Randall Allen Dunn's Blog: Packing Action, page 4
May 24, 2021
Batman and Scooby Doo vs. the Puppets

I heard of a Brave and the Bold movie where Batman teams up with Scooby Doo and several other guests. Was curious because I make jokes about their team ups in my Buffy/Batman fan fiction.

Just watched the opening scene online, where Batman arrives suddenly to rescue Mystery, Inc. from some puppet ghosts. They ask what he’s doing there, and he says, “I go wherever puppet-related crime rears its ugly head.”
… Gonna have to watch this now …

THE RED RIDER: Book 1 only .99 cents through June 15th!

To celebrate the release of RED RIDER REVILED: Book 4 of the Red Rider Saga, THE RED RIDER: Book 1 is on sale for only .99 cents on Amazon Kindle through June 15th! Grab your copy now to see how Helena deals with one of her biggest challenges – literally – among the Lycanthru wolf cult!
W H A T R E A D E R S A R E S A Y I N G
“Fairy tale retellings can either be a hit or miss. With this new offering by Randall, it is a hit!”
Peter Younghusband, Perspective by Peter
) ) )
“If you enjoy action-packed fairytale retellings in a horror style that will keep you on the edge of your seat, read The Red Rider.”
J.F. Rogers, author of the Ariboslia series
) ) )
“WOW! What a great book!!! Fast paced book and easy to read.”
) ) )
“The Red Rider is one kick *** heroine!!
) ) )
“D.A. Randall is a master storyteller!”
) ) )
“I came into this story not knowing what to expect, but sort of thinking it would be ‘just another’ fairy tale retelling. Instead, it’s a slam bang of a tale, full of grit and fire and fight and excitement …”
) ) )
“The heroine, Helena, was an intriguing character, as she struggled between seeing herself as the helpless little girl again and then was forced to be the fearless protector to bring down the monsters in the night.”
) ) )
I don’t think I can view the fairy tales of my childhood in the same way ever again! … GO GET ‘EM, RED!!”
R e a d a p r e v i e w h e r e :
May 10, 2021
Quad Con in Cedar Rapids, IA on May 16th
Looking for some action this weekend in Cedar Rapids? Like some fantasy and action thrillers that read like blockbuster movies!
I’ll be at Quad Con in Cedar Rapids, IA on May 16th and I’m bringing a few copies of my newest book, RED RIDER REVILED: Book 4 of the Red Rider Saga! Things heat up for the 16-year old scarfaced werewolf-slayer Helena when she encounters a deadlier cult of wolves in a strange neighboring province! Come to my table to get your signed copy, along with any other thrillers that grab your attention! 10% orders of 3 or more books! Hope to see you there! https://www.facebook.com/events/1188775454800417
#redrider #urbanfantasyreaders #urbanfantasynovels #urbanfantasybookseries #urbanfantasybooks #urbanfantasyauthor #urbanfantasy #paranormalthriller #paranormalfiction #fairtytale #fairytaleretelling #redridinghood #werewolves #superheroes #superheroine #thrillerbooks #thrillernovel #thrillerseries #actionthriller #actionadventure
December 15, 2020
RENAMING 5 Movies That Should Be Considered Christmas Movies and 5 Christmas Movies That Actually Aren’t
It’s December, that time of year when everyone continues to ask the same burning question: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie or not?

Which raises the natural question: what determines whether something should be considered a Christmas movie? Obviously, each person has their own opinion, but since this is my blog, here’s mine.
To be considered a Christmas movie, a film should contain the following:
it should have something to do with the celebration of Christmas, in some small or large way.it should have some sort of Christmas message. That is, something that inspires hope or, ideally, redemption, in the spirit of Christmas.And also … no, that’s really all.
However, some movies are considered Christmas movies just because they have something “Christmas-y” in the title, or they are discarded as “not-Christmas” movies because they don’t. If we just change the titles to something more accurate, it all becomes clear.
With all that in mind, I propose that, while the following 5 films are excellent and fun to watch during the holidays, they should be renamed to avoid anyone thinking they are Christmas movies.
* * * * *
Christmas in Connecticut.

