Thinking Right About God

I was looking over the comic book shelves the other day and was amused by one particular title cluttering the racks. SUPERGOD -The title is a perfect example of man's ignorance of God. I love comic books, but comics have been a source of God ignorance for some time. Wonder Woman is grounded in the gods of Greek Mythology, Thor is a Norse god and The New Gods defy the whole idea of God's eternal existence. This of course is not new. Man has been creating gods for thousands of years. Truly, God is not Super, He is GOD!

Having a correct understanding of God is the most important knowledge man can obtain. In his book "The Knowledge of the Holy" AW Tozer wrote, "Among the sins the human heart is prone, hardly any other is more hateful to God than idolatry, for idolatry is at bottom a libel on His character. The idolatrous heart assumes that God is other than He is--in itself a monstrous sin--and substitutes for the true God one made after its own likeness."

Our concept of God will shape our own character and our theology. God has not left the knowledge of Himself up to our imaginations. The Word of God informs us of what is necessary to know about an incomprehensible God.


In Exodus 3:14 God responds to Moses when Moses asks God what he should tell the Israelites when they ask what is God's name and God told Moses, "I AM WHO I AM", and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you." All God is is in Himself, dependent on nothing. And all things are dependent upon God as He created all things. God has no beginning. He is not constrained by time, matter or space. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through Him and apart from Him nothing came into being..." Jn 1:1-3


"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." This opening statement of the Bible tells us before the beginning God was. He has no beginning and has no ending. "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or you gave birth to the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God." Ps 90:1-2 The attribute of God eternal is mind blowing. God isn't some cosmic time traveler moving from one point in time to another. He isn't bound by linear time in any way. He created time. Jesus declared "I AM the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end" For the believer it is easy to understand He has no end because we too are promised eternal life and our understanding of linear time can conceive this truth. But having always been, and being at all points of time concurrently this eternity is an attribute that is God's and God's alone.

David dwelt on God's Omniscience in Psalm 139 "O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquanited with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue , Behold O Lord, You know it all." To quote A.W Tozer "To say that God is omniscient is to say that He possesses perfect knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. But it more: it is to say that God has never learned and cannot learn." Isaiah 40:13-14 asks rhetorically, " Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowldege and informed Him of the way of understanding?" God knows all things perfectly and has known all things perfectly before all things came into being.

God is not only existing at all points in time concurrently, He is everywhere all the time. He is Omnipresent. David contemplates again in Psalm 139 "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me."

The Omnipotent, Sovereign God is wonderfully depicted in Isaiah 40 "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they planted, scarcely have they been sown, scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, but He merely blows on them and they wither, and the storm carries them away like stubble. 'To whom would you liken Me that I would be his equal?' says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them by name; because the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing." And in Revelation 19:6 as the Bible describes the culmination of worldly events a thunderous voice comes out of heaven declaring "Hallelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."

God is perfectly wise, just and has unlimted Love, Mercy and Grace but we must never forget that not only is He all these things, He is something I cannot begin to adquately comprehend or explain; God is HOLY. The perfect purity of God is unimaginable. All of God's attributes are wrapped up in His Holiness.

"In the Hebrew and Christian scriptures God carries forward His self-revelation and gives it personality and moral content. This awful Presence is shown to be not a Thing but a moral Being with all the warmth qualities of genuine personality. More than this, He is the absolute quintessence of moral excellence, infinitely perfect in righteousness, purity, rectitude, and uncomprehensible holiness. And in all this He is uncreated, self sufficient and beyond the power of human thought to conceive or human speech to utter."-- A.W. Tozer The Knowlege of the Holy

What Will Israel Do?

Not getting much play in the media has been Russia's intention of fueling the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran by the 21st of August. When the reactor is fueled it will be capable of producing plutonium 239, enabling Iran the ability to produce nuclear weapons.

Because Iran has clearly indicated there disdain for the nation of Israel and has left little doubt if they had the ability to wipe Israel off the map they would do so, Israel is faced with a difficult choice. Does Israel attack the site before the reactor is fueled and accept the condemnation of the world now or wait. If they do it now rather than later they would be able to limit the radioactive contamination that would inevitably cause greater devastation.


Indications are the Israelis would hold off since it will take some time to produce enough plutonium 239 to produce a weapon. It is also doubtful the Iranians have yet the ability to extract the plutonium from the fuel rods. All of this is temporary. Once the reactor is fueled it will only be a matter of time.

President Obama has proven to be ineffective dealing with Iran and has shown very little if any support for Israel. What does Israel do?

Israel has been surrounded by enemies and has had to engage in war after war always prevailing. The United States has been Israel's greatest earthly allie. But, it has been by God's providence that Israel has overcome the odds time and time again and God will continue to be faithful.


An excellent column on the Bushehr Nuclear reactor entitled "Bomb Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Reactor? The Endgame May Be Coming Soon"can be found at The American Standard web site. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/bomb-irans-bushehr-nuclear-reactor

I thought I would share a few of the recent humorous and political in nature e-mails I've received.



1.) a letter from an employer to his staff.



Dear Employees:



As the CEO of this organization, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barrack Obama is our President and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a BIG WAY for these increases. To compensate for these increases our prices would have to increase by about 10%. But since we cannot increase our prices right now due to the dismal state of the economy, we will have to lay off sixty of our employees instead. This has really been bothering me since I believe we are a family here and I didn't know how to choose who would have to go.



