A New Beginning... this time, for real!

So I have this blog, have for over a year now, but never really had any guiding principle for it, nothing in particular to blog about. And I'm not disciplined enough as a writer to commit to it. But now I have something. See, I'm preaching semi-regularly now, and though they aren't completely true to what actually comes out of my mouth, I have the manuscripts thereof. So I have decided I'm gonna start posting my sermons for those who may be interested. Also will probably be attaching some random YouTube video. Random as in it doesn't connect to the sermon that is, not a completely random selection from that beast.

As kind of an introductory note, and reiterating the above: when I actually preach these, I don't hold completely to the manuscript. I add, delete, change words around on the fly. Never significantly so that the manuscript becomes wrong, but if it sounds weird aloud or reads weird, well, I may have changed it.

So without further ado, here is my sermon that I preached at Maryville Friends Church in Maryville, TN on Sunday, January 25. Sermon length was between 16 and 20 minutes if I timed it right.

Big for Our Britches

25 January 2009

Maryville Monthly Meeting of Friends

(open reading Acts 2:1-6)

So here the disciples are,

50 days after Jesus rose from the dead,

and ten days after he's ascended.

They've picked somebody to pick Judas' place

and now they're waiting, gathered expectantly waiting.

Tradition tells us that it was the Upper Room,

the same room where they'd had the Last Supper.

All the Bible says is that they were together in one place,

but the Upper Room works for me.

Jesus promised them,

right before he ascended,

that the Holy Spirit would come and give them power.

So they chose a new disciple and started waiting.

This wasn't the first time

they'd been promised something special;

if you recall the book of John,

just before Jesus is arrested

he has a long conversation with the disciples

and promises them a Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

It's from these chapters in John

that Friends take our name,

because Jesus told the disciples

“I no longer call you slaves, but friends.”

So these men and women,

the Twelve and all of Jesus' other followers,

are gathered waiting on the Spirit.

And it arrives.

And oh, does it arrive.

I'm not talking the still, small voice that Elijah heard on the mountain.

No, this time the Holy Spirit came

like a mighty rushing wind

and ignited these people's hearts and tongues for God.

Now, some of our more extreme Pentecostal friends interpret this

to mean we should all be speaking in languages we don't understand.

I can't say I completely agree,

but far be it for me to call into question somebody's relationship with the Spirit.

Regardless, haven't you ever wondered

what it might be like to suddenly have that sort of radical gift from the Spirit?

To just start speaking the words God gives you

and not just by speaking clearly but have everybody understand you

no matter where they come from?

Personally, I praise God if I'm just doing the “speaking clearly” part.

Think about it for a moment;

here these followers are,

men and women uneducated,

many of them from the most backwards part of the land.

And there's all these people gathered in Jerusalem

from different parts of the Roman Empire for the Festival of Weeks,

and they're all hearing their own language from these Galileans?

Talk about power from the Spirit!

No wonder 3000 people were converted that day.

The timing was pretty much perfect on God's part, too.

I mean, of course the timing was perfect,

God's timing is always perfect, right?

But the big festival in Jerusalem,

the holiday that so many Jews had come back home for?

There's a bunch of names for it

since it's so old, but the main Hebrew name is Shavuot.

Now, on the one hand it was a harvest festival,

celebrating the gathering in of the grains.

But there was and still is for Jews a deeper meaning.

You see, Shavuot commemorates the day

on which God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai

and therefore marked the anniversary of their covenant.

In other words, on the day that all the Jews, including Jesus' followers,

were celebrating God giving Israel the Law through Moses,

that same day the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples

to preach the Good News of Christ.

Talk about your parallels and your perfect timing!

And yet we know that the Holy Spirit that empowered Peter and John,

empowered Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany,

still works to empower us today and continues to speak.

We as Friends are particularly aware of this

with our open worship and our belief in continuing revelation.

When Jesus' promised the disciples in the Gospels

that they would do even greater things than he,

he wasn't kidding.

Well, ok, this is all well and good,

but what's my point with all this?

None of this is exactly new, right?

Well here's the other thing;

just because we are given this power by the Spirit,

it doesn't mean we can just use it willy-nilly.

We need to be very careful that we seek God's guidance

in what we do and say in God's name.

Because that's the other thing

about this story of Pentecost.

Jesus' followers were waiting patiently for guidance.

They weren't out trying

to do things on their own.

Even Peter,

that old blowhard

who was always putting his foot in his mouth,

Even Peter was waiting patiently.

