The Dichotomy of Superheroes

So here I am writing again after a long absence, and I find myself contemplating superheroes and life. Before you dismiss me as a loony, understand that I have just come off a five day vacation where I didn't have much to do but watch movies like the X-men trilogy, Iron Man, all the Supermans, all the Lethal Weapons, Batman (The ones with Christian Bale), and Wanted. I know, I know - Sounds like a big waste of time and it was but...it was an enjoyable waste of time. But as I am sitting drying out my cerebral cortex in front of the boob tube, I am suddenly struck with a ridiculuos thought which captured my fascination almost as much as seeing Angelina Jolie unload a clip while sitting on the hood of a viper during a high speed chase. The thought was simple yet the more I pondered it the more interesting it became and the thought was this: EVERY SUPERHERO NEEDS A NEMESIS!

There are several interesting characteristics which make up a superhero: First, the individual must seperate himself from common, ordinary people through his actions. Then, the individual is seen as being locked into a constant epic battle between the forces of good and evil, and right and wrong both physically and mentally. Psychologically there is a constant struggle between who they really are versus who they pretend to be. The hero will experience hardships, struggles, turmoil, and will usually lose someone or something dear to them. They are not all powerful and usually have a secret weakness. And finally, they will all offer in some way hope and a way of escape from situations and predicaments, and this is opposed to the villian who is only bent on destruction and domination.
Every Superhero has this particular character make-up, but if all the hero posses are these traits and he doesn't have a nemesis then he is simple a good samaritan instead of a superhero for the defining mark of a true superhero is the presence of a nemesis. This is the dichotomy of a true superhero. Light versus Darkeness, Good versus Evil, Superhero versus Villian.

Now for the interesting thought: There will always be superheroes and not just in comic books. There have been many superheroes throughout history. For example the superhero dichotomy can be seen in David versus Goliath, Martin Luther versus the Catholic Church, Schindler versus the Nazis, the apostle Paul versus Nero, King Richard versus the Moors, Jesus versus Satan.

And here is the jest of the rump - As Christians we are called to come out of the world - to be seperate - TO BE SUPERHEROES - we are given a higher calling which doesn't negate our personal struggles, tragedies, trials, but instead magnifies our position as bringers of hope and if we are truly living up to our calling should result in the revelation of our nemesis. As christians we are called to be superheroes to a lost and dying world struggling to cope without hope. And you know what - we make experience heartache and loss in occupying this position, and one day we may even be discriminated against and persecuted but we are assured of one thing and that is we are already more than victorious because of the completed work of Christ.

SO ARE YOU LIVING UP TO YOUR TRUE CALLING OR ARE YOU STILL PRETENDING TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?

An Apologetic Update

Sorry for all the inconsistencey lately, Work has been crazy, but I wanted to say God is Amazing! Everyday is a new miracle and every corner, pothole, bump, and hiccup are just new exciting ways God allows us to see him at work in our lives! God is good all the time through the good and the bad, he works his plan and his way is PERFECT - ALWAYS!!! Well in the next couple days I will be having some new and exciting blogs coming out, so check back soon!

A revolutionary thought!

Too many times in the Christian life we often fall into the rut of looking for the things that Christians are supposed to do, they try to define things as right and wrong and then they condemn the wrong as sin. This is a missed perception to say the least. The Christian Life should instead be shaped by this question "Is my life and the things I do bringing Glory to Christ?" When this question is asked, my life and our lives don't become something of performance, but rather of something far greater, our lives become significant, and become defined by purpose. And in the words of the Matrix Reloaded Agent Smith "It is this Purpose that drives us, that binds us, that unites us." The purpose that now drives my life is an insane desire to bring glory to Christ, all while enjoying everything He has made.