So, this is what I did. I walked through our parking lots and found sixty "Obama" bumper stickers on our employees' cars and have decided these folks will be the ones to let go. I can't think of a more fair way to approach this problem. They voted for change.... I gave it to them.



I will see the rest of you at the annual company picnic.



The Boss



(It is not my intention to make light of the unemployment numbers with this, I suspect, fictional account. I know people I care about who are out of work. Many of whom may be reading this. I do believe those who are most responsible for job creation, small business, are hesitant to make commitments that would create jobs because of the uncertainty of the economic climate. Fear of tax hikes, over regulation and government control has caused business to be extra cautious. With the concerns business has with providing benefits impacted by Obamacare, the prospects of cap and trade, looming out of control deficits and Tax Hikes, no wonder the prospects for reductions in unemployment seem bleak. Obama needs to quit blaming the Bush administration and take responsibility for his own policies and make a commitment to extend the "Bush Tax Cuts" that expire at the end of the year. It would be a start.)






2.) This is a very sad story about a bear. Everybody should heed the warning to not feed wildlife because they become dependent and cannot forage for themselves anymore.


This is such a tragedy to see what they have done to our country's wldlife. The photo below captures a disturbing trend that is beginning to affect U.S. wildlife...

Animals that were formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of belonging to the Democrat Part.. as they have apparently learned to just just sit and wait for the government to step in and provide for their care and sustenance.

This photo is of a Democrat black bear in Montana nicknamed .. Bearack Obearma.

3.) Mr Legal works in construction, has a social security number and makes $25.00 an hour with taxes deducted.

Mr Illegal also works in construction, has NO social security number and gets $15.oo per hour cash "under the table".

READY?? NOW PAY ATTENTION...

Mr Legal: $25/hr X 40 hrs= $1,000.00 per week or $52,000 per year. Now take 30% away for state & federal tax; Mr Legal now has $31,231.00

Mr Illegal: $15/hr X 40 hours = $600.oo per week, or $31,200 per year. He pays NO taxes; Mr Illegal now has $31,200.00

Mr. Legal pays medical & dental insurance with limited coverage for his family at $600.00 per month or $7,200 per year. Mr Legal now has $24,031.00.

Mr. Illegal has medical and dental coverage through state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Mr Illegal still has $31,200.00

Mr. Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps and welfare. He pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per year. Mr. Legal now has $18,031.00

Mr. Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps and welfare. Mr. Illegal still has $31,200.00

Mr. Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month or $14,400 per year. Mr Legal now has $9,631

Mr Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy which he pays out $6,000 per year. He still has $31,200.00

Mr Illegal receives a $280 per family member/ month federal CASHAID for four family members. Mr Illegal now has $43,200.00

Mr Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2400.00 per year for auto & life insurance. Mr Legal now has $7231.00

Mr Legal doesn't purchase insurance & now has $43,200.00

Mr Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline etc.

Mr Illegal doesn't pay for most utilities in many states as he gets county assistance to pay his bills.

Mr Legal now works overtime or gets a part time job "and pays a higher tax rate if he earns above a certain amount"

Mr Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family

Mr Legal's and Mr Illegeal's children both attend the same school. Mr Legal pays for his children's lunches while... Mr Illegal's children get a government sponsered lunch and an after school ESL program-- Mr Legal's children go home

Mr Legal and Mr Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services, bur Mr Legal paid for them.

Mr. Legal pays social security tax and medical tax while Mr Illegal doesn't Mr. Illegal can take off any time he likes, Mr Legal can't Mr Illegal can get away with crime, Mr Legal can't.

Do You Get It Now??

(This example may be a little exaggerated, but makes it clear why Americans overwhelmingly want something done about Illegal Immigration--Add the drug trade, the violence on the border etc and is it any wonder Americans are fed up-- Build a fence and control the border. Then we can begin doing something about reform)

Haunted Indiana 1: Haunted Bridge of Danville

The Haunted Bridge of Danville is a railroad bridge overlooking what is now called Twin Bridges Road. A steel girded bridge still spreads over Whitelick creek to the east but now dead ends just before connecting with Twin Bridges Road. The Concrete Railroad Trestle was built in the 1800s and the tale goes that while the trestle was being constructed an irish worker fell into a vat of hardening concrete only to be trapped therein. Since the tragedy there have been sightings of the worker's ghost stationed in the portals of the trestle waving a lantern back and forth.

My first trip to the Haunted Bridge of Danville was back in 1974. A friend of mine directed me out Highway 36 West from Indianapolis into the town where we turned South at the Baker Funeral Home went a couple of blocks and turned back west on Broadway which wound its way through the housing edition and then became a lonely dark road in the woods. ( In those days Twin Bridges road didn't extend up to Highway 36) After a short drive we came upon a steel girded bridge crossing Whitelick creek. After you cross the bridge the headlights of the car shone on the concrete embankments ascending upward on the Railroad Bridge above the road. In those days the area was heavily wooded and the scene gave off a better atmosphere than any horror movie. We pulled off the side of the road, and walked around the area. The word creepy didn't due justice to the proceedings.

