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SuperHeroes, Super Mighty Blessed, and Smiles
Every year– every summer to be exact, there is a theatrical release of a new superhuman, superhero movie, which millions of moviegoers, including myself rush to go see. This year, I’m looking forward to seeing Batman v. Superman, Captain America, and X-Men. They all should prove to be really good movies and more than likely gross hundreds of millions worldwide at the box office. Why? I don’t know, I’m sure everyone has their own reason as to why they go see these movies, knowing that it’s fiction and impossible for a man to fly through the air like Superman, possess the strength of many men like Captain America, or command the weather to do as you please like Storm; but for me, I like the action and soteriological themes that these movies provide. The idea of one man, one woman, or a group of people using their powers to save the world reminds me of Jesus, a true superhero empowered by the divine.
The sad reality is, superheroes are like Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, they don’t exist. However, as my wife and I always try to communicate, ALL people are super, mighty, and blessed in their own unique ways.We ALL possess powers such as skills, talents, gifts, and attributes that set us apart from the world and make us appear to be superheroes, especially when our “powers“ are on full display. I believe we are endowed with powers such as singing, writing, athleticism, business acumen, public speaking, debating, design, cooking, care giving, making others laugh, and even something as simple as smiling.
Yes, a smile can be a superpower! A good smile is attractive. A smile can brighten up your day! A smile can put you at ease. A smile can get you endorsement deals (Magic Johnson/Cam Newton). A smile is easier to do, than to frown. A great smile is what my son, Super Mighty Max has. If he were to be a superhero, his “power” would be his smile. Max loves to smile! In the hospital her smiles. He wakes up smiling! Goes to bed smiling! He will even smile after a good cry. For a baby that didn’t smile much in his first few months, Super Mighty Max is making up for lost time, by smiling.His smile not only lights up my day, but it does the same for others who see him. His smile inspires people to face the storms of life, with a smile on their faces. Simply stated, Super Mighty Max has a super-smile!!
Today, I invite you to smile!
Stay Super, Make Mighty Moves, Be Blessed,
Brandon
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The Truth and the Lie about Bad News
As a pastor/preacher, I pride myself in heralding the Good News of Jesus Christ! In fact, I’m sure in almost all of my sermons, I say something to the effect of, “the Good News is.” When people come to church on Sunday, I want them to know that in spite of what they’re going through, there is Good News. I try my best to preach about faith, hope, trust, praising God in advance, and all the other wonderful virtues that the Gospel of Christ entails. Not only do I preach the Good News, I try to believe and live out the Good News for myself– you know, take my own medicine.
However, there are times in life when the bad news of life, tries its best to choke out the Good/good news in life. In life, when it seems as if all you’ve received is bad news, time after time, it’s extremely hard to receive good news. In fact, when all you’re used to hearing is bad news, the bad news seems to be more palatable to your heart, mind, and spirit.
How do I know this? Because in my own experience, parenthood has at times, been nothing but a blizzard of bad news. Losing 1 child, then another child, then having a child with special needs/disabilities, and then not being able to have more children with my wife (except through surrogacy and/or adoption) has been a rough journey. As some of you may know, parenting Super Mighty Max has come with its share of trials, tribulations, tears, and terrifying news. In my opinion, no one in their right mind likes to hear bad news. Bad news breaks hearts! Bad news can divide families. Bad news can make you act out of character. Bad news will cause emotions to erupt. Bad news can make you doubt God. That’s the truth about bad news!
The lie about bad news is, all news, ain’t bad news and despite what you’ve experienced in the past, everything won’t turn out bad! For me, this is birthed out of my experience with Super Mighty Max; who has been battling with seizures over the past 14-months. Over that time period, we’ve tried numerous seizure medications, and research says once you’ve unsuccessfully tried two anti-seizure medications, the chances of being seizure free is very unlikely!
Well, instead of trying another seizure medication on Super Mighty Max, in December we put him on the Ketogenic Diet, which is a high fat, moderate protein, and low carb diet. During his first 30 days of being on the diet, my wife and I still noticed seizures and wondered if this diet would actually work for him. That was the first 30 days! The Good News is, for the past 2 1/2 weeks, we can probably count on one hand how many seizures we’ve seen! Super Mighty Max has gone from having multiple seizures an hour to not having any visible seizures on some days, at all. This is wonderful new! For Super Mighty Max, not having any seizure could be a total game-changer in his development! Again, this is Good News, because it allows us to hope, believe, and have faith in different possibilities for our son!
Today, I’m grateful for the lie about bad news and the truth about Good News! The Good News is, no matter what it looks like, God is in control! The Good News is, no matter what we encounter, God is in the situation with us! The Good News is, no matter what the bad news may be, God can turn it into Good News! The Good News is, whatever the news is, God will sustain! The Good News is, right now, Super Mighty Max has had a dramatic decrease in seizures, and I celebrate that! Will you join me in believing in the Good News???
Stay Super, Make Mighty Moves, Be Blessed,
Brandon
supermightymax.com 