I think there's an important lesson there,

and one that often gets overlooked

because we're all so focused

on the tongues of fire and the mighty rushing wind.

You see, even thought they'd been promised power,

these men and women knew they hadn't received it yet,

they hadn't gotten too big for their britches

that they thought they could do it on their own.

It's a very Quaker lesson, too;

“we're gonna sit together in silence,

patiently waiting for the Spirit to come and give us the message.”

They knew there was a message coming,

but they weren't forcing it.

One of the friends that I've made at seminary

has an expression that she'll say whenever somebody's

talking abut needing to make a decision.

“Don't outrun your Guide” she says,

reminding us that everything we do should be under

the guidance and care of the Holy Spirit.

Now, I'll freely admit that this isn't very easy.

Relying on God for guidance and strength,

and not trusting our own abilities and wisdom?

Even when we know this,

we know how much we should rely on God,

how easy is it to get full of ourselves?

I know I've done it,

tried to rely on my own understanding instead of

properly trusting in God's guidance.

It's natural, it's normal, it's a very human thing to do,

and it's something we all have to work so hard to overcome,

don't we?

Especially in today's modern world,

with it's emphasis on being empowered,

on being independent and self-sufficient,

Giving up our rights and submitting

to God's will and guidance,

well, it's almost un-American if you listen to some people.

And yet,

you can look through the Bible,

you can look through history,

and see what happens when we rely on our own strength.

Think of King Solomon,

how magnificently he started.

Even today,

people remember Solomon for being so wise,

a wisdom he asked for and received from God.

But... then what happened?

Do we remember the rest of the story?

Solomon got too big for his britches,

he turned away from God because

he thought he had it all figured out.

So he started worshiping idols.

Even King David,

a man after God's own heart,

made this critical mistake.

It certainly wasn't God's idea

for David to lust after Bathsheba

and have her husband sent to the front lines to die.

Or look at more recent examples,

I'm sure we can all think of someone who

clearly had abilities and gifts from God

but who outran the guidance of the Spirit.

You see Friends,

we're not just called to use our Spirit-given power

for the Kingdom of God without direction and as we see fit.

Just as important is that we seek out God's guidance

and that when necessary, as it may often be,

we submit our will to God's will.

Early Quakers spoke a lot about

taking up our cross and following Christ.

They also spoke of “notions,”

and the dangers that were involved when we

follow our notions instead of God's will.

Even today,

when we gather in silent worship

and we listen for the Holy Spirit

to give us a message,

We have to be careful that

what we hear isn't our own desires

but actually comes from God.

We are reminded in 1^st John 4:1,

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit,

but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,

because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Just as the early Quakers,

so should we, when we feel we have a leading,

test that leading and that message,

making sure that it is truly from God.

As we listen and pray, we ask,

“Is this truly from God?”

“Does this work that I feel called to

actually conform with God's plan

or just my own desires?”

And if it sticks with you,

if it burns inside you, growing stronger like a holy fire

and doesn't just pass away,

Then you have a very good indication.

So Friends,

when I challenged us last week

to continue doing God's work,

We need also to remember that the

emphasis and focus of our action

needs to be guided by God

through the Holy Spirit.

Because if we fly off the handle,

doing our own thing

and counting on our own guidance

to use the power that the Spirit gives us all,

We can end up very disappointed,

or very hurt,

or hurting someone else.

But this command of Jesus',

this reminded in the Gospel of John that

“You are my friends, if you do what I command you,”

is not just a warning and a reminder

that we shouldn't rely on our own strength.

No Friends,

this is a blessing.

We worship and follow a Savior God

who loves us and doesn't force us

to figure things out on our own.

The Holy Spirit promised by Jesus

is not just a source of power and gifts to the Disciples

and to us.

No, the Spirit is also

the Comforter, the Sustainer.

You know the old song,

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

This is the most wonderful thing

about a God who provides guidance,

direction, and support for us in all our days.

This world is big, confusing,

complicated, noisy, and difficult.

Especially today,

with all the challenges and problems we face,

we should be so glad that we can turn to the Holy Spirit for direction.

When I think of so many people,

including some of my friends from college,

who don't believe in God,

I sometimes feel an overwhelming sense of sorrow for them,

Not anger.

I wonder how terrifying and confusing

this world must be, having to face it entirely alone,

or only with other flawed, frail humans to turn to.

True, we are working to grow in our spiritual maturity,

to become more Christlike,

but how many times in the Gospels

Do you see Jesus taking time

to go to God in prayer, seeking guidance and support?