Rick told me a legend about the Bridge. He told a tale that has circulated around the country about bridges similar to the bridge over Whitelick creek. He even began the tale with the familiar lead in, "This information remains on state police records". I was sucking it all up. He told how a young couple was parking on the bridge making out and the tires of their car was shot out. The young man opted to leave for help cautioning his girl friend to lock the doors. After he exited the car, the girl heard the intense sounds of a fight begin on the top of the car as it sound like jumping up and down on the roof. She was too terrified to look, and she began crying uncontrollably. The sounds coming from the roof soon lightened and just became an intermittant brushing sound. She cried herself to sleep and was awakened in the morning to the sound of a tapping on the car window. A State Policeman helped her from the car and tried to keep her from looking above the car, but she couldn't help herself and she saw her boyfriend hung from an overhead girder. His body had been ripped to shreds and the brushing sound she had fallen asleep to was his feet brushing back and forth across the car roof with every stir of the breeze. It would be some time before I would learn the true legend of the Railroad Bridge giving it the label of Haunted.

I couldn't wait to introduce the Haunted Bridge to some of my other friends. Tim Bush (many would know Tim as "Tree Boy" from channel 13) was my best friend and I repeated the story Rick had told me and we ventured out to Danville on a Spring night. It would be the first of three investigations culminating in terror.

Night 1. Tim and I arrived and parked my 68 Cutlass on the southeast side of the trestle. It was a cool night but comfortable. Tim and I explored the wooded area around the trestle first and then we took a trail leading up to the railroad we found an opening to the interior of the trestle and decided to go into the guts of the bridge itself. I would refer to the trestle's labyrinth from then on as catacombs. Tim and I took with us a baseball bat we had christened "the Frog Bat", our weapon of choice when adventuring. We crossed from one end of the trestle to the other, often stopping to walk out to the edge of a portal to peer down to the street below. Exploring the interior was similar to spelunking. Certain areas were void of any light, necessitating the flashlight we brought. The Spring thaw left a cool moisture in the catacombs. Condensation droplets would occasionaly splash from the ceiling. Had it been underground one could have imagined the beginnings of stalactites and stalagmites. After completing the journey to the other side, we ventured back and exited the way we entered. As we eased our way down the hill. A sound came out of the woods I can only describe as a roar. Tim and I both froze and took refuge behind trees. We stood quietly for a few minutes. After the pause, we resumed our descent. No further sounds. It was time to walk under the trestle and walk over the the girded bridge crossing Whitelick creek, but as soon as we steeped into the street under the trestle, the roar returned. Without consultation with one another, we ran to the car, fired the engine and drove off as fast as we could. Enough was enough for one night. After clearing the bridge over the creek and at a safer distance, Tim urged me to turn on the dome light. I complied. Tim held up the "Frog Bat". A fresh drop of blood was visible on the bat's surface. We were determined to go back but not that night.

Night 2: Our second excursion to the Haunted Bridge took place the following weekend and we arrived close to midnight. The night sky was illuminated by a bright full moon and there was a complete stillness when we parked the car. There were no sounds to be heard, no breeze and the atmosphere conveyed a feeling of dread. Both Tim and myself felt uneasy and we were convinced it was better to drive away and come back another time.

Night 3: Our experiences so far had been difficult to explain, so Tim and I chose to invite our friend Bryce Neeb to come with us on our third outing. Again we arrived late at night, but this time we felt no feeling of dread. Bryce was impressed with the location but was skeptical of our stories. Tim and I were feeling confident. We decided to show Bryce the catacombs of the trestle after we explored the steel girdered bridge over Whitelick Creek. We walked under the concrete trestle toward the bridge. No roars We walked three abreast on the Bridge. The sound of running water breaking across the rocks below could be heard as we ambled toward the other side of the bridge. I don't really believe in ghosts per se, but I do believe in the supernatural and to this day I believe we encountered a supernatural event. We had crossed about three quarters of the bridge when both Tim and I saw something crawling up from the bank at the corner of the bridge. (In retrospect, we concluded it could have been any kind of critter, but under the circumstances our imaginations allowed for it to be a supernatural threat.) We grabbed each other simultaneously, turned and began to run back toward the car. Not knowing what was going on, Bryce turned and ran also. When I turned, I twisted my ankle and had difficulty keeping pace with my friends. Halfway across the bridge something began to happen. The bridge began to shake, the steel girders swayed and a squawking sound (it sounded like a flock of mad birds screeching) could be heard overhead. I strained to catch up with my friends when I perceived what felt like the fingers of a hand run down my back. The ankle no longer slowed me as I sped up and caught Tim and Bryce as we reached the car. We sped away. Not one of us spoke on the way back to Indianapolis. When we arrived home and when Bryce tried to speak to what happened, Tim told him to shut up. We rarely spoke of the night again and I never returned until the mid 80s.

First Returns: I was visibly shaken when I first took Sterling Chuck Jones to see the Haunted Bridge. (I had drove my wife by the bridge one time a few years earlier to show it to her, but that was during the day.) The trip with Chuck was at night. Chuck was a fan of old horror movies like myself and he was very intrigued by the Bridges and the surroundings. We didn't stop and get out on that night but it gave me a chance to face my fears and find the ability to return. Chuck and I would return many times, tour the catacombs walk the bridge over Whitelick Creek and thoroughly explore the area. We made trips at night and during the day. We invited other friends. Stephen Kendall particularly enjoyed the Haunted Bridge. We took him on the night of his birthday. I think he would tell you it was one of his best birthdays ever.

Many years have passed since those days and a few years ago, a group of us including Chuck and Stephen went out to the Bridge to find it wasn't what it used to be. Construction has changed everything. Twin Bridges road now runs off Highway 36 leading south directly under the trestle. The bridge over Whitelick creek no longer connects to the road and a guard rail stands at the end of the bridge. Much of the woods has been cleared and the landscape differs. Quite frankly the atmosphere doesn't measure up to what it used to be. But there are still those who will attest that at the right time of night, if you look up into the openings of the trestle you might just see the figure of an irish worker swinging his lantern back and forth.

