The B.A.R.N.A.B.A.S. Pledge

The B.A.R.N.A.B.A.S. Pledge
The A-TEAM was fiction. But through God's grace and love, and our efforts I pray the E-TEAM will become reality: In 2011, a crack commando unit was prevented from being formed by satanic attacks on the creator of the B.A.R.N.A.B.A.S. Initiative, in an attempt to stop them from spreading of the Word of God. This person was eventually delivered from a maximum-security prison of fear and doubt into the light of God's Love as He promises to do for all of us. Today, still wanted by satan and his demons, they survive as God's army, the Christians. If you have a problem... if no one else can help... if they can find you... or if you can find them... maybe you can be delivered by God through... THE ENCOUAGERS. - Scripture Insights Providing Bible-based Answers to Many of Life's Questions, Concerns, and Issues

Monday, December 26, 2011

Your Life is a Hero's Journey

Words of Encouragement to Help You Fulfill Your Life Destiny
By David A. Benoit

Who doesn’t like a hero? Who isn’t inspired by the struggles and victories of those who like us, face overwhelming odds, yet unlike us have found a way to overcome those odds and be victorious? Well hold onto your socks for what I am about to reveal to you in this series of articles:
You are a Hero. Male or female, young or old, rich or poor, healthy or disabled, you are a hero on a journey to a Divine destiny for your life. A life that God has decided is a vital part of His overall plan that started with Adam and ends in eternal life with Him. You can live a great life like those in the Bible you admire, or in history, or in your favorite books, movies and TV shows.
There is a reason certain biblical characters, certain people, certain books, movies, or TV shows become your favorites. It’s because there is something about them, their stories, and their struggles that rings true within yourself as well. Keep this in mind as you uncover your own journey and discover your destiny.
There are three major phases to a hero’s journey, based on Joseph Campbell’s work and documented in The Hero with a Thousand Faces [3rd printing. Bollingen Series. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973]. These phases are Separation, Initiation and Return. Every person’s life is a journey, and every person writes his or her own life story as they live it. And as with any story, you are the hero of it. You have an ultimate goal or destiny to fulfill. There are several tests to pass along the way. You have one or more adversaries trying to stop you. And there are several supporting characters (aka, friends and acquaintances) that help you along the way.
Just as every story hero starts out with certain natural gifts, abilities, and life goals, so do we. God has given us a destiny, and spiritual gifts to help us accomplish that destiny. If you do not yet know your God-given destiny or the gifts He has given you, I will go over these in an upcoming article I am planning on Knowing Your Divine Design for Life. If your life follows Campbell’s pattern you will live a great life of great impact. You will fulfill God’s destiny for your life.
If you are still skeptical about this premise I am describing consider these biblical and real life heroes that rose above their disadvantages and fulfilled their destiny. This is my own top ten list of inspirational persons. After reading this I challenge you to pull out a piece of paper and make your own top ten list of real life heroes to inspire you on your way to your destiny:

·         #10 – Joseph (Gen. 37:1-50:26) Blessed, advantaged, and favored from birth. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused and imprisoned by his master, became ruler of Egypt second only to the pharaoh himself.
·         #9 – Moses (Ex. 2:1-Deut. 32:12) Under a death sentence from birth, set adrift on a raft by his own mother, was adopted by the daughter of pharaoh, raised as a prince, sentenced to death again by pharaoh, started life again as a shepherd, and became the Israelites deliverer from slavery and leader of the nation of Israel on their way to the promised land.
·         #8 – Joshua (Deut. 34:9-24:33) Appointed successor to Moses, lead the Israelites into the promised land, faced and conquered multitudes of enemies, and established Israel as their nation.
·         #7 – Samson (Judg. 13:1-16:31) Dedicated to God from birth, blessed with great strength, betrayed by his own wife, imprisoned and blinded, yet still fulfilling his destiny of defending the Israelites for twenty years.
·         #6 – Ruth (Ruth 1:1-4:22) An apparently unremarkable, unknown, poor woman simply seeking enough food to stay alive, married Boaz and forever established herself in the ancestry that led to King David, and Jesus Christ Himself.
·         #5 – Esther (Esth. 1:1-10:3) An Israelite woman and harem girl of King Ahasuerus of Persia, became Queen, and learning of a plot to destroy all Israelites, exposed the plot to the King and saved her people.
·         #4 – Joni Eareckson Tada A normal American girl, living and loving life, dove into Chesapeake Bay one hot summer day in 1967 for a swim, breaking her neck. Paralyzed from the neck down, totally dependent on others for the simplest routines of daily living, refused to sink into depression and despair. Joni became, and still is an evangelical Christian author, radio host, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization "accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community.”
·         #3 – J.K. Rowling, another everyday, apparently unremarkable person. Diagnosed with clinical depression, living on welfare, a separated, unemployed single mother realized her dream of being an author. She is now worth about $1.1 billion and has sold over 400 million books.
·         #2 – Kerri Strug, a retired American gymnast from Tucson, Arizona. She was a member of the Magnificent Seven, the victorious all-around gymnastics team that represented the United States at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and is best remembered for performing the vault despite having injured her ankle.
   How can an Olympic athlete be an inspiration to those of us who struggle with defeat and discouragement on a daily basis? Well read on. With the exception of Jesus Christ Himself, Kerri is the most inspirational real life underdog hero that I know of.
   Going into the final rotation, with the Russians on floor exercise and the U.S. on vault, the U.S. women held a commanding 0.897-point lead over the Russian team. At that point, it was possible for the Russians to take the gold if the U.S. women collapsed. The first four U.S. gymnasts landed their vaults, but struggled to land them cleanly, taking steps and hops. To add to the drama, Strug’s teammate
Dominique Moceanu fell twice, registering a poor score. Strug was the last to vault for the United States.
   Strug under-rotated the landing of her first attempt, causing her to fall and damage her ankle. As a result, the attempt was awarded 9.162 points. Retrospectively, after a poor performance from the final Russian
Roza Galieva on floor, Moceanu's score would have been sufficient to beat the Russians even if Strug did not perform a second vault, as the lowest score for each team was dropped. However, Galieva performed after Strug, and therefore Strug needed to land a second vault on her feet in order to mathematically clinch the gold.
   Encouraged by her coach, Béla Károlyi, Strug thus limped slightly to the end of the runway for her second attempt. She landed the vault briefly on both feet, almost instantly hopping onto only her good foot, saluting the judges. She then collapsed onto her knees and needed assistance off the landing platform, to which sportscaster
John Tesh commented, "Kerri Strug is hurt! She is hurt badly." The completed vault received score of 9.712, guaranteeing the Americans the gold medal. Karolyi carried her onto the medals podium to join her team, after which she was treated at a hospital for a third-degree lateral sprain and tendon damage. Due to her injury, she was unable to compete in the individual all-around competition and event finals, despite having qualified for both.
