Between the Panels

Lately I've been reading this awesome manga series that I highly recommend you guys check out. It's called Kaiju No. 8 . and it features this young man, Kafka , who essentially is part of this police force that tries to take down these giant monsters or Kaiju in Japan. • What I really like about this guy Kafka,  is an older dude. He is not one of these young bucks that are out there fighting. He's actually 32, which is kind of relatable with me at 34, and even gets the term "old timer" throughout the series. Man, talk about feeling it in your knees. Kind of reminds me of how I feel when I'm hanging out with my kids. But really, it made me start going into nostalgia mode, having memories of playing  Super Smash Brothers on my NES ( Nintendo Entertainment System ) when I was a kid or you know, loving the old school retro games like Golden Axe, Double Dragon or even, dare I say, ET. Yeah, some of you might have cringed when I threw that one out there. But really...

Did you know that a gathering of owls is called a parliament? I know, random factoid for you to hold on to, but this was because owls were often connected to the attribute of wisdom.  Another factoid to throw at you. Did you know that there is a Court of Owls in Batman comics? These are not actual owls, but are Gotham's financial and societal elite who are in control of the city.  This sounds like a pretty impressive group, you would think that with all that wealth and influence they might actually be co-workers with Batman, but you would be wrong.  The Court of Owls use their power and opportunities to suppress lesser people and often have nefarious plans that seek greater control on the backs of Gotham's citizens. This court reminds me of the Pharisees in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  Being the religious leaders and even societal elite amongst the Israelites, the Pharisees would often look for more prestige and power over their fellow country men....

One of my favourite games to get into is Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning for several reasons. First, the art work is done by an amazing comic artist (Todd McFarlane). Second it's an open world RPG (role-playing game, one of my favourite genres). Lastly, there is a Tree of Fate that shows your character's progression in abilities/skills for game play (becoming a rogue, warrior, mage, ect.)  I love that kind of customizability with characters in games like that; it challenges you to have a plan for what you want your character to become as you guide them in this fantasy world.  What I love even more is that your character in the game is called a Fate Weaver in different interactions because it's your actions that can change the fate of the game.  So cool! Is this really any different than the way we are approaching our relationship with God?  I have said before that life is like a giant RPG in preparation for our real life (eternity). But if that's the case is God the on...

 Mercy is the best support hero in Overwatch! There, I said it! But here is the reason why. Mercy's main weapon, really isn't a weapon; it is a ray wand that either boosts your team's fire power in the battle or brings major healing when they are getting hit. In fact, the only thing that is even offensive in her capabilities his her hand gun that is very rarely used. We should be a lot like Mercy as a support to those around us.  Jesus was like that and was really the demonstrator of that.  He was always healing people (physically, emotionally, spiritually), he was always aware of the needs of others and supporting them. After all, it was him that said, " Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." (Mark 2:17). And that comment was to the hardcore religious elite that were supposed to be doing this. So go out there, help those around you so you can say it like ...