How comforting and empowering it is,

to know we have someone to turn to for guidance.

And this guidance takes so many forms,

whether the words of people and times long gone,

or the direction and guidance of mentors with us today,

Friends and family through whom

God can speak.

That's one of the reasons I think

communities of faith,

places like Maryville Friends,

are so important.

It's people gathered together

in common service of God

that God can work through

to support and guide all of us.

We can all think of times and places,

people and events that God used

to guide us and comfort us in difficult times,

or times when we weren't sure where to go with our lives.

These are difficult and troubling times,

but we as Christians know we can rely on God's guidance

in all things.

And we know that when we

take it to the Lord in prayer,

we will find our true purpose and

our greatest peace and satisfaction.

So Friends, as we enter into a time of prayerful communion with God,

remember that, whether we're getting too big for our britches,

or we need God's support through difficult and confusing decisions,

What we are called to do is listen

for the movement and power of the spirit.

Whether that comes in

the inward movement of open worship,

the caring voice of a loved one or community of believers,

Or whether, like those men and women at Pentecost,

the direction of God comes in a mighty rushing wind.

And now for your unrelated YouTube video, enjoy!

Revamp

I've been somewhat 'meh' towards "Trickster's Tales" for awhile now. Doesn't *really* describe me since I'm more of the straight man than the comic, and considering the atmosphere from which Paleface Coyote sprung, just a bit of an uncomfortable reminder now and again. So now Vox ex Turbatio (look it up :-P). Considered Vox ex Vacuus but didn't think I really wanted to be saying that about myself. Changed the address too which might be slightly annoying but hopefully not much.

Reminiscing Part 2 (of many)

So, I've come to the conclusion that four cartoon intros/reminisces are too many to fit in one blog post. It's too unwieldy, and there's more to say than what I did say. So I'm gonna try doing one at a time, see how that works. 'Course, that might take me awhile, but oh well. Gives me something to strive for, and (relatively) new content every now and then.

Captain Planet: Originally broadcast September 1990 to May 1996

Oh yes, I went there. The ultimate in enviro-hippie cartoons, Captain Planet was about five kids with magic rings who, when needed, could summon "Earth's greatest hero." No, not Superman, but Captain Planet. Each of the kids came from a different part of the globe (Africa, North America, USSR, Asia, South America), giving the show a pretty balanced cast for an early-90s cartoon - the American, of course, was from New York City. The Soviet girl, later had her origin changed to "Eastern Europe" after the USSR collapsed - something of which I had only the very vaguest of notions. More interestingly, each ring gave command/power over one of the classical elements (Earth, Fire, Wind, Water) - with the fifth being labeled "Heart" - which always seemed to me kinda vagueish and undefined, wishy-washy, but also potentially the most powerful. Sure, the Earth guy can shape the very ground you stand on, the Fire guy can blast you with flaming destruction, the Wind girl can create a tornado, and the Water girl can potentially do all sorts of nasty things. But "Heart," from what I can recall, was some sort of empathic/mental connection type thing... usually used to make villains feel bad, or get some local critters to help, or be a general moral conscious type thing. On the other hand... it could also be used to, oh, inflame mobs, influence public opinion, even if only subtly... maybe even mind control. How fortunate that the kid with the "Heart" ring was also the most innocent/pure, morally upright... etc., etc. And of course the different elements fit with each kid's personality... steady and reliable African dude, hotheaded American, piercing/logical Russian, flexible/adaptable Asian-of-unspecified-origin (though likely Chinese I'd guess).

Other good things... oh yeah, I really wanted their solar-powered plane. And I never could figure out which ring I'd have wanted. There was a particular episode I vaguely remember that dealt with drug addiction which I found a little bit frightening.... granted, I was a little kid, but I seem to remember one of the Planeteers actually becoming an addict. After all, one of the show's messages was keeping yourself pollution-free as well. Also, I was annoyed by the PSA's at the end of each show... I'd've preferred more time for actual show and plot, and they were boringly repetitive.

Anyway though... can you imagine what people would be saying if this show debuted today? "Bleeding-heart liberals and their godless heathen tv shows..." Seriously... kids recruited by "the Spirit of the Earth" and fighting to save the planet from caricatures of all the classic environmentalist bugaboos? But you know what? I watched it, and if I'd had kids then, I'd want them to be watching something like this too. Great escapist stuff and with an important core message that Smokey the Bear would be proud of.

Oh... and Linka (the Russian girl) was probably one of my earlier TV crushes as a little eight year old. Yeah, she was a cartoon... and?

