Marvel Daredevil Season 1 Episode 2- Cut Man

Matt in a dumpster.  Sometimes when you loose you can still win.  Matt has lost a big battle against Hell's Kitchen darkness, but he still wins by being found by a new friend, Claire.  Who turns out to be a nurse, and Matt is going to need her help many times.

Battling Jack Murdock, Matt's dad, advised his young son, "It's not how many times you get knocked down Matty, it's how you get up."  And Matt will get up.  He was knocked by a group of evil men who had kidnapped a boy, but he will get back up. The kid was kidnapped by the Russian mafia as a trap to draw in the man in the black mask, and they proceeded to knock him down.  But he will get back up.

Claire wants to know about Matt, but the less about Matt she knows the better is Matt's opinion.  So she nicknames him Mike, after a former boyfriend who was good a keeping secrets.  She does know that Mike/Matt inherited taking a beating from his dad.  She had to patch up his dad's side.  She also knows he is blind, but Matt/Mike informs her there is more than one way to see.  Matt can sense people from far away, and he saves them from danger.  The Russians are looking for the man in the black mask who got away from their grasp.  They have tracked him to Claire's.

Meanwhile Foggy and Karen are getting to know each other, by drinking and bad acting.

After Matt kindly persuades some information on the kidnapped boys whereabouts from one of the Russians.  He decided it's time to get up.  His dad refused to stay down.  Jack Murdock was paid to take a dive in a boxing match by gamblers, but he finally stood up and refused to be that type of man.  It cost him his life.  Matt in his black mask goes to face unbelievable odds to save this kidnapped boys life, even if it costs him his own.  With one of the best fight scenes you will ever see, the man in the black mask gets that kidnapped boy back home to his dad.  


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Marvel Daredevil Season 1 Episode 1-Into The Ring

Confession is good for the soul.  I love Matt Murdock's relationship with his priest, Father Lantom. Matt and other characters working out good and evil are a main theme throughout the season.  One of the first views we have of Matt Murdock, Daredevil, is him working out his salvation with fear and trembling.

Right away we see Matt Murdock struggling with wanting to do good, but doing it in a bad way.  He has daddy issues.  He confesses to his priest how his father, Jack Murdock, as a boxer would trap men in the corner and let the devil out.  Matt as Daredevil would do this as well, he would trap men in alleys and let the devil out.

Matt is confessing sins he has not committed yet.  Father Lantom informs Matt it does not work that way.  Better late than never they say, well Matt believes in better early than never.  Matt dawns his black masks and stops sex traffickers, but as the police are arriving to take them away he beats one fiend bloody.  Matt doing good, but just beyond good and just beyond the law. He traps them in a corner and lets the devil out.

Karen Page, framed for murder, needs a couple of good samaritans to defend her. Enter Nelson and Murdock, Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock attorneys at law, to defend her innocence.  Her good Samaritan has a hidden side, a blind side.  Karen cannot keep her secrets from Daredevils honed senses.  He saves her with his fists but also with he daredevil heightened senses.  He saves her by getting the documents she had borrowed from her former company, Alliance United, into the authorities hands. Karen is saved and she finds a home with Nelson and Murdock attorneys at law.

Hell's Kitchen has almost collapsed.  It is trying to rebuild but the corruption is to great.  Someone is pulling the strings in Hell's Kitchen and Matt Murdock, the man in the black mask, is pulling back.


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Pie In The Face Game

I love this guy's laugh.


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Walking With Jesus- Fear of Missing Out

What I have chosen to do is the most important thing once I have have chosen to do it, and I shouldn't let my mind wander.  Being present with what I have chosen to do and not wishing I had made a different choice will add to my joy and take away stress.

Whatever we are doing, most likely we have chosen.  There are cases where we are forced, but that is a different topic for a different day.  Even if we are in place we do not want to be: work, school, a relationship, etc, we have made the choices to get us to that place in life. (Not talking about children here).  It seems like we make our choices and then our choices make us.  But we still have control on how we will respond.  Wow, that sounds to self helpy, so try your best to respond your best.

Anyway, back on topic.  Whatever I am doing is the most important.  First I must choose wisely where to spend my time.  Then devote all of me there.  I choose to spend my time in prayer, with my wife, my child, work, play, rest, then I must make sure I am fully present.  I focus all my attention in whatever I chosen to do,  I do not need to be anyplace else.  Those other things will take care of themselves, or I will deal with them in their proper time.   A time which I can be fully present to deal with other issue.

Much of the time I struggle with this.  It is the age we live in.  I fight it, sometimes successfully, many times not.  (What say you, dear?)  I am watching a movie, checking twitter, email, facebook, and trying to read all at the same time.  Doing none of them well and not truly enjoying any of the tasks.  I fear missing out.  If I watch this movie, what am I missing in a book?  If I read the book, what am I missing on social media?  If  I am spending time with my wife, what am I missing at work?  And on and on it goes.

I AM NOT MISSING OUT, I yell at myself as a subtle reminder.  (I put the "b" in subtle).  Whatever I have chosen to do, only do that.  If I am unhappy with what I have chosen, simple, chose something else.

Great, you can multitask.  Good for you.  I will give you a cookie.  But you probably won't enjoy it because you are eating it while driving and texting.  

I believe learning to live in the moment and understanding we are not missing out will give us peace of mind.  We will focus on things most important.  

How about you? How does your mind wander?  What do your multi, triplti task on?  How many things do you attempt to do at once?  Leave me a comment?

   

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Human Powered Amusement Park

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Walking With Jesus- Have a Song In Your Heart

I am always looking for a good song.  In my opinion they are hard to find.  But like hidden treasure if you find a good song it is so valuable.  

Find a song you enjoy.

Find a song that is memorable.  There must be something special about the song.  Songs that do not standout should be made illegal.

Find a song that inspires you.  Whether towards God or the things of God.  Things that are loving, good, joyful, kind, etc.

Find songs that are smart.  Dumb lyrics can turn me off from a song no matter the beat.

Find a song that brings back a memory.  That is what I will share with you in the remainder of this blog, songs that bring back a memory.



"In Christ Alone" impacted my life greatly one day.  I was awakened by my wife one morning with some terrible news.  A friend of mine had been in a car accident and his little girl had died.  I was very grieved for him.  That same day we had a wedding to attend where the couple played this song during their wedding.  I realized I was witnessing a happy day for one group of friends at this wedding, while another friend was having the worst day of his life.  Then the line in the song hit me, "From life's first cry til final breath, Jesus commands my destiny."  So now this song has become a song of joy and a song of mourning for me.  But in both cases I stand in Christ alone.   





"Come Thou Fount" the first time I heard this song was in a commercial as I was flipping through channels.  I had sung the song before but I had never heard it.  When I saw that brief commercial I went and listened to the song.  I recorded that movie and watched it.  It was a cheesy movie on Lifetime or Hallmark, but the scene where he sang that song stuck with me.  The actor was sitting on a bench outside overlooking a valley singing "Come Thou Fount."  From that time on I wanted a prayer bench outside where I could pray.  Well my wife bought me one for Christmas a few years back.  So if you see me outside on my bench I am probably singing "Come Thou Fount."   





I am a huge Johnny Cash fan and this is one of my favorites "Jackson."  My daughter and I would sing this song together when she was very young on car trips.  I still remember her belting out her part from the backseat.  I remember her instructing me on my part.  She could sing the the June Carter parts better than ole June.  This song brings a smile to my face everytime I hear it.





This song is ignorant and not a good song at all but I like it.  This was Six Flags over Georgia's theme song back in 2005.  My daughter had just started to stand and walk around that time.  The commercial for Six Flags came on television and my daughter heard this song and started bouncing. I laughed and laughed.  She danced every time I played this song, (still does)  So this ignorant song will always have a special place in my heart.





The night Monica and I welcomed Elizabeth into the world I played this song on the little cd player we brought to the hospital.  My first dance with my daughter was to this song.





This song Monica and I played after we were pronounced man and wife.  We exited the church to this song.  Every now and then when the world that we are living in is crazy, she gladly holds me and sees me through.  I would be sad and lonely without her.



What is a song that you enjoy that brings back a memory?  



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Walking With Jesus- Hope

These three things remain faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.

If everything else fades away, and it will(except for faith and love: see above), hope never does.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things(I heard that in a movie)

Faith is us putting our trust in God as we walk through life.  Hope is knowing no matter what happens, God will not let us down.

Don't put your hope in a certain outcome, because that will let you down.  Put your hope in God and trust him with every outcome.  

It is going to be ok, come what may.

I have not mastered hope, but I hope to get better at hope.

"There are seldom, if ever, any hopeless situations, but sometimes I lose hope in the face of some situations."

I read a story about a town that was going to be destroyed because the state was going to dam up the river.  All the citizens had several years to prepare and move. But before even the first resident ever moved from the town, the town started to fall apart. There was no future for the town, so the town began to fall apart.  A lack of hope will destroy a town.  A lack of hope will destroy a life.

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."  MLK Jr. 

I was trying to think of seven ways to remain hopeful, but I couldn't and I was not that motivated.

Just remember, the future is so bright I got to wear shades.

Ok this is the weirdest blog I have ever done.  I hope it made you a little bit more hopeful, or at least made you laugh.

I have an idea,  what are ways you remain hopeful?  Let me know.





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Walking With Jesus-Boundaries

This has been the hardest lesson I have had to learn over the past year,  boundaries.  

Imagine if you will every conversation that you have there is an invisible fence between you and the other person.  This is a good thing, they can see you you can see them.  It is not a fence of isolation it is a fence to keep you in your space and your friend in there space.  This fence should be there with every relationship you have.  From your closest relationships of spouse, children, parents, siblings, to secondary relationships, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.  I must stay on my side of the way.

This even works with our relationship with God.  I can't cross over into being God.  

Staying on my side of the line in my relationships is hard.  I always think from the other person's point of view.

Because of this I feel responsible for:
-Other people's happiness
-Behaviors
-Schedules
-Problems
-Sins
-Relationships
-Etc

Praise God I have gotten better at this (I think)

I love those close to me but I am not responsible for their happiness nor are they responsible for mine.  That does not mean I do not love and support them, it does mean I know what my responsibilities are and what their responsibilities are.

I highly recommend Henry Townsends book, Boundaries, if you struggle with always thinking other people's thoughts, directing other people's actions, or feeling other people's emotions.  Those things are not healthy for you and me.  They are stressing us out.  Plus we are not helping the person whose boundary we crossed.

Plus you need to control your own boundaries.  Your mother, sister, friend, in laws, church member, coworker, and even spouse should not be controlling your life by crossing your boundaries.  God himself will not cross your boundaries.  He does not work that way.  (Dr. Cloud's book discusses this in detail.)

What are your boundaries?  How have you let people cross them?  Whose boundaries have you crossed?


God bless you


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Walking With Jesus-I do not have to justify or explain my preferences

1. If you like it and it is not sinning against God, you do not have to justify it.
-I like Johnny Cash and superheroes.

2. If you like it and it is not making you hate your neighbor, you do not have to justify it.
-I like not liking politics.  I like not liking hunting(although I do like deer meat).

3. If you like it and it is not against the law, you do not have to justify it.
-I like standup comics

4. If you like it and you are not causing someone of weaker faith to stumble, you do not have to justify it.
-I like not liking Contemporary Christian Music

5.  If you like it and it makes you sin, hate your neighbor, break the law, causes a weaker faith person to stumble, you can't justify it.  The only one who can justify you is Jesus.  From there you rethink the things that you like and find new things that you like.
-I like living at peace with everyone, as far as it depends on me

-I am not saying to be rude and tell others to mind their own business and stay out of mine.  But for years I felt like I had to justify the things I liked and it made me argue with those who liked things that I did not like.  Well I stopped that(I think) about a year ago.  Now I like the things I like and you can like what you choose(even if you do like the wrong things).  I do not feel the urge to make people like what I like anymore.  I also do not feel like have to explain myself to those who are not on the same page as my likes.  I even had the courage last week to talk to a new friend the other day about some things I like and do not like, I would never had done that a year ago.  

So like on.  

What do you like?  Explain yourself.



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Super Cafe: And The Reboot Goes To

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