I saw this once, a few years ago. I don’t remember much of it, but what I remembered most was that, although it was funny, it had absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. It’s about Elizabeth Lane, a columnist who writes about her home and family life on a farm while publishing lots of recipes for wonderful home-cooked meals – the Martha Stewart of her day. Unfortunately, it’s all fake. She has no farmhouse, no husband, no children, and she can’t cook. When an injured war hero, Jefferson, becomes a fan of her column, he asks to spend the holidays with her and her charming Connecticut family. Elizabeth’s publisher insists she accommodate him, not knowing that all the details in her column are made up. So she makes arrangements to secure a Connecticut farmhouse and a fake family to convince Jefferson her column is legitimate and avoid a career-ending scandal.
And … that’s it. It could have been called Easter in Connecticut, Independence Day Parade in Connecticut, or even Halloween Nightmare in Connecticut, and the story would still have come out pretty much the same way. (Maybe not if it was Halloween Nightmare in Connecticut, but close enough.)
New title: Scamming a Soldier in Connecticut.
* * * * *
Deck the Halls

Clearly, this movie takes place at Christmastime – when else would you be competing to have the best neon decorations on your front lawn? And it’s about – Christmas decorations. And how a new neighbor, Buddy, upsets the small town homeowner Steve with his obnoxiously bright and annoying decorations, to which he keeps adding more? Why? Because his dream in life is to have decorations that can be seen from space.
Since Steve doesn’t want decorations that irritating, he does everything he can to sabotage Buddy’s idiotic dream, and a war between the neighbors ensues.
Not really inspiring anyone to do anything nice for anyone during the holidays. Or to trust any new neighbors moving in.
New title: Deck Buddy.
* * * * *
Home Alone.

8-year old Kevin gets forgotten by his family when they pack up for a vacation with everyone else, leaving him to fend for himself, living it up on pizza and video games and defending himself against house robbers. Oh, and it takes place at Christmas time.
There’s a nice moment when Kevin gets encouragement from an older man at a church, which brings a sense of hope for his loneliness and fears. But after this brief scene, we return to the rest of the movie as if it never happened.
New title: Home Alone [which has nothing to do with Christmas]
* * * * *
White Christmas.

What??? How can you say that? It’s obviously a Christmas movie, because – well – because it’s right there in the title! And the title is of a famous Christmas song! This movie is full of Christmas! Plus, they wear Santa hats and give presents at the end, when they sing the title song a second time.
This is a great movie and a fantastic musical – one of the best. In spite of the green tuxedos. But it’s not a story of hope or redemption, but a romance, with lots of singing and dancing. It does have a powerful message, in Bing Crosby’s push to honor his former Army general. Which makes it a great Veteran’s Day movie. And that’s what it really is at its heart. No matter how many Santa hats they wear at the end of it.
New title: Veteran’s Day with Santa Hats
* * * * *
It’s a Wonderful Life.

Let’s be clear – I LOVE this movie. It remains an underrated and underappreciated film, especially as people choose to watch it less and turn to new “Christmas movie” traditions like “Elf”. Although this film is all about hope and redemption, and its climax comes at Christmastime, it’s not necessarily a Christmas movie. It’s actually a movie about life (it’s in the title). But the ending Christmas celebration makes people consider it a Christmas movie, and I’m glad they do, so that people will watch one of the best films ever made at least once a year.
New title: It’s a Wonderful Life [which means it happens all year long – even longer]
* * * * *
Now you may disagree, clinging to the above movies as part of your beloved Christmas tradition. And please feel free to do so. After all, each one of them does have some sort of Christmas celebration or reference in its story, even if it’s not really the central point or if the”Christmas” message is lacking.

But if we play that fast and loose with Christmas movies, then you can see how the following 5 films should certainly be considered Christmas movies.
* * * * *
The Sure Thing.

It’s not a family movie, or even an older teens movie. Except that the sexual references and subject matter would make some teens drop their cellphones and gather around to watch it. Though it seems like a mere skinflick comedy, this film actually delivers the opposite message. Carefree college freshman “Gib” reluctantly travels across the country with an uptight classmate, Allison, to spend their separate holidays in California. Gib plans to meet a girl for a one-night stand – a “sure thing”. But he doesn’t count on falling for Allison along the way. He ultimately discovers that a superficial night isn’t worth sacrificing the chance for a real relationship. Although it’s clearly an adult theme, it carries a strong redemptive message, especially with the way Gib gives up his juvenile dream in the end for the sake of being honest with the girl and himself.
New title: Are You Sure That’s What You Want for Christmas?
* * * * *
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

For one thing, this first Harry Potter film was released at Christmas. For another, it’s a charming film about a boy who’s abused by his own extended family, given the worst of everything, and always treated like he’s stolen the family silverware – again! His home life would make even Charles Dickens say, “Man, that kid’s got it rough.”
Until he discovers that – in a magical fantasy world – he’s admired and famous, wealthy, and is actually a powerful wizard. Attending the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry finds a new family of brilliant and accepting people, both peers and adults, and in the end discovers a new home away from home. It’s a strong message and hope, friendship, and love, with lots of fairy tale magic, in the face of foul hatred.
Most important, this message is driven home when 11-year old Harry learns from his new friend, Ron, that – for the first time ever – he has presents for Christmas! This moment alone makes it a wonderful Christmas film for the whole family.
New title: Harry Potter and the Magical Christmas Getaway from the Dursleys
* * * * *
Sleepless in Seattle.