Have you ever felt depressed, alone, or Hopeless - if so continue reading!
Do you ever get that feeling like the sun won't come out tommorrow? Do you ever feel like your trapped and there is nothing you can do about it? You might get to the point where you start telling yourself there is no point in trying, because you're probably just gonna fail anyways.
I know these feeling and I know them well! I have really been struggling with my church folding and going through the process of looking for the ministry God is going to call me to. For the longest time, I started to feel like all the weight of providing for my wife and kids was on my shoulders, and then when I would try to find a job, they would tell me I am over qualified or underqualified for any position, and I would feel like somehow I was failing and trapped and a down and outer. But you know what, I had totally blown my problems way out of proportion and I had factored God out of the equation and substituted myself as the director of my life instead. WOW! Talk about a big mistake! When I substituted myself as the major deciding factor for my life, I couldn't help but feel totally and utterly incompetent, alone, and worthless.
But God is faithful! Through His Word, and a message by Louie Giglio, God totally straightened my percpective out. In Isaiah 40:26 it says, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." I was floored! Did you know that scientists estimate the number of starts to be about 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - I don't even think there is a name for this number, and yet God Knows each of them by name and there is not one missing! But then God totally blows me away when he says in Luke 12:7 "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." God who holds the stars in the sky and watches over the universe, cares about me, Mike Wogsland, so much and to be so intimately associated with me that He even knows the number of hairs on my head.
I realized that I was not in control of my destiny, and honestly, if it was left up to me I wouln"t want to be. God loves me and you and he has a wonderful plan for each of us. God Loves us so much, He won't let us go! I needed to repent for my depressed arrogance, and you know what, it felt good! And if any of you are reading this blog and you feel the same way I felt, let me encourage you to get into to God's Word, and then really consider the Universe! Once you see God and His power and majesty, you will like me have complete peace, knowing that God is in control and may we always trust in Duet 31:8 where it says, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
God bless you all - I am praying for you

Who is Jesus?!?!

Hey Ya'all I liked this so much I took it from myfriends myspace, it's cool to consider. Enjoy!

WHO IS JESUS? By my friend Travis Wort

IN BIOLOGY, HE WAS BORN WITHOUT THE NORMAL CONCEPTION;

IN CHEMISTRY, HE TURNED WATER INTO WINE; IN PHYSICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF GRAVITY WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN;

IN ECONOMICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURN BY FEEDING 5000 MEN WITH TWO FISHES & 5 LOAVES OF BREAD;

IN MEDICINE, HE CURED THE SICK AND THE BLIND WITHOUT ADMINISTERING A SINGLE DOSE OF DRUGS,

IN HISTORY, HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END;

IN GOVERNMENT, HE SAID THAT HE SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, PRINCE OF PEACE;

IN RELIGION, HE SAID NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM;

SO. WHO IS HE? HE IS JESUS! JOIN ME AND LET'S CELEBRATE HIM; HE IS WORTHY.

The Greatest Man in History Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master. Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him.. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

A Quickie!

Here's a quick thought - Anything, ANYTHING taken in excess becomes poisonous!

