The Ultimate Sacrifice… Friday, Apr 18 2008

The other day, I was watching the film “Superman: Doomsday” (Yeah, I’m a geek at heart. And yeah, Superman is the greatest superhero. Period.). Unless you’ve been living with your head in the ground, you’ll know that it’s based on the best-selling graphic novels about the death and resurrection of the Man of Steel. As a animated film, I was a tad bit disappointed. Mainly because they compressed what was a fantastic story told over the length of three graphic novels into a short, 75-minute film. They took out a lot of great stuff, and added stuff that didn’t add to the story. But overall, it was a pretty good Superman film.

But that’s not the point of this blog. As I was watching this film, I started thinking about the death and Resurrection of our Lord. Now, I know that this sounds cliché to talk about, but it’s hard not to make the connection between Superman and Christ. The similarities are there, but I won’t go into details about them. But it comes out more strongly in this story than in any other of the Superman stories. Superman faces the creature Doomsday, and sacrifices himself for the people of Metropolis, ultimately giving what Abraham Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion,” and dying in the arms of Lois Lane.

But of course, real superheroes never truly die. And it turns out that there was still a glimmer of life left in him, but it took some equipment, and a robot in the Fortress of Solitude (?) to retrieve him and revive him.

Of course, while the resurrection part of the Superman story is fanciful, the Resurrection of our Lord is not. God has given us the path to Salvation, and that is through Christ our Lord, Who shed His blood for us on the Cross, dying a criminal’s death, to save us from sin and hell. No tales of Krypton or red capes can ever be as dramatic as this one. The words of John 11:25 and 26 ring true:

I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

I hope that all is well with you. I wish you peace. May God bless you!

In Christ,

Steven Hancock

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The Battle Lines are Drawn… Friday, Apr 11 2008

This weekend, a great battle is about to be fought. This battle will be one of the most important ever fought. But it will not break the evening news. No victory celebrations will be heard, at least not visibly, or to the naked sound. This will be a battle fought within one person. The battle will decide what kind this person does with the rest of their lives. But, like on all the fields of battle that have come before or since, the lines are drawn. The drums will soon call to war, and enemies will fight to decide who wins, and who loses.

On the one side, whom we will dub the “bad guys,” is a monstrous beast. He has been the cause of great strife in our world. He makes men do terrible things, and not repent for any of it. It makes him stand high over others, thinking he is greater than any person, and is beyond corruption. He will destroy lives, friendships and relationships because he thinks himself better than it. The beast which controls him is called “the ego.”

Also standing with the ego are Satan and his minions. Satan manipulates the ego, making a person think that which I have stated above. He will twist, contort, and lie to make sure that this person is undone for good. The minions that stand with him will shout with glee if they are victorious.

On the other side of the battlefield are our “good guys.” On this field stands the man. His goal is simple: defeat this army arrayed against him, so that he may be rid of the ego forever.

But, like the ego, the man doesn’t stand alone. Beside him stands the King of Kings, Jesus the Christ! He robes the man in the Armor of God, which will shield him from all things thrown at him. The man is not given a sword to wield in battle. Instead, he is handed the Word of God. With this word, he will find comfort, peace, and the means to destroy the old man, and become made new in His Grace!

Also standing with him are the man’s brothers and sisters in Christ. They, too, have no swords or shields in the traditional sense. Instead, what they carry is a weapon mightier than any made by man. It is the weapon of prayer, which they will use to bring God’s Grace, Love, and Mercy to the man, so that he might be successful in defeating the enemy, with the help of God.

If the man is victorious, then Satan, his minions, and even his ego cannot get in the way. The man will finally be able to do the will of Him that created all life. He will be made Righteous through Him, and all things will be made new. The path to redemption is waiting, but the army of evil stands in his way.

The battle lines are drawn. The trumpets sound. The battle is about to commence…

Of course, what you have just read is highly dramatic, but inspired by things that are going on. This weekend, I will be fighting the enemies that seek to destroy me. But I will not be doing it alone. I have God on my side, and also those whom I ask to pray for me. As I go about my regular routine, the battle will be raging.

I hope that you all are doing well. Take care, and God bless!

In Christ,

Steven Hancock

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Killing the Beast called the Ego… Thursday, Apr 10 2008

As I sit to write this post, I can’t help but wonder at what six months can be like. Better yet, it’s hard to believe how 2+ months can be like. I’ve had some hard stuff thrown at me as I attempt to finish this semester of college, putting me only two summer classes away from graduating. Well, I won’t go into details about “everything” that’s happened in this semester. Instead, I wanted to dedicate this post to something that happened in the past week, and what I’ve learned about killing the beast called “the ego.”

Just so I don’t give away any names or details about what happened, I’ll be brief about the incident. A friend of mine was going through a difficult time in her life. She got some help, and got past some of the stuff. It was then that I felt called by God to give her further moral support. But me and my big mouth ruined the opportunity! It turned out, I said something that was derogatory about said girl. I said this while I was sick with the flu, and was taking medication for it, so I wasn’t in the right state of mind. But I’m not trying to defend what I said. It was something that shouldn’t have been said, regardless of whether or not I was sick.

As the week has progressed, I’ve talked a little with this person. But the one thing I haven’t been able to do openly is come up front with her and apologize for what I said. There are two reasons why I haven’t done this, and it only partially occurred to me when I talked with some of my fellow Christian men. The first one I knew right off. Even after praying to God for forgiveness, I haven’t felt forgiven yet. I’m not sure if it’s because He hasn’t yet, and wants me to realize something, or whether or not I’ve forgiven myself.

The second reason came up in our discussion recently, and might even be connected with reason one. One of my friends said that I might be letting my ego get in the way, and I need to let it go and just apologize to my friend for what I said. I need to loose the ego, and do what is right.

So I guess that the point of this post is this: starting tonight, I will be praying for the grace and the courage to destroy my ego for good. It has been a burden on me all my life, especially in this past week. The ego is causing me so much trouble. I’m letting it get in the way of doing what’s right. And because of that, my relationship with God is becoming strained. So tonight, my mission to destroy the ego beast begins. Keep me all in your prayers.

My ego is going down…

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