Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!

How does that saying go? The only way to kill a zombie is to blow off its...head, right? Okay, so why zombies? Well, honestly, the majority of people find my blog by searching for zombies. Seriously. I get hits on my blog with search words like: zombies, pics of zombies, zombie Jesus (yes, seriously, say it with me: Zombie. Jesus.), zombie apocalypse, etc. And they all stem from one post (which you can read here). I wrote it sometime back for a Spiritual Sci-Fi Friday. (Which, by the way, this isn't, just to let you know).

So why Zombies? Well, they're in popular culture right now I guess. Real big too. Now, with Zombies, you have rules. You can find these rules at Zombielandrules.com. And rule number one: Cardio. Yes, that's right. Cardio. (Of course, Rule 21 is stay away from strip clubs, but if you ask me, that should be a no brainer if zombies are attacking, that's like the last place you wanna go to tell the truth.)

And now here's the kicker, recently from a tweet from Think Geek.com, I saw this video and fell in love. Check it.


Honestly, I just gotta say wow! Now that's a way to put a passion, pop culture and exercise to a great fusion together.

Now, of course, I'm not going to make any Zombie Jesus jokes (again, say it with me: Zombie. Jesus.) Jesus, of course, isn't a zombie. That's a whole 'nother raising from the dead thing that deals with the power of the Holy Spirit and is probably a Spiritual Sci-Fi Friday someday.

But right now, what I like about this video is that there's some fun and play in getting encouragement to run. I'm not a runner and I'd probably be that idiot who some how survives. But what I do like is that encouragement that's given.

And honestly, getting over this blasted walking pneumonia (my Megatron right now if you will) I need all the encouragement I can get. I'm looking forward to the all clear to start lifting again and hitting the heavy bag. Getting ready to maybe not be the idiot that survives or the idiot that survives by punching zombies. I'm not sure.

What about you, how do you get encouragement in working out?

Gwen Stacy's Never Coming Back

In 1965 Gwen Stacy died. She was held captive by the Green Goblin on top of the Washington Bridge. During a fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, Gwen was knocked off the top of the bridge. In his attempt to save her, Spider-Man slung one of his webs, catching her quickly. The abrupt stop snapped her neck. She died. Her death greatly affected Spider-Man, Mary Jane and so many others.

Over the years, Gwen Stacy clones have come and gone. In magical mythical cross overs and what if's she's appeared. In alternate realities she's been alive but soon after leaves. In effect, she is dead and is never coming back.

This is strange because many Marvel Universe characters always come back. The mutant Cypher with the passive power of translation was killed in 1989's epic saga The Fall of the Mutants. And he came back almost 20 years later.

So what does this have to do with Spiritual Musclehead? Well, it's Spiritual Sci-Fi Friday.

One of the interesting things about the Marvel Universe is that it has its own rules and ways of doing things. It operates certain set standards. In many ways, in order to understand the Marvel Universe and interpret it, you must use the Marvel Universe. In order to understand the importance of Gwen Stacy's death, you have to read comics in the Marvel Universe to understand the importance of it.

The same is true with another book called the Bible. Many people call it false, they say that it contradicts itself many times. And I will be honest, yes, if you just look at small areas, you see contradictions. But the same can be said of Wolverine where there are many, many contradictions. Take for example his claws. In the Captain America, Black Widow and Wolverine comic, Wolverine in the 1940's has no claws yet years later when Magento pulls out Wolverine's adamantium skeleton, he has bone claws. Total contradiction right? Yet reading the whole of the Marvel Universe, you understand the complexities that show why this happened and the reason behind it.

If you need to do this with the Marvel Universe, why can't it be done with the Bible. Even if you just see it as literature and not the inspired Word of God, you still have to use the in universe of the Bible to interpret the Bible. To do otherwise is unfaithful.

There is much more I could write about this, but that's for another Spiritual Sci-Fi Friday.

