Dan Stanford's Blog

Can Batman teach us a few things about being a Christian? Absolutely. Here is a continuation of the last post. If you missed part 1, make sure to read that as well!3. Even Batman needs a teamTwo are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9 Batman was created in 1939, he looks pretty good for being almost eighty years old. Over the years, he’s evolved from the campy Adam West who was willing to dance the Batusi, to the more recent version of brooding, raspy, Christian Bale. Over the years Batman has gone through a lot of changes but the mission has always been the same: stop evil. At the beginning of every story arc, Batman wants to save the day on his own. He doesn’t see the need for a team, though he doesn’t mind his butler Alfred making him Lobster Thermidor. Eventually, Batman always discovers that Gotham’s problems are too big for any one person. He needs more than his Bat-belt for help. So he enlists Robin, Bat-girl, the Justice League and even the most ridiculous dynamic duo partner ever, Ace the Bat Hound. I’m rolling my eyes as I write this.As we look at the world’s problems, its easy to be overwhelmed. The challenges are so catastrophic, what could we possibly do to make a difference? We need to remind ourselves that we are not alone. When I became a Pastor an older minister said I needed to learn to say two things: “I don’t know” and “I’m sorry.”I would add a third…”I’m not God’s only servant.”God doesn’t expect any one of us to change the world on our own. He just expects us to do our part to change our little corner of it. He wants us to be a hero to our family, neighborhood, church, work and school.Like Batman, we might not have any superpowers but we can use whatever resources we do have. We are a part of one of the greatest potential teams on the planet: the Church, the hands and feet of Christ. No super-suits, nicknames or catch phrases required. The words of Robin, “Holy Strawberries, We’re in a Jam!” are even more true now than ever. Fortunately, God didn’t send Batman to get us out of it, he sent ordinary people like you and me.

Here’s a question you have probably never asked, is Batman a Christian? Just because his side-kick, Robin, was fond of saying seemingly spiritual phrases like, “Holy Hole in a Doughnut!” doesn’t mean Gotham’s vigilante was anywhere near holy. There’s a reason why he’s called the Dark Knight. His favorite pass-time is preying on villains not praying for them. But can Batman teach us a few things about being a Christian? Absolutely.1. You don’t need Super Powers to be a heroWhen they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13(NIV)Recently, one of my sons jumped off of my garage roof. When I asked him why he did this, he responded that he wanted to be like his hero. I assumed he meant me, his super cool dad. He quickly informed me that Batman is his hero. Puzzled, I said, “You do realize that Batman is fictional and a billionaire so he can afford the medical bills. Dad’s a pastor and a hundred-aire so you shouldn’t practice parkour until you can afford a shock resistant super-suit.”One of the reasons why my son loves Batman is because the cape crusader doesn’t have any superpowers. He can’t fly like Superman. He can’t breathe under water like Aquaman. He can’t lasso the truth out of people like Wonder Woman. All he has is an endless supply of money and a heart to save the city. I think most of us would take an overflowing bank account as a super power, but that detracts from the point. Batman doesn’t allow his lack of supernatural ability to keep him from using what he does have. He uses his money to invest in tricked out toys, tools and training.Historically and Biblically, God has locked arms with some of the most unlikely people:GideonMosesMaryAll of them pointed out their own weaknesses. They explained to God why they were not qualified to save the day. But His answer was always the same: You don’t need super powers when you have God for the lead role in a dynamic duo. We need to stop giving all the excuses for why we can’t make our corner of the world a better place and focus on the one reason why we are most qualified. We have God on our side. Whatever resources we have, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, when placed in God’s hands can make an eternal difference, and it doesn’t require jumping off the garage with a Teflon Bat-suit.2. God can use our tragic back storyOne of my sons pointed out the fact that most superheroes don’t grow up with their biological parents.Superman lost his family when his planet Krypton explodes.Spiderman’s parents were killed by the creepy villain, “The Red Skull” (he sounds like an advertisement for what happens when you don’t use sunscreen).And as a kid, Batman watches as both parents are gunned down in an alleyway.I jokingly asked my son if having both of his parents active in his life was keeping him from becoming a superhero. He thought about it for a moment and then replied in earnest, “No, I’ll be the first one with a healthy home life.” How’s that for a story arc?It’s not just in the world of comics where people use tragedy as a catalyst to make a difference in the world. One of my favorite hero statements from the life of Joseph is as follows:You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50: 20 (NIV)Joseph knew that God is one of the best recyclers in the universe. He loves to use wounded healers to bring health and hope to others. Your tragic backstory doesn’t disqualify you from being a hero on God’s behalf, rather it gives you a story that God can use to inspire others. Listen to young Bruce Wayne’s prayer, just after his parents death, “And I swear by the spirits of my parents to avenge their deaths, by spending the rest of my life warring on all criminals! Please, dear God..help me keep my promise.” Now the goal here isn’t for us to put on some tights, a mask and hit the streets. The goal is to place our pain into God’s hands and let Him use it as He sees fit.Stay tuned for Part 2...

