The Right Questions.

What's my calling? What's my purpose?

It's a question that plagues every generation. We desire to find our place- our purpose. We know we have one... we just have to find it.

Maybe, instead of asking the "me-centered" questions, we should look outside of ourselves and up to God and ask, "What is YOUR purpose for my life? What Calling have YOU put on it? What do YOU want me to do?"

We've been asking the wrong questions.

We've all been called. It's time to respond.

Community and Prayer.

Community is important to Christ and the Church. There are multiple verses in the Bible where this is pointed out. He encourages us to fellowship, He promises to be present where two or more are gathered in His Name and He uses the symbolism of a body- one thing with many, many parts.

He also wants us to lift each other up, to help each other and pray for each other. How many times do we say "I'll pray for you" and immediately forget that pledge? Once a month? Twice a week? More often than that?

It doesn't matter how often we break that promise, if we break it once it's too often. It's time to start lifting up our brothers and sisters in prayer. And I mean serious prayer. We're in a battle. An intense, raging battle for our souls. We need to be in constant prayer.

If we fully understood what prayer does- what an impact it has in the world- I think we would pray a lot more often than we do. Prayer changes things. Prayer can reshape situations. Prayer can move the hand of God.

This is my challenge: whenever someone pops into your thoughts, pray for them. God works through prayer and communities. Be there when someone asks for prayer. Get on your knees before Him and fight for them. We're in a battle and we can't give up now.

Superheroes: A Heart For The World

As you can probably tell, I've got Superheroes on the brain. Avengers is coming out in a week and my sister and I have been counting down the days till it comes out since the trailer at the end of Captain America. As I'm watching these movies, questions popped into my head: What does it take to be a superhero? How do superheroes become superheroes? What does it take to be "superhero" for Jesus? How can I become one? Let's tackle these questions.

First of all, we need to know what a superhero is. Dictionary.com defines a superhero like this:

a hero, especially in children's comic books and television cartoons, possessing extraordinary, often magical powers.


Okay, there's one definition of superhero. How would I define a superhero?
 
A person/superhuman who is willing to lay their life down for all of humanity in a time of crisis.
 
Notice that I put "person/superhuman".
 
In the movie Thor, a god, Thor, is banished from his home in Asgard and stripped of his powers. He becomes a mere mortal and lays down his life in order to save the world and the human race from his evil brother, Loki.
 
Can a human be a superhero? I believe so, but they have to have a mighty power behind them. (And I personally don't think that human superheroes fly... I could be wrong.)  :)
 
How does one become a superhero? There are many ways according to the many movies and comic strips out there. One can be born to a superhero family (like the Incredibles or Thor) or a superhero can be made. (Like spider man or Iron man.)
 
How is a superhero made? It usually happens when there's a need for a hero or savior. When the world is about to be invaded by an alien race or something of the sort. In some cases, superheroes are made by a  special event in their life, a turning point of sorts. Sometimes they are forced to step up to the plate. Sometimes, they volunteer.
 
What makes a superhero? Superheroes need a  heart of gold. They need a will to save the world. They need a way to save the world. Superheroes must be brave. They need to follow their conscience.  They have to be willing to lay down their lives. Special armor can make a superhero. Take Captain America for example.
 
Steven, a small guy that had many health problems and was super small had tried and tried to get into the army. He wanted to be a soldier and had tried a million times. (Slight exaggeration there!) He wasn't about to give up though. One time, at a fair, a Dr. approached him and was impressed at the man's determination. Steven was chosen to be part of a test to create a new breed of soldiers. After many tests, Steven was selected. He went through many trials and proved himself a worthy soldier. After a while, he had a shield made for him. Steven became Captain America and saved the world... all because he proved that he had the heart for it.
 
That's the one thing one NEEDS to have to be a superhero: A heart for the world.