For more information on the Haunted Bridge of Danville see

http://www.angelfire.com/in4/believe/danvillebridge/danvillebridge.html

http://www.realhaunts.com/united-states/white-lick-creek/comment-page-1/

Maurice Broaddus doesn't need anyone to toot his horn for him; He does a perfectly good job of that for himself. Afterall, this is a guy who holds an annual convention named for himself. Mo-Con has been gathering horror authors together in Indianapolis for 5 years now. Maurice has been writing professionally for some time. His pontifications can be found on his blog, his reviews at Hollywood Jesus, and in columns for Nuvo among many other sources. He has had short stories, novellas and now novels published. I have had the privilege to watch his growth longer than most.

Maurice came into my life about 30 years ago. He was a studious 4th grader who took part in the Sunday School class I taught at the Eagle Creek Grace Brethren Church. The class was filled with a crew of enjoyable but rowdy boys. There was something about Maurice that drew me to him. He was polite, studious and eager to learn. He was new to the church and was just learning to fit in, initially quiet and a bit reserved. All of those qualities made me want to reach out to him, but it was more that. I felt a connection with him. God laid a burden on my heart to befriend this young man.

Maurice has brought so much joy in my life. Before I had boys of my own, Maurice filled the place in my heart reserved for fatherhood. My wife and I would have Maurice over to our house sometimes just to play games in the backyard sometimes to spend the night watching movies. Over the years, we spent countless hours discussing a variety of topics finding mutual interests in comic books, horror stories, politics and most importantly the Bible. Maurice always amazed me with his thirst for knowledge. He was never satisfied with what he was being taught in school and he would go to great lengths to expand his knowledge. I remember when he was in junior high his complaining the school didn't have a class in Latin available so he set out to try and teach himself Latin by checking out books in the Library. I also remember when he was in High School and he had to write a science paper and he elected to defend creation and argue against evolution, this done in public school. Maurice makes me proud. I watched with pride when he accepted his diploma at Northwest High School, married Sally, introduced me to his sons, took on leadership positions in his church and most recently gave me copies of his first published novel and the book of short stories he edited.

I like to think I have had some influence on Maurice's life. I know he has had influence on mine. The most important part I played was introducing him to Jesus Christ. Maurice has remained faithful to God and has led others to the Lord himself and has counciled many in his various ministries.

I don't get to see Maurice as much as I would like. He leads an extremely busy life and I too have limited time for social gathering. I read his blog, which is very well crafted and I heartily endorse for those who want well thought out discussions on the issues. He is certainly his own man, and where once before we agreed on most everything, Maurice now has formulated opinions I sometimes question. I have concerns about his judgment at times just like every father has concerns for a son who ventures in a direction where peril might lay. But my confidence in Maurice is not diminished. He has pursued his goals steadfastly and is now seeing the fruit of his efforts.

Maurice has become an accomplished writer. He has won awards for his short stories written a novella Devil's Marionette and has co-authored the novella Orgy of Souls with Wrath James White and most recently signed a 3 book deal with Angry Robot a division of Harper Collins. The 3 books will comprise a trilogy telling the story of The Knights of Breton Court. Maurice has also edited, along with Jerry Gordon, an anthology Dark Faith for Apex Books.

I just completed King Maker Book 1 of The Knights of Breton Court and found it to be for the most part an enjoyable read and I look forward to book two King's Justice which I suspect will be better. The trilogy takes the King Arthur legend and superimposes it upon street gangs in Indianapolis. The story is very edgy and as the back cover declares "The Wire meets Excalibur in this stunning fantasy from the dark streets of inner city America".

The book is very well written. Maurice is adept at describing settings and the action that takes place. The dialogue he gives his characters is realistic, at least I think so. As a white suburbanite I can only assume the host of characters he introduces are realistic; at the very least most are engaging. Because of my cultural disconnect I did find some the book a little slow going, particularly the middle portion when Maurice spent a lot of time introducing many characters I found hard to identify with.

The book opens with the brief but legendary life of Luther White who "ran wild with robberies and number running" and who as Merle (a somewhat crazy appearing and mystical white man; a confidant of Luther) proclaims has the Pendragon spirit. The opening chapter ends with a climactic confrontation with Luther's rival, Green, who's trade was whores, drugs and murder. From there the book moves forward in time and focuses upon Luthor's son King James White and those who become his Knights and the rival Indianapolis gangs from Breton Court and the Phoenix apartments.

Maurice had to present alot of characters in the book, particularly when he has two more books in the series to populate. Personally, I found this slowing to the pace of the narrative. I would have preferred some of the time spent developing less consequential characters better spent on King, Lott and Merle. The natural development of the series would lead me to believe these characters will get far more attention in the next two novels. Though it was hard to relate to some of these incidental characters, I found interesting as I have met people, though they weren't drug dealers, who had similar personalities and found them just as disgusting as if they did sell drugs. In speaking to Maurice about this, he stated "Yeah, everyone knows a Junie." You'll have to read the book to meet Junie.

It took awhile for the book to come together for me but with about 100 pages to go it became a page turner. For many it may seem like the book took an abrupt genre shift but it worked for me.

Dark Faith a collection of 26 short stories and 5 poems edited by Maurice and Jerry Gordan is intended to explore the dark side of faith.

Though the stories I read were well written, I can't come out and say I endorse the anthology. In speaking to Maurice about my concerns, he admitted probably half of the authors of the stories are athiests. It's apparent.

Brian Keene is a Bram Stoker Award winner and I am familiar with his novels so I began with his I Sing A New Psalm. I have heard Mr. Keene speak a couple of times at Mo-Con and he admits to being angry at God. He doesn't deny God's existance and in his Novel The Rising, bucks
the cliche of presenting a pastor as evil and instead characterizes the pastor positively. Keene also shows he has a fairly good understanding of the Bible. Unfortunately, Keene, in this story let's his anger come out and the protagonist's faith fails him.

He Who Would not Bow is written by Wrath James White who has befriended Maurice and they have collaborated on previous works. Maurice and Wrath have completely different outlooks on faith. Wrath is definitely a nonbeliever and his story presents an apocalyptic tale where God has set up His kingdom on Earth and He rules like a tyrant. The story is told from the viewpoint of a dissenter who is part of a team out to bring God's kingdom down. Wrath's vision of God dismisses His Love, Mercy and Grace and Wrath appears to be one of those who has difficulty with a just God allowing terrible things to happen to good people.

The third story I read was Go Tell It On The Mountain from Kyle S Johnston. I can only describe this tale as blasphemous as it depicts Jesus as "a bored Santa Claus, watching the clock on the wall, waiting for closing time" as he greets a line of people pleaing for salvation as they await judgment. Jesus becomes chummy with the protagonist of the story, back slapping buddies. Jesus wants to be called Jeezy. The story presents Jesus as a guy with father issues with too much power and no idea what is going on.

At this point, I could read no more. I called Maurice and explained my problems and asked him if there were any stories in the book he could recommend that would not be offensive. Of those he directed me to, Gary A Braunbeck's For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer was my favorite. The story is a science fiction It's a Wonderful life.

I wish the book would have contained more positive applications of faith in a dark world. Maurice has done this in many of his own stories and the inclusion of one would have been a nice addition to the collection. Positive depictions of people of faith in horror fiction has been around for a long time. I find it sad that authors now enjoy blurring the difference between good and evil leaving readers without a greater good to turn to.

Almost everything Maurice can be found at http://mauricebroaddus.com/

The 2010 NFL season is almost upon us. Training camps are starting up and soon my dear wife must don the black of a football widow for about 6 months as she mourns my passing -succumbing to the grinds of a 17 week regular season and then the playoffs. I love it.

Don't hold me to any predictions, but I'll take a stab at a few guesses.

1. I doubt the Saints will repeat. Super Bowl repeats are seldom. Too many intangibles stack up against the champs. In their favor, the Saints are not in a very strong division even though the division has a history of the team finishing last the previous year winning the NFC South the next. It won't happen this year. Tampa Bay probably won't climb out of the cellar. Atlanta and Carolina have nice teams but I can't see either overthrowing New Orleans. The Saint's offense, led by Drew Brees has too many weapons and Sean Payton is an outstanding coach. Though their defense has some holes, it is quite capable and opportunistic and their defensive coordinator is one of the best in the league.

2. Green Bay, Minnesota and Dallas should be the other favorites in the NFC. Of the three, Minnesota, though loaded with weapons, is most likely to fall off from last year. Last year they gambled and won by casting their fate on Brett Favre. I could be wrong, but I can't imagine Brett, even if does come back, having the kind of year he had last year. Green Bay looks very good on offense and if their defense picks it up they could very well beat out Minnesota for the NFC North. Every year, everyone declares the NFC East the toughest division in football. I'm not so sure. Dallas certainly should be the team to beat. Donovan McNabb no longer leads the Eagles and will be slinging for the Redskins and New York fell off last year. In a year when the Super Bowl will be played in their stadium, it is tempting to make Dallas the favorite to win it all. I'm not sure Tony Romo can lead them to the championship and I still have doubts about Wade Phillips as a head coach but the Cowboys have talent to spare and may be the team to beat.

3. A number of teams can claim favorite status in the AFC. Our Indianapolis Colts return most of the team that won every game until they took their foot off the gas and coasted into the playoffs then accelerated to the Super Bowl and crashed into a Saints team that put it all together. As usual the Colts didn't go after any big name free agents but they return Anthony Gonzales and hopefully Bob Sanders. Both missed most of last season hampered with injury. Kelvin Hayden should be back healthy. Who needs free agents when you can "add" players to the roster like these. In addition the Colts have been one of the best teams at drafting year in and year out in spite of a low draft position every year. This, of course is due to the genius of Bill Polian. It looks like he did it again this year. The Colts may have gotten the steal of the draft by selecting Defensive End, Jerry Hughes who will remind everyone of Dwight Freeney. This is a position the Colts have been trying to fill for some time and as seen last year and in previous years, when Freeney or Robert Mathis are out of the lineup teams can help out more against the other slowing down our vaunted pass rush which is what ignites the Colts speedy defense. Re-signing Gary Brackett and Antoine Bethea also showed the Colts commitment to their up and coming defense.

