Can I get a Hero

Say it ain't so Joe? Say it ain't so?

Identifying a REAL hero

By Rev Adam Fox

It is not a secret, I love the Chicago White Sox and I tend to idolize certain people. So it is no secret that of all the Sox achievements and great players, one of the best was Joe Jackson. Shoeless Joe was the best player in the league for a decade, and led the Sox to the 1919 World Series, until he was accused, along with 7 other players, for taking a bribe and throwing the series. 

The national heart ache of such a baseball hero doing such a bad thing. The hurt. The outrage. The over-reaction.

It was just one turn in an endless cycle of heroes rising and falling for various reasons. 

We all have heroes from literature, film, television, sports, politics, and so forth. When I was a little fox, I used to love watching Pee Wee's Play House hosted by the wacky Pee Wee Hermon.

 It was everything a kid needed. But one day, my parents sat me and my brother down and explained that we could not watch that show anymore because Pee Wee did something wrong and disgusting. I was crushed. 

Only later, when I was older did I learn what he actually did and was disgusted and appalled, a childhood hero down the toilet. But when I was little, I bounced to the next kid oriented show - Hello Ninja Turtles!

In early October, little by little, one by one did more and more accusations come up against Hollywood big wig Harvey Weinstein. 

(There actually are pictures of him, I just choose not to show that jerks face.)

But scores of women have made claims that Weinstein assaulted them sexually. This ripple of sexual assault has snowballed into more women sharing personal stories of people in power abusing that authority and power into sexual assault.

 This led to the #metoo campaign to give all victims a voice. If this was it, it would be horrible enough, but as the kids say - hold my avocado. 

In the recent weeks there has been leveled accusations against former Presidents, congress and political men, actors and directors, sports stars, comedians, television media... and while I am not here to prove or defend the charges. It is not my place to justify these claims or to verify them. That is what the court system is for. I am not here to make this a political debate either. 
Should we disregard all the claims and accusations because they are against someone we enjoy, or voted for, or root for? Yes and no. We always need to respect and love the other person as we are loved and respected. Even if we think they are wrong. Respect, but hold judgement. Let it work it's way out, the truth always finds a way out eventually. And let God be the final judge, not us. 
However,  I am here to ask the question no one is asking. 

Who should we as believers have as heroes in the first place?

It is easy to be an American Christian  and look at our favorite movies and fall in love with an actor or sports star for what they do on our television. I am guilty of placing other humans and fictionals at hero level. Mitch Trubisky can throw one heck of a spiral, Hero. Peter Parker is selfless and is Spiderman. Hero. Rainn Wilson made Dwight Schrute come alive. Hero.

But reality is not just in 30 minutes a week. There is more than just the glimpses of life we see on our screen. Football players are more than just amazing athletes. Comic fictions are not real. Actors have beliefs and choices that may not match what you expected. 

But are these people who we as Christians - men and women who have chosen to believe and repent and follow the risen Lord - should be following and claiming as our heroes?

NO!

The Hero we need AND the Hero we deserve is obvious! It is the Messiah, JESUS!!!!

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:17

Jesus is Hero worthy. He came to save me, to save us. Flawed and broken, and as we are. Look at Philippians 2, Jesus loved you and I so much, in that He stepped down from Heaven, and took the form of a servant, and became obedient in humility - even to death. For me. For you. 

Look to the saints of old, men and women from the Scriptures as inspirations. Hebrews 11 is called the Heroes of Faith chapter. A list of the Heroes of old. More and more examples. Men and Women who chose to follow Christ and believe in the coming Savior. 

Friends. What I am saying is not easy. It means we need to be more careful in who we idolize, in who we think is awesome and why.
Does that mean burn down Hollywood and Washington DC? No. 

What I am saying is we need to be more selective of who we idolize and what about them makes them our heroes. Is it there ability to hit a ball? Look good in a swimsuit? Read from a piece of paper? Make people laugh? Even lead our country? Or is it because they motivate you to be a better person, and sharpen you into a better believer in God?

"Iron sharpens iron,
    and one man sharpens another."

Friends, there are lot of people that we can believe in. But the thing about us humans, we are all sinful and in selfish and in need of a savior. Placing one of us above ourselves, in the place of God is dangerous and will end up in peril.  Or as the saying goes, the harder you pull on supermans cape, be ready for what you find out. 

