Confessions of a Conservative, Evangelical Pastor

Posted on July 28, 2019 by Steve Foster

Our world likes to paint with broad strokes. Categorize people. Put them in a box. It’s common to all of us. We can’t possibly know the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of every person we meet…so we slap a label on them so that we know how to identify them…how to think about them.

But we miss so much when we do this. We miss the heart. We miss the uniqueness of each individual. We miss our common humanity.

I chose the three descriptors above…conservative…evangelical…pastor… because they would be the common terms used to pigeon-hole me into a particular segment of our society. But they do not define me as a person. They only scratch the surface.

In around AD 400, Augustine wrote his classic, Confessions. It was revolutionary for its time. It was part autobiography…part philosophy…part theology…part psychology. Autobiographies existed back then but most of them exalted the author, downplayed weaknesses, framed them as heroes. Augustine instead exposed his weaknesses, his doubts, and his struggles…and exalted the sovereignty, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.

In the spirit of Confessions, I wanted to write a few of my own confessions at this stage in my life…having lived 51 years…and at this stage in my Christian life…having trusted Christ around 39 years ago.

Confession #1. I don’t have it all together.

I guess that should go without saying. None of us have it all together. But there is often a misconception that pastors somehow don’t struggle with every day problems, that they have some kind of special spiritual immunity that insulates them from anxiety, depression, discouragement, doubt.

As Christians, we often reinforce this misconception.

In our image-based culture, we try to portray the Christian life as a never-ending source of joy and happiness. “Who has problems? Certainly not us! We are believers in Jesus Christ!”

Believing in Jesus is almost seen as a “happy pill.” Become a Christian and you will feel better, live longer, have a better marriage, have well-mannered kids, and never lose your temper while stuck in traffic.

Christian maturity is oftentimes equated with stoicism. In other words, the more mature you are as a Christian, the less emotion you are to have in the face of the difficulties and tragedies of life.

Suck it up. Chin up. Cheer up. Cover up.

Wherever this view came from, it didn’t come from Scripture. Some of the greatest saints in Scripture had the biggest failures…and experienced the most intense of emotions.

David was described as a man after God’s own heart…not because he lived a perfect life…far from it (just ask Uriah)…and not because he lived like a robotic, emotional-less stoic in the face of life’s difficulties…not even close. David’s psalms cry out to God with intense emotion, pain, honesty, and tears.

Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck!
I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing.
I come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
I am weary with my crying.
My throat is dry.
My eyes fail while I wait for my God. (Psalm 69:1-3)

Moses cries out:

I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me! If you treat me like this, please kill me here and now–if I have found favor in Your sight–and do not let me see my wretchedness! (Numbers 11:14-15)

Job laments:

Why did I not die at birth?
Why did I not perish when I came from the womb? …
Why is light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter of soul,
Who long for death, but it does not come? …
For the thing l greatly feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble comes. (Job 3:11, 20, 25-26)

In the New Testament, Saul…the self-righteous, have it all together, angry, zealous Pharisee…becomes Paul, the apostle…who boasts in his weaknesses…weeps for his countrymen…despairs of his life…and feels all of the emotional burdens and concerns of the churches that he planted and ministered to.

Bottom line…

Coming to Jesus does not make you “feel better” …it makes you feel more deeply.

It doesn’t deaden your heart…it awakens it.

It doesn’t numb your emotions…it enlivens them.

And in the security of grace…in the incredible realization that you are loved with an everlasting love…you are finally free to be honest with yourself…honest before God…honest with others.

Security allows vulnerability.

Vulnerability allows intimacy.

It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that brings us to a simple realization: I don’t have it all together.

I am impacted by sin.

I am dysfunctional.

But, God in His grace, through Jesus Christ, has loved me, saved me, adopted me, embraced me, changed me.

Not so that I can pretend that now I have it all together. But so that I can freely admit that I don’t.

So that in my dysfunction, I can lean upon His wholeness.

In my woundedness, I can find His healing.

In my anxiety, I can rest in His sovereignty.

In my weakness, I can experience His strength.

In my life, I have come face to face with anxiety, depression, and discouragement on many occasions. Being a pastor does not make me immune from these experiences. Indeed, to be a true shepherd of souls I should expect them.

