Dark Knight Rises and So Can You!

Now that I'm back to writing after my break, I can finally write about some of the great movies that came out this summer!  Among them is Dark Knight Rises!  It's probably for the best that it's taken me time to get to this one because there are so many twists and plot points to spoil.  By now, the majority of you have probably seen it, but be warned, "There be spoilers ahead."

Batman Begins was a movie about falling to or mastering one's own fear.  Dark Knight was about justice and morality from the common folk on the street to the politicians we idolize and how even great men can fall.  Dark Knight Rises picks up right there with an absent Batman and a devastated Bruce Wayne.  It is a movie about rising out of the ashes and not letting anything keep us down.

Batman really takes some hard falls in this movie.  Just when you think things can't get worse. . . they do again and again.  When the movie starts, he is out of shape, has a bum leg, and is an emotional wreck over the loss of his love, Rachel.  His company is failing because he sunk its money into a supposedly failed clean energy project.  On top of all of that, the people of Gotham hate Batman for the killing spree pinned on him in the last movie.

But come on, he's Batman!  He picks himself up, does some push-ups, gets a fancy knee brace, puts on the Batsuit, and jumps back into the action.  He even picks up a sidekick in Catwoman.  There's nothing to it.  Right?

Wrong!  Things go from bad to catastrophic.  Bane shows up and destroys Batman in every way possible.  Everything this guy has going for him is gone in the end.  Even the things that make him a Superhero are taken away.  His super wealth?  Bankrupted through a crazy stock exchange robbery.  His super gadgets and Bat-mo-tumbler?  Stolen by Bane through an elaborate sewer demolition plan.  His super butler?  Walks out on Mishtah Wayne.  His new super sidekick Catwoman?  Betrays him in a heartbeat!  But at least he's still got his super ninja skills and fighting styles right?  Oh, wait no, did you hear that snap?  That was Batman's spine getting broken.

The man is completely and utterly defeated.  He is left in a pit in what most of us would consider a hopeless situation.  In fact, hope itself is what taunts him in the form of sunlight pouring down from the only way to escape the pit he is in.  But everyone tells him its a futile hope.  No one can escape.  Give up.

Have you ever been down in the dumps?  Have you ever been discouraged?  Have you ever been so beaten that you were left with only the tiniest shred of hope that things would get better?  Have you ever just plain run out of hope?  Maybe you were living a lie and got caught and it seemed impossible to fix the broken relationships in your life.  Maybe you went through a really rough break up.  Maybe you lost your job.  Maybe you lost someone you loved in tragedy.  You're not alone.

Theology Thursday: Can Christians use Anti-depressants?

This is an incredibly tough topic to tackle.  Discussions get very heated because this question is about more than just right or wrong but actual people.  People who are hurting and vulnerable and need help.  I'll be perfectly honest in saying that I'm a little undecided as to where I stand on this (I used to fall into the first view but now I'm leaning heavily toward the third view).  But the question was asked and you guys voted it in a few weeks ago.  So what I'll be doing is presenting the three views as I've come across them so that you can make a more informed decision as you prayerfully consider this if its in any way applicable to you. 

*This whole blog will be referring to severe and lasting clinical depression.  I am not discussing the occasional bad mood or grief we experience through the bumps of life.  I'm talking about the kind of depression that consistently disrupts day to day living through anxiety, worry, fear, etc.

Rest to the Glory of God

Do you remember the stories of the mighty prophet Elijah?  He's the man who prayed that God would hold back the rain and God withheld rain for three and a half years.  Then he prayed again and it rained.  He's the guy who outran a chariot drawn by horses.  He's the one who didn't just die like the rest of us, but was taken into heaven in a fiery chariot!  He's also most often remembered for standing up all alone against the many prophets of Baal and defeating them in a worship contest.

But do you know the story of his depression?  Elijah had been serving God hard.  All day, every day, he was going all out for God.  He preached to a people who didn't want to listen.  He rebuked a people who grew angry instead of repenting.  Every day he lived among a people confused by idols.  After his victory against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, the evil queen Jezebel ordered him hunted down.  As if Elijah didn't have enough problems, he is now running for his life.  He is burned out, exhausted, hopeless, and afraid.  The prophet was depressed.