Wilberforce and the motivation for stout-hearted endurance

“Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you?” - John Wesley, writing to Wilberforce.

There's more than one form of slavery, my friends.  Whatever form slavery takes, freedom is a person.  Harriet Tubman knew him, Wilberforce knew him.  Do you?

"You can choose the look the other way but you can never say that you did not know." - William Wilberforce

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and a time to kill

From Alliance Defending Freedom -

Today marks Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birthday, a German theologian known for his stand against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. As we honor the memory of Bonhoeffer, it’s crucial to remember that we also have the privilege and responsibility to engage in the public square. Read more.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act.” – Bonhoeffer

How does one resist tyranny?  Would you in good conscience as a believer put the gun to Hitler's head and pull the trigger?  After much wraggling, Bonhoeffer decided to go in with an assassination plot and paid for that conviction with his life.

How not to catch a thief...

If you're the victim of a purse-snatcher, don't get rick-rolled and make it worse.

(from KingBach Vines)

Host clubs and human trafficking

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…

How would you go about seeing kingdom change in this cultural nexus?



And as a follow-up, this article is really confusing to me.

So in 2013, 22,335 calls were logged about trafficking (out of how many unreported?).  Since 2011, there have been 17 convictions.

"Currently, six suspected sex traffickers are in jail, and grand juries are investigating three cases involving multiple suspects. The number of sex-trafficking cases "has picked up, definitely," Correa said."

I must be missing something.  Are they actually patting themselves on the back for an increase in arrests?  A whopping six people in jail?!

Later, "Traffickers prey on the vulnerable, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youths' struggle with their identity and often hostile communities make them perfect victims, Sanchez said.  "LGBT populations are highly susceptible," [...] The number of reported cases of transgender victims is small in the Southwest. In 2013, only four cases in Texas involved transgender victims, according to the Polaris Project. In New Mexico, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center received no calls reporting transgender victims."

Highly susceptible.  Transgendered trafficking made up 4 out of 2,236 cases of trafficking in Texas in 2013.  Um, say what now?

Community tutoring at your neighborhood superhero supply store

Okay, as I transition away from all the fabulous comics action, I'll leave you with this gem, the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company.

Doing good for the community - free tutoring for inner city kids, etc. and quality goods for the caped crusaders.  Dream high.

I don't trust anyone else with my quasi-vigilante needs.

Some HFH pre-movie release Cap captions

Cap is on the way! Early reviews say "Winter Soldier" is one of the best MCU films yet. Now I want to buy a motorcycle...

Better heed Cap and take notes, Spider-Man.  Never compromise.  Not even for Iron Man.

"Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — 'No, you move.' "

-Captain America (from Amazing Spider-Man #537)

Here's a fun Throwback Thursday panel from Cap #108 (1968) for ya...

Cap faces Batroc and must put himself between innocents and danger - which reminds him of the man from Galilee?!

Cap (#122) does some soul-searching between battles for his identity and place in this world.

That's it, Cap! Seek the Scriptures, cry out to the Lord and you shall find Him. You might want to talk to some folks like Cannonball or Wolfsbane too about life in the Spirit.

Taking the "Mall Santa" concept a few notches up - think of how kids would respond to messages if Cap or Spidey were the ones giving talks at schools.

If you've seen him in action, you never forget it. In the darkest hour, Cap gave hope to a generation.
From Marvels #3 (Busiek/Ross).

Here's a novel approach to crime - have Cap give the bad guy a disapproving look!

I know it's been something of a binge with the Cap pics this week - maybe one or two more panels to go, I think, in honor of the new movie, unless you have some pics you want to share too!

When the Fantastic Four are near to giving up hope, the Watcher admonishes their doubting hearts (#72, 1968).

If you are at the point of despair, that is, of turning your back on God, know this: your adversary is not so dreadful as your fear makes it out to be.  But there is One who is greater, who is truly All-Powerful, and you can run to Him for refuge.

‘Cause, you know, Cap  called it…

The case of the convenient store cowgirl

Lest you think we're all about bare-knuckled vigilantism here, here's a lady showing us how to fight crime Jesus-style.

P.S. - God bless Texas.


As a follow-up, this child's close-call with an abductor highlights the power of God in the delivering the weak, the poor, the small, the captive.

When I was scared at night, my mom taught me Psalm 56:3, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee..."

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and are saved."

Some good news in the struggle against sex-trafficking

Some news we can all feel good about sharing.  I know it's just rehashing links and info dumping, but I'll polish it up later...   If it helps get the word out there... “The Locust Effect” and "Ending Sex Trafficking in Canada."