me into high gear. These two songs by Skillet are on the opposite thematic spectrum. Their song Hero is about the need for a savior, someone to help in times of trouble. On the other hand their song Monster is about our sinful nature wanting to come forth and how it feels like sometimes we have a monster inside of us, controlling us, moving us, leading us to where we don't want to go. Why do these get me going? I don't know to tell the truth. I think it's a combination of lyrics and music that pump my blood and I get that second wind.

At those moments, the world disappears, and it's just me, the weights and God. Nothing else but that.

I called this a Lenten meditation because these three songs are my favorite to work out to and they are amazing songs that exemplify what Lent is. Lent is the time looking forward to Easter, looking forward to celebrating Jesus' resurrection. But in order to get to the resurrection, we have to look at His death. Monster is the reason why Jesus died, because of that monster inside us all that just wants to rip out and destroy everything. That feeling you get when you hold it all back when someone says something just down right mean to you, yeah, that's the monster right there. Jesus died because of the Monster.

Hero talks about needing someone to fight for what's right, no one's going to die tonight. The monster is what causes the need for the Hero to save us so that we won't face death.

And then there's Fireproof. Because of our Hero defeating the Monster, we can't be touched, destroyed, hurt anymore by the Monster. Yes, the Monster will always be inside us, but it ain't got any control over us. Why? Because the Hero made us Fireproof against the Monster.

There's one more important part of my exercise routine and that's cool down. My cool downs are a lot different than my lifting. It's simple, quiet, slow. And my music matches that. I call it my Centering Playlist. It's soft, quiet praise music that settles me, calms me down. I walk around the gym for a bit or I peddle the bike very slowly, focusing, relaxing, calming my body down.

As we approach Easter, we have the Hero who fought the Monster and won. Because of Easter, we can slow down and be calm.

And yes, I actually think about these things while I'm lifting. It's just me, my music and God.

How do you see the coming of Easter through the eyes of Monster, Hero and Fireproof?

Fireproof


Monster


Hero

The Gospel in Klingon--a Lenten Meditation

I was one time asked if I believed in Aliens. My response: I'm looking forward to the day where I could bring the Gospel message to a Klingon. I've stated many a time that the book Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof would be a great evangelism tract for Vulcans (that right there should tell you about the book). And then what about the Klingon concept of Spirituality. Does that even jive with the Gospel. Jesus was about peace, about forgiveness, and most importantly salvation and forgiveness of sins. The Klingons on the other hand revere Kahless, a mighty warrior who said that killing was for battle and to enrich the spirit.

So, if aliens did arrive on planet Earth, many questions would be raised. But those I'm not getting into right now. If the God of all creation could create one planet containing life, couldn't he create more?

But what I do wonder about is how acceptable would a Klingon be to the Gospel message. According to Star Trek.com, the Klingons are a warrior people. To die honorably is held in high esteem. To die at one's own hands instead of being killed by an enemy is held in high esteem as well.

As we come towards Easter, one thing I've always found interesting is that Jesus went willingly to the cross to die a painful death. He willingly allowed himself to be arrested. He willingly allowed himself to be beaten and tortured. He willingly allowed himself to have nails driven into him, nailing him to the cross. And he did so for all who call on his name to find salvation from sin. To a Klingon, to die in such a way shows honor and valor. It is not weakness to die for another or even to die to defend what you hold to be true. This is honor to a Klingon, not weakness.

But I wonder if even greater though is the ultimate victory to a Klingon to defeat death itself, the greatest enemy. The Klingons have a saying "Today is a good day to die." It is not that they are afraid of death, but that it is a part of life and an honor to die. But to die and then come back from even that is seen as an amazing feat. Their revered Kahless was thought to have come back but only turned out to be a clone. Even so, this was seen as a great feat for Kahless to have done.

And so, we have the most powerful words of victory over the greatest enemy of all

Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin...But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Easter isn't about weakness. It is about victory. A victory even a Klingon can appreciate.

I'm starting to wonder if I should start calling these Spiritual Sci-Fi Fridays?

Giving up

Some time back I wrote a post about what I do when I get anxious--I work out, I go at it with my punching bag, I walk or I munch junk food. It's too blasted cold out right now to go for a walk, my bag is still not up and so that leaves me with two alternatives--munch or work out. Guess what I've been doing? Yeah. Not good.

Why anxiety? Well, a week and a half back my wife was in a bad car accident. God was with her. His hand kept her safe. She rear ended a snow plow going 75 miles an hour and didn't hit the breaks, at all. The car is totaled. And my wife literally got out and walked away. No bones broken. Only shaken up a bit and sore. He hands are pretty cut up right now from the glass. This last Sunday she made an observation. She said that she realized that at that moment, in between her seeing the plow and hitting it, she envisioned God's hand going between her and the snow plow. She said that she looked at her hands. The backs of her hands are cut up from the glass. She realized that God's hands were cut for her. She then thought of the nails that pierced Jesus' hands. The nails pounded into his flesh that hung him upon the cross to die for her sins. And she started crying. She was saved.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of a season called Lent. Lent is a time to focus and ponder on Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, his dying so that we may live. During this time people give things up. Why? So that they can set aside those things that entangle them and that they can focus on Christ's sacrifice for them. On those hands that were pounded through with nails, cut to save a life--the life of my wife.

And for that, I'm eternally thankful.

What will I give up so that I may focus on the great thing that was done for my wife and for myself and for my children? I haven't thought about it yet.

Maybe I should.