Redeemed Ink Media Podcast

One of the biggest things in comic books right now is the Absolute Universe from DC Comics. This alternate reality was created by Darkseid and acts as a dark mirror to the main DC Universe that we all know and love. To put it another way, one of the main writers of the Absolute Universe said that while the main DC Universe is shaped by “Superman energy,” the Absolute Universe is shaped by “Darkseid energy.”

In this world, the heroes are the underdogs. They have been stripped down to their bare essence. Batman no longer has the riches of the Wayne family to fall back on but instead is a working-class hero. Wonder Woman was not raised on Paradise Island surrounded by the love of her sisters. Rather, she was raised in Hell. And Superman grew up on Krypton before it was destroyed rather than growing up on earth under the loving care and influence of Ma and Pa Kent. He comes to earth as a refugee of his world’s lowest caste.

In this darker reality, the question becomes who are these characters when everything they have is stripped away? Will they still be heroes in a world where the odds are stacked against them and they have none of their usual privileges?

The same question can be asked of us who profess the Christian faith and claim to follow Jesus. How do we react when our situation changes from a season of perceived blessing and favor to a season of difficulty, suffering, and persecution?

This is an important question for followers of Jesus to ask themselves for three reasons.

The first reason is that seasons of loss are a very common experience that everyone goes through at one point in their lives or another.

From Joseph to Job to Paul to those we know personally in the modern day, it’s a universal human experience to at one point feel as if you’ve lost everything. To feel as if you’ve been stripped of everything that you love and everything that gives you meaning.

This experience may take different forms. For some it might take the form of losing wealth or privilege. For others, it could mean health that is failing. And for others still it might mean losing someone they love.

It might even take the form of a Roman cross.

Whatever the case, just because things are going good right now doesn’t mean that our situation can’t change in an instant without warning. No matter how secure we think we are, life has a way of blindsiding us with loss. No one is exempt.

Another reason that this is an important question for Christians to ask themselves is because it’s during the bad times that faith is really tested. It’s when we see for ourselves whether or not we believe what we say we believe about God and His goodness or if we’ve just been fooling ourselves the entire time in regards to the strength and sincerity of our faith.

When we are stripped down to the core of our being, how we react to our circumstances and how we subsequently relate to God shows whether we truly love God or if we just love His gifts.

From prison, the Apostle Paul said that he learned to be content no matter what circumstances he found himself in (Phillipians 4:11-13). Can we say the same when everything has been taken from us?

It’s best to be prepared for that moment of testing before it comes by making the decision to cling to Jesus no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in and by training our souls to react with love and gratitude during life’s everyday frustrations before we have to face loss that results in a major crisis of faith.

A final reason why it is important for Christians to ask themselves how they will react to suffering is that our reactions to suffering can be one of our greatest witnesses to a world in need of the love of God as demonstrated through Jesus Christ. Or, alternatively, it can be one of the greatest stumbling blocks for those on their own faith journey who are watching us to see if our trust in Jesus is real and worth pursuing for themselves.

Faith in moments of pain and loss and suffering is faith at its most raw and its most real. The people in our lives and those who we encounter see this and they see how we react to and handle the pain. If we profess our love of Jesus when everything is going right for us but forget about Him when things are going wrong, the world sees a faith that is weak and superficial. They see hypocrites.

But if our faith and love of Jesus persists in the darkest moments of our lives, the world can’t help but acknowledge that there is something real to this “Jesus thing.” When joy and beauty rise from the ashes of pain and despair, the only explanation is that there is more to this life than what we can see with our own two eyes. That there is a God Who is real and that He is bigger than the dark things that threaten us every day.

Speaking of the effect the darkness of the Absolute Universe has on its’ heroes, writer Scott Snyder said “They have to be tougher. They have to be more resourceful. They’ve got to shine brighter.”

The heroes of the DC Absolute Universe prove that they are still heroes by shining even brighter when everything has been taken away from them. It’s as if you can see their heroism even better when it is contrasted against the overwhelming darkness that permeates every part of their reality.

The same is true for us when we choose not to ignore or minimize the pain in our lives but instead meet the darkness head on with a joy and confidence that can’t be explained by the circumstances that we find ourselves in. It shows the world that even though the reality of pain and suffering and evil is real, there is a hope that is found in Jesus that is even more real than those things. It is a hope in a God Who is bigger, stronger, and always wins in the end.

What’s more, by allowing our hope in Jesus to shine in the darkness, we light a beacon that calls to those still lost in the dark to join us in the light that is only found in the love of God as expressed through Jesus.