It is the broken vessel that learns to stay under the faucet of God’s ever-flowing grace…and it is through the cracks that God’s blessings can stream out upon others.

Posted in Confessions | 2 Comments

51 Things I Have Learned in 51 Years of Life

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Steve Foster

Today I turn 51.

That’s a big number…representing a lot of days on this earth. About 18,626 to be exact.

A year ago I compiled a list of 50 random things that I have learned or observed so far in life. I thought I would add one more this year.

1. Life moves quickly…and quicker as you get older.

2. I can vividly remember events from my childhood days better than I can remember what I did last week.

3. Reflecting on my childhood almost feels like I am observing another life.

4. Life was simpler when I was younger.

5. Growing up in a small town was a blessing.

6. Riding your bike alone on a dark road between two graveyards is scary.

7. Nostalgia can make the past seem idyllic.

8. It is easier to eat beef when you didn’t know the cow.

9. God’s creation is awesome…but unfortunately less appreciated as you get older.

10. Good childhood buddies stick in your mind but are hard to stay connected to as life moves on.

11. Parents who stay faithful to each other and to their family are a rare gift.

12. Being the youngest in a large family gives you a crash course on relationships and life.

13. Seeing an older brother make a radical change in his life, going from a pot-smoking hippie to a devoted Christ follower, impacts you and everyone in your family.

14. I am thankful that I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior at a young age.

15. Scripture memory is a discipline that shouldn’t be abandoned as you get older.

16. Church business meetings can skew a young believer’s view of the Christian life.

17. The adolescent years are difficult and confusing…and I can’t even imagine what they are like in today’s culture!

18. Typing in your initials for a high score on Galaga felt like a major accomplishment…even though it wasn’t.

19. One choice can change the entire trajectory of your life.

20. Going away for college grew me up quickly.

21. The 80’s were a great decade. And the Commodore 128 was a powerful computer.

22. Being on your own helps you appreciate your parents.

23. Walking into a church where you don’t know anyone is an intimidating experience.

24. Failure shapes you more than success.

25. Living and learning is good…but learning and living is better.

26. Marry someone that you enjoy spending the day with.

27. A good wife is more precious than rubies (Proverbs 31:10).

28. Friendships with older couples are a blessing.

29. The quality of your life depends on the quality of your relationships.

30. I hate cancer. And I still miss my sister.

31. Being honest about death teaches us about life.

32. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we really have no hope.

33. Watching a birth really is watching a miracle.

34. Marriage taught me how selfish I am. Parenting taught me how impatient I am.

35. Being told as a new parent, “Enjoy these years because they go by so quickly,” really doesn’t make sense until your children are older.

36. Looking at old pictures of my boys creates a weird mixture of sorrow and joy.

37. As you get older, you tend to look back more.

38. As you get older, you groan more.

39. As you get older, you itch more.

40. As you get older, your hair leaves the places you want it to be and grows in the places that you don’t want it to be.

41. As you get older, for some strange reason, the weather forecast becomes more interesting.

42. As you get older, you can easily become more cynical of the world…and of others…if you are not careful.

43. As you get older, you long for some things to stay the same.

44. Contentment is a learned skill (Philippians 4:11-13).

45. Being thankful is the secret to joy.

46. Humbling yourself is the secret to relationships.

47. Gaining an eternal perspective is the secret to life.

48. Realizing that God is in control…and you are not…is the secret to rest.

49. Every day is a gift of God’s grace.

50. I have tasted and seen that the LORD is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8)

51. Hitting the wall can be God’s way of bringing you to a better place. Last year was difficult in many ways. I had some health issues, emotional struggles, and memories from my past that I needed to deal with. But God carried me through…and my church gave me space and grace to heal. Out of that experience, I have learned to rest more in God’s presence, develop better rhythms in life, take better care of this ol’ body of mine, limit the distractions of this world, and enjoy the good gifts of God’s’ grace. No one wants to hit a wall…but sometimes it is the only way that God can get your attention and point you toward a new direction in life.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever! (Psalm 118:1, 29)

Posted in Random Thoughts | 2 Comments

28 Things I Have Learned in 28 Years of Marriage

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Steve Foster

In honor of our 28th anniversary on June 22, here are 28 things that I have learned about marriage.