In the end, what's important is that we shouldn't discount something just because we think there are contradictions or problems in it. There are many problems with Gwen Stacy's death. Some have said that her abrupt death ended the Silver age of comics. Comics themselves were never again the same. They were allowed to deal with darker issues. Over the years, many people have asked, cried out, that they bring Gwen Stacy back. But to do so would break the rules of the Marvel Universe. She's never coming back.

The Bible is an in universe book made up of 66 smaller books and two divisions of Old and New or the Tahnak and the Gospels, History and Letters. To read one without being in Universe is to not fully understand it. Everything else is just fan fiction.

RPG Blog post +10

The other night, out of no where, I actually had this thought come through my head: I wonder what armor class King David had.

Now, I must admit, I've never really played any Roll Playing Games (RPGs). I tried here and there but apparently sarcasm towards the DM isn't something you want to use if you want your character to stay alive (DM: "You must use the net of capturing to bind the enemy." Me: "Then what, the Sword of cutting to finish him off or the toaster of toasting to make him breakfast?" Yeah, didn't last long in high school...college didn't work either). But I did laugh my head off one day at the mall when I saw a dude wearing a shirt that read "Invisibility Shirt +10"

RPGs take us into another world. A world run by kinds and queens or with family clans fighting to stay alive or to a place where valor, honor and courage still live though still flawed. They are places of visions, of mystery, and a place of rules.

Some time back, I was helping someone look for a Bible who had never had one before. He said he was told to get the book of Luke. He was shocked when I informed him that the Bible had 66 books. After he realized they were short books put into one compilation (You know, like they do with story arcs in X-men), he wanted to know more. I told him about the New Testament which contained stories of Jesus and letters from Paul along with God's assurance of safety found in Revelation. He then asked about the Old Testament. "Well," I said smiling, "that's where all the sex and violence is at." He starred at me blankly and said "In the bible?"

Yep. Sex and violence in the Bible. You have warrior kings, you have men and women who fight hard and viciously (One lady named Jael drove a tent stake through a dude's head. They Ladies also are awesome in this book). You have men who speak in riddles and see visions. One of these men was surrounded by chariots of fire and was taken up in flames.

Now, King David, that dude was great. He was a warrior class character. High armor classification. Huge charisma rating. It was as if everything was +20 for him and he rolled it every time. Slaying a giant with a tiny stone in one turn. An amazing tactician in the battle field. But he was also flawed. And he is very real.

Now, when it comes to Jesus, there is no + anything. He didn't need anything, he was it. He was it all. I always had to roll the dice, but the DM, who knew the journey, who knew what was coming next, acted and did what was needed based upon the journey written.

In the Old Testament, we have the sex and violence and flawed humanity. In the New Testament, we have Jesus, the most powerful, strong, amazing person ever who humbly denied it all. To get to the level of Jesus, we'd have to roll +bajillion, which will never happen. No matter how you roll the dice, it'll never happen. But with him, there's no need to do so. He's taken it all upon himself. Died and is raised to life..and not as a zombie either! But more powerful like when Gandalf came back.

Strength and valor and the Journey are there. They exist. They are real. The greatest Journey you can ever go on requires no dice, no DM but Jesus. He can lead you to an amazing Journey n one could ever make up.

What is your journey?

Skadoosh

You ever been watching a show or a movie and realize "Hey! They got that idea from somewhere else!" You know, like how Shakespeare got his ideas for 12th Night, Taming of the Shrew and Romeo and Juliet from She's the Man, 10 Things I Hate About You and West Side Story? Yeah. Exactly.

I've been listening to the Bible through Youversion.com's Bible app. I've had to do some long drives lately (well, out here in South Dakota, pretty much everything's a long drive) and have been listening through Genesis the last little while.

It was then that I realized something. The story of Joseph is a lot like Kung Fu Panda!

Now, please, before you go and grab something to eat and walk away forever, bear with me (Ha! I said bear..panda, bear...moving on). They both begin with a prophecy. Actions happen to prevent the prophecy from happening and in fact are the very actions that create how the prophecy will come to fulfillment.