Bonus material: The end credits, and the theme song that probably is Cap's most lasting contribution to pop culture.

Reminiscing... ahh, childhood

Ever get nostalgic about your childhood? I do, especially recently about the TV shows I watched when I was a kid. This is helped in large part of course by the magical creations of Youtube and Wikipedia, which have allowed me to relive, in some small measure, a bit of those good old shows. I've been able to find the old show intros... and in more than one case, entire episodes! And now I feel like sharing. Of course, there's a lot of shows out there, and I don't feel like inundating... so I'm gonna do a few at a time. These are in no particular order, nor with any particular theme. Now, let's see if I can figure out this whole "embedding" thing...

1. Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers - First Run March 1989 to November 1990

This old Disney cartoon is one of my earliest and fondest memories of TV cartoons. I would have been four and five when the show first aired, and probably remember it more from reruns on the Disney Afternoon after-school block. This 'toon featured a detective/rescue agency headed up by the two chipmunk title characters who went around doing good deeds for other animals and solving cases that "go slipping through the cracks." The show also starred Gadget, a brilliant girl mouse inventor, a strong-arming Australian mouse named Monterey Jack (as in the cheese, natch), and Zipper the fly - who didn't speak intelligibly but tended to be the funniest (to me, as a four, five, six, seven year old). As with most Disney cartoons, lots of humor and slapstick, but I also remember a lot of teamwork and friendship messages, especially about being gentle with one another's foibles and perseverance.

2. Batman: The Animated Series - First Run September '92 to September '95

This cartoon redefined, to a large extent, what American cartoons could be and introduced an entire generation of young people to the Batman character. Dark and moody with a penchant for serious drama and little slapstick, I could probably rewatch this cartoon as a 20-something and still really like it. I would've been 7, almost 8, when Batman came on the air, and 10 when it ended, and that sounds about right, though I no doubt caught it in re-runs as well. The art deco and rather timeless look to Gotham (relatively high tech, but police in zeppelins for example) really appealed to me, since Batman was very clearly in the "real world" but still separate and comic-booky enough. Aside from Batman (and Robin, Batgirl, Alfred) however, the villains of Batman were particularly well-done, especially the Joker and Mr. Freeze. This particular cartoon spawned a series of 'toons roughly linked, with the last show not ending until 2006.

3/4. Where in the World/Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego - September '91 to October '96 and February '94 to January '99, respectively

If the Oregon Trail was the definitive early computer game(s) for kids my age, Carmen Sandiego comes in a very close second, if not surpassing it. The games basically were educational, originally about Geography (Where in the World...), in which the player would try and catch the greatest thief in the world, Carmen Sandiego. There was an early '90s gameshow which I followed faithfully, and one of the highlights was Rockapella's song that played at the end of the show (apologies for the video, which is just clips strung together to the song). A few years later, there was a Saturday morning dramatic cartoon with the same basic premise and starring sibling detectives trying to catch Carmen. To this day, I think of Carmen Sandiego as the greatest fictional thief ever and basically uncatchable. And my love of history and geography was at least partly stoked by these shows (and games).

4. Gargoyles - First run October '94 to February '97

(apologies for the annoying ad)

The success of the Batman cartoon led to Disney considering making their own cartoon with a more mature bent to take advantage of the pre-teen/teen demographic, and this show worked perfectly for me. I liked it for many of the reasons I liked Batman - excellent writing, complex plots, darker themes (all keeping in mind I watched this show first-run and in re-runs until I was maybe 16), and I loved the voice cast. Where Batman was comic-books and detective stuff, Gargoyles was medieval history and mythology, and this is another series I could probably watch again and really like.


So that's round 1. Long post, but maybe this rekindled some memories, or interested in some new ones.

Epic Walk Part 2

Alright, so it occurs to me that I'm not particularly happy with the way the first installment of this tale turned out. So changing the style somewhat, returning it to first person. Names remain changed for the protection of the indeterminately-sinful. ;-)

So here we are, six guys and a blonde haired girl - Tiger, Coyote, Lone Wolf, Ferret, Gopher, Toad, and Dove - gone for a walk at midnight down Turnpike Road out of E-Town. Now, that particular combination becomes important later when the cops get involved, but we weren't thinking like that at the time, of course.


So we'd decided to head out Turnpike Road instead of going past the Masonic Village (Old Folks Home) and turning 'round. Gopher and Toad are mildly iffy about this since they only really came along cause nothing else was going on... the whole "epic walk till morning" thing they're not sure about. Ferret, as is his wont, is all about going wherever, whenever for exploration's sake (hence his climbing Mt. LeConte with me), and Tiger the same. Wolf and Dove are mostly just hanging out and the adventure appeals to them too.