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I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Forky when I saw the first images that were released for Toy Story 4. If you’re not familiar with the character, Forky is a personified spork that was literally created from trash by Bonnie during the arts and crafts time of her Kindergarten orientation. Once finished with her creation, Bonnie writes her name on the bottom of Forky’s feet (which are the two halves of a broken Popsicle stick). It is at that moment when Forky becomes a toy. More importantly, he becomes Bonnie’s favorite toy.

The problem is Forky doesn’t want to be a toy. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a toy is or how important they are to kids. Instead he wants to go back to where he came from: The trash.

A good portion of the early part of the movie is spent showing Forky repeatedly attempting to throw himself into any trash he can find as Sheriff Woody, the cowboy toy and one of the main protagonists from the Toy Story franchise, tirelessly rescues him from the trash over and over again. Woody succeeds in protecting Forky from himself multiple times, but inevitably Forky takes advantage of a moment when Woody is exhausted and distracted to throw himself out of a moving RV to search for his trash.

In the context of the universe that the Toy Story franchise has established, being loved by a kid means everything to toys. So the idea that Forky would choose trash over the love of a kid is inconceivable. It means abandoning your true identity and everything wonderful that comes from it in exchange for…. Well… trash.

The absurdity of this idea is a source of much of the movie’s humor. We laugh at this crazy little spork and the lengths he goes to as he obsessively tries to join his beloved trash.

What isn’t so humorous is that we can often behave the same way in our own lives.

When God offers us forgiveness of our sins through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He isn’t just offering us a way out of Hell. He’s offering us a chance to be fully known and loved by our Creator. He is saying that He wants a relationship with us despite our flaws and failures. We no longer need to be enemies of God. We can be His friends (John 15:15). We can be His children (1 John 3:1).

More than that, he’s offering us a new way to be human that is full of life and purpose and meaning. We no longer have to be controlled by sinful desires but can find freedom to pursue the way of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:6-14).

And, finally, we are welcomed into God’s family (Ephesians 2:19-20). A family of imperfect people just like us who are committed to loving each other as Jesus has loved them.

To be invited into this way of life and to reject it is unthinkable. And yet it happens all the time. Sometimes it takes the form of those who outright reject God’s invitation. They would rather live a way of life that looks better on the surface, but, ultimately, is destructive to both body and soul.

Other times it takes the form of those who have accepted God’s invitation and have tasted the fullness of life and joy that the Jesus way of life has to offer but still find themselves returning over and over back to sin.

In Forky’s case we know that the comfort offered by the trash is a lie. That it’s really disgusting. We know that it isolates him from community with those who will show him true love.

And yet, like Forky, we seem to have this natural inclination to go back to the trash even when Love is standing right in front of us. We have this desire to joyfully dive in and celebrate the trash. To love it. We find it comfortable whereas sometimes following God is scary. Our old lives are warm and cozy and safe. We think that everything will be okay if we can just live the way that we want to live.

And so we dive into the trash. Joyfully and without hesitation.

CS Lewis put it like this: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

We’re offered eternity and yet we settle for trash.

We don’t have to live this way. We can choose to turn away from the way of sin and towards the way of Jesus. We can choose to accept the new identity that He has given us as His beloved children and live into the reality of everything that means (Romans 8:14-17).

We don’t have to return to the trash.

There’s another lesson to be learned from Toy Story 4. Once we have committed to rejecting the trash of sin and embracing the beauty of a new identity rooted in God’s love for us, we are then called to take on a role similar to the role Woody took on in Toy Story 4.

In other words, God calls us to stop others from going to the trash. And when we find them already there, God calls us to pull them out of it and show them that they can have a new identity as one who is loved by God.

The way we go about this is important. We can’t force people to change or legislate them into loving God more than they love what the world has to offer.

However, we can show others through our words and our actions that there is another way to be human. We can love them as God loved us. We can invite them into a community of Jesus followers who are committed to this love.

And we can show them that they have value for no other reason than the fact that God has given them value.

At the end of Toy Story 4, Bonnie has created another toy out of a plastic knife. This toy was also made out of trash and is just as scared as Forky was at the beginning of the movie.

But Forky has changed. He has experienced the love of Bonnie and the love of the community that he’s found himself in. He has been shown that he has value. That he is loved. And he has been shown that he is more than trash. In the process, he has taken on the same role that Woody had at the start of the movie. He will no longer be the one running towards the trash. He will be the one to pull others out of it. To show them their new identity and that they are loved.

Let us strive to do the same in our own lives by leading others to the God Who changed our lives by showing us how much we are loved and valued by Him. The God who showed us that we are more than trash.