Po and Joseph are both gifted and also are different from everyone else. When placed in difficult circumstances, they remain who they are with integrity and also grow as a person in their gifts. In the end, both are placed in a position of importance in order to help save their families and loved ones.

Did I just blow your mind? No? Well...that's a bit awkward...moving on...

The story of Po resonates with the story of Joe for me because both these young men were placed in difficult circumstances and remained true to themselves and their beliefs. Po geeked out about Kung Fu (holla! for the geeks) and Joseph was true to his faith in God and trusting that God was faithful. They never let go of that. And in fact, it is because of who they were that they were able to do what they did. When they were in a tough situation, they used what they already knew, what they already could do in order to work through that tough situation.

Are you going through something that just down right stinks right now...worse than Po's pits? We're all going to have that moment at one time or another. If someone tells you otherwise then they're trying to sell you something.

God has given you exactly what you need to do what you need to do for him and what you need to make it through this situation you're in. Or, as the Vulcans say "Only Nixon could have gone to China."

When we're in situations that are tough, that are hard, that tax us, push us, stretch us and make us think we can't do it. Stop. You have exactly what you need to do what needs to be done. Have that confidence to know that God is at work, that in Jesus, you can do it. Don't sell yourself short!

Now I just gotta figure out that really cool pinky of death move Po used.

Skadoosh.

blogging block

Since Tuesday, Ive been wracking my brains on what to write about. Come Wednesday, my thoughts are all tapped out. I've been arguing back and forth with myself about just what to write about and nothing at all I could think of seemed to work.

This is kinda how it happened over the last few days

Me: What am I supposed to write about?

Other Me: Write what you know.

M: What's that supposed to mean? "Write what you know." C'mon, what cliche did you grab that from?

OM: Seriously, you have to be mean? I'm trying to help. It's your blog.

M: What about Tinkerbell's Great Fairy Rescue?

OM: Seriously? Why?

M: Because I just saw it with my two year-old daughter recently. Well, I saw most of it. I'm never finishing that thing. Always starting it but never actually finish watching it. I mean, how do they rescue Vidia from Lizzy's father who was on his way to the museum to expose fairies to the world?

OM: You are kidding right? ...how many times have you seen that movie anyway?

M: Well, I just saw it and it's on my mind

OM: But Tinkerbell? Really?

M: Well, she's independent, self sufficient and a strong female character for my daughter.

OM: We'll put a pin in that one and place it on the back burner. What else ya got?

M: I'm doing a guest post on The Network about being a Geek in the Pew. I could do that.

OM: But then you're double dipping. You could, but you gotta write it first. And anyway, this isn't Spiritual Sci-Fi Friday, it's a Wednesday. You don't do Serious Wednesdays like Jon Acuff does. You're already borrowing the idea of doing an inner dialogue from him for this post and then you'll take his Serious Wednesday? Not cool. That's just copying...so not cool.

M: Good point. Good point.

OM: You started this blog to talk about health. What about health can you talk about?

M: Not much, save that over the last week and a half I had a ton of birthday cake?

OM: yeah, but it was such good cake.

M: Boy was it. Of course, might as well just stapled it to my thighs...I have my mother's thighs, I'll just have to live with it.

OM: We're getting sidetracked.

M: You started it.

OM: No, you did. You asked the question. Wait. Which me asked what question again? I'm confused.

M: Maybe I should just write about Tinkerbell's Great Fairy Rescue.

OM: Why? Do you want to have a Girly Thursday or something?

M: I want to write something.

OM: You don't' just write down random thoughts that come through your head. This is a blog. There has to be some order.

M: Dude, chill...I just called myself dude, didn't I?

OM: Yeah..I'm weireded out too.

M: I have a sermon to work on. I'll post a blog tomorrow for Spiritual Sci-Fi Friday.

OM: On what?

M: I'm thinking...this isn't going to go well, is it?

Anybody else ever have days like this?