Anyway, so Tiger's disappeared, run off into the woods. At some point, he rejoined us, coming up fairly quietly from behind. Somebody - not sure if it was Dove, Gopher, or Toad - near jumped out of their skin when he showed up next to them and just jumped into the conversation. Especially as we were discussing how this could turn into a horror movie and deciding what order we'd all die in. We decided Ferret would be first, since he was the funniest of us. Dove would be last, being as she's the only girl and you always have to have a girl survive. Couldn't decide whether Wolf would hang on till next-to-last, preserving the couple longer, or earlier in some sort of foolishly-noble self-sacrifice. Either one would work.

It was sometime around this point when somebody piped up that we'd seen an awful lot of red candles in windows (by an awful lot, I mean maybe 3 - we're out of town now and into the Lancaster County non-Amish sticks), which clearly meant we'd somehow stumbled into the Lancaster Co. red-light district... we kept an eye out for awhile for any plain-dress girls with their socks rolled down.

One of the more disconcerting (not the most, no) moments happened when somebody - Toad or Gopher, maybe? - looked over on the side of somebody's house and yelled "Holy S&^T!" Well, we were all wondering what he'd seen, and when he pointed it out we were all a little shaken too - even after we figured out what it really was. Turns out somebody's yard light, illuminating some decoration or other, also had the unfortunate effect of catching a little knotted pull-string in its beam. Which was magnified full sized onto the side of the house looking like a big old noose. Yeesh.

A little further on, we notice some deer statues in somebody's yard. Well, most of us know they're statues. Tiger and Dove aren't so sure and wonder if maybe they're real deer just standing *really* still. Yes, it was kinda rediculous even if it was very dark. Though in their defense, the two of them are from way downtown Philly... I'm not sure they knew what deer looked like outside of the Franklin Institute or textbooks. Oh wait... I was supposed to be defending them. ;-)

Tiger really wants to run up to the deer statues just to make absolutely sure, but we convince him it's a bad idea... we don't wanna be on the wrong end of a shotgun, after all. Instead, I go along with his suggestion that we take a side road up into a woodsy area for awhile, see what it's like or if there's anything interesting up there. The others more or less refuse... it's pretty dark and creepy looking, and Ferret would rather press on because he wants pictures of Three Mile Island, which he's convinced we'll be able to see at some point. So Tiger and I go up the side road by ourselves, we'll catch up with the others in a bit.

Well, it was definitely dark and creepy, and not just a little bit foggy as well. It went on for a while, as roads tend to do, and we followed it to the top of the first rise. There was a Caterpillar of some sort sitting just off the road at some sort of worksite, but that wasn't what caught our attention. Well, I'm not sure what caught our attention, but one of us saw something move in the trees out the corner of our eye, and the other heard something rustle. Already a bit spooked, and not wanting to tarry too long and get real behind the others, we turn around and head back, jogging at a brisk (for me, not him) pace.

Now, as I'm sure has become clear, Tiger's a real mischievous, prankster kinda guy. So we're heading back down Turnpike Road and he says to me, "Ted, what if one of us showed back up without the other and convinced them - Dove would be easiest and funniest - that we thought the other had already caught up? Make them think the other one of us had disappeared somewhere." Well, I thought it would be a fun idea, so we conferred for a bit. Decided I'm not nearly as good at keeping a straight face in something like this, and though they might suspect Tiger more than they would me of pulling the prank, he'd be better at it. So I sat down on the side of the road - not far at this point from the stables where I'd taken a half a class in riding - and waited for about 20 minutes before I started walking again.

Dove called me twice (I think, or was it thrice?), trying to figure out what had happened to me. The first two times I answered... "Where are you, Ted?" (or something to that effect) she asked, in a fairly-concerned voice. I responded with a kind of unintelligible groaning and some heavy breathing before hanging up. After the first two times, I just refused the call.

To Be Continued...
Next Time: Peeing on a church, random creepy yokel, Three Mile Island, and the Pepsi Machine Mirage.

Coyote Goes to Meet the Sun

Coyote and Tiger were playing chess one night when they decided to go on an Epic Walk. Well, I say Coyote decided, but it was mostly Tiger and Coyote was up for it. They decided to leave at the witching hour and walk in one direction until they met Sun. So then they went to round other people up from the dorm. Ferret was willing, but he always likes long wanderings at any hour, so that wasn't surprising. Gopher and Toad both said they'd come along, but Rabbit said he was feeling tired and wanted to sleep. "Call me when you need picked up, you won't make it as far as Sun" he told them. All the rest in the dorm weren't interested and most thought Coyote and Tiger were crazy.

Tiger wanted Lone Wolf to come along too, but knew he would be a hard sell. So Coyote suggested convincing Dove first - she liked random stuff like that, and if they could get her on board, she had a good shot of convincing Wolf. After all, she's not your typical Dove, too playful and mischievous for that, just like Lone Wolf is too anti-social to fit with any one pack long-term. Funny how couples work that way. So they went down to the Nest of the Great Jay, where Dove and Wolf were working until the witching hour anyway. Ferret, Gopher, and Toad wandered off to snag some snacks while Coyote and Tiger talked to Dove. "Come with us," they said, "we're going to walk until we meet Sun. We'll fun, and Wolf doesn't hang out with us enough anyway. We'll leave after you get off work."

Well, it took a little, but not too much, cajoling by Dove, but Lone Wolf agreed to come along with the crew. He hates Gopher and Toad, though he tolerates Toad for use as a target of abuse. The rest he liked, and Dove quite a bit of course. So the crew came back right before close and hung around while Wolf closed the store up and Dove helped him finish up. They needed to go back and change, which Ferret and Tiger grumbled about, but understood. So with all that taken care of, the seven friends set off.

Dove and Ferret started singing Les Miserables as they walked down the streets of the Virgin Queen City, and Coyote joined in. Then they all switched to The Lumberjack Song, which Tiger and Gopher led while the others chimed in. Well, I say led, but it was more tried to remember as best they could. Lone Wolf didn't sing, but was definitely amused by all this, and Toad followed along as best he could.

They hadn't picked a direction for sure yet, but had decided to walk out of Town on High Street. As they walked by Peace Alley, Wolf and Tiger staged a fight while Ferret took a picture. Then Dove climbed on some statue. This sort of thing would, of course, continue all night. The seven walked on, past the train station, and came to a fork. Decision time. To the left, a fairly well-lit street leading up to (and eventually past) the Old Folks home. To the right, a darker fork, heading out through some light woods into the Red Rose countryside, eventually perhaps to the River. A council. Toad and Gopher were fairly unconcerned about which fork - Gopher was getting cold, but with some needling convinced himself to stay. Ferret, Tiger, and Coyote were all about the right fork, but Dove quailed - theatrically, being a Theatre bird as she was. Wolf was convinced to go right, and Dove went along - insisting that none of the guys sneak off into the woods to jump out, as Tiger had been suggesting.

So right they went, Tiger leading the way. Then he ran off into the darkness, leaving the others behind.

Superpowers!

Right then, so it's been a little bit since I posted anything, eh? Bet you lot were thinking Coyote had gone to ground, nothing worth talking about anymore, and you'd finally be rid of him, didn't you?

Sorry, it won't be that easy. :-P

So, one of the things I've been talking about with people semi-lately is the idea of superpowers, and what would yours be if you could choose them? Unlike my previous post, which tested you, this is a time for you to be creative yourself. Think about it... if you could have any two superpowers (that is to say, the ability to do something not normally able to be done by humans), what would they be? It can be something out of comics, something you saw on Heroes, or just something you've always wished you could do.

Why superpowers? Well, other than for just goofing off/shooting the breeze, picking a superhuman ability probably says something about your personality. Say you want to be able to be invisible... clearly you want to be able to hide. Is this because you're afraid of conflict and would rather just turn invisible than face it? I'm not much of a psychologist, or at least not at this hour, but I think you get the idea.

Oh yeah, and that picture to your right? Green Lantern + Optimus Prime is simply... fantastic.

Anyway. So my two superpowers would be flight/flying, which I think is a pretty standard wish-fulfillment power and a desire for freedom, and phasing through solid material, a la Kitty Pryde (X-Men) or D.L. Hawkins (Heroes). This is one I think of a lot working at the Roadhouse... how convenient it would be to just phase through people, or objects, but especially people, when I need to get from one place to another, especially on an extremely busy Saturday night. Of course, I've also been told there's more to it than that... the ability to walk through walls without destroying them would be a very useful metaphor for pastoral care, so long as its not abused and you don't walk into the person's (mental, spiritual) home uninvited and/or cause havoc once you get there.

Ok, that's all for now. Fairly short, to the point. It's really not all about me.