I must be the last person in the country to have caught onto the whole "heroes" phenomenon, but finally I can say now that I'm hooked. There is without doubt some of the most profound truths to be found within the dialogue of "heroes", a program which so beautifully has captured what can only be described as a physical and spiritual renaissance. The awakening of the protagonists as to their abilities and the knowledge of how to use them effectively and responsibly must strike a very strong chord within us as a grace community. The most formative time in the process of the three phases seems to be upon us , the 'teenage phase' as Mr Walsh would define it. It's the time we begin to move in the power of the indwelling Christ, experimenting as to the limitations of the power within us, much in the same the "heroes" are beginning to understand the function and purpose of their individual powers. The parallels that can be drawn between our own lives and the events unfolding on the screen in front of are is amazing.
Listening to the conversations of people as they discuss which character they feel they identify with is interesting, as it is undeniable that we all see ourselves in relation to one of the "heroes". It was quite amusing the first time I discussed my own particular feelings of identification. I was sitting in a dark room watching "heroes" with a very good friend when I turned to him and said:
" Yeah you know I think it's Jessica I identify most strongly with ".
My friend looked at me with a confused look and started to chuckle. You gotta appreciate the scene, Jessica had just hacked 3 people to death in a murderous frenzy. Not the thing you wanna think is potentially possible of the person sitting to your left in a pitch black house on a quiet Sunday evening. I'm not sure what my friend was thinking to be honest with you , lol.
Well we return home to London today, (Friday) in order to get home in time for our Sunday meeting at Grace East. It has been a great trip. We always enjoy spending time with Steve & Melanie McVey but this trip held extra meaning for us as we not only ministered together at the first of this year’s Radical Freedom conferences, we also got to travel with them to their home in Atlanta. We had quite a road trip. Among the many neat things that we did, yes of course we went to Gone with the Wind Country but frankly my dear I could give a da-yam about that compared with our visit to the Martin Luther King Center; that was a profound experience for all of us.
I don’t mind telling you I sat and wept as I watched the video presentation of the life and work of Dr. King. It was made all the more profound for me given that I had been speaking at the weekend about focussing on our “destiny” more than our destination. It was amazing how the decision of one woman, Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery that proved to be her moment of destiny and flung wide the door of opportunity for Dr. King to step into his!
Reliving the story of the Civil Rights struggle has heightened the sense of destiny that I feel about our struggle for the freedom to worship Jesus free from the guilt and the oppressive hand of legalism. Standing outside The Ebenezer Baptist Church (the church that Dr. King pastured) and walking through the home where Dr. King was raised for the first twelve years of his life really stirred something inside of me.
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paul franklin