   Kerri went on to accomplish many more things, proving that her performance in the 1996 Olympics was not just a random one-time life victory. It was an example of what we all can achieve if we hold on to what we are made for, what our destiny is, and what is right, and needed for us to accomplish. In fact, this life defining moment was the subject of a commercial narrated by Morgan Freeman for the “Go World” campaign. If you want to relive this moment in American history, I strongly urge you to go now to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFn47a_Ny0Y and watch it for yourself. Do not read on till you have done this.
   Now, did you notice her fighting off the pain and tears after her fall? Did you see the shock and concern of her parents after her injury? And after encouragement from her coach to believe in herself and her abilities, did you realize she chose to do her second vault anyway? Did you notice the look of determination on her face in spite of the terrible pain she was no doubt experiencing? Then, did you notice her stick her landing almost perfectly in spite of her pain, knowing it would injure her further? Then salute the judges afterward, collapsing only after what was needed had been accomplished? Did you see her trying to make her way off the mat by herself rather than lie there helpless? Did you see all her friends crowd around her in her time of great need and help her? Did you see the look of enormous respect and humility of her coach as he carried her to the award platform? Did you hear the voices of thousands of people from all nations screaming in excitement at her performance? Not to mention Kerri’s wave to all those cheering for her rather than ignoring them to nurse her painful sprain. Did you see her six teammate sisters’ love and respect toward her as she stood alongside of them, not in front of or behind them? How about the mixed emotions of extreme pain and joy on her face as she fought back tears of agony and happiness both hitting her at the same time? And finally, did you notice after having the gold medal placed around her neck, a puzzling look on Kerri’s face that I can only describe as a mixture of joy, pain, awe, wonder, and a feeling of all this somehow being unreal in spite of all she went through?
   We can all learn a thing or two from this magnificent individual. I DARE you to watch the above YouTube clip again with all this in mind and NOT feel a tear or two fill your eyes. Her example of selfless dedication to what is right and what is needed has forever landed her on my top ten most inspirational real life people. She didn’t do it for the glory, she didn’t do it for a gold medal, or the fame and fortune it could bring. No, she did it because her team needed her. Her coach believed in her and encouraged her, and her country was counting on her. She fought back doubt, discouragement, pain, and fear, refusing to accept defeat and hopelessness.
   Never doubt your value in this world as an encourager. Never ignore the encouragement that you receive from others. And never give up, never give in, and never surrender or believe that you could never accomplish anything of any value to anyone.
   Even now, as I write this over 15 years later, I am fighting back tears of awe and wonder at the enormous courage and strength of character that this eighteen year old girl displayed. In my estimation, she is the ultimate example of what it means to be a human being, an American, and a Christian in the world today.
   If you want to read more about Kerri Strug go to http://strug.org/index.htm and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerri_Strug
·         #1 – Jesus Christ (Gen. 1:1-Rev. 21:21) Was, and still is God. Had everything, gave up everything, became a human being like you and me. Under a death sentence from birth; lived an unremarkable life as a carpenter; became a teacher of God’s Word to all; pursued by admirers and those who wished to kill Him; betrayed by one of His own disciples and sentenced to death on the cross. Yet still He took all of our sins on Himself, forgave us, and guaranteed us a place in Heaven forever if we will just believe in Him and what He did for us. Resurrected on the third day after His death, His new and perfect body is the prototype of the one all Christians will one day receive. But until that day, He now lives within us empowering and guiding us on our Hero’s Journey to our Divine designed destiny.