1. Love deepens over time. I certainly loved Liz when I married her 28 years ago but I really didn’t understand the depths of love or what it really meant to love someone. Love is only built on knowledge, commitment, and intimacy developed and experienced over time. 

2. To have a good marriage marry a good person. I wish I could take more credit for the health of my marriage but in reality I was just blessed to marry a godly woman with strong character. She has been the perfect complement for me and has made me a better man. The only credit I can take is seeking out a Christian wife with a good testimony. But the rest was a step of faith and the grace of God. 

3. Marriage doesn’t resolve your personal issues rather it exposes them. If you go into marriage thinking that your spouse will solve all your problems, fill all your voids, and meet all your deepest needs, then you will be sorely disappointed. You must bring emotional and spiritual health into the marriage, not expect emotional and spiritual health to come from the marriage. 

4. The first year of marriage is one of the toughest…and honeymoons are fairly disappointing. I can’t say that our honeymoon or our first year of marriage were “bad.” They had their fun, enjoyable moments. But, looking back, they were definitely not the “perpetual moments of bliss” that I dreamed they would be. Instead they were much more awkward, stressful, and difficult than I could have expected.

5. Marriage is hard work. Marriages that are coasting are going downhill. It takes time and effort to build a relationship and to learn how to listen well, understand your spouse’s needs, resolve conflict, forgive from the heart, and make changes in your character and habits for the benefit of your marriage.

6. Don’t go to bed angry with each other. One of the few pieces of advice that we grabbed onto early in our marriage was from Ephesians 4:26, Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. We have stuck to that piece of advice…even when it meant staying up late to have a difficult conversation…and it has kept our marriage from a lot of misunderstanding and bitterness.

7. Don’t play competitive games against your spouse. Maybe some marriages can handle this but we can’t. Our first fight was over a game of Boggle. Yes, Boggle. I questioned her score and she questioned my trust in her. Fun stuff. We are both competitive and we found it almost impossible to play against each other without it resulting in some unneeded tension. We have chosen to be on the same team as much as possible ever since.

8. Work as a team. Piggybacking on the above, we have sought to tackle things in life as a team instead of as competitors. Instead of letting an issue divide us, we have tried to use it to bring us together. A problem is either an opportunity to work together as a team or ammunition to use in a war. We have strived to choose the former. 

9. Move away from home. Okay, maybe this doesn’t work or isn’t necessary for everyone but for us it was a blessing to be away from our parents and families during the early years of our marriage. We were forced to grow together as a couple apart from the “roles” that we often play in our families. This is the “leave principle” in Genesis 2:24 and it must be done emotionally if not geographically. 

10. Avoid debt. Again, some people can’t avoid this but being free from debt in the early years of our marriage took a lot of stress off our backs. We have kept a tight lid on our finances throughout our marriage…operating from a tangible but flexible budget…and it has removed one big marital problem off the table for us. 

11. Parenting is a major stress on marriage. Our biggest fights and frustrations came after we had our first little bundle of joy. Tiredness. Different parenting approaches. Lack of free time. Responsibility. Irritableness. Unmet expectations. All of it came to a head with our first child. Thankfully we had seven years of marriage under our belt to help us work through it but it was a major stressor nonetheless. People who think that having a child will strengthen a weak marriage or correct a poor relationship are living in a fantasy world. 

12. Parenting is the greatest adventure that you will take together. Despite the stresses mentioned above, looking back, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Parenting together over the years opened up parts of our hearts that we didn’t know existed. It drew us closer together, expanded our love, and made life an adventure. Our boys turned us from a couple into a family.

13. Share email accounts, Facebook, and computers. For us this has been a simple way to avoid potential temptations and distractions in our marriage.

14. Share your spiritual life together. Go to church together, discuss Scripture together, pray together, serve together. As a pastor, many of these things would be expected but Liz and I have still had to grow in our spiritual “oneness.” It doesn’t happen automatically so find ways to stay connected spiritually and to remind yourselves that life is bigger than you and your individual wants. 

15. Avoid marital scorekeeping. Scorekeeping is a killer to marriages. “I’ve done this, this, and this…and you have only done this… thus you owe me.” We got trapped in this thinking briefly after having kids. Thankfully we recognized it and stopped it.