Have you ever seen yourself as a villain?Most of us don’t see ourselves as the villain of our stories…We don’t wear a greasy mustache.We don’t have an evil lair. We don’t have elaborate plans to rule the world, “MuWah ha ha ha haaaaaaaa.” We often see ourselves as the hero of our story, the villains are out there, hopefully far away. But if we were honest with ourselves, there have been moments when we have been the villain. If you were to take a look at a picture of me as a kid, there was no indication that I could be a villain, there was no 666 stamped on my forehead. Yet In grade school, there was a girl who often smelled like urine. She had accidents in her pants all the time. As kids, we laughed and teased her. Kids can be cruel. Who still has accidents as a mature first grader? It wasn’t until later in life that I discovered she was being abused at home. Her lack of bladder control was because of trauma. None of us would have considered ourselves villains. Our childhood TV Mentor, Mr. Rogers, would never call us that. Mommy and daddy would never call us that. But to that poor girl who desperately needed a safe place, we made things even worse for her.We become the villain when we spend money without thinking and live like crushing debt is normal.We become the villain when our addiction is ruining our family, finances and faith. We become the villain when we allow our schedules to become so crowded that we don’t have time for the people and things that matter most. We become the villain when we bully someone else behind their back or to their face. We become the villain when we constantly disrupt the family's peace. 1 Corinthians 10:12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!The Message Bible puts it like this,Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.It’s so easy to mock a politician, pastor or celebrity who fails publicly. It’s easy to say how could they be so selfish and stupid? But given the right circumstances, how many of us would be vulnerable to the same temptation? I never used to understand the term "short fuse." It's an expression for someone who gets angry easy. My fuse used to be as long as the fuse in the opening sequence of the Mission Impossible movies. But then I had kids. There’s a reason why God created Adam and Eve as adults. God skipped the teenage and toddler phase because He knew better. My four year old was sleeping next to me this past week when snoozing quickly became fight club. He slapped me in my face as hard as he could. I’m surprised there’s not a little palm print across my eye and cheek. I jolted awake, ready to punch my surprise attacker. In my disillusioned state, partly because it was 3am and partly because of the concussion, I knew it had to be a ninja or hired assassin. This may come as a surprise, but when slapped awake, I don’t ooze Jesus.In moments like that my shadow side comes to the surface and I’m surprised by how much darkness is still in my heart.I’ve never had a day where I didn’t need grace.I’ve never graduated beyond my need for a savior.It’s so easy for me to slip back into the role of the villain. And I know I’m not alone.Over the next several posts, I’m going to explore the topic, "How Heroes Become Villains." Stay tuned.

Have you ever been put in a time out?God has been known to put people on a time out.Israel was put in the proverbial corner for forty years in the desertJoseph got thirteen years in jail and slavery.King David was put in a time out as he ran around the desert trying to avoid being killed by Saul.Even Jesus got forty days in the wilderness.I’ve been in a time out for the past several months. My world has been the size of my recliner. It’s one of the main reasons why I haven’t blogged in awhile. Now normally when someone asks me, "How are you?" my default answers are…“If I were any better I would be you.”“I’m living the dream.”“I’m chilling like a villain on penicillin.”“I’m Dantastic.”I can’t say any of that these days. I have felt tormented, crestfallen, discombobulated and vexed.I was rushed to the ER between church services, with a rapid heart beat, around Thanksgiving, 2017. After several days in the hospital and thousands of dollars of tests, the doctors determined I have Hypervagotonia.I would stand and my heart would jump up to 162.I would walk and it would hit 192.I would rest and it would drop down to 44.In case you’re wondering, your heart is not supposed to look like the stock market. My adrenal gland and vagus nerve (which regulates the heart beat) are misfiring. In addition to controlling the heart rate, the vagus nerve also controls the digestive system. It’s referred to as "the rest and digest nerve." I have had lots of issues with my digestive system, including hyper food sensitivities. I feel like a diabetic living in a gingerbread house.In the midst of all of this, one week after I returned from the hospital, my wife fell down the stairs and broke her ankle in three places (she’ll do anything to get out of laundry). Yes, she punched me when I told her that joke. Just moments before she fell down the stairs we were celebrating the fact that we had just paid off all of her previous medical bills. Talk about irony. We felt like a made for tv version of the life of Job, low budget though, so we couldn’t afford stunt doubles.In all of this, I kept thinking about a verse,“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6While I love this verse, there was one part that frustrated me, Peter doesn’t spell out what “due time” is. It could be a day, week or year, like when a teen says I’ll be out in a minute, we all know that’s not literally 60 seconds. Or your husband says there’s two minutes left to the football game… we all know that’s not 120 seconds.One of the greatest gifts of Christmas since the birth of Jesus is Amazon prime two day delivery. In fact, my four year old likes Amazon more than Santa. He says, “Santa only comes once a year… Amazon comes a few times a week.” No lines. No uptight shoppers.But with God you're not guaranteed a two day delivery.While there's no footnote outlining just how long "due time" is, the promise is that if you humble yourself, at some point God will lift you up.Peter goes on to say,“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10No matter how bad things would get I would repeat those words…God himself will make you strong, firm and steadfast. This doesn’t always mean physically… but it does mean spiritually. A great example is when Paul says, “outwardly we are wasting away but inwardly we are renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) According to the doctors, it will take up to two years for my heart to regulate itself again. But in spite of my health being up and down and the need to take frequent naps… God has been a constant source of encouragement. God has given me the strength and steadfastness to accomplish all the things I have needed to during this season, including releasing my brand new book on April 3rd, 2018.Where God guides, He provides… even when we are not feeling our best.

Luke 8: 1-3After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene)from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.Have you ever thought about how Jesus paid for all of his mission trips? When we read through the gospels, he constantly has his bags packed. He doesn't camp out in one location and expect people to come to him.All of that travel is expensive. Sure, Jesus could turn water into wine, multiply loaves and fish to feed thousands and direct Peter to catch fish with money in their mouth. But Jesus never performed a miracle to meet his own needs. He graced others with the opportunity to support him. In the above passage we meet a few of these people.I've never met Mary Magdalene, Joanna or Susanna but I have heard of their investing in the ministry and message of Jesus. Who might be inspired by your investments 2,000 years later?Superman was created in 1938. He looks good for an eighty year old. While he saved the day for the first time before many of us were born, it's hard to find someone who hasn't heard of the Man of Steel. He has become timeless. I performed a funeral recently where everyone had a story to share about the deceased gentleman helping them with their lawn, trash, carrying groceries. Your generosity can out live you.The closest star to us is Proxima Centauri. It takes 4.3 years for its light to reach us. Imagine it's the night that you graduate high school. The light you see from the nearest star left just before your freshmen year. While you were learning to drive, going to your first dance and faking your way through trigonometry, that little light was traveling 93 million miles. To see that star, you are looking four years into the past.As mind boggling as that is, there are other stars whose light started their journey before you or I were born. That means that when you look up at the midnight sky you are seeing light that has possibly shined for centuries. That star could die and its light would continue to shine throughout the universe for generations.What a great picture of legacy.As a kid we used to sing "this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." The idea was that with Jesus, our good deeds, no matter how small, was a light that shined from within us. The good deed you do today can beam through eternity.

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.1 Peter 4:9There are a lot of uncomfortable chairs in the world which is confusing because you would think that the primary role of a chair would be comfort.I wasn't blessed with natural padding. While some are born with a gluteus maximus. I was born with a gluteus minimus. so a chair's comfort is important to me. I often feel like Goldilocks. She sits in two chairs of the Bear home which are too big until she finds the one that is just right.Some of the worst seats are bleachers, school desks, wooden pews, riding lawn mowers, the throne from Game of Thrones. Side note: they had a replica at Comic Con and it may look cool but you don't feel like a king sitting in it. Why would anyone fight to sit in this pillow-less seat?Some chairs are purely decorative. They are built for the eyes and not the thighs.I was so excited when I found out that the local movie theater was getting recliners.A comfy chair invites a person to linger. To hang out for a while. Some of the best chairs are found in the living room. They are so inviting you actually want to live there.Some of the worst chairs are found in the kitchen. They are fine for eating, mingling, but you don't want to watch a movie in one of them unless you enjoy the tingling sensation of your legs falling asleep. Uncomfortable chairs are often used strategically by restaurants to encourage a person to eat, tip and free the seat up for the next paying costumer. Several cities have implemented "Anti homeless chairs" in public areas. They are round so a person can't sleep on them.Why am I talking so much about chairs?I've been wrestling with the question of what kind of chair is my personality. How inviting am I?Is my personality a comfy chair? Do I invite people to linger? Or do people want to get up as quickly as possible?When I refuse to put down my cellphone while someone is trying to talk to me, I'm not a comfy chair.When I lean away from the conversation by inching towards the door, packing up my work bag or dropping hints that I'm in a hurry, I'm not being a comfy chair.When I "one up" the person's bad day by telling them how much worse mine was, I'm not being a comfy chair.In great contrast, Jesus had a way of making people want to linger, to feel okay with interrupting him. He was the perfect host. If his personality was a chair, in the words of Goldilocks, he was "just right."Let's strive to be inviting like Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.I once heard of an old Jewish tradition that people should carry around two pieces of paper in opposite pockets. In one pocket would be the reminder that, "I am but dust and ashes." In the opposite pocket would be the parallel reminder, "The world was created for me."The papers are to remind a person that all humans should be marked by humility and dignity. The Apostle Paul managed to maintain this balance.One of the cruelest traditions in grade school is assigning two captains to pick kids to be on their team. Inevitably, someone is picked last or not at all. It's better to get beamed in the face by a dodge-ball (another barbaric practice) than get rejected by your peers. But for the person picked first there's a feeling of importance. I was picked because I'm the coolest or cutest (it's rarely because you're actually any good at the sport).Paul says that he's over the moon excited that God hand picked him. A pastor may be appointed by people but they are anointed by God. The temptation would be to struggle with arrogance. Out of the millions of people God could have chosen, he tapped on my shoulder and said, "I want you."How does Paul maintain humility? How does he maintain confidence without arrogance? He has a sober perspective of who he is. Listen to his next statement.1 Timothy 1:15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.In spite of Paul's calling, competence and accomplishments, he recognizes that without God's grace he's a fatally flawed sinner. What strikes me is that this statement is not in the past tense. Paul doesn’t say that he was a sinner, he says that he is a sinner.When I was praying recently, a name came to mind. It was someone who I had grown to despise. Every time I saw them my knee jerk reaction was to run the other way. They had done so many reprehensible things that I just had no like for them. While praying, God challenged me with the thought that I needed to believe that they still had good within them. They were someone still worth fighting for. As soon as I felt that challenge from God, they text messaged me. I know that without God's grace my shadow side would become my only side.I'm convinced that God puts things in our life to reinforce humility: a question we can't answer, a health problem we can't control.Humanities shadow side has been amplified by Charlottesville this past week. While it's tempting to pretend that racism is a part of our polluted past, we are constantly reminded that the emancipation proclamation changed laws but not hearts. Hatred, like tectonic plates, rests under the surface waiting for just the right amount of tension before causing catastrophic damage. As Karen Pollock from the Holocaust Educational Trust said: "The Holocaust did not start with the gas chambers, it started with words; with hate-filled rhetoric."As people created in God's image, racism, sexism and ageism should not exist. All humans are beautiful and broken. We are a tension of strengths and weaknesses. We all carry two metaphorical pieces of paper, "I am but dust and ashes," and "The world was created for me."We need to fight to make sure no one feels like they are picked last or not at all for we are all equally loved in God's eyes.

[image error]I finished editing the first draft of my book and turned it over to the hands of Moody Publishers this past week. Yay. While my first thought was one of celebration, the second thought was what will my next book be? You would think I would be ready for a think-cation. Take a little mental break. But I love the creative process. I like the potential of a blank page.Leonardo da Vinci turned a blank page into the Mona Lisa.Walt Disney turned a blank page into the first feature length cartoon.John Hancock and the United States' founding fathers turned a blank page into the Declaration of Independence.Paul turned a blank page into scripture.A blank page can become a song, sermon, screenplay, scientific formula, sketch or something never done before.But as I noodled the potential of my next project, I had the nagging fear...sequels are rarely equals.A lot of follow up projects suffer what is called the "sophomore slump."Bands become one hit wonders, never able to equal the success of their first EP and they are left feeling like "ice, ice, baby too cold, too cold."Sports teams win the championship only to come in last place the next year. I was tricked into becoming a life long Chicago Bears fan because I grew up with the Super Bowl Shuffle and their amazing 1985 season, ending with championship rings. There has never been a season quite like that since.The same phenomenon happens with movies, like the smash hit "A Christmas Story." It's traditional in my family to watch the holiday comedy every winter. We can quote 90% of the scenes yet we still laugh. Did you know there was a sequel? Probably not because it was awful.One of the reasons why follow up projects don't do so well is that people try to duplicate rather than just create. They are trying to capture the essence of that first project. Rather than looking at a blank page, they are looking at the success of the finished page and trying to figure out how to match it. This is creatively crippling.One of the things I love about God is how creative He is. He doesn't feel the pressure to duplicate miracles. He's content to do one once and do something entirely different the next time and yet each one is awe inspiring.There's only one Jericho who's walls miraculously fall down.There's only one day where the sun stands still.There's only one wedding where water was turned into wine.There's only one time where Peter walks on water.I find this encouraging because when God is the inspiration, every blank page can be totally different yet equally miraculous. I don't have to worry about what my next book will be, God has plenty of ideas about that. Previous projects become inspiration rather than competition. If God could inspire the first one, He can inspire an infinite number of others.What is God wanting to do with your blank pages?What project is He inspiring you to tackle?

What is the most popular symbol for love?The heart.We see it when Justin Bieber sings.We see it when we buy someone Valentines candy.We see it when a Jr High girl writes I heart ______.It’s found in the phrase I love you with all of my heart.But according to Jesus, the heart should not be the only symbol for love... there is also the brain. Chocolate shaped brains don’t sound quite as appealing (unless its a zombie themed party, that might make sense).I’m going to quote the first part of the Shema, a Jewish prayer that was repeated three times a day:Deuteronomy 6:5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.Now listen to the way Jesus quotes this verseLuke 10: 27He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind."What phrase does Jesus add to the daily prayer?Love the Lord our God with all of our mind.A question I have been asking myself this week is, what does it mean to love God with my mind?Do I need to read commentaries before bed?Memorize an entire book of the bible?Know obscure bible trivia?Enjoy the "begot" sections?To love God with our mind is to allow His thoughts to shape our thoughts.Human beings were created to think, reflect, reason, observe, question.In fact, homo sapient means "reasoning being." Now, maybe you’ve met people who didn’t have a whole lot of common sense. Youtube would have never become popular if people only acted intelligently. But we were created with a sky high capacity to think imagine, question, reason.We are challenged to "Love the Lord your God with all of your mind."What are you doing to allow God’s thoughts to shape your thoughts these days?

[image error]Philippians 1:1Paul and Timothy...I've been thinking about the word collaborate. As a kid, I would be paired with my sister to clean our room and because she's four years younger, she would be playing my little pony under the bed while I was doing a majority of the work. Naturally I ratted her out to mom in the process. In school, I hated collaborating. I was always paired with students who were slackers so I had to do a lot of the work and they just piggy backed on my grade. When I first started working, I hated collaborating because I always got put on teams of coworkers who wanted to do the minimum necessary to get a paycheck.For years, I found collaborating to be more frustrating than fruitful so I would opt for the "do it yourself" route. But as I get older, I realize this is selfish and stupid. God has wired us to need an "and."I love how the book of Philippians starts out Paul and Timothy. This letter is going to be a collaborative process. We don't know how much Timothy actually contributed. Maybe this was like a "marital we" like when my wife says "we need to mow the lawn." Now she's not actually going to help me push the mower she just wants me to know I have her moral support and astute observation that the lawn looks like a scene from Jurassic Park. Maybe Timothy didn't contribute a lot, but whatever his part, the letter to the Philippians is more than Paul and more than Timothy. It's powered by and.Now collaborating is not always easy. It does have the word labor in it. Any mom can tell you that labor is a painful process but the life it creates is worth it (although this is often debated when that life is crying in the middle of the night). But when a team of people come together they can create something that none of them could have done on their own.This week the team at Moody and I finally worked out the title for my upcoming book. Drum roll please.Losing the CapeThe Power of Ordinary in a World of SuperheroesBy Dan StanfordThat could be a book on cooking cabbage and I'd buy it because the title is so good. Now if you saw some of the titles prequels, some of the back and forth you would be even more impressed. It was only as the Moody team and I labored together that we were able to birth what none of us could have done on our own. Once again, I learned that We is better than me.Who are your ands?Who is helping to bring the best out of you?What ideas could you birth if you learned how to collaborate?