These ten people are just a brief sampling. There are many many others that could be listed here.
So here is your first assignment on your Hero’s Journey. Using memory, personal experiences, books, movies, the internet, etc. list the top ten most inspirational real life heroes that you know. Start with their name, then briefly state their advantaged or disadvantaged beginnings, what their strengths were, what their weaknesses were, what tests they passed or failed, and how they overcame defeat to become an inspiration to you on your life journey. Once you have your list and all that inspires you on paper and in your mind, write a brief top ten list with summary of each person on a 3x5 card to carry with you to review whenever you feel the need for encouragement.
Your second assignment is to make another “top ten” list, this time of fictional characters that you have read about or seen in movies or TV. Even though they are not real life people we can still get inspiration from the struggles and character traits they possess. Like I said earlier, they are your favorites only because they ring true with something within yourself. Find that something and hold on to it. Make a 3x5 card of this as well and carry both lists with you always. Here is my top ten list of inspirational fictional characters in no particular order (Warning: Some of these contain spoilers to the books and movies mentioned):

·         Captain James T. Kirk, (Star Trek 2009) Everything I would say about this character is much better covered already by an excellent article on the Christian website “Light Along the Journey” http://www.lightalongthejourney.com/?p=981 . this character actually found his destiny twice. Once in reality under advantageous circumstances, and again in an alternate reality when the course of history was changed so that in a disadvantaged position even this brave and confident individual doubted his own destiny until encouraged by Captain Pike.
·         First Officer Spock, (Star Trek 2009) With all of his superior knowledge and physical abilities, his firm grasp of logic, and enormous emotional control, having all the qualities necessary for being a starship captain, was content and at peace with being the second in command, a helper, a friend, a crewmember rather than the one in charge. Yet his great strength, his refusal to let emotions control him, was also his weakness. He discovered that certain emotions need to be displayed openly, and frequently. Emotions like friendship, appreciation, love for others, and determination to overcome overwhelming odds.
·         Luke Skywalker, (Star Wars) A poor water farmer in a remote part of a galaxy a long time ago and far away. He knew he was meant for something more, something better, just like James Kirk. Discovered a power within himself that put him above all others, yet could only be fully developed properly in service to all others. As Christians we have a similar but much more powerful “force” within us – The Holy Spirit!
·         Harry Potter, (“Harry Potter” series of books and movies) I know all the controversy surrounding magic and witchcraft in relation to Christianity, but bear with me here. Alone, an outcast in his own family, he was put down, ridiculed, abused, and neglected. He too discovered he had a great power within him, he had the makings of a great wizard. Trained, tested, failing and succeeding, surrounded by friends who supported him. Much like we do, he discovered that along with the great power for good that he possessed, he also had something of the dark Lord Valdemort within him. Something he had to fight back and refuse to let dominate his destiny like it did Voldemort and Anakim Skywalker in the Star Wars saga.
·         Captain Nemo, (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne) one of the most famous antiheroes in fiction, is a mysterious figure. The son of an Indian Raja, he is a scientific genius who roams the depths of the sea in his submarine, the Nautilus, which was built on a deserted island. Nemo tries to project a stern, controlled confidence, but he is driven by a thirst for vengeance and a hatred of imperialism (particularly the British Empire) and wracked by remorse over the deaths of his crew members and even by the deaths of enemy sailors.
   His life shows me the genius potential we have within us as we learn more about God’s Word. The determination to use that knowledge for good. Our efforts to be stern and controlled while wrestling with a desire for vengeance against those who hurt us and others. His remorse over the deaths of people, even deaths he caused reveals that he is not really a villain, but a driven hero that at times, makes bad decisions and choices just like all of us do.
·         Marty McFly, (“Back to the Future” movie trilogy), Throughout the trilogy the message given at the end of the third movie is the thread that runs throughout all three movies. When Doc Brown told Marty and Jennifer that “your futures are not written yet, no one’s has, your future is what you make it, so make it a good one” A flag went up in my spirit that placed these movies on my favorites list. Marty didn’t struggle to find his destiny, he fought to keep it from being destroyed. In all three movies things kept happening that almost certainly sealed his fate and the fate of everyone he knew. Yet like a true hero he refused to give in to defeatism and helped not only to preserve his own destiny, but everyone else’s too.
·         MacGyver, (TV series 1985-1992) This action hero was always finding himself in hopeless situations, yet in all of them he never accepted defeat, and never resorted to violence to solve his problems. His knowledge of science and physics allowed him to fashion tools and solutions to each one of them. He knew that whatever situation he was in the ingredients necessary to solve the problem was already around him. All he needed to do was look around, find it, then put it together.
   As Christians we also must have the certainty that whatever we need to solve our problems is already around us, provided for us by God Himself. All we need to do is find it, assemble it, and use it. And what about a great knowledge of science and physics? Well, while that would be of great benefit, what is better than that is a firm and thorough knowledge of God’s Word, our guide book for life. In it, the solutions to all out problems is contained.
·         #6, (“The Prisoner” TV series with actor Patrick McGoohan) No, this is not character number six, the character’s name is #6. He is a resigned British Secret Service Agent who sets out to live his own life in freedom however he chooses to rather than go from mission to mission never able to do what he wants to do. However he is kidnapped by some mysterious organization and forced to live as a prisoner in “The Village” His real name is never given, but I suspect it is John Drake since that is the name of a British Secret Service Agent he played in a previous TV series called “Secret Agent” The entire series is a struggle between #2 (no doubt under orders from #1) trying to get information out of #6 which would no doubt lead to harm toward someone, and #6’s determination not to give them what they want and rather to escape and/or destroy this evil group.
   Christians also have an evil organization seeking to kidnap them, imprison them, interrogate them, and use what they tell it to harm others. This organization is called evil, and #1 in it is the devil, and #2 is all the demons under his command. Like #6 we constantly seek to deny what evil wants out of us, to escape its imprisoning effects, and to destroy it, and him, forever.
·         Matthew Quigley, (“Quigley Down Under” with Tom Selleck) This character is an American Cowboy in the 1800’s who accepts a job as a sharpshooter, supposedly to kill wild dogs for a rancher in Australia. Upon arriving however he discovers the real reason he was hired was to kill the native Aborigines that live on the rancher’s land. Quigley’s strong sense of right and refusal to sell his soul for money gets him beaten up and left for dead in the Australian desert. There he is saved from death by the very people he was hired to kill. He then sets about defending them against the wicked rancher and his hired guns as he tries to find his way out of the desert to the ocean and safe passage back to America. He makes it to a town by the ocean where unfortunately, he is discovered at the house of a kind storekeeper and his family. In their determination to kill Quigley, they accidently kill the wife of the kind storekeeper. Outraged by this he boldly lets one of the murderous men live so that he go back with the message “…tell Marston I’m coming after HIM!”
   We are all skilled at something, and like Quigley, we are often tempted to sell our soul for personal profit at the expense of others. Knowing that refusing to give in to this and standing up for what is right will get us beaten up and threatened with death should reinforce our resolve to defend right and the rights of others also. The devil and his hired gun demons are always out to kill us, and in their glee to do so, don’t care who they hurt along the way. We should not be intimidated by this and run for cover. Read and study the Bible. Hone your biblical “sharpshooter” skills to a fine edge. Defend the defenseless, Look back on your life and the lives of others and recall how much pain and death has been caused by the evil one in his quest to destroy you. Refuse to give in to evil. Refuse to be afraid of the devil. And in your prayers to God be bold enough to add now and again, “Lord, with you guiding and empowering me, I want you to tell the devil I’m coming after HIM!”
·         “Crazy Cora” , (“Quigley Down Under” with Laura San Giacomo) I intentionally left out Quigley’s companion throughout his adventure because she is the tenth character on my list. Cora is the wife of a Texan who, while her husband was away from home, found herself being attacked by Comanches. In fear for her life, she and her baby hid from them but her baby wouldn’t stop crying so she covered the baby’s mouth trying to keep them both safe, but accidently smothered the baby to death. This coupled with her husband’s disgust at what she had done and putting her on a ship bound for Australia, was more than she could bear. Her erratic and wild behavior that resulted earned her the nickname “Crazy Cora”. Mistaking Quigley for her husband Roy, got her beaten up as well as she tried to defend him. And she was left in the desert to die alongside Quigley. On their journey to the ocean she tells him her story. Quigley’s heart goes out to her as he sees her inner pain as the reason for her behavior. Along the way she rescues an Aborigine baby left for dead by the rancher’s murderous guns and her soul is comforted for a time as she again has a baby to care for. However, at the kind storekeepers house she has a tough decision to make. Keep the baby as her own, or give it up to a local tribe so he can grow up with his own people. Amazingly, she finds the strength of character to give it up.
   We also, in the course of our lives, make bad decisions, do things we regret, wish we could go back and do over. Sometimes these things can hurt us so deeply it affects our behavior, our memory, and our perspective on life. But we have to realize we can’t go back, we don’t get do-overs. We have to let the past go and find something or someone else to care for and care about and move forward. You can’t drive a car forward by looking in the rear view mirror. Just an occasional glance is enough to see where you’ve been and how far you’ve come. 

In the end, Kirk discovered his destiny again; Spock discovered emotions under control are a good thing; Luke and Harry developed and used their inner power to fight evil and do great good; Nemo sought to help the world by having his story told by Professor Arronax, then in Verne’s next book “Mysterious Island” we see Nemo’s efforts to help the castaways and the world with his magnificent gifts and inventions; Marty gets a new resolve to make a better future; Macgyver maintains his integrity and confidence in solving problems; #6 escapes and destroys #1, who turns out to be himself (a metaphor for the inner demon we all struggle with), and Quigley and Cora find their destiny in each other. You can find your destiny too. As I search and research my own I am recording my progress in these articles on this blog. I hope you will read and enjoy what I discover, and I pray that in some way, through my encouraging words, you will find your destiny as well.

Coming next: “Finding Yourself In Your Hero’s Journey”, a comparative analysis of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to our own, and an attempt to discover just where we are on our own Hero’s Journey.