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In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, the Shredder has ordered the creation of two mutants to fight against the Ninja Turtles. Choosing a snapping turtle and a wolf as his future soldiers, the Shredder expects his mutant creations to be a pair of savage warriors.

When he is finally presented with the two mutants, we can hear them as they thrash against the cells where they’re being kept. The makeshift enclosures shake and strain against their might.

The Shredder orders the mutants to be released. This is when we first lay our eyes on the creatures. The mutated wolf who will be known as Rahzar has a mouth full of teeth and sharp claws on hands and feet. The snapping turtle who will be known as Tokka has an impenetrable shell covered in spikes and a sharp beak that looks as if it could snap a bone with ease.

The Shredder, obviously pleased with his new soldiers, orders the pair to attack him so that he can assert his dominance over them.

“When it is over,” he says, “you will call me master.”

That’s when things take an unexpected turn.

The two mutants look at each other, confused. For the first time they try to talk and it sounds like they’re trying to say “master.” However, that’s not the word that they ultimately land on.

“Mmm…mmmm…. Mama?”

Excitedly, they look at Shredder, whom they have imprinted on.

“Mama!”

They repeat the word over and over as they move forward to embrace the Shredder in a hug.

“Mama! Mama!”

A moment later we cut to a scene of the Shredder storming out of where the mutants have been kept.

“Babies!” he shouts in anger. “They’re Babies!”

The Shredder had expected warriors and instead he got babies.

This scene came back to me as I was working through the book of Hebrews this past week.

There comes a point in this theologically rich book of the Bible where the author stops and expresses his frustration with the original readers of the letter, saying that he has a lot that he wants to say but it’s going to be hard for them to understand because they’ve become “lazy” (Hebrews 5:11). By this point the author expected his readers to have grown in their faith so that they could teach others how to live the way of Jesus. Instead, he finds that his readers don’t even have the basics of the faith down and need to be taught them again (Hebrews 5:12).

Then comes the insult. The author says they are “infants” in need of milk and not solid food (Hebrews 5:12). Like a baby who can’t handle the richness that solid food provides, this group of Christians can’t handle the richness of the mysteries of God.

The author of Hebrews came with high hopes for his readers. But, just like the Shredder, he is disappointed in what he actually finds.

Yes, developmentally speaking these believers were at a point where they should be adults who owned their faith. They should have been teachers, leaders, and mentors. Disciples who made disciples. People who were using their gifts for the benefit of their brothers and sisters in Christ and to glorify Jesus.

Instead, they were still looking at their leaders and crying “Mama!”

I can almost picture the author of Hebrews crying out in frustration at what he sees:

“Babies! They’re babies!”

I don’t know about you, but, personally, I don’t want to remain a baby when it comes to my faith.

I know being a baby has many upsides. You get fed and clothed and housed for free. Nothing is expected of you. You can go to the bathroom wherever you want. Everyone loves you and thinks you’re cute. And when you enter the room a lot of times it’s all about you.

But someone who still behaves like a newborn baby over the course of many years and into adulthood should raise concern in those around them. If their behavior is the result of a disability, trauma, or something else outside of their control, then it is necessary that these people get the help and support that they need and are not ignored.

However, there are also those adults who are perfectly healthy and have not suffered any sort of trauma who may act like babies because it makes their lives easier or allows them to manipulate others. In this case, the concern is not only for the well-being of the individual engaging in the behavior that they would mature and start living a life honoring to God, but also to the community that their behavior affects and takes advantage of.

Just like there’s a legitimate cause for concern when a grown adult behaves like a baby, there should also be concern when someone claims to be a Christian and yet their spiritual maturity is stuck in a state of arrested development. While we do not rely on behavior as a way to earn a relationship with Jesus, once Jesus has become our Lord and Savior there should be certain developmental milestones that are being hit. And when those milestones are not hit, it’s natural for someone who is a leader over us or even just a fellow Christian to be concerned and wonder what exactly went wrong with that person’s spiritual development and discipleship.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the simplicity of the gospel. I really do. I love that anyone can get that Jesus loves them no matter what their mental capabilities.

But if you have experienced the love of Jesus and have the Spirit of God living within you, there should be some sort of growth in your life.

In other words, as a Christian you should be hitting certain developmental milestones in your spiritual maturity.

For example, have you developed a love for Jesus that gives you a passion to get to know Him more and more everyday?

Are you developing a love for your neighbor that extends beyond those who look just like you?

Are you becoming more generous with your time and resources?

Are you growing in empathy as you see the image of God in others you disagree with?

Are you better at exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit day after day? Are you growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)?

And does your heart ache more today than it did yesterday with a desire that even the worst of all people experience the love, grace, and forgiveness available to them through Jesus so that they might come into the family of God? And do you have a desire for God to use you in this process of reaching the worst of the worst?

None of us are completely there. Spiritual Development is a lifelong process of becoming more and more like Jesus.

But if you’re not seeing any changes at all in your life that point to an increasing maturity of faith or if you don’t even have a desire for spiritual maturity, then there’s only one thing to say:

It’s time to grow up.

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My wife and I just finished watching the animated Batman: The Brave and the Bold series from 2008. Honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy this series as much as I did. From start to finish the show is a love letter to the Silver Age of comics, complete with crazy gadgets, campy dialogue, and colorful villains.

But what really surprised me was how the series ended. Characters that appeared throughout the series gathered in the Batcave as pieces of it were disassembled as if the whole series had taken place on a movie set. Heroes and villains mingled together like the cast and crew of a TV show that had grown close over the years.

Against the setting of this farewell party, Batman and Ambush Bug reflect on the series. Batman calls it a “great run” before turning to the camera and speaking directly to the audience on the other side of the TV screen.

“And until we meet again, boys and girls,” he says with his voice full of earnestness, “know that wherever evil lurks in all its myriad forms, I’ll be there with the Hammers of Justice to fight for decency and defend the innocent. Goodnight.”

Corny? Perhaps. I’m sure there’s some eye rolling from those who prefer their Batman to be darker and grittier.

However, there’s something wholesome about how this series ends. Part of the reason many kids (and adults) watch superhero media that is on the brighter and more hopeful end of the genre’s spectrum is that it allows them to escape from the real world where it seems as if there are no heroes and that the bad guys always win. There’s enough darkness in the world and such a show can be a source of hope and safety. To lose the show can be, for some, to lose that hope and safety. This can be especially true for young kids who don’t always feel safe in a fallen world affected by sin and may not yet be able to completely separate fantasy from reality.

But in a few words, Batman lets his fans know that everything is going to be okay. The show may end as all shows do, but their hero hasn’t abandoned them. Batman will continue to watch over them, fight for them, and keep them safe. If only in their imaginations.

The early followers of Jesus faced a moment similar to this. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, His disciples were faced with the sobering reality that their friend, teacher, and Lord was going to leave them to ascend to heaven. Over the course of their brief time together, Jesus had filled their lives with hope and meaning. Now, He would be leaving them alone. Again.

I imagine the disciples had a lot of questions, doubts, and confusion. Jesus had just returned to them and now He was going to leave them again? How would they accomplish his mission for the world without him being physically present? Would they ever see Him again? Despite the miraculous events of the previous days, was this, in fact, the end of their journey together?

It’s why Jesus didn’t simply say goodbye. Instead, he left his disciples with his own words of comfort and promises to them.

He told them that they wouldn’t be alone. He wasn’t abandoning them. In fact, He would be with them until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

He also said that He would leave them the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). This third Person of the Trinity would act as a Comforter and a Helper to Jesus’ followers as they faced a future that was sometimes difficult and uncertain (John 14:16-17).

Those who followed Jesus may not have been able to see it at the time, but this wasn’t “Goodbye.” The hope that Jesus had given them through the life they had shared together with Him wasn’t coming to an end.

In fact, it was really just beginning.

Like Batman comforting young viewers who may not understand why their favorite TV show is ending and may be afraid to lose their hero, Jesus also comforts His friends.

He lets them know that this is part of the plan.

Things are going to be okay.

They are not alone.

This is something we should also remember as modern day followers of Jesus.

Even those of us who have known Jesus for years can feel distant from God at times. Maybe you recently failed or fell into a sin that you thought you conquered long ago. Or maybe a terminal diagnosis or lost job has you spiraling. It could just be the experience of existing and living in a world that seems to be falling apart all around us that is making you wonder if God really cares about what happens to us mere mortals.

Whatever the cause, there are times when it feels as if God has left you alone and that can be terrifying.

It doesn’t matter if just yesterday you felt so close to God that you could reach out and touch His face. All of that seems like a distant memory when the troubles of today have filled you with fears and anxieties about the future and questions about life that seem to have no answers.

In those moments of doubt, we need to be reminded of the character of God. That character is best revealed through the life and Person of Jesus. When we look at how Jesus interacted with His earliest followers, it is clear that Jesus cared and provided for His friends. Through Jesus, we can see that God’s character does not include abandoning those whom He loves.

And He loves us.

God loves us.

He loves us so much that He sends the same Holy Spirit that He sent to comfort His disciples thousands of years to also comfort us today.