Offensively, with the departure of Ryan Lyja, the Colts made some changes on the offensive line, adding some much needed size with hopes to improve a weak running game and provide Peyton Manning better protection. Too bad Howard Mudd retired; he is one of the best offensive line coaches in football and his teaching would have been welcome as the new group will be relied upon. Show me a good offense and I'll show you a good offensive line. Last year's most pleasant surprises were Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon at receiver. Add pro-bowler Reggie Wayne, the return of Anthony Gonzales and, dare I mention, pro-bowler Dallas Clark at tight end and one wonders if Peyton will be able to throw enough passes to keep everybody happy. Maybe Joseph Addai can return to pro-bowl form behind a bigger stronger line and Donald Brown who showed plenty of promise last year can provide a needed punch to the running game, particularly in short yardage situations. Of course 4 time MVP Peyton manning will lead the Colts and as long as he quarterbacks this team the Colts will be a contender.

The AFC South should again be a war. Year in and year out it is one of the toughest divisions in football. Houston, Tennessee and Jacksonville are all capable of making the playoffs. The Colts's records for consecutive 12 win seasons is even more daunting when you consider the division rivals.

Elsewhere in the AFC, the Ravens, the Jets and San Diego appear to be getting the most attention but I wouldn't count out New England. Last year was a transition year for their defense and Brady was coming off injury. Baltimore looks pretty good. They always have a great defense though it is beginning to age and now their offense has caught up to the defense. San Diego will have little competition in the AFC west and if they can prevent getting off to a poor start they could have a banner year. I hate to say it, but Philip Rivers (don't like his cocky attitude) has made the Chargers one of the better passing teams in the league. Everyone's darling the J.E.T.S Jets- Jets- Jets will be an interesting team to watch. Last year everyone drooled over their defense until Peyton carved them up in the playoffs. They have the best shut down corner in the league and they strengthened the corner position in the off season. I'm not sure about the offense. Mark Sanchez proved to be a capable quarterback but he isn't great. The running game is good behind a really good offensive line. We'll see. At least with Rex Ryan coaching we can be assured of some pretty good quotes.

Just read the Cincinnati Bengals signed Terrel Owens to a contract. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? Last year, the Bengals finally cleaned up their image and swept away the trouble makers and lawbreakers from the ranks. Owens isn't a lawbreaker but he may be the NFL's greatest troublemaker. Controversy surrounds him and the consequences for having him on your team aren't worth the talent he brings. He is also aging and not the player he once was. Ownes' only flirtation with bringing a ring to his team was his first year with Philadelphia, when they lost in the SuperBowl. Owens was terrific and played an inspiring game on a bad leg, but the next year he was poison and he has been poison everywhere he has gone.

5. As a nurse who has been working in the brain injury field for over 17 years, I am glad to see the NFL making progress in concussion awareness. Posters will now hang in locker rooms with tough language warning players of the danger of concussion and the steps to take when experiencing symptoms. These precautions can literally save lives and help players live better lives after retirement.

6. I guess I'm going to have to break down and upgrade my cable TV service in order to get High-Def for football season. The past couple of years, Comcast hadn't upgraded to an all digital system and I ran the cable directly into my TV. The cable acted like an antenna and I was able to get the local High Def signal over the air. With Comcast's change now I'm forced to use one of their cable boxes which forces their signal through channel 3. The over the air signal isn't strong for my TV to pick up where I live. I tried purchasing an antenna and A-B switch but the antenna wasn't strong enough. I would probably have to spend quite a bit on a sufficient antenna and I really would rather not clutter up my entertainment center with any more equipment and wires anyway. I'm spoiled. Watching Football in standard def just doesn't cut it anymore. On the bright side, when I upgrade I think I'll automatically get the NFL network. At least I won't pursue Satellite and Direct TV. (The lay out of trees in our yard would probably hamper the signal.) The temptation with direct TV to purchase the NFL Sunday ticket might be to hard to resist.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Famous Monsters

I'm not much of a convention goer. I went to a few Doctor Who conventions back in the mid to late 80s and excluding this year I went to Inconjunction, here in Indianapolis, the past couple of years and presented panels. Inconjunction is a fan produced convention put on by a local science fiction club called The Circle of Janus. The guests are primarily literary guests from the science fiction and fantasy community. My first Inconjunction was back in the 80s when I was promoting our Doctor Who Fan Club, The Whoosier Network, and getting signatures on a petition to show the local PBS station the popularity of Doctor Who. The Whoosier Network has maintained a strong presence at the convention since.

My attendance has been sporadic at best. Panels I presented in 2008 and 2009 were all concerned with horror. "The Evolution of Universal Monsters", "Cheesiest Monsters From A -Z", "An Introduction to The British Horror Film", "Universal and Hammer: An Analytical Comparison" and "The Concept of Horror in the Doctor Who Universe" were the topics I presented using Power Point.

The convention I enjoyed going to most took place in Butler Pennsylvania a few years ago. Monster Bash is an annual event celebrating classic horror movies. In 2003, I took my son Jason and we had a fabulous time. We met Julie Adams and Ben Chapman from The Creature From the Black Lagoon and Kevin McCarthy who discussed his work on Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Sarah Karloff shared tales of her father and Don Reese, a comedian with a horror slant, was terrific, and Jason was selected to be made up by former Univeresal make-up artist and CSI contributor John Goodman.

Kevin McCarthy with Pod

In the midst of Monsters

The lovely Julie Adams and the Creature (the late
Ben Chapman)

Jason and I admiring the actual King Kong Aperature

Jason turned into the Monster


Last week Jason and I jumped at the chance to attend the Famous Monsters Convention held at the Wyndham Hotel here in Indy. This was a celebration of the return of Famous Monsters of Film Land Magazine. Philip Kim the new owner of the publication is committed to fulfilling the vision of the late great Forry Ackerman who spearheaded the magazine during its glory years.

As a "Monster Kid" of the 60s I have always been fascinated with the Horror/ Monster genre, and Famous Monsters along with Aurora Monster Models and watching Nightmare Theatre with Sammy Terry (a film tribute was honored Sammy at the convention and his son was collecting signatures to petition the Indiana State Museum to have a permanent exhibit of Sammy) was a staple of my childhood and has continued with me my entire life.

Below Sammy is Judith O'Dea from the original Night of the Living Dead- "They're coming to get you Barbara." After viewing a beautiful print of NOTLD projected on a theatre sized screen, we were treated to the majority of the cast discussing their involvement in the film and its history.

Jason found himself distracted from many of the events going on at the convention. There were quite a few beautiful woman at the convention particularly during the first day when a Beauty contest was held.

One particular beauty who wasn't in the contest but a guest was Cerina Vincent. Many would remember her as the foreign exchange student who walked around school naked in the film "Not Another Teen Movie". The movie did nothing to display her acting talent but did exhibit her physical attributes. Cerina's work in horror films since then has been where she has carved out a nice little niche. I believe she is one of the top actresses in horror today. She may be best known for her scene in Cabin Fever where the skin on her leg begins sluffing off as she is shaving her legs in the bath tub. She was excellent in the film but she has also had prominent roles in Intermedio, Sasquatch Mountain, Seven Mummies, Return to House on Haunted Hill and what I believe is her best work in which she had the lead role It Waits. Hers was the only autograph I got at the convention and she was kind enough to have her picture taken with me. She like everyone else we spoke with was very personable and appreciative of the fans.

Another guest I enjoyed speaking with briefly was Terrance Zdunich, Graverobber from Repo The Genetic Opera. He is the driving force behind this horror film rock opera which has become a cult hit and is becoming a hit at midnight showings much like its predecessor The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Terrance is a composer, artist and writer and lent these considerable talents to the making of the film. Anthony Stewart Head also stars in the film as the Repo Man. Friday night I attended the midnight showing of the film in the theatre and the place was packed. Many were in costume and a large contingent interacted with the film. It was fun.

It was our intention to see the Lost Boys panel but because it was held in the hotel bar Jason wasn't allowed. We turned our attention to a movie being screened called Downstream which we both enjoyed. The story, written by Famous Monster's Philip Kim, is a quite enjoyable post-apocalyptic flick well worth seeing. It will be available on DVD this fall.

On Saturday we attended a Return of the Living Dead panel and a panel honoring Famous Monsters and Forry Ackerman. The biggest hoot of the convention took place Saturday afternoon/ early evening when Charles Band who is the creative force behind Full Moon pictures and has been responsible for producing and or directing the Puppet Master, Trancers and Subspecies series of films. He has also been very involved with many of the films of Stuart Gordon like Re-Animator and From Beyond. His Road Show tours the country and for the convention he presented a scaled down version of the show. He told a variety of behind the scenes tales of hilarity and then topped it off by selecting members of the audience who volunteered to be players in a short skit. The selection process alone was incridibly funny. This show probably should have taken part in the bar (The bar wouldn't have been large enough to hold the vast number of people attending) as it it was truly intended for mature audiences and I noticed there were some kids watching. I think this was unfortunate and should have been avoided.

It appeared Sunday's attendance was a little more reduced and the Mick Garris panel I attended surprisingly had only a handful of people show up. For those unfamiliar with Mick's work, he is the man who got most of the famous directors associated with horror together for the Masters Of Horror series originally presented on ShowTime. He also has been responsible for the direction on many of the better presentations of Stephen King's work like The Stand and the mini series of The Shining and Desperation. Because there were only about 6 of us show up, he sat down at a table with all of us and we had a very enjoyable conversation for a little over an hour. He discussed his current interviews he is doing with famous horror personalities called Post Mortem on Fear Net. He talked about subjects technical in nature and told amusing stories about his early work in films. He was happy to answer our questions and expressed his appreciation of being able to sit down with some fans and talk with them rather than standing at a lecturn speaking to a crowd. It was a special way to wind down my convention experience as Mick is an extremely personal guy as well as engaging. I look forward to his next film when he brings us King's Bag of Bones.

I almost didn't go to the convention having trouble justifying the expense and I did spend to much money not only on the tickets but also on merchandise. I found a couple of movies I have been looking for to add to my collection as well as a number of magazines. I could have spent alot more though. The only regret was not purchasing a back issue of Famous Monsters of Film Land. I have a small collection of early back issues but the issue I'd like to have the most is FM#30. It featured a column on The Powers of Dracula and I can remember having this issue as a kid and thoroughly digesting Dracula's powers. I found a copy in pretty good condition for $60, but I had already spent too much.

Jason and I both had a great time and I hope Phil Kim will bring it back to Indy some time in the future.

To Be At Peace

Ask my wife, my boys or most anyone I work with and they will tell you I'm a "Control Freak". I'm the type who will drive all day and all night rather than relinquish the wheel to another. Delegation has always been my weakest management skill. One could logically wonder how a control freak like myself could turn life's most important decisions over to an invisible God.

One word answer- PEACE

Interestingly, part of being a control freak is an attempt to be at peace. It is difficult for me to be at peace when others are in control. It makes me anxious, frustrated and impatient.