A quarter after Ape

First of all, I'm going to say spoiler alert. Of course, if you know the picture to the side here, then you know exactly what I'm spoiling. If you don't. Go to Netflix or where ever you get movies and rent The Planet of the Apes. What I love about this scene is that it cements together and confirms what we knew all along in the movie. That Charleston Heston's character has been on Earth the whole time.

Okay, so that being said, you probably are trying to figure out at what point of the blog did you actually enter in to. You're at the beginning, don't worry.

Why is this so important to me? Well, because, they're releasing The Rise of the Planet of the Apes or as I like to call it The Apology for Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Tim Burton movies (can we say 90's Batman? Loved it in all it's Batman awesomeness), but his version just didn't capture the essence of it all.

In the original award winning 1968 film brought the whole idea of evolution to the forefront. That, given time, apes would soon out evolve humans and become the dominant sentient life form on the planet.

The newer version looks at the origins a bit differently. This time, it's not the wonderful modernistic view of evolution--all things will take it's course in time. This time it's our fault. We've tinkered with what we shouldn't have and now, well, check out the trailer.



yeah. I know. dude.

One of the trends lately in sci-fi (which at times includes horror..usually around Halloween) is that we shouldn't tinker with the order of things. That we shouldn't tinker with creation or with human beings. We're made this way for a reason. Leave it alone.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. I mean, have you seen your phalanges lately? Or your epidermis? (or when your epidermis gets burned). Not just that though, but we humans, we're different. We're not like the average bear...er, monkey. We're made in the image of God. This isn't some thing that's all arrogant or anything like that. It's not like "yeah, you know it hedgehog, I'm made in His image and you're not so there." Be nice to hedgehogs please. It's not only an honor but a responsibility.

We're made in His image. There's something special about that. Even Dr. Zaius would agree that there's something special about that. Bartleby knows that (wait, sorry, wrong movie).

I think these things tap into some greater thing in our own psyche. Don't screw around with what God has made. Sin's already screwed it up a lot and God has a plan to make it better. Respect what God has made in you. Respect that God has made you...well, you and in His image. Something just amazing about that.

So, the moral of the story is, is that if you go into outer space in suspended animation, make sure you know what planet you're on when you wake up. And if you make the medicine for the ultimate cure, don't test it on sapiens with opposable thumbs. Try lab rats, please.

Yoda, Picard and that other guy

In my office, I have a number of items. I have books. I have a laptop, I have pens and highlighters. I have mementos from mission trips and gifts from friends and family members. I have a pair of wooden shoes in size 15 sitting on the top of a bookcase. I also have figurines of Hahn and Chewbaca, a Yoda figurine, an Optimus Prime figurine and other items.

Why do I have these last few items in my office at church? Because not only do they rock the Casbah, but they also have meaning to me.

They are the epitome of manliness. To which, you might be asking yourself: "Huh?" Hahn many people get but Yoda and Optimus Prime? And why is Picard's name in the title if he's not one of those in my office?

Good questions all of them (and not because I asked them myself). I've been reading Wild at Heart by John Elridge. It was suggested to me on the post Scratch and Spit. The book is about being a man of God and what it means to be a man of God.

One of the things I've realized in the last few years is that our role models for men is sparse. No offense...or maybe there should be some. Because instead of looking towards men who could truly show what it means to be a man, I've turned to Sci-Fi for assistance. Now, don't get me wrong. I've had some amazing mentors over the years who've been there for me and have walked me through some important chapters in my life.

But why these guys? Well, Yoda is wise and is a teacher and mentor to Luke. Picard is a thoughtful and determined leader who takes time to teach, instruct and even admit when he is wrong. The same is true with Optimus Prime. And Hahn and Chewy? Well, they just rock.

It takes more than one person to raise a child. It takes more than one man to teach a boy how to be a man. It takes more than one man of God to teach young men what it means to be a man of God.

Luckily I had 5 men when I was in high school and my first few years of college who did just that. But there are others who don't and didn't have what I did. Many don't even look to Yoda, Picard or some other guy. Instead, they turn to celebrities who's lives are screwed up just as much as their own.