Just as He stayed with His earliest followers through the worst that life had to offer, He also stays with us, even to the end of all things.

And so, like His earliest followers, we can be confident in this:

This is part of the plan.

Things are going to be okay.

We are not alone.

Thanks for listening. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

If you found this content helpful, please consider sharing it with friends. Or, if you would like to help Redeemed Ink Media make more content like this or help in the advancement of Geek Culture Ministry, prayerfully consider making a one-time or recurring donation at:

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Thanks again.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redeemedinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe

Crossovers between characters from two different comic book publishers have always been exciting for longtime fans. In an industry where it can seem as if characters never change and the same stories can be retold over and over, a story wherein characters who would otherwise never cross paths get the chance to meet each other opens up the possibility of something new.

That said, there is one trope that always seems to dominate these crossovers: A misunderstanding of some sort causes the heroes to fight each other before they finally resolve their differences and go on to team up to stop the bad guys.

Whether it’s a battle of power, intelligence, or ideals, fans want to see their favorite heroes go up against each other to see who’s the best and who’s right. Only after that has been resolved will readers be ready for the heroes to team up and save the day from whatever combination of villains is threatening the safety and security of the world.

But what if they never resolved their differences?

What if the fight between the two heroes was the whole story?

And what if the heroes allowed the fight to get in the way of their true mission to bring justice and stop the bad guys?

Can you imagine it?

Consider a situation wherein Batman and Captain America are so focused on beating each other up that they end up letting the Joker and the Red Skull get away.

If they became so focused on their differences that they allowed people to suffer and die, would they even be considered heroes at that point?

And yet this is very similar to how we can behave as Christians when we meet someone who is also a Christian but has slightly different theological beliefs from us.

To be clear, I’m not talking about disagreements over essential doctrine or the act of defending the core beliefs that anyone who calls themselves “Christian” needs to affirm to fit the basic definition of “Christian.” Nor am I talking about debate or discussion that is marked by curiosity, humility, and mutual respect. These types of interactions are healthy.

What I’m talking about are interactions with other Christians that devolve into petty arguments revolving around secondary issues and tertiary issues that have no bearing on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These interactions are often marked by pride, arrogance, and tribalism. Participants in such arguments will often insult the intelligence or spiritual maturity of other Christians who love Jesus just as much as they do but have come to different conclusions than they have about secondary and tertiary issues. This happens even when both parties have engaged in valid and faithful study of the Bible and in prayer.

The natural result of this childish quarreling is division in the Church. It isn’t long before factions based around our personal preferences and egos begin to form and we start excluding from fellowship those whom Christ has chosen not to exclude.

And, while all of this is happening, the world outside the Church cries out in pain from dealing with what it means to exist in a fallen world plagued by sin and dark spiritual forces.

Even though we have the solution to their pain that is found in the hope of Jesus and could offer it to them at any time, we find ourselves too busy fighting each other to be bothered to do that.

It’s like we’ve become superheroes who have forgotten that their main mission is to fight the bad guys and save people, not to fight each other while ignoring cries for help.

If the heroes in this fictional situation can no longer be considered heroes because they have chosen to fight each other instead of the bad guys, what does that say about us when we fight other Christians over things that ultimately do not matter instead of using our time and energy to offer the hope of Jesus to a world that is hurting and in need of a savior?

Is it possible that in our arrogance we have abandoned our mission as well? The very mission that God has given us?

And is it also possible that when we fight and argue and divide over secondary and tertiary issues that we are no longer acting on God’s side but instead are acting on our own side? Even on the side of evil?

Jesus didn’t pray that we got every last issue of doctrine correct. But he did pray for our unity as followers of Christ and that we would be united around Him (John 17:20-23). Therefore we should take protecting that unity very seriously, even if we must sacrifice our pride to maintain it.

To do anything else would be to abandon the calling that God has placed on our lives and the mission that He has given us.

Or, to put it another way, it would be like superheroes choosing to let the bad guys get away.

Thanks for listening. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

If you found this content helpful, please consider sharing it with friends. Or, if you would like to help Redeemed Ink Media make more content like this or help in the advancement of Geek Culture Ministry, prayerfully consider making a one-time or recurring donation at:

https://buymeacoffee.com/comiccleric

Thanks again.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redeemedinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks for listening. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

If you found this content helpful, please consider sharing it with friends. Or, if you would like to help Redeemed Ink Media make more content like this or help in the advancement of Geek Culture Ministry, prayerfully consider making a one-time or recurring donation at:

https://buymeacoffee.com/comiccleric

Thanks again.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redeemedinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe