Celebrating the legacy of the first - and greatest - superhero

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Superman.  It was back in 1938 when the Man of Steel first came on the scene; his remarkable influence on society cannot be overstated.  Stephen Skelton, in his book, The Gospel According to the World’s Greatest Superhero points out, “One of People magazine’s listings of today’s most prominent pop-culture icons, featuring the likes of Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey, puts Superman in the Top Ten.”

In celebration of Superman’s anniversary, I want to present some information on this important fictional character.  I came across a website (http://999ktdy.com/ten-super-facts-about-superman-on-his-80th-birthday/) that mentioned 10 historical facts on Superman.  It was written by a man named Chris Meaux.  I’m not going to cite all of them here (although you can obviously peruse them yourself, if you are inclined), but I'm going to list 3.

I’ll begin with a point that some may have wanted to quibble over: the notion that Superman is the first superhero.  Meaux writes, “Before Siegel and Shuster introduced Superman to the world, there were no characters quite like him.  There were science fiction and pulp novel characters who had great strength, speed, and other abilities, but they didn’t wear a unique suit and a cape.  Characters like The Shadow were powerless, dressed in everyday clothes, and used guns and fists to fight crime. Superman was the first brightly-colored and super-powered character in fiction, the very first ‘superhero,’ an idea and term that didn’t exist before he was introduced.”

Secondly, I love the section titled “Trunks, Not Underwear”.  “Many people have mistakenly made fun of Superman’s uniform over the years,” Meaux writes, “saying that he’s wearing his ‘underwear’ on the outside.  Others say that Superman’s suit is inspired by the costumes of circus strongmen of the early part of the 20th century, which featured trunks.  

Both parties are wrong, as trunks are quite different from underwear and Shuster’s design wasn’t at all like what circus strongmen wore.  Most strongmen wore a sleeveless shirt with pants and trunks.  Superman wore a full body suit of tights and a cape.  Before Shuster’s design, there were no other characters in literature or movies that looked like Superman, whose uniform became the pattern for all superheroes who followed in the first few decades after Superman was introduced.” 

Third, this author brings up Superman’s “S” shield.  “Superman’s iconic /S/ is one of the most recognized symbols in the world.  Even those who don’t know a thing about Superman know that symbol.”  Stephen Skelton in the book mentioned before The Gospel According to the World’s Greatest Superhero writes, “The 2002 comic-book miniseries Superman: Birthright… reveals that the shield is both the family crest – and more than a family crest.  As Clark recounts in the story, “At first, I thought it was a family crest of some sort – but if it was, it certainly came to mean more than that to these people…Over the course of time, it became a…promise.  A sign of people fighting to make a better world.  A symbol of hope.”

 

This notion of Superman’s “S” being a symbol of hope was demonstrated beautifully in a storyline of the TV show Supergirl.  The inhabitants of her city, National City, were brainwashed into mindless automatons who only wanted to serve Non, the main villain.  Only Cat Grant, Maxwell Lord, and Supergirl were in their right mind.  In a touching scene, Cat Grant said to Supergirl: “If you’ve taught me anything, you’ve taught me that hope is stronger than fear.  And that is what I think of every time I look at that [pointing to the “S” shield on her chest].  I believe that you can change everyone out there.  Not through violence, not through fear, but with hope.”

Ultimately, the 3 of them do counteract the brainwashing by transmitting the image of Superman’s “S” shield.  I confess seeing this unfold brought tears to my eyes.  Indirectly, Superman saved the day just with his iconic emblem; an emblem that has come to mean so much to so many.

Kevin

Thanksgiving 2018 epilogue

It seems like many people have already moved on from Thanksgiving and have started anticipating Christmas.  While I certainly love Christmas, I wanted to linger on the Thanksgiving season for one last blog.  I wanted to submit my list of Thanksgiving blessings - a portion of it anyway.  I had a list of 12 items, but to share them all would take two blogs and I don’t want to belabor this.  So I’ve decided to share 6 with you.

Health – I have encountered various health challenges since 2015 (when my life changed forever because of my dad’s passing).  Acute sicknesses like migraine headaches, flu symptoms, and a recent upper respiratory infection, are just a few examples.  On one Thanksgiving blog, I expressed how thankful I was for the ability to speak because, for a time, I had lost my voice.  It’s not that I had never been sick before 2015, but I certainly have learned, with each passing day, that health is a marvelous and fragile gift.

Automobile: It is amazing for me to contemplate that I have put almost 155,000 miles on my current car!  It’s far from pristine at this point, but what a gift to be able to get from point A to point B.

Assignment: I think I’ve told you that my dad used to thank me for taking care of my mom when we returned from an afternoon of errands or something that like.  Today I take that phrase as part of my marching orders.  I am thankful to be able to take care of my mom; for one reason because I love her, but also because I know Dad would want me to do so since I witnessed just how devoted he was to her.

Superheroes: Stan Lee once wrote, “I think people are fascinated by superheroes because when we were young we all liked fairy tales, and fairy tales are stories of people with superpowers, people who are super in some way – giants, witches, magicians, always people who are bigger than life.  Well, as we got older, we outgrew fairy tales…but I don’t think we outgrow our love for those kinds of stories…so superhero stories, to me, are like fairy tales for grown-ups.  I don’t know why, but the human condition is such that we love reading about people who can do things we can’t do and who have powers we wish we had.” (From the work What is a superhero? edited by Robin S. Rosenberg and Peter Coogan; chapter 17 of the book, written by Stan Lee)

God’s miracles in my life: I recently shared an article that my mom wrote about how God healed me as a baby from a horrible malady.  I’m so thankful for that episode.  But there have been more miraculous events in my life than just that one.  These occurrences have significantly shaped me and molded me as a person; I’m grateful to the Lord for His divine intervention.

New mercies from God each day: The great old hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness states, “Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed Thy hand hath provided; great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”  In another stanza, these words are given: “Pardon for sin, and a peace that endureth; Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.  Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow; blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.”  I’m thankful for God’s mercies that fall fresh on me every day.  And I’m thankful that when you write out your gratitude list, you eventually realize that the snowball is just getting bigger and bigger.  You begin to understand that for all the blessings you’ve listed, there are so many more; it really is “blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.”

Kevin

Celebrating the holidays in a world without "Superman"

Happy Thanksgiving reader!  There is so much to be thankful for, and I certainly have gratitude in my heart to God.  But I have to admit that there is a part of me that is feeling sad today.  There was a Thanksgiving tradition that I used enjoy.  You see, my parents and I used to go to Foothills Bible Church.  After my dad passed away, Mom and I stayed at Foothills for a little while, but ultimately for various reasons, we knew the time had come to close that chapter of life and move on to another church.  After looking for several months, we have found one.

While our new church does have Thanksgiving festivities, Foothills had a unique Thanksgiving tradition: their Thanksgiving service consisted of nothing more than people articulating their thanks to God.  No sermon, and hardly any music; just folks sharing from their heart.  Another aspect of this memorable tradition is that the tone of the service was always raw, vulnerable, and emotional.  Tears often flowed freely as many in the church congregation shared the painful season they endured, but through it all, God had been faithful.

My mom and I were only a few months into life without my dad when the annual Foothills Thanksgiving morning service was upon us.  Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather of a snow day, the service was cancelled.  This was so disappointing to me.  I never got the chance to share my heart in that special church service.  So in this blog I want to express what I might have said that day.  I think I would have said something like this:

Church family, my world was forever changed when my dad, Jerry Bauer, unexpectedly passed away.  He was only 60 years old.  No one could have ever known that this was going to happen; Dad was the epitome of health.  The official cause of death was that a blood clot had developed – one that nobody even knew about – and traveled to one of the coronary arteries in his heart.  Biblically speaking, however, I know that God had written in His book all the days my dad was going to be on this planet before one of them even happened – Psalm 139:16.  But to lose him has been the most intense pain of my adult life.

What makes matters worse is to contemplate how my dad would often swoop in and save the day, like Superman saves Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen.  In fact, I have often called my dad "Superman" because he had the same kind of selflessness, humility, and virtue as Superman.  Dad was the provider and protector of the family.  Now that he is gone, I feel like I’m celebrating the holidays in a world without “Superman”.

 

I could go on, but let me just wrap this up by saying my faith in God has been my anchor.  I really don’t know how I could have endured this without the Lord.  There is a song by Christian singer Micah Tyler called Even Then. Micah proclaims my heart cry when he sings, “Even when it feels like my world is shaken; even when I’ve had all that I can take, I know You never let me go.  And even when the waters won’t stop rising; even when I’m caught in the dead of a night, I know no matter how it ends, You’re with me even then.  And even in the middle of a struggle…even in the thick of the battle, and even through the valley of the shadows, You alone are my defense when I’m standing on Your promises.”

Kevin

An immense blessing to contemplate this Thanksgiving season

I recently came across an article that my mother, Rose Mary, wrote a few years back that describes my healing as an infant.  I’ve shared the story in this blog before, but never with my mom’s pen.  I’m not going to share the entire document with you (it is five pages), but here we go:

“This is a story of a miracle, a miracle of God, a story of supernatural healing. 

Life was normal and going as expected.  I had had a couple of miscarriages before my pregnancy with our first baby.  The pregnancy was uneventful and everything was okay when I went into the hospital in labor on the morning of June 29, 1981 for the birth of our baby.  We named our baby boy, Kevin.  Little did we know at that time what his name meant, but he would live out the meaning of his name, gentle and kind.

Flash forward 4 1/2 months.  I was sitting Kevin in his stroller one morning and letting him look out the patio window.  He enjoyed that.  All of a sudden, I saw a particular movement.  His eyes went up and into the back of his head and his little arms jerked up, it lasted not more than 30 seconds.  I thought nothing of it.  I grew up in a large family and I should have known that this wasn’t a normal baby thing to do, but it wasn’t until Jerry, my husband, saw this little motion that he knew and told me this was not right.

We had little knowledge and were very unprepared for what happened over the course of the next 5 1/2 months.  After much testing…doctors finally came up with Infantile Spasms as the diagnosis of what Kevin had.  This is a disease in the epilepsy family, which effects only infants and carries over into adulthood.

Early on, I received a message, a compulsion, from God, not to be especially concerned about everything, tests, doctors, new information, etc. going on around me.  I felt like God was telling me that Kevin would not be sick forever.

 

[Months later,] We got to the hospital…tests were run…Finally, the doctors were coming back after midnight when something very unusual happened: Kevin started to turn blue and the heart machine was flat lining…After maybe three minutes, the heart machine started making a pattern again.  Kevin started getting his color back.  A week later the EEG confirmed what we already knew, Kevin was well with a normal and healthy EEG for the first time in 5 1/2 months.

To this day, Kevin has never had another spasm (seizure)!  Praise God!  And again I say, praise God!  Up to that time, April 24, 1982 over 8,000 babies had been diagnosed with Infantile Spasms, from the four-state regional hospital, Children's Hospital.  Kevin Bauer was the very first one to ever get over this disease!

Since Dr. Minarcek, Kevin's neurologist, moved away to New York City, we received his files about Kevin, and that is all that remains today of his disease.  There are no left over side effects from any of the medicines, there was no delay in development, and absolutely no signs that he had Infantile Spasms exist today.

April 24th was the last day that Kevin had any spasms.  This day is really more important than Kevin's birthday.  Kevin's birthdays would not have been very special without this very special day of healing that God had for him. This was a huge miracle in our lives and a huge miracle for the doctors to witness…Like the miracles that Jesus did in the gospels, God showed His powers to be great and the final authority in this time and space in which we live.”

I don’t think it was a coincidence that this invaluable document was rediscovered in the week leading up to Thanksgiving.  It is an episode that causes gratitude and praise to God.  The One, as the old hymn says, from Whom all blessings flow.

Kevin

Saved for good works

When I was composing the blog I posted on 10/31, a chapter title from a book came to my mind.  H. Michael Brewer, in his fine book Who Needs a Superhero? Finding Virtue, Vice, and What’s Holy in the Comics has a chapter he entitled Saved for Service.  In that chapter he writes,

“The Fantastic Four’s origin follows a particularly common comic book pattern: the process of peril-power-promise.  Here’s how it works: Our hero faces a crisis that threatens to destroy him.  Instead our hero emerges with superhuman abilities and vows to use them for good.  Christian life follows a similar path.  The initials differ for steps in the process, but the pattern is nearly identical: sin-salvation-service…Sin-salvation-service and peril-power- promise both lead to the same action: devoting oneself to a lifelong mission of gratitude.  Unfortunately, many Christians overlook the final step in the process as if a profession of faith in Christ in Jesus finishes their stories.  Quite the contrary is true.”

 

Brewer goes on to quote from Ephesians 2.  Verses 8 and 9 of Ephesians 2 are cited often because they are so powerful; the verses declare, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  But verse 10 is not quoted as often; and that’s a shame because it reads, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  I would put it in these terms: when you become a Christian, you’ve just joined the team, so to speak, and the Coach has a place, a role, for you to play on that team.  How humbling it is to understand that God chose the good works that He wanted me to do before I even gave my life to Him.  He gave me certain gifts and abilities and He wants me to use them for Him and for others. 

So, if that’s God’s standard, this brings up a question: why is that some Christians miss out on this blessing?  I think that’s a multi-faceted answer that I couldn’t possibly cover in this one blog.  Some, for example, simply don’t know that this is what they are to do.  But I actually think the biggest factor could be selfishness.

I was recently watching a You Tube video of a fan-made film of how Batman met Superman.  The best scene is when Bruce Wayne is chatting with Clark Kent.  At this point, each know the others secret identity.  Bruce questions Clark’s decision to hide his identity with a pair of glasses.  “People see what they want to see, Bruce,” Clark answers.  “What do you see?”  Clark’s response to Bruce’s inquiry has since gripped me: “I see a generation too consumed with themselves to even look at others…a generation losing their morality to technological revolution; a generation who think they deserve everything never having worked for it.”  (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH4eUCwawrY)

It’s a stinging indictment, but it sounds like something Superman would say (the fact that the fellow who portrayed Clark/Superman in the video looks like Christopher Reeve didn’t hurt either).  Is it possible that we’ve gotten way too consumed with ourselves?  I think the answer is yes.  In one of her songs, Rebecca St. James has this lyric: “I used to think that ‘me myself and I’ were all that mattered, but You’ve showed me all this world can give cannot compare to the joy that comes from giving away.”  The Bible puts it this way: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24).  Another translation renders it: “We should stop looking out for our own interests and instead focus on the people living and breathing around us.”

In conclusion, just so you know, when I write this kind of blog, I’m not just preaching at you; I’m speaking to myself as well.  If you got some benefit out of this, that’s great, but I was definitely challenged.  I was reminded that I have been saved for good works (not by good works, but for good works; that’s a very important difference).  I’ve been reminded that I am to take my eyes off of myself, and use my gifts for others, to the glory of God.

Kevin

"Forgiven when Mercy walked in"

I am still planning that blog on good works that I’ve previously mentioned, but Thanksgiving is in the air. In the spirit of this wonderful holiday, I wanted to focus on something that I am so thankful for: my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

For those who haven’t heard my testimony, let me give it quickly.  Back in 1987 I was at a Billy Graham Crusade at the old Mile High stadium in Denver, Colorado.  Mr. Graham spoke of mankind’s rebellion and sin against God; he proclaimed that humanity cannot be in a right relationship with God unless He accepts that Jesus Christ, the perfect God-man, shed His blood on the cross of Calvary as payment for sin.  I was just a boy of 6, but during Mr. Graham’s invitation to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, I told my parents that I needed to go forward and put my faith in Jesus.  The Gospel is so simple even a child can understand it.  This was one of the defining moments of my life; one that I have never regretted.

I love music.  Gordon Mote has written a song that makes me emotional every time I hear it.  Before I share it with you, let me give a brief biography of this fascinating musician: “By any definition, Gordon is one of today’s most respected talents; in large part because of his musical and spiritual heritage.  He’s never forgotten to tell people along the way where he’s come from…Blind since birth, Mote’s faith provides the foundation for his life, and constantly fuels his creative spirit.  When he was just three, Gordon surprised his family on Thanksgiving by sitting down at the piano and miraculously playing “Jesus Loves Me” with both hands.  “I was just passionate about music,” states the Attalla, Alabama native…I listened to every album I could get my hands on growing up.  As kids, my brother (who is also blind) and I traveled and sang in churches of all sizes.” (Source: http://www.gordonmote.com/bio.html)

The aforementioned song is entitled Mercy Walked In and the lyrics are as follows: “I stood in the courtroom, the judge turned my way; “Looks like you’re guilty, now what do you say?”  I spoke up, “Your honor, I have no defense.”  But that’s when Mercy walked in.  [Chorus] Mercy walked in and pleaded my case; called to the stand God’s saving grace.  The blood was presented that covered my sin; forgiven when Mercy walked in.  I stood there and wondered how could this be?  That someone so guilty had just been set free.  My chains were broken, I felt born again, the moment that Mercy walked in.  [Repeat chorus] The blood was presented that covered my sin, forgiven when Mercy walked in.” (You can see a live rendition of Mote performing this song here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShVKTFS4CSs

The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation [one translation renders it “atoning sacrifice”] by His blood, to be received by faith.”  Life with God is an incredible adventure.  This begins with accepting, by faith, God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness.  If you’ve already taken this step, stop and thank God for His gift of salvation.  If you haven’t, I encourage you to do so.

Kevin

The passing of a superhero legend

I heard the sad news that Stan Lee died today at the age of 95.  For those of you that don’t know about Stan, here is a brief description: “Stan Lee’s name is practically synonymous with the word “superhero.”  He co-created many famous superheroes during his time at Marvel Comics: the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Spider-Man, Iron Man and the X-Men, among many others.  Stan imbued his characters and stories with an element of psychological realism, making it easy for fans to relate to the characters and their plights.” (Source: What is a superhero? edited by Robin S. Rosenberg and Peter Coogan; Stan Lee wrote a chapter in that book)

According to his New York Times obituary, (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/obituaries/stan-lee-dead.html) Stan is survived by his daughter, Joan Celia Lee (officially known as J.C.) and his younger brother, Larry.  His wife of 70 years, Joan, passed away in 2017.  My heart goes out to his family.  I know the pain of losing someone you love.  You are never ready for it.  It creates a hole in your heart.  Perhaps they will find some solace in the fact that millions of fans are grieving his loss as well; I certainly found myself saddened by the news.  This was a man who helped create fictional characters that have made an impression on me.  Spider-Man, in particular, is a superhero that I deeply appreciate and very much relate to.

One of the traditions for many years in the Marvel movies is Stan Lee cameos.  One cameo scene is particularly memorable: in the film Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker learns the news that Spider-Man is going to receive a key to the city.  A man steps up to Peter, and says, “You know, I guess one person can make a difference.  ‘Nuff said.”  It was Stan Lee himself (he even got to throw in “‘Nuff said” one of his catchphrases).  That sentiment expresses what I think is a major part of Stan Lee’s legacy: one person can make a difference.

Kevin