The Heart of a Father

This past weekend was a trying ordeal. I have three little boys and my two oldest along with my wife and myself caught some sort of virus that knocked us out for a couple of days. In our boys case it was a little more sever in that they were so sick they became severly dehydrated and needed medical attention. It was during one of our many visits to the hospital that I achieved a certain level of clarity and insight on a certain issue that has really touched my life. This insight came through an experience with my oldest son. He was sick and the doctors decided it would be best to get him on an I.V. So they had me carry him to another room where there were three more doctors and they had me lay him on this cold brown table. During this my oldest son didn't cry or anything, he completely trusted me as his father. Then the doctors asked me to leave for a few minutes while they hooked him up with an I.V. I nodded my consent and took a step back from the table through the doorway. My oldest son's eyes never left me, until the sliding door into the room was all of the sudden closed, and I was left standing outside listening to my son start to cry as the doctors grabbed him and held him down and started to insert the needle and put on the brace. He started crying out, "PAPA, PAPA!" It was the most heart wrenching sound! I wanted to tear the sliding door off of its hinges and charge in and rescue my son, but I didn't because I knew that what was being done was for his benefit, and would ultimately result in restoring him to perfect health. It was one of the toughest things I have had to endure as a parent. Sure, It was tough taking care of a couple of sick boys, but I had a level of control. To resign myself to allowing my son to experience pain in anyway, even knowing it was for his betterment, was something that taxed my self sontrol and in a way strengthened my love as I had to love him enough to let go of my control of him knowing this momentary pain was going to restore my son to me. And as I am sitting contemplating this I realized something, There was another Father who endured this, but on a much greater scale. We see this recorded for us in the Bible. In Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19 we can see a recording of the most historically difficult, painful, bloody, anguishing, heart-wrenching account of the death of Jesus Christ and more importantly, the measure of the HEART OF HIS FATHER! Jesus who was innocent, kind, and pure, was beaten with rods, stripped, whipped with a cat of nine tails whip which had lead tips, tortured by brutal bloodthirsty soldiers, spit on by priests and commoners alike, and then hung up on a cross by large railroad spikes which were driven through his hands and feet. He was hung naked between criminals, mocked by the very people he had worked for for years, he had a crown of inch and half long thorns shoved deep into his skull, and to top it all off he was thirsty and was given a mixture of vinegar and spit to soften his dusty, parched throat. Jesus went through all of this for you and me. He was making a way for us so that we could become adopted sons of God and not have to experience hopelessness in death. It truly was the ultimate sacrifice! And personally I am so thankful and grateful for the sacrifice that Christ made, but until recently I had never observed the sacrifice that God the father made as a father for Christ and for us as His adopted sons. You see there came a time when Christ was on the cross that he started to cry out for his father. We can see this clearly in Matthew 27:46, and Mark 15:34. In Essence Christ was calling out, "PAPA, PAPA!" And it is here that I always assumed (until recently) that God the Father turned his face away from his Son because all the sin of the world was being laid on him and He did this because He can't look upon sin, but boy, was I wrong (to a certain extent!). You see, a little while earlier that day - when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus and bring him to trial, Christ made an interesting statement. He said that if he just asked His Father, His Father would send 72,000 mighty angelic warriors in an instant to rescue Him. God the Father loves His Son. In the most famous bible verse in the world (John 3:16) everyone says it, but until recently I never fully took it to heart, the part that reads "His one and only son...". God Loved Christ, time and again God continually was sending affirmations of his love to his son both verbally and miraculously. He isn't this cold, detached being sitting on a cloud playing out his plan with Christ without feelings. No! In fact, it's the exact opposite, we see multiple times in scripture where God acknowledges Christ as His Beloved Son in whom God the Father is well pleased. So, as Christ is hanging on the cross bloody and bruised, he cries out to his father, and his Father -who loves Christ beyond anything we can imagine - has to make a sacrifice of enormous proportions. To use myself as an imperfect analogy, God the Father was like me standing outside of the hospital door listening to my son's cries for me and wanting to rip the door off of it's hinges and rush in and save my son, but instead making the difficult decision to restrain myself for the betterment of my son. God could have ripped back the curtain of time and space in an instant and sent more than 72,000 mighty warrior angels to surround Christ as God the Father comforts his son and heals his momentary pain, but he doesn't. Instead He loves his son enough to allow him to suffer the momentary pain of death, for christ's betterment, for it was through that momentary pain of death, the Christ was able to conquer death and it is because of his sacrifice and conquest that God was able to bring Christ to his rightful position as King of Kings, and Lord of Lord's, with everything subject to him. And it is God the Father's pleasure to see his son receiving that glory as any father is proud of seeing his own children suceed. But the sacrifice of God the Father was equal to the sacrifice of Christ in that God had to restrain himself and allow his Son to experience the pain for his betterment and for ours as it was necessary for Christ to die so that we could achieve adoption status into God's family. And it was through that restaint that we see God's love not just for Christ but also for us. This act of love was not an easy thing for God. In the following verses we see the very elements of this world responding as a visual sign to us of the restraint of power God was exercising in not rescuing son. We see that while Christ was suffering on the cross there was a great darkness all across the land. The sky itself was depicting the anguish and emotion of God the father, and then when Christ finally looks up to heaven like a son looking up to his father, and says in essence, "OK Dad I am going to trust you completely that things will turn out the way you said they would turn out," and then let's go of life, the earth was moved . In that very moment of trust, release, and acceptance the earth itself shook massively in response to the last final moments of restraint that God the father was enduring in order to ensure our adoption, and Christ's Lordship over everything. God the father was by no means a passive observer or simply a being of tremendous knowledge void of compassion. No, He ,as a father, who loved his son and us enough to endure the toughest thing a father has to endure (the pain and suffering of one's own child), was doing it all in order to guarantee us a future and a hope. God, who created everything, subjegated himself to agony and suffering both through the body of Christ and the restraint of God the father all to make a way for a future of hope for his creations. We are greatly LOVED! And this is why believers should boldly approach God and cry Daddy!



(C.) Copyrighted January 2009
Outward Thinking: The Heart of a Father
by Michael Wogsland