16. “Catch the little foxes”…and exterminate them. In the Bible’s love song, a young couple is encouraged to get rid of the “little foxes” before they ruin their vineyard (cf. Song of Songs 2:15). This is not agricultural advice but practical advice put into poetic language. Little conflicts, little irritations, little temptations easily creep into a marriage and then later destroy it. Be vigilant and wise and quickly and decisively eliminate anything that could harm your marriage.

17. Marry your best friend. Physical attraction is certainly a real element in choosing a mate but in the end it won’t make or preserve a good marriage. I found that even when we were not officially dating, Liz and I kept spending time together. Our friendship has made our marriage…and our physical attraction…that much stronger. 

18. Learn to appreciate your differences. Liz and I are very different. She is decisive, blunt, cut and dry, and loves discipline and schedules. I am more indecisive, contemplative, creative, and love a more laid back approach. She can manage many things; I prefer to focus on one thing at a time. When we were dating, we were attracted by the differences. A few years into marriage, we became aggravated by the differences. But over time, by God’s grace, we have become amused by the differences. We have learned to laugh at ourselves and the different ways we do things…and to appreciate how we both have grown by being married to someone different than ourselves. As Ruth Bell Graham once said, “If two people agree on everything, then one of them is unnecessary.”

19. Plan weekly date nights. After having kids, this is especially essential for a marriage. We have made a weekly date night a priority in our marriage. Usually we use a coupon or a gift card for dinner and then find a coffee shop to hang out in to talk about our week and take a “pulse” of our marriage and family. Our kids know that our marriage relationship with each other takes priority over over our parenting relationship to them…and they are thankful for it! It is awesome to hear them say, “Hey, aren’t y’all taking a date night soon?”  

20. Find ways to keep the romance alive. A surprise gift. An unexpected love note. A lingering kiss. A playful hint. Don’t let the creativity of the dating years turn into the familiarity of the marriage years. Enjoy the gift of marriage and plumb the depths of its joy.

21. Take note of each other’s “love language.” The love language thing can be taken overboard but it has been something that we have noted in our marriage. The best way for me to say “I love you” to Liz is to do acts of service for her–wash the dishes, pick up around the house, clean the bathrooms. For me, I need to hear words of encouragement. The funny thing is that we discovered early on that gift giving is not high on either of our lists. We both returned our first Christmas gifts to each other. Since then, we have decided to shop together for things we want and simply go out to eat together on special occasions. 

22. Sleep in a small bed. Okay, again this is just our experience but we have never owned a bed bigger than a full size. It has kept us close at night and not allowed us to retreat to our own corner of the bed in times of conflict. 

23. Go to a marriage seminar or on a marriage retreat together. No matter how good your marriage may be…or how comfortable you may think you are, there is always room to grow. We went to a marriage seminar, Created for Connection, earlier this year and it exposed some areas that we had overlooked and it made our marriage stronger. Never stop learning about each other and growing together!

24. Intimacy is built on security. I think I am finally beginning to understand Genesis 2:25, They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. It is more than just a physical thing. It is a feeling of total vulnerability with your spouse that only comes from the security of a lifelong commitment reinforced over time. Intimacy is only built on vulnerability and vulnerability only comes within security. It is awesome to experience a relationship with no barriers, hidden agendas, fears, or regrets. 

25. Marry young. I certainly recognize that this isn’t always possible…or wise. But for us, marrying at a relatively young age (22 and 20) enabled us to grow together through the early stages of adulthood. We developed our life patterns together, aligned our life direction together, faced life decisions together, and were forced to grow in responsibility and commitment sooner. 

26. Sexual purity is worth it. Remaining sexually pure as a young adult was one of the toughest challenges I have ever faced, yet looking back I am so glad that I made that commitment. Enjoying intimacy with my wife with no other thoughts of anyone else brings a closeness that I can’t imagine being any better.

27. Monogamy is worth it. I am convinced that being committed to one woman over time brings the highest sexual satisfaction. Sexual intimacy is definitely a learning process that only gets better and better over time.  

28. Marriage is a blessing from God. With divorce rates on the rise, cohabitation the norm, and redefinition the trend, marriage is on the ropes in many respects. But I have found that trusting God’s design and following God’s ways has made our marriage as strong and as satisfying as any human relationship can be. I give God the glory for His good gift of marriage. And if the intimacy keeps getting better and the love keeps growing deeper then I can’t wait for the next 28 years! 