Unable to fight his depression after losing his wife, Sam moves all the way to Seattle for a complete change. But his son, Jonah, calls in to a radio talk show with his Christmas wish for his father to be happy again. Annie hears the radio broadcast in Baltimore and feels strangely drawn to Sam as she hears him talk about his deep love for his wife. This moment and many others give a sense of Christmas fantasy romance that is more magical than most any romances you will find. I have been told this is really a Valentine’s Day film, since it concludes on Valentine’s Day at the Empire State Building. However, it can be viewed as both. And if you’re planning on sitting through yet another Hallmark Christmas romance, at least watch this first.
New title: Sleepless Christmas Eve in Seattle Wishing for a New Wife from the Other Side of the Country
* * * * *
Lethal Weapon.

Yes, this is a shoot-em-up action thriller, and has unnecessary nudity in the first five minutes along with the first appearance of Martin Riggs. It also has disturbing kidnapping and torture scenes, along with a brutal fight at the end, for no real reason.
Nevertheless, it’s also a brilliant film with a powerful redemptive message, as Martin struggles to find a reason to live after losing his wife. He’s become too dangerous for any other cops to partner with, so straight-laced, middle-aged detective Roger Murtaugh gets saddled with him. But after Martin saves Roger’s life with his mad skills (some would say, psychotic), Roger invites him to family dinner. It’s instantly clear that Martin is not used to being welcomed into the home of a healthy, loving family. His growing friendship with Roger helps him realize that his life has value, and after all the bullets have been fired, he settles down to a new life, enjoying Christmas with Roger’s family.
New title: A Gun-Toting Suicidal Partner for Christmas
* * * * *
While You Were Sleeping.

If you only add one of these movies to your holiday line-up, make it this one. It’s a perfect romcom, but it’s also a perfect Christmas romance. When Lucy gets stuck working on Christmas day, she rescues Peter, the guy she’s been secretly crushing on, after thieves knock him out and leave him on subway tracks. Through a series of mix-ups, Peter’s family comes to believe that he and Lucy are engaged, and Lucy doesn’t have the heart to tell them it’s not true. Especially when they invite her to spend Christmas with them, and Lucy begins to fall in love with Peter’s family, having been alone since her father died. She soon falls for Peter’s brother, Jack, making matters both better and worse. In the end, Lucy finds a new romance but also a new family to enjoy the holidays with, giving a wonderful message of hope and love, as well as romantic redemption when she must finally come clean.
New title: Crashing Your Family Dinner While You Slept Through Christmas
* * * * *
So there you have it.
But wait, you say. You missed one. In fact, you missed the one! The movie that started all this controversy! Is Die Hard a Christmas movie or not???

Well, it takes place at Christmas, and references Christmas all through the film. In fact, it starts out like a Hallmark Christmas romance, before everyone breaks out their submachine guns. And Bruce Willis has a brief, 60-second moment of redemption near the end when he decides he should have been more supportive of his wife. So it’s got some Christmas stuff in it. Sort of. Along with a lot of gunfire and explosions and four-letter words.
So is it a Christmas movie?
Is Pluto a planet?
Is a tomato a vegetable?
I can neither confirm nor deny that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. If you feel it is, or you feel it isn’t, you’re probably right. If you celebrate Christmas every year by watching Hans Gruber fall from the top of Nakatomi Plaza, I wholeheartedly respect your tradition. Just don’t insist that other people or Bruce Willis agree with you. And no guns at the dinner table.
New title: Christmas Dies Hard. [whatever that means]

Keep believing.
Ho, ho, ho!
December 14, 2020
Roll With It, Baby – an Alternative Theme Song for 2020
As we come to the end of a difficult year, I’ve come up with a new theme song for 2020, and it’s not what you might expect. It’s not the usual song of gloom and doom, or a snide cynical song, making a joke of how everything sucks this year.
It’s the song, “Roll With It, Baby” by Steve Winwood. A song that essentially tells us, “Deal with it.”

That sounds harsh. It’s not meant to be. And I certainly am not ignoring the hard problems that so many of us have faced in 2020, especially the many loved ones we have lost this year due to the Coronavirus.
But last January, before all of this trouble came, I received a word from God. A single word like I have received from him each year, giving me a concept to focus on and expect to learn from throughout the year ahead. The word for 2020 was “pivot”. It meant to make small, simple adjustments in life to overcome difficulties. Both old problems that have plagued us for years, and also new problems, adapting to obstacles as they come up.
Well, they came up. 2020 was a bad year. The Coronavirus pandemic. Horrible instances of racial violence. Several celebrity and athlete deaths. Jobs and businesses lost because of the virus shutdown. Endless hostility online and in the streets over the election and its outcome. And as a result, jokes and memes abound that paint the year 2020 as a time when everything that was once good became horrifyingly bad.

When life it too much
Roll with it, baby.
Don’t stop and lose your touch.
Roll with it, baby.
Hard times knocking on your door.
I’ll tell them you ain’t there no more.
Get on through it.
Roll with it, baby.
At the same time, we’ve had bad years and bad times before. In fact, for some families like mine, 2020 was like a sequel to every previous year, from 2013-2019, but with more special effects. Seven years ago, we lost our home, and we’ve lost a few real estate closings on houses we tried to secure since then. Meanwhile, I have lost several jobs under different circumstances, and we’ve lost family, friends, and reputation over misunderstandings and disagreements that we couldn’t resolve.
For the past four years, I’ve done Uber driving to help make ends meet, staying out until about 3am every Friday and Saturday night. After a car accident in January that I couldn’t afford to fix, I couldn’t even make Uber drive again until May, relying solely on a lesser income from DoorDash, which never worked as well for me. We’ve also dealt with ongoing, extreme difficulties that are too personal to share, which have hindered all of our progress.
Finally, this past June, my older brother was taken from us suddenly, when he was shot and killed a few months before his 50th birthday.
Sound familiar? Sound like what some of us have experienced in 2020, but without all the memes?

When this world turns its back on you
Hang in and do that sweet thing you do.
I believe God gave me that word “pivot” to prepare me and others for what was coming. The Coronavirus was still a few months away from causing massive shutdowns and deaths in our country. For us, it came out of nowhere. But God was not surprised. He was telling us to prepare ahead of time. To get ready to adapt.
Nineteen years ago, the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center shocked America. Our country had never experienced such a sense of fear and vulnerability within our borders. Yet to people in other countries, who regularly saw bombs falling in close proximity to their homes, such an attack was nothing new. Over time, our country adapted to a new normal, with heightened security at airports, and later at schools, after a series of tragic shootings.
In the same way, racial violence in this country is not new to those who experience it as a way of life. It was simply not witnessed by as many people until phone recordings, showing incidents of racial injustice, were shared on a widespread basis this year.
We have also experienced tragic deaths of celebrities in recent years before 2020, including Prince, Carrie Fisher, Billy Graham, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams, Muhammad Ali, John Glenn, Tom Petty, Mary Tyler Moore, Stan Lee, Aretha Franklin, Stephen Hawking, Juice WRLD, Cameron Boyce, and many others. We have suffered through frightening diseases such as the AIDS epidemic, SARS, the swine flu, and the Ebola virus.
We have been here before, dealing with one tragedy after another. However, when we are struck by several of these events at the same time, we feel as though there’s no hope of finding peace again. And for some of us, like it has been for my family, that peace might be a long time in coming.
Now there’ll be a day

You’ll get there, baby.
You’ll hear the music play.
You’ll dance, baby.
You’ll leave bad times way behind.
Nothing but good times on your mind.
You can do it.
Roll with it, baby.
So what do we do in the meantime? We can moan and groan about our difficulties, finding others to support and sympathize with our misery. We can make cynical jokes and blame all of our problems on a single year, or government, or company, or group of people. Or we can adapt. We can find new ways to handle old and new problems. We can change our way of thinking. We can “pivot”, using the word God gave me at the start of the year. It’s the same word that a number of CEO’s used months later, as they defined their plans for adjusting to the many new challenges their companies faced.

We can roll with it.
People think you’re down and out.
You show them what it’s all about.
You can make it.
Roll with it, baby.
2020 was a difficult year. As we near its end, what have we learned to help us face upcoming challenges? Have we grown cynical and bitter? Have we given up all hope of recovery or future happiness? Or have we discovered that, in any dark situation, we can still hope, still fight, still pray, still love, still persevere?
Still live.
Every crisis we face gives us the opportunity to adapt. To find new ways to survive and hope. We can give up on our lives and our joy, becoming another casualty of the year’s tragedies, or we can keep moving forward. When all of the danger and injustice and arguments have ended, we can view life as one giant, surmountable crisis, or we can continue to search for new solutions, new relationships, and new opportunities.