My hero is God. And I am thankful for the Godly men and women who sharpen me and grow me and I the same to them. Are they heroes? No. Just other men and women who want to be more like our Lord. 

Happy thanksgiving!

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Finding the acorn of truth in the forest of the Mouse

Do You Trust Me?

Learning about Trust from Mickey Mouse

By Rev. Adam Fox

It is hard to avoid Mickey Mouse and Disney. They are everywhere! Including possibly buying 21st Century Fox. But Disney is still Disney, and they produce amazing cartoon movies. But this got me tho thinking, what is the best Disney cartoon Princess movie. Ariel? Belle? Lion King? To me, my favorite Disney movie in the Golden age was... Aladdin!

It was in my opinion, the best of the best. It had adventure, love, comedy, magic, everything any boy-teen-adult would need. What kid didn't want to ride a magic carpet, have a friendly monkey and a Genie! (Bless your soul Robin Williams)

Outside of the amazing music, one of the coolest scenes was when Al asks Jasmine to trust him and come with him on his magic carpet ride. "A whole new world..."

That is a loaded question. Do you trust? Do you trust others? What about God, how much do you trust Him? Trust is defined as "firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something."

Trusting is hard for some people. Sure, they trust the chair that they sit in to hold them. But on a larger scale, they have a hard time trusting in sentiment, in God, in their fellow man. I have a friend, but am going to give he/she a fake name ... Batman. 

He - Batman - struggled in this area. I do not know if his history or what made him struggle in this area, but he did. And Batman is no different then the rest of us. Call me jaded, but when an election occurs, I do not trust or believe in the freshly elected candidate that they will accomplish a majority of their promises made. 

Trusting is hard. Trusting in the goodness of man, in people doing the right thing, in our leaders leading as civil servants, trusting in our celebrity heroes, trusting that the work we do actually matters. 

Trusting is hard. And then there is trusting God - which is even harder. 

As believers, we are called to trust the Lord, the triune God who loves us and created us. But it doesn't mean that it is easy. 

But if we are charged to trust the Lord, why is it so difficult? 

My friend Batman has struggled with this. He knows God loves him, and has a perfect plan for him. But never understood why his day is filled with so much disappointment and struggle and fear. How much easier if God would have written that He promised to never put us in a place of danger. But that is not what the Bible says. Instead the Bible tells us to trust the Lord at all times. 

In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:4

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

The Scripture is filled with a calling for us as believers to trust the Lord. Trust God completely. 

It does not mean that if we are 100% trusting in God and His will for our lives that we will be completely problem and struggle free. 

WE still live in a fallen sinful world. Satan is going to do everything he can to drown us with fear, to keep us chained and bitter and untrusting towards everything and everyone - especially God. 

Let me remind you of my friend Batman. If you have noticed, I have only used past tense to talk about him. That is because over the last few weeks, Batman has surrender his fear to God and Trust him. Every day I talk with Batsy, and even though Batman is scared and afraid of things. He still trusts that God will provide and will protect Him. Trust is like a new born pet. It is small at first, but grows and matures over time. 

For my friend Batman, He is like that small doge or cat, his trust in the Lord is growing every day. While there is still fear in work, in family, in America, in World Powers, in finances, in so much. God is bigger than our fears. We need to trust the Lord more so. 

Look at what the prophet Jeremiah says, when we trust we are like a tree. Trees grow and enjoy water and sunshine. Trees do not fear the winter or the frost or fire, the tree keeps growing and does not stop producing. 

In-spite of bad circumstances, the tree grows. 

We need to be that tree. Produce fruit, even under the worst of circumstances. 

So where does that leave us? How do we learn to trust? What is the quickest and easiest answer? Bad news my friends, there is not an easy fix. 

Learning to trust someone, or something, and especially God is not a miracle pill. It is possible, but it takes strength and a lot of patience. 

David understood that trusting in God was most important to him. David, the man who had such a difficult life, filled with family drama, fighting, escaping, murder attempts, and so much more said in a psalm

In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:4

As believers, I and we need to trust God. We cannot let men, rumors, fear of any kind trap us from being the light of God everywhere. It will not be easy. But I am greatly encouraged when David says, "what can man do to me?"

Let us learn from the example of Batman or me. Trusting in the unknown and unseen is difficult and challenging, but it is worth it. To become the men and women of God, or as Jeremiah says a tree that is planted by the river and does not change due to circumstances. 

Until next time my friends

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam