Justin - The Thing’s Lament

Reed twists and stretches;

I am huge and inflexible. 
Johnny burns and flies;
I am a cold, earthbound rock.
Susan can disappear and hide away;
I can never hide this hideous, yellow visage.

They all can switch it on and off, their powers, but I am always this. I have no mask or disguise, I am what your fearful eyes see. 

I am the Thing.

I am a trained and skilled pilot with advanced degrees in engineering relegated to play the thug, the heavy. No one wants to hear my thoughts about solving the problem. They just want to hear me yell “It’s Clobberin’ time!” and start throwing my big, boulder fists at the bad guys. 

I could go back, I could be human again, but when I’ve tried, they need me. They need the big, yellow, rock guy to stand in front of them; to break through the obstacles; to take the punishment that they can’t. I could be normal, boring, but what will they do when they need someone to contain and tire out the Hulk when he goes on a rampage? How would I feel when I chose a normal life and wasn’t there to protect them if something happened?

I have been given a chance to make a difference, but is the difference worth the sacrifice? They can do both; they can have a semi-normal, off-duty life. I am always me.

Johnny burns and flies, Reed twists and stretches, Susan can disappear and hide and I am a huge, cold, inflexible rock, stuck on the ground, never able to hide what I am.

I am the Thing.

Jason - Superhero

Iron Man’s Lament

Grabbing the sky at supersonic speeds used to be like caressing the face of God. When rocketing at that velocity in a nearly straight line it is very peaceful looking, but that is an illusion. The feel and the sound of the wind is violent, assaulting your senses. Only my suit keeps me from being ripped apart. When it closes it is completely sealed, not just so it can be submerged, but to keep out the great noise. Additionally, the wind resistance is so great that when I turn off the burners the suit quickly decelerates. It is like the air becomes syrup. Then, if I use the retro burners, the mass of my body slams into the suit. It would be like a car accident in a tin can. So, the inertial dampeners keep the armor itself from killing me.

The problem with the inertial dampeners is when they go out it is when they are needed and fixing them is a bear. So, here I sit looking my TEKTON 1/2-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench, a tool selected because it can tighten the bolts to precisely the right pounds per square inch, and I don’t care. I can only feel that moment when the dampener went out and the safety override kept me flying past the young woman. I could not save her. I could not stop. The damn suit kept me from doing what I needed to do.

Arsenal. The result of my father’s “Project Tomorrow”. The defective and murderous robot bore down on the girl. I was moving as fast as I could, but my rockets were bouncing off his armor. I needed to get to him and that was the moment, that was the moment the suit malfunctioned. She was gone. Taken. Killed.

How many is it going to be? How many will die in front of me? How many building or bridges have to collapse? How many Arsenals or Dreadnaughts or Immortus will take the lives from my grasp? It really is hopeless! While I’m trying to adjust the settings on my torque wrench who knows what has befallen the world. Hundreds, thousands, and I sit here thinking about the one Arsenal took. I can’t even protect one percent. Heroes, if that is what you want to call me, are basically pointless.

There used to be some joy, some happiness. I felt like I was making a difference, but the color has all drained out. The list I save, the good I do, is nothing compared to the list I can’t do anything about.

Then, even if I could do more, I have to sleep and the darkness will always come while I’m sleeping. Not only that, but there is no one to replace me. I am a blimp on the temporal continuum.

I am not enough.

Community ABCs - Justin

ABCs of being part of a Community

Acceptance: Allow people in the community to be themselves and meet them there

Be Yourself: This gives the other members of the community the opportunity to accept the real you

Collaborate: You can’t do it all alone, work together

Develop: This is two ways, helping others development and letting them help yours

Engage: Community is not a place for distance and aloofness. Get involved

Forgive: Someone is going to offend you, you need to be able to forgive

Give: Of yourself, of your time, give what you can to the group

Help: When there is a need, help within your ability

Interest: Show interest in the lives of your community members

Justice: Keep your eyes open, groups frequently lean away from justice, be on guard

Kindred: Find the commonality you’re excited by 

Listen: This skill is being lost, when someone is talking, listen to what they are saying

Make Plans: Be intentional; community doesn’t just happen

No: Sometimes you need to say “no;” it’s ok

Openness: Be all in, share your thoughts and your burdens

Protect: Guard the quieter or weaker members of the group from being run over

Question: Make sure you get what’s going on; don’t assume, ask

Relish diversity: There are strengths in differences

Serve: Small ways and big, serve each other and serve together

Together: A community needs to spend time together, community cannot be solo

Understanding: always try to see where someone is coming from

Value: Everybody has value, actively look for the value in others

Willing: Even when the group decides to take an action you don’t like, give it a fair chance

Xylophone: If you don’t understand its importance, I can’t help

whY xylophone?: Seriously, I can’t help you

Zeal: Be eagerly active, if you don’t have a zealous joy in your community, you may be in the wrong place

A,B,C's of Community

A,B,C's of Disney

A is for Aladdin, a celebrated thief, that given a chance the guests' wallets would relieve.

B is for Briar patch, of Song of the South fame, a movie now placed in the Hall of Shame.

C is for Castle with an apartment within, the one thing not bought, but just have to win.

D is for Dole Whip, a pineapple treat, without it no trip here is considered complete.

E is for Emporium, your first and last store, when leaving the park and you want one thing more.

F is for Fireworks, which light up the sky, the end of each night, a pyrotechnic goodbye

G is for Gaston, so strutting and proud, his bragging and posing keep drawing a crowd.

H is for Hercules, who also has a jaw is so square, but also seems slightly mentally impaired.

I is for Island, Tom Sawyer's retreat, and water surrounding, an odor excretes.

J is for Jasman, Aladdin’s desire, who in the real world she never would hire.

K is for Kingdom, the home of a mouse, where you can stay, for the price of a house.

L is for Laughing Floor, where jokes are stale, and walking out is like making bail.

M is for Mansion, with its famous bride, where Disney showcases fun homicide.

N if for Nala, Simba’s fling, Seen only at Festival of the Lion King.

O if for Once Upon a Time, a street clogging show, inviting a crime.

P is for Pirates, another dark ride, when we see an auction where you can buy a bride.

Q is for Queen’s, Evil and Heart, feminine villains, a natural part.

R is for Railroad, which you can ride round and round, but it’s fun to tell guests that a drop will take them down.

S is for Space Mountain, a coaster I dreaded, because if you stand up, you’ll be beheaded.

T is for Tiki Room, a tragic display, even remolded, you should just stay away.

U is for Ursula, a park humanitarian, to wild Ariel, she was the only disciplinarian.

V is for Violet, a daughter so demure, she is there every day, you just can’t see her.

W is for Wishes, which is told by a cricket, whose complexion is green, but I think they should fix it.

X is for Xylophone, played by Rex in Toy Story, when they brought him to DInosaur, they made him more gory.

Y if for Ye, Olde Christmas Shoppe, just one more way, my bank account drops.

Z is for Zanzibar Trading Company, with Arabian gifts, but your wallet is empty, so elsewhere you'll drift.

Beast Within - Jason

The Pantheress and the Monongahela

Blackest cat on high bank prowls
Panthress down the shoreline growls

     In dreams, the feline spoke

The Deepening water I kept behind
Monongahela in place did bind
     But why had dread not woke?
   

     Oh, I was penned by the water
     Penned as prey
     Penned in my head ‘til the break of day

Tough, I stand to hold my ground
Stressed and pressed I won’t back down
     “I’ll make it quick,” she said
Bring the calm into my frets
Cool the Panthress making threats
     Her eyes they want me dead

     Oh, I was trapped by the devil
     Trapped O my soul
     Trapped in the hope that’ll make me whole


Slashes came and tossed me back
Splashes came across my back
     Monongahela deep
River caught my lifeless form
Baptized dreams to be reborn
     So down and still asleep

     Oh, I was penned by the water
     Penned as prey
     Penned in my head ‘til the break of day


Down I dove to rushing bed
Depths that pound the diver’s head
     The chain wove through the stones
Planning how to use these links
Hold the beast of forty winks
     I’d call her with my tones

     Oh, I was pining for freedom
     Pining at night
     Pining plotting this dreamer’s delight


Panthress jumped to stop my taunts
Teeth and claws to stop her haunts
     The water slowed her down
Loops of chain fell o’r her neck
Wrapped and weighed and now in check
     My battlefield had drown

     Oh, she was penned by the water
     Penned as prey
     Penned in my head ‘til the break of day

Justin - Fighting the Beast

Fighting the Beast

I want to rise; I want to sit, 

But my head won’t lift.

I want to rise; I want to stand,

But my hands won’t push.

I want to rise; I want to go,

But my legs won’t move,

‘Cause there’s something, 

Someone inside me, holding me down. 

Then you cause me to rise.

You cause me to rise.

I want to live; to show compassion, 

But my head turns away. 

I want to give; to show some mercy, 

But my hands clench tight.

I want to go, and take hope with me,

But my feet always stumble;

There’s still something, 

Someone inside me, holding me back.

Then you cause me to care.

You cause me to care.

How long? How long must I fight this monster?

How long must I go ‘til the beast gives in?

How long? How long must I be two persons? 

How long? How much more ‘til he’s dead?

I want to love, give all to you,

But my head builds idols. 

I want to love my brother like you,

But my arms stick to my sides.

I want to love my neighbor as me,

But I turn and walk away; 

There’s that something, 

Someone inside me, fighting me back. 

Then you cause me to love.

You cause me to love. 

How long? How long will we fight this monster?

How far must we go ‘til the beast gives in?

How long? How long must I be two persons? 

How long? How much more ‘til he’s dead?

You want me to rise;

You cause me to rise.

You want me to care;

You cause me to care.

You want me to love;

You cause me to love.

And I am the beast.

Justin-A stupid history

Throughout the two millennia that the Christian church has existed, it has formed a pattern of helping new converts feel comfortable by absorbing and attempting to sanctify some of their customs.  The result of this has given us Christmas Trees, Easter Eggs and a whole plethora of symbolism that has little to do with the church and yet is fiercely defended by her.

To a point, the worst of these ties has been the celebration of fertility married to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Confusion abounds as the most holy day in Christendom is painted pastel and accompanied by a bunny bearing colored eggs. Even the name is pagan in origin.

          Christmas when viewed objectively is extremely confusing. Placed by the church in the wrong season, Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ in Israel using Nordic symbolism. Laying sacrifices before tree gods became gifts under trees. Conservative American evangelicals have picked up the call of “keep Christ in Christmas” generating the idea of a culture war concerning Christmas. A war that continues to be won by Christians every time someone writes the year with the letters A.D. The same group seems less inclined to keep the “mass” in Christmas.

          With the Christian Church’s history of absorption and adoption of other cultural holidays, it seems that Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve, would be a natural fit into the calendar. Regardless, a large group of modern evangelicals eschew the practice of Halloween because of its pagan roots. Some groups even go so far as to remove the name given the day by the church and call their celebration a “Harvest Party” which is exactly what the pagans of old would have been celebrating at this time of year.