We don’t have to wait for a new year to arrive before we embrace a new life. We don’t need to be defeated by the genuine hardships we faced, and will continue to face, throughout our lives.
Roll with it.
And keep believing.
#2020 #coronavirus #stevewinwood #rollwithit
May 9, 2020
The Privilege of Safety
I don’t usually post about current events, and I try to avoid posting anything negative or critical. Unfortunately, there’s nothing positive I can say about this.
National attention was finally brought to a tragedy, in which a young black man, Ahmaud Arbery, was shot and killed by two white men while jogging down a road in Brunswick, Georgia last February. The men, a father and his son, thought Arbery had been responsible for crimes committed in their neighborhood and said they were trying to talk to him about it. However, a video that someone had taken shows that they drove their truck up behind Arbery while he was jogging. It shows that Arbery was not armed, and was not doing anything that could possibly be construed as a threat. The son then approached Arbery with a gun in hand. We can’t see exactly what happened next but we hear a shot fired, and then we see Arbery struggling with the man. Another shot is fired, again out of the camera’s view.
The two men believed they were within their rights in approaching Arbery, based on their suspicions that he had committed burglary. By Georgia law, anyone is allowed to make a citizen’s arrest. However, they must first actually witness someone committing a crime. It is also legal in Georgia to openly carry a firearm, provided the carrier has a proper license.
However, if I was jogging down a street and a gun-toting stranger jumped off a truck to “talk” to me, I would certainly be on the defensive. When he approached me, gun in hand, I would certainly fight him to save my life. Even try to wrestle the gun away from him, if he came so close to me that it seemed like the best plan of action to save myself from this man who had addressed me for no reason. I would certainly not feel the least bit safe.
And I’m white.
[image error]
Is it surprising that a black man would feel threatened by a white stranger approaching him with a gun, saying he wants to “talk?” What astonishes me is that these two men thought the best way to follow up on their suspicions was to approach a suspect with guns in hand. Of course, they also called the police, before and at the time of the shooting, saying that Arbery had been caught on camera several times, in relation to recent robberies, and was now back in the area and, after being seen at a house that was under construction, was running down the street. I wish they had taken time to seriously consider the fact that the 911 dispatcher could not understand exactly what the man – Arbery – was doing wrong.
Perhaps, as some people have suggested, these men had an internal belief that, as white people, they had authority over black people, the same way a police officer would have authority over a citizen. As if a black person was required to give account to any white person with a gun who chose to question him. I don’t know if that was what those men believed, but that possibility seems far more likely than the suggestion that a black jogger somehow posed a threat to two armed men in a pickup truck.
Some people believe that saying “black lives matter” is counterproductive. That such a statement is, in itself, racist. After all, don’t all lives matter, no matter what color of skin they have?
I used to think that way. I hate all prejudice, against all people, and don’t favor any race over another. So I used to believe that saying “black lives matter” – spotlighting black lives over all others – would cause an even greater racial divide between white people and black people.
But there’s a huge difference. Because unlike white lives, black lives are in serious and ongoing danger.
[image error]
My wife and I are both white. Both of our adopted children are black. This past week, my thirteen-year old daughter posted to our community Facebook page to organize a local event on May 8th, to honor Ahmaud Arbery on what would have been his 26th birthday. The plan was to run or walk 2.23 miles – representing the 2/23/20 date he was killed – along with many others around the country, sharing the communal phrase, “I run for Ahmaud.” I had to work during the event and was not in a position to take time off, but my wife went with both of our kids. I was proud of all of them for doing this, to honor Ahmaud and raise awareness for this injustice.
At the same time, as they left and I returned to my work – working from home during the COVID-19 crisis – I was struck and saddened with the recognition of how privileged I am to be safe in my home, working a job, waving good-bye to my family. Trusting that I’ll see each of them later that day. Glad that they are doing something good.
Meanwhile, many other people cannot enjoy this privilege of safety. They have to be careful where they step, what they say, how they dress, who they talk to – because their dark skin color presents a target to some people. Because some people will dislike them, distrust them, disrespect them, or disregard them, without even realizing they are doing it. Without realizing they are behaving in a way that is criminal and savage. Without realizing that their way of viewing other people is not only racist, ignorant, and hateful, but at times, it can also turn deadly.
[image error]
A young black man was shot and killed in February shortly before his 26th birthday while doing nothing more than jogging. A man like me, but with a different skin color.
A man who might still be alive if he wasn’t black.
An innocent man is dead.
I’m not proud of that.
His life mattered.
March 19, 2020
Star Trek – When the Rules Don’t Apply to You
Then there was
that time on Star Trek when everyone
got the Coronavirus because one officer didn’t listen to Spock …
Well, not exactly.
And there are many great lessons to learn from the classic Star Trek episode, “The Naked Time”, but I only want to focus on
one. Nearly everyone aboard the starship Enterprise died because one man didn’t
think the rules applied to him.
[image error]
Investigating the deaths
of an entire research team, Mr. Spock and Lt. Tormolen enter the research
station wearing protective suits to avoid any possible contamination. They don’t
want to risk contact with whatever alien disease has killed everyone there.
However, while
Spock is in another room, the lieutenant removes his glove to scratch his itchy
nose, then continues to scan the area with his hand exposed to the elements. He
puts the glove back on as Spock returns and commands that they be certain to
touch nothing.
[image error]
Straight-laced
authority figures like Spock always think the rules apply to everybody. No exceptions.
They care nothing for people’s feelings, scheduled plans, or personal goals. They
always think the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and every
individual has to toe the line for the sake of the community as a whole. We all
recognize these types of leaders, in schools and government and the workplace. The
thing about these leaders is … they’re usually right.
You might not like
or respect them. You might not agree with most of their decisions. But it doesn’t
matter what you think of them.
One man took off
his glove to scratch his nose, ignoring the standard procedure to touch nothing
at all. Within seconds, he became contaminated, just for exposing his hand to
the atmosphere. That’s all he did. He wasn’t stupid or arrogant. He wasn’t
angry or defiant. He just didn’t think the rules applied to him.
When the disease
spread aboard the Enterprise, Lt. Tormolen was the first to die.
[image error]
Others who were
infected entered a drunken, delirious state in which nothing bothered them as
they went on their merry way. Oblivious to the danger, they went on laughing and
partying as the disease killed them slowly.
[image error]
Last night I talked
to a friend whose daughter is a paramedic. Yesterday, she transported her first
Coronavirus patient to a hospital isolation ward. They wore full-body protective
outfits, much like HazMat suits, and masks with respirators, to avoid any risk
of infection. Still, she and her fellow paramedics must have their temperature
checked every single day, and also after every transport of an infected person.
They must then have their protective suits cleaned and sterilized. And of
course, they must continually wash their hands to ensure they stay germ-free.
The only way any
of us will make it through this crisis is with humility. Of course it’s inconvenient.
Of course it’s stressful. Of course it interferes with our plans and requires
us to do a lot of things we normally wouldn’t do, and have no desire to do. That’s
what happens in a crisis. Which is what we are in.
[image error]
In the future, there
will still be other vacations and parties. We will still be able to have fun in
the sun. We will still enjoy getting together with family and friends.
But the longer we
wait to follow the rules for safely containing the spread of this virus, the longer
we will wait for that day to come.
[image error]
Please join
together in following the rules that will benefit us all. Wash your hands
regularly. Avoid large groups. Cancel some of your plans and parties and take
this crisis seriously, for you own sake and the sake of everyone around you.
It only takes one person to spread a deadly disease. Instead, be the person who’s humble enough to save lives.
click for episode trailer
March 5, 2020
Birds of Prey – Get Back Up
Ever been beat up?
Badly?
Maybe not
physically. I’ve actually never been beat up that way.
But have you ever
been beat up by life? By the day-to-day disappointments and trials and
struggles you never seem to win?
Maybe other people
don’t see it. Maybe you put on a brave face and a smile so nobody knows how bad
you’re hurting. How weak and helpless you feel when nothing seems to work out
for you.
Maybe you’re just
tired of trying.
I recently started
reading the original Birds of Prey comic, which started as a one-shot story in
which superheroine Black Canary has distanced herself from her long-time
boyfriend, Green Arrow, and struck out on her own in Seattle. Unfortunately, tough as she is, she
can’t seem to find a way to deal with mounting bills and a decreasing sense of
purpose.
[image error]
Until she gets a mysterious phone call from someone called Oracle, who offers her a job fighting international criminals, promising to provide her with tactical support via communication through a two-way earpiece, along with funded travel and equipment for each mission. She jumps at the chance to do something worthwhile, using her crimefighting skills and getting fully funded for it! together, Black Canary and Oracle make quick progress investigating their target, until a martial arts enemy named Lynx beats Black Canary to the ground, all the while berating her for her limited skill and understanding of who or what she’s even fighting. At this point, Black Canary finally gives in to the pressures of life and decides it’s better to stay down. She’s endured too much, faced too many disappointments. Failed too many times.
Oracle won’t have
it. She orders Black Canary to get back up and fight. To convince her, Oracle
reveals her personal secret: she is Batgirl.
[image error]
Or she was, until
the Joker shot her and left her wheelchair-bound. Now all she can do is gather
intel and issue instructions to Black Canary, to do the things she can no
longer do herself. Like fighting the baddie who’s knocked Black Canary down for
the count.
Black Canary
listens, recognizing she’s not the only one hurting badly. Realizing she can
still fight.
She doesn’t defeat
Lynx this time, or stop her enemy from destroying an entire village for
personal profit. But she and Oracle quickly track the villains down and turn
them over to the authorities before they can harm anyone else. Seeing there are
bigger causes to fight for, and that she can be a part of it, Black Canary
continues her partnership with Oracle, ready to be her arms and legs in the
fight for justice.
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We all get knocked
down by life and our own limitations. But it doesn’t mean we can’t succeed or
try again.
You’re not done
yet. And whether you see them or not, people are counting on you.
Get back up.
January 30, 2020
10 Prophetic Words with an Easy One for 2020
Ten years ago, I heard a Christian
radio DJ say that he had asked God to give him a single word to focus on for
each new year. This word became a concept that he continued to meditate on
throughout the year for his faith and personal growth. I asked God to do the
same thing for me, and he has done it ever since.
Here are some of the insights I have received since 2011, along with the word I just received for 2020. Whether or not you believe in God, I hope these words will give you some insight and encouragement for your own life in this new year.
*****
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2011 – Peace
This was the first word I received. I learned that peace is something to be secured and highly valued, more than most things in life. Not simply to be at peace, but to establish peace with those around you. For me, that meant praying for peace in my home and in the homes of family and friends I visited, just as Jesus pronounced peace to his disciples. And when you seek the well-being of others, it automatically brings you more peace.
*****
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2012 – Prestige
The second year, I saw a pattern emerging with these annual words. I also discovered that some words don’t mean what I thought they did. “Prestige” can mean having notoriety, but it specifically refers to the perception that people have of us, either good or bad. It is our public image, rather than the truth of who we are beneath the surface. In fact, the word refers to an illusion, that only appears to be real. I learned that people can have a positive or negative view of you, but over time, your inner character will be revealed.
*****
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2013 – Prosperity
Who wouldn’t want a word like “prosperity” for the new year? Except that God views things in a totally different way than we do. While hearing a word like “prosperity” make us hope to inherit a fortune, God focuses on how our souls are prospering. Instead of gaining new things that year, we lost a lot. It was heartbreaking, and we’re still recovering from some of it. However, I learned that losing things often means gaining something more important, and we learned what matters most and who will stand by us in the long run, no matter what.
*****
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2014 – Privilege
This year taught me to stay humble and grateful for whatever I received, whether big or small. It also taught me to be responsible with any thing or opportunity I was given, instead of taking anything or anyone for granted.
*****
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2015 – Provision
This was another year of expecting one thing and virtually receiving the opposite. We expected certain big things to happen this year, that we had been waiting on for some time, but we didn’t receive those things. Instead, I was drawn to the fact that God is providing for us all the time, in big and small ways, and to appreciate all the things he had already provided.
*****
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2016 – Prodigious
I learned a new word this year. Prodigious means huge, referring to something of phenomenal size or significance. That year, we actually received some awesome changes that helped us a lot. We moved into a nice new place after years of waiting. My wife returned to school to complete her degree. I started a new work-from-home job as well as starting to drive for Uber. I also published a new book and began printing paperbacks, and we also joined a new church and started seeing some big changes in the way we treated one another in our family.
*****
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2017 – Prolific
I learned that God really wants us to be prolific. It’s the same as being fruitful. To take the good things we have and make more of it, to share it with others. But to do that, you’ve got to find ways to produce more, probably by spending more time working at it. Getting up earlier, scheduling time differently, and focusing on what matters most so you can make more of it.
*****
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2018 – Pensive
I can’t remember much from this
year. Which was, ironically, about thinking. If that was even the right word
that year, because I can’t remember that for certain.
So I apparently didn’t think too deeply about anything, and failed to grasp whatever God wanted to show me. A sad result.
*****
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2019 – Periphery
This past year was about stepping outside of myself, my interests, my wants, and my worries, and being more aware of the needs of those around me. I’ve spent more time with family, friends, and acquaintances, without stressing about the time I wanted to spend completing other tasks. As a result, I’ve had a greater relationship with my wife and my kids, and renewed my ability to genuinely connect with other people.
*****
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2020 – Pivot/al
This year’s word is “pivotal”, or
“pivot”. Sounds ominous. We think of a pivotal moment as one in which things
could go really good or bad, and there’s no turning back afterward. But God was
showing me that this means something different. As usual, it’s not about what
God is doing or about what happens to us in life, but what God wants us to do
ourselves. This year, he wants me to learn to pivot.
To pivot simply means to turn. To
view things from a different angle. To try things in a different way than I’ve
tried them in the past. And doing so will naturally bring about some different,
even dramatic results. But it starts with a decision to turn.
This may or may not involve a
complete change. To repent means to turn away from what we had been doing and
move in the opposite direction. But to pivot might simply mean to turn a
quarter left, or 90 degrees to the right, so we can try an alternative approach.
Which, honestly, is very easy to do. We just have to choose to adjust our
perspective.
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How can you do things differently
this year? How can you view your circumstances and your life, and the people
around you, in a different way that helps you to be kinder, more productive,
more loving, and more hopeful and effective than you’ve been in the past?
I hope these insights have been
helpful to you. These words have certainly helped me over the years. Perhaps
God has something for you to focus on this year, too, that has nothing to do
with my life experiences, but everything to do with yours. I hope you’ll be
open to receiving such words. And I hope you have a blessed new year.
December 19, 2019
The Nativity Story – Christmas Wasn’t Pretty
Most of us would not want to trade lives with our heroes.
Even the fictional ones have hard lives. Batman’s parents
were murdered when he was a child and now his single-minded war on crime keeps him
from enjoying any long-term relationship or having a family. Spider-Man works
for an overbearing boss, serves an ungrateful public, and constantly falls ill.
Harry Potter spends each summer with relatives who hate and abuse him and
spends the rest of the year hoping Voldemort won’t kill him.
Then there are the real ones. Would anyone really want to share
the same challenges, scorn, disappointments and heartbreaks suffered by Martin
Luther King, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, Nelson
Mandela, or others who paved the way for us to enjoy certain freedoms? Yet their
sacrifices led to the success that made them heroes, and where would we be without
them?
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I just read a Christmas devotional about Mary, which pointed
out how almost all of us – myself included – miss the point of Christmas. When
Mary was chosen to be the mother of Christ, it was a great honor and blessing.
But it wouldn’t have felt like one. Not when everyone learned that the “virgin
Mary” was suddenly pregnant. Do you think her neighbors would have believed her
story of a miracle birth? Do you think she would have kept her reputation, and
all of her friends?
The angel that visited Mary told her she was blessed and had
found favor with God. He didn’t say her life would be easy, or even happy.
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My family’s had a really rough year. Rougher than most of our
recent rough years. There were times we wanted to give up on the things we’re working
toward, because it’s just too hard with no relief in sight. But we don’t.
Because we know we’re trying to make things better for our family and for
others. We’ve also been blessed by family and friends along the way when we
needed their help and encouragement to keep going.
And still, when we’re finally coming to a resting place
where we can take a relaxing breath, we get hit with another crisis. When we
feel we should be appreciated for all of our hard work and sacrifices, we get
criticized and falsely accused.
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I wonder how Mary felt nearly a year later, on that special
night. After being looked down on for her “miracle birth”. After being
ridiculed for claiming an angel spoke to her. After being rejected at first by
her fiancé for appearing to betray him.
I wonder how she felt that night in Bethlehem, ready to give birth and forced to
travel by camel to a distant city. Only to learn that the census had brought in
so many travelers that there was no place for her and Joseph to lie down.
By the way, you know that kindhearted innkeeper we always
see in Christmas pageants, who lets Mary and Joseph stay in his barn? I just
read the Bible account in Luke – he’s
not in there. Nobody took pity on this couple and went out of their way to shelter
them. That’s why they sought refuge in a stable – as in, a barn – and Mary laid
her baby in a manger – as in, an animal trough.
It was the only place they could find, or sneak into.
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The Christmas story wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t convenient. It wasn’t
inspiring or holly jolly.
The whole point of Christmas isn’t that God came to make our
lives shiny and beautiful. It’s that he came.
Into the dirt and grime of our hard lives. Into the tough
breaks and bad reputations and broken relationships that we call life. God
wasn’t afraid of our messes or our dysfunctional families or our poor choices.
He knew how messed up we are – how hard and frightening and disappointing our
lives are. And he came, anyway, to be with us, and to make a way for us to be
with him forever. His name, “Immanuel”, literally means, “God with us.”
When you look at your hard life this Christmas, remember
you’re not the only one going through terrible times. Remember that the
sacrifices you make might mean trouble for you, but might make a world of
difference for someone else. Remember that God loves you and has a plan, and
you have a purpose.
And remember that you’re not alone.
God is with us.
Click here for the trailer!
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