Learning from Characters

What characters do you respect? If you were to do a character study for any character in fiction, who would you choose? I'm not talking about learning about the character, but someone you honestly think has something worth while to teach to whoever will listen. Someone who might be a mentor but sets an example.


We do this all the time, you know. What do you think Cosplay is? You pick a character you respect, right? Or at least someone you think you can enjoy. Here are a few characters I respect:

Found at dailymail.co.uk

Obi-Wan Kenobi:
Let's get the obvious one out first. Many of you have seen me cosplay as him. He is responsible, looks after the needs of others, and normally is not afraid to ask for help when he needs it.

Found at en.memory-alpha.wikia.com

 Commander Riker:
Riker is referred to as 'number 1" for many reasons. He is smart, resourceful and most of all loyal. He cares so much for both the Enterprise and Captain Picard as well as Counselor Troi. He stays with the ship long after he could have a command of his own and he doesn't give up on his friends. Ever.

Found at stargate-sg1-solutions.com

Daniel Jackson:
Daniel starts out pretty green. Sneezing around other planets and not very useful in a fight. But he strives for peace. He always seeks the best of the people he meets. Yes, sometimes he gets in trouble for it, but his hatred for slavery and his desire to see people cooperate together has a great effect on SG-1 and he does eventually learn how to fight for others instead of just arguing for them.

Found at uthmag.com

Hiro Nakamura:
Hiro is amazing. My favorite character by far from "Heroes." He has so much fun with his nerdiness as he teleports around space and time. He wants so badly to be a hero and nothing will stop him from stepping out to protect others.

You know who else I respect...Paul the Apostle. Yes, this guy did some bad things. He supported the death and imprisonment of many Christians. Then God decided to change Him. In all his wrongdoing, he wanted nothing more than to be a servant of the Most High God. Jesus, knowing this, brought Him into the fold of his flock to protect, to teach, and to take the message of the cross beyond any place the others would take it. In 1 Corinthians 11 we are challenged to follow Paul AS HE FOLLOWS CHRIST. This sounds rather arrogant, right? "Hey, do what I do!" But, you know what that means, right? That where Paul fell short, where he failed Christ, we should not follow him there. He didn't say to follow him in everything. Just in the places where he sought to follow Jesus example.

There are some people around you that you can learn from. They are not perfect and that is okay. You don't have to learn everything from them. But, in the parts of life where they set an example of Christ, follow that. Listen to the lessons of those pieces of their lifestyles.

Kheb and Christ

Today is  flurry of details as I get read for the Church service at Grand Con. I am excited for what God is going to do as we come to worship Him and step closer to Him.

How recently have you read the story of Jesus meeting with the Samaritan woman? He was resting next to a well and she came to find water for her household. The story can be found in John 4. Jesus asks her for some water, as he does not have any way of getting it. In their conversation a couple things stand out to me. Today we look at Jesus provision for us and next time we will look at their discussion of worship.

First of all, Jesus was coming across lines here. Men did not speak to women and Jews did not associate with Samaritans. So this was a huge moment as Jesus met with her and broke down these walls. He also revealed that he knew about her sin, but was still interested in talking with her and spending time with her. Jesus tells her "If you knew who I was, you would ask me, and I would give you living water. You would never be thirsty again; indeed this water would lead to eternal life."

In trying to imagine how she felt, I think about SG-1 visiting a monk in an episode called "Maternal Instincts". Daniel Jackson and the team are looking for the Harsesis, a son of Sharee/Amunet and Apophis that has all the knowledge of the Goa'uld. They come to Kheb, a place where people are welcome to come and learn to ascend to a different plane of existence.  

Found on the Stargate Wiki

Daniel Jackson has quite an experience talking with a monk and eventually meets an ascended being he eventually comes to know as Oma Desala. As Daniel tries to learn their ways, he gets frustrated (although not as much as O'Neill does). The guy keeps using confusing sayings to express his ideas. Daniel soon realizes that they are so much more than he ever thought and that there is so much out there he does not know about. As he sees this, a Goa'uld army gets closer and closer, but when they arrive the ascended being destroys all of them, and even gliders, with lightning. Daniel finally realizes what they were saying: The Harsesis child is better off with us. But more than that SG-1 was opened to a whole new perception of the universe.

Jesus is saying that he has far more to offer than we can hope or imagine. More hope, joy, lessons, protection, mind blowing ideas and experiences than we will ever understand. Sometimes we get frustrated by Jesus. Looking at some of His sayings in John (i.e. "I am the Bread of Life" or "watch out for the yeast of the pharisees) we feel a little bit lost. His disciples sure did! But Jesus has so much love, mercy, and even deep truth just waiting for us! He just wants to walk with us through all this and show you what He has for you.