Posted in Sex and Marriage | Leave a comment

Prayer for a Divided, Angry Nation

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Steve Foster

Today is the National Day of Prayer.

Wow, do we ever need it! Not just one day…but every day of the year.

Anyone who even watches a snippet of the news sees the symptoms of an angry, divided nation.

Political partisanship. Cultural cynicism. Hatred. Bitterness. Vilification. Violence.

It is enough to make you want to cry…or long for the past…or retreat into your own world of escape…or, unfortunately, become more angry, cynical, and divided.

The Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk, faced a similar situation. See if you can feel your own words in his words written 2600 years ago.

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice is perverted (1:2-4).

What is the solution?

One of the key verses of the Bible emerges in the midst of Habakkuk’s struggle with the strife, conflict, and violence around him. God answers Habakkuk with a simple reminder:

Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith. (2:4)

In other words, in the midst of the turmoil within us and the strife around us, we have one of two responses.

1. Pride. Self-sufficiency. Self-gratification. Self-justification. Self-centeredness. Even self-pity.

2. Faith. Humility before God. Submission to God. Dependence on God. Trust in God. Intimacy with God.

Trials in this world are a given.

Our response is the variable.

And prayer is the response of faith.

Perhaps the biggest symptom of the selfish pride of our nation is our rejection, refusal, and even ridicule of prayer. Often when prayers are mentioned in response to a tragedy, the reaction is one of scorn and derision. “No one wants or needs your prayers. We want action!” (Or at least a new law that will presumably resolve all our problems with the simple stroke of a pen.)

Can prayer be a platitude of sympathy with no real meaning or intention? Absolutely.

Can prayer be a passive excuse for inaction and apathy? Certainly.

But the issue is not prayer but the misuse or misunderstanding of prayer.

Prayer is not a “genie bottle” where we recite a few rehearsed words…rub the bottle in the right way…and then…viola!…all our selfish wants and wishes are met. Prayer is pouring out our heart before God…expressing the fears, desires, and burdens deep in our soul…acknowledging our selfishness and limited perspective…and submitting to the will of God, trusting His sovereignty, goodness, and grace.

The ultimate prayer of the Bible is…”Not my will but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Thus, a person’s or a nation’s or a culture’s inability to pray is a declaration that we simply do not need God. He is irrelevant. Unneeded. Unwanted. And it is a symptom of our inward pride and delusion. We actually think that we are in control…that we call the shots…that we have full knowledge…full perspective…full power…to solve all our problems…to reverse the world’s woes…to cure the sickness of our hearts…to even defeat death itself.

Anyone willing to look at the cosmos around them…operating quite apart from their control…and the bodily functions within them…operating quite apart from their control…should quickly dismiss such asinine arrogance for what it is.

As President Abraham Lincoln wisely observed:

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. (Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day, March 30, 1863)

We need God. We need prayer. Whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not.

And not just prayer to God but also prayer for others.

Whether you agree with the President or not, you pray for him. Whether you agree with your Congressional leaders or not, you pray for them. Whether you agree with your neighbor or not, you pray for him or her.

Each person is created in the image of God and, regardless of political persuasion or cultural identity, you pray for them. You seek to bless them not curse them.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3:9-10)

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

So take a moment to drop to your knees today.

Thank God for His blessings in your life.

Acknowledge that your very breath…your very being…is in His hands.

Pray for this nation.

Pray for your leaders.

Pray for your neighbors.

Even the ones that you don’t particularly like.

Especially the ones that you don’t particularly like.

And then rise up and find a way to bless the people who cross your path today.

And regardless of what happens…in your life…in this nation…or in this world…you trust the sovereignty, goodness, and grace of God.

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Posted in Government/Politics | 1 Comment

Reflections on the End Game

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Steve Foster

I saw the Avengers: Endgame yesterday.

It is a movie that continues to shatter box office records…biggest opening weekend domestically ($350 million)…biggest opening weekend globally ($1.2 billion)…fastest movie to $1 billion in box office sales…and it is likely to be the highest grossing movie of all-time by the time all is said and done.

It is a well-done movie. A blend of humor, action, special effects, and a great story line…culminating an eleven-year saga featuring twenty-two Marvel films. I am amazed at how they wove all twenty-two movies…and multiple characters…into a coherent, climatic finale.

I have seen most of the twenty-two films.