So, my charge, my request...heck, my frakin challenge to you men who are reading this: DO SOMETHING! It takes more than one man of God to teach a young man what it means to be a follower of Christ. Come along side these young men who need mentors. Be a spiritual mentor. It's not as tough as you think. Be yourself in Christ with them and teach them to do the same. But do it. As Yoda would say "There is do or do not. There is no try." Or Picard: "Engage."

Browncoats and sloth

(Today’s Spiritual Sci-Fi Friday is a guest post from an old friend and colleague of mine, Mike Van Boom. He’s a pastor of a great church up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and a fellow sci-fi geek like me.)

The Firefly universe is an interesting one. It paints a picture of a future for humanity in a distant solar system. There, the central government exerts dictates its authority over each populated system. Interestingly, a major project the government undertakes there is to eliminate sin in humankind. It dreams of eliminating evil impulses and aggressive behavior within humanity. So it settles a planet on which to work its great experiment. The Government then releases a drug designed to reduce the aggressive impulses of people.

What happened?

The drug worked for the most part. For 95% of the population, all will to fight or pursue violence ceased. Unfortunately, that meant that people stopped “fighting” altogether. They stopped coming to work. They stopped caring. They stopped fighting for life to the point where they even stopped breathing. They just laid down and died.

The other 5% of the population… Well let’s just say they became a living nightmare. All their aggressive tendencies were magnified to the point of a reckless horror.

Consider the lesson in this Science Fiction parable.

God created people with the ability to “fight,” and that “fight” is a requirement to go on living. The opposite you might say is sloth. Sloth is considered one of the seven deadly sins; and it points in the direction of surrender; the loss of ability to fight for what is important. The corresponding virtue is Diligence; Hard work; Effort.

God wants to raise His people to new life; and one aspect of that is the ability to fight; to work hard; to be diligent; and to persevere in the face of challenges. Ask God to do that work in you!

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Everyone who competes in games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Zombies and Mayans and the Rapture! Oh My!

The zombies are coming! The zombies are coming!...well, maybe not. According to a recent CDC blog, if you prepare for a zombie apocalypse then you'll be prepared for real emergencies too. There's been a number of Zombie jokes as of late (please no Zombie Jesus jokes). Which is interesting because there's also the news of the end of the world as we know it (insert REM song here). Apparently there is a church in California stating that the Rapture will be happening on May 21, which, by the way, is tomorrow.

According to this particular lay pastor, the rapture will happen tomorrow sometime and all those who've been Christians before 1988 will be raptured and taken up to heaven. So, in essence, I'm out of luck because I became a Christian in 1992.

What I find really funny is that there are many now melding the two together in some twistedly sarcastic synchronistic fashion. The believers before 1988 will be raptured and everyone else who is left over (apparently including yours truly)will face a zombiepocalypse and will have to follow the CDC rules of preparedness. I've never seen the movie Zombieland, but now I'm starting to think I probably should.

What gets me, is the fact that I thought just months ago, people were all worried about the Mayan calendar and the year 2012. There was even a movie about it. And it starred John Cusack...say it with me: John Cusack

So, what does this all mean? Well, to tell the truth, Jesus gives us a very definitive answer on this

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows." Mark 13:32 NLT

“The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know." Acts 1:7 NLT

So, in others words, them guys out in California can't say for certain that it is tomorrow. Nope. Sorry. And the zombiepocalypse? That's a great way to get a point across. And the Mayan Calendar and 2012...didn't see the movie actually.

But, we do know this: be prepared. Be very prepared.

Jesus is coming back, we just don't know when. Neither do they in California. But Jesus does say this to us

"And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!" Mark 13:33

Even Jesus told us to watch out for things like the people in California (the church, not the whole state). Test it. Does it match with the Bible? Nope. Does it glorify God? Not really. Does it strengthen the church? I think it does the opposite.

So, what should we take from this?

Trust in God. Keep your eyes on Jesus. And keeping moving forward, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit. When he comes, he comes. Until then, serve and live for Christ.