Tag Archive for: romans 8

Who’s the Baddest of Them All?

Cruella

I’m not sure anymore…Cruella, antiheroes, and the gospel

In light of the gospel, what do we do with the antihero trend in Hollywood? As the lines of good versus evil get muddied, should we be appalled, confused, or cheer them on?

 

The other day, I got roped into being a fill-in character during my youngest daughter’s pretend play session with the neighbor girl. Since the two 6-year-olds both decided to be mermaids and I was the only other living and breathing thing within earshot, I was cast as both the mermaid-killer and the mermaid-healer. I was both the bad guy and the good guy all in one.

 

First of all, can I just stop and ask the fellow parents out there, Why the inverse relationship between age and ability to engage in imaginative play? I wish I weren’t the norm here, but man is it hard! That aside, I was a mixture of confused and amused in managing these stark contrasts: just as quickly as I was able to muster up some intensely malicious motives for the bad guy, my six-year-old boss ladies had me switching hats to bring on the gentleness and goodness required of me for the rescue. Read more

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Does “2020 Suck” in the kingdom of heaven?

Dad's Facebook repost

The other day, I was outside doing chores when a neighbor walked by with his dog and his son on training wheels. As the dad tripped up on the slack of the dog’s leash, his trendy t-shirt slogan had me doing a double-take. In big bold letters, the shirt said “2020 SUCKS.”

 

The sentiment is felt, man. In 2020, death and disease have overcome our news feeds. Fear has overtaken our communities. Confusion has found a place at the table. And injustice is rearing its ugly head all around us. Neither can we help but notice the uneasiness within. “2020 sucks” is a lucrative slogan—a money-making graphic to be slapped on everything. Recently, someone even sent me an image of the numbers 2-0-2-0 shaped into a flip of the bird.

 

The truth of the matter is, you won’t find many people who would argue that this year hasn’t been hard—there are many scary things playing out. Bad news never goes on vacation anymore, and we would give anything to take one. This is surely no Garden of Eden, and we would be right to lament over the brokenness around and within. As real suffering is felt all over the world, affecting all of us to some degree, we mourn it from a posture of “this isn’t how it was supposed to be.” Further, we yearn for it to be made right, for when Heaven will invade Earth and God Himself will wipe every tear (reference to Revelation 21:2-4).

 

But in the here and now, what are we left to do? Can we just cancel out 2020 in our minds and hearts, much like we cancel public figures when they throw us a politically incorrect curveball?

 

This blog is all about removing the scales and revealing God in our everyday lives. In Romans, Paul advises us to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”[1] Let’s break down this verse and see how we can apply it to this year of all years.

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