I was a comic book reader as a kid. I had almost all of the issues of Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America…along with Archie and Richie Rich…before I knew that collecting them was a potential future financial investment. Most of mine were read to shreds and cut up for my own comic book compilations. I wish someone would have told me to put them in plastic protectors and stash them away in the attic to be unearthed at the present time.

But my childhood fascination with superhero comic books is nothing compared to the worldwide, multi-generational fascination with superhero movies today.

Our culture is practically addicted to superhero movies. And it is not just our culture. People throughout the whole world are enamored and enthralled with their stories as well.

Superhero movies have touched a nerve that resonates in the human psyche…particularly in this present age.

I wonder why.

Here are my thoughts:

1. We live in chaotic, perilous, uncertain times.

The emergence of superheroes dates back to the 1930s and 40s in America, the time of the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. As one comic book historian noted:

In the 1930s, the American Dream had become a nightmare, and I think comic books and superheroes in particular provided an escapist form of entertainment that allowed the American public to go into a fantasy world where all the ills of the world were righted by these larger-than-life heroes. (Erin Clancy, curator at the Skirball Cultural Center)

Superheroes not only offer us an entertaining form of escape from our present distresses but they also touch a deep desire in us for a leader or a “hero” who can stand for “truth and justice” and have the power to correct all that’s wrong in our lives and in our world.

2. We are drawn to great stories.

Give it to Marvel. They know how to tell a great story. (Unlike DC…which seems to hope that their endless special effects and smoldering movie stars (aka, Aquaman) can somehow suffice.) The three hours of Endgame were not overloaded with non-stop special effects, sensuality, or violence. They told a real story. They wove together various characters, various plot lines, various relationships into an emotional, humorous, somewhat believable narrative.

We are a “story people.” We love stories. We are drawn into stories. Our own lives are stories.

And superhero movies capture some of the elements that we long for in a story. The triumph of good over the evil. The strength of a hero. The excitement of adventure. The importance of family and friendships. The rescuing of what is in jeopardy. The restoring of what is lost.

3. We long for redemption.

Here is the gist of most superhero movies. Our world is in trouble. Humanity is threatened by a power or an enemy that is beyond its own capability to defeat. There are heroes among us who have special power and ability to defeat the enemy. And these heroes are willing to sacrifice everything out of a sense of “right-ness” and love to achieve victory.

Isn’t that what Endgame…the climax of the past twenty-two Marvel movies…came down to?

Thanos (a shortened form of the Greek word for “death”) has a power that is beyond collective human strength. He is unstoppable. Inevitable. Time…Soul…Reality…Power…Mind…Space…all come under his influence. He takes away all that is dear to our hearts. All that is loved.

We are helpless and hopeless. And we cannot save ourselves.

But then the superheroes step in with a super-human strength and courage to fight him…to defeat him…for the sake of restoration…even resurrection…of all that is lost.

Ultimately it takes the sacrifice of one hero to defeat Thanos (I won’t totally spoil the climax by saying who).

It takes a death to defeat Death.

Isn’t that interesting?

And looking beyond Endgame, isn’t it interesting that the stories that we love all seem to follow a similar plot line? Protagonist. Antagonist. Rising conflict. A point of desperation when all seems lost. Then a soul-satisfying, enemy-nullifying, conflict-rectifying climax that brings all things back together.

I believe that this story resonates in our hearts because it resides in our hearts.

We do live in a world that is broken. We do have an enemy that we cannot defeat. We do need Someone with a strength beyond our own to enter our world and to save it. We do need redemption…a selfless sacrifice that can rectify all that is wrong.

The best a superhero movie can offer us is a return to “normal.” The world that is saved in Endgame is still a world with immorality, violence, disasters, conflicts, and death. And, as good of a movie as it is, it still leaves us longing for more.

In the real endgame, we need a hero much greater than Iron Man or Captain Marvel.

And surprisingly…unexpectedly…marvelously…God’s Hero comes as a Lamb.

One who conquers with His own blood.

Who dies in our place.

Who rises again.

To defeat our real enemies of sin and death.

And to restore this world…not back to “normal”…but to its original.

Paradise.

No more tears…no more sorrow…no more pain…no more death.

This is the real story.

The story that we live in.

And this is ending we are longing for.

Posted in Random Thoughts | Leave a comment