Elseworlds

Earlier tonight I finished reading a comic I had purchased some time ago but never finished. It was a Superboy Annual from 1994.  This particular year all the Annuals were part of what DC Comics calls Elseworlds. I personally love the Elseworlds series because it does one simple thing. It asks, “what if?” The end result is sometimes awesome, sometimes stupid, but somehow always though provoking. 

In one such Elseworlds book they asked the question, “what if baby superman’s ship was knocked slightly off course and he landed in the out skirts of Gotham City instead Smallville?” In this book the Waynes find this celestial orphan and adopt him thus never having Bruce. End result is instead of Clark becoming Superman, he becomes Batman.

Another series of Elseworlds called “Batman: Brotherhood of the  Bat” and its sequel “Batman: The League of the Batmen” takes a look into the future. Here it asks a few questions, what if Talia & Bruce had a son named Tallant (concept of a son came about in 1987 but the child was unnamed, later in 96 they decided settle with the name Damian). Then they ask what if Talia’s father, Ra’ al Ghul, had killed Bruce and succefully destroyed much of the world and created a league of assassins who wear rejected designs for Batman’s costume. Later in the second book Tallant creates the League of Batmen to combat his grandfather’s evil desire to destroy the world.

Rather intense stuff.  But back to what happened tonight, as I was reading the Superboy comic I begin to think about the fact that one small change in the history of these characters and their lives become dramatically different. A shift in the wind and a  Superman becomes a Batman.  A change of location and a Batman becomes a secret agent.  One simple aspect and the entire world is different for them.

Then I begin to think about how different my life would have been had I not accepted Christ. The path I could had taken had a 14 year old boy not walked to the front of small church in Ash Grove, Missouri and accepted Christ as his Lord & savior… well who knows where I could had ended up. I suppose statistically I could had ended up in a life of drugs and alcoholism. I could had become a womanizer. Today I could be shacked up with some woman with kids by 2 and 3 other women… I could be dead.

So many crazy possibilities had I not done one simple thing. I am so thankful for Christ. I am thankful for the salvation He has given me and the sanctification that the Holy Spirit brings me through. Truly without Him, I’d be lost.  I want to encourage you, take a moment and ponder what your life would be like if you had not truly accepted Christ as your Lord.  I know for me that thought has brought me to thankfulness, how about you?

A Club of Heroes and Humility

So in 1957 the comic book called “World’s Finest Comics” published an issue called “The Club of Heroes.” The basically what happens in the story (don’t worry no spoilers) is that a wealthy man named John Mayhew stared a club called The club of Heroes. It was something he built in honor of all the great heroes of the world. He then in turn decided to give the deed to the building to one of the heroes.

To decide which hero would receive the deed he declared that which ever hear did the greatest work over the next week would be rewarded the deed. However, during this week Superman keeps mysteriously passing out and a mysterious new hero appears. Hmmm interesting….

Now the ending of this story isn’t the reasoning for my blog but rather what happens in the midst of it. You see all the world’s heroes set out to fight crime as they usually did. However, while doing it they purposefully kept low key so not to draw attention to themselves. Batman thought Superman deserved it, Superman thought Batman deserved it, the Musketeer, Knight & Squire, Gaucho, and Legionary all thought Batman & Superman should get it.

As I read this I thought to myself, “wow, isn’t that how the body of Christ is supposed to be?” I know what you’re thinking, “ummm… D…. those are comic book heroes… “ Yes I know that but that’s not what I mean! Goobers.

Check out this scripture

3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
~Philippians 2:3-4

So often we see in the body petty bickering and strife that leads to pain and anguish. But that’s not at all what God expects of us. Rather he wants to be like the Club of Heroes, to have such respect for our brothers and sisters that we long to see what’s best for them be done. Wow what an amazing thought, if we all put the effort to help each other and see them grow to their potential then how much would our Lord be glorified? After all it’s all for His glory.

I want to encourage everyone take to heart this simple scripture illustrated through a comic book, lift your brothers and sisters up so that our Lord may be glorified.