Not so with God. His sovereignty brings me peace. Why so?

I was 7 and a half years old when Spider-man made his first appearance in 1962. Little did I know how much of an impact the comic book would make on me when I was struggling with the decision to fork out 2 more cents for a comic book. The cover sold me but the story helped shape me. "With great power comes great responsibility" were words to live by.

To this day I take responsibility very seriously- almost to a fault. The linkage between my since of responsibility and needing control doesn't escape me.

One thing Peter Parker's since of responsibility has never brought him is Peace. The poor hero is a portrait of angst. If he isn't worrying about how to pay the bills or keeping his Aunt May from heart failure, not to mention how to defeat the Green Goblin, he's struggling with how to keep his love life alive.

As a child, my fascination with monsters and horror movies may have contributed to my irrational fears. But I enjoyed the scares I received from Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolfman. I could see those monsters. What frightened me the most were intangible monsters and chief among those was DEATH. I rememember preparing myself for any night time invaders who might come into my room at night with the purpose to finish my life by burying a blade into my chest as I slept. I still have the hardback astronomy book I would place between my chest and my pajama top to prevent a knife from reaching my heart.

At night I would often lay awake feeling my heart beat in my chest wondering what death would be like and what happened afterwards.

I had been taught about Heaven and Hell in Sunday School, but I hadn't been able to apply the concept to myself. I didn't know if death would bring eternal sleep, firey pits or Heaven's delights. The unknown made me anxious. I figured the best thing to do was to try and keep it at bay. Live right. Don't smoke. Take precautions. I figured I would try and control Death. That astronomy book was a tool of my control.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't spend a whole lot of time obsessing over what would happen to me when I died.

I grew up so very average. Average in looks- Average in scholastics- Average in sports etc.

Average was OK. It beat being sub-par, but it left me with all the insecurities most teens have.

For the most part I did the responsible thing when I had to make a decision or faced temptation. Unfortunately, I underachieved. I didn't have any goals and was just happy to get by.

I started to get cocky after high school and began testing my boundaries more. Pleasure became my pursuit. When I started college, I found I could no longer just get by. I promptly dropped out

I found myself working as a Maytag repairman. It was kind of a lonely job as the old commercial claimed, but I was intent on making up for it in my off hours. Responsibility hadn't failed me, but I began failing my responsibilities. I thought I was taking control of my life.

When I turned 21 years old, a series of events, beginning with an aneurysm in my father's brain, began influencing the path I was on. The old fear of death reared its ugly head once again. I feared for my Dad. I could not control what was happening and felt helpless. My father not only survived surgery but he also was instrumental in introducing me to the pretty nurse he was fond of who would eventually become my wife. His experience also led him to a decision to rededicate himself to a decision he had made as a boy. He gave credit for his recovery to God. He began going to church again and living his life by faith. I took notice but I wasn't interested. I was glad Dad was improving but now my interests were with nurse Judy.

Judy and I had been dating for just a few months when we decided to get married. My Mom and Dad were thrilled and everything seemed great and I felt I was in control. Then my mother died. I don't think I've ever felt so helpless. I remember Judy calling me at work and telling me I needed to get to the hospital. Mom had been in the hospital for about a week with heart problems and I could tell from the call things had turned for the worse. I tried bargaining with God as I drove to the hospital. I dropped by the church I attended when I was a child and dropped all the money I was carrying off in the church mailbox thinking it might help coerce God into letting my mother live. It didn't work. I couldn't control God. I couldn't control death.

At my mother's funeral the pastor spoke of how he had visited my mom prior to her death and how he felt confident with her place in heaven. He stated she had said she was trusting in Jesus Christ for her salvation from the penalty of her sins. He gave testimony to the scriptures as I heard the familiar John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, taht He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." But he also mapped out verses from the book of Romans that at the time I only noted superficially but in time would have greater significance. His message brought me comfort but not personal peace.

Time slipped by and Judy and I were married. The old since of responsibility loomed large and I was busily doing my best to be a responsible married man.

In January of 1977, about 6 months after Judy and I had wed, I was browsing a book store trying to find a book on reincarnation. I had seen the movie "The Reincarnation of Peter Proud" on TV the night before and it had sparked my interst in the subject. The occult section bumped up against the religion section and the book "The Late Great Planet Earth" caught my eye. My thoughts went back a few weeks to an interview I had seen with the author. At the time I had been impressed by Hal Lindsey's command of Bible prophecy and his relating it to the world we live in. I opted to pick up "The Late Great Planet Earth " instead.

As I began to read through the book, I couldn't help but feel the scriptures he quoted had the ring of truth. I compared Hal Lindsey's accounts and references with my own bible and the truth was inescapable. I discovered I wasn't in control. There was nothing I could do to earn a place in heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 says"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Pastor Paul's message from Roman's was now clear. Even though "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Rom 3:23 and "the wages of sin is death" Rom 23a "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Sitting at my desk at work I let go of the responsibility for working toward peace with God and followed God's direction and prayed in accordance with Romans 10:9-10 "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation."

For the first time, I understood Jesus took on the responsibility for my sins when he bore them on the cross. I didn't have to be responsible for a task I couldn't control and I was at peace.

Romans 5:1 says" Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

This peace is further strengthened when I read "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor andgels, nor prioncipalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 8:38-39

Thirty-Three years ago, God sovereignly directed my steps toward Jesus Christ. I still find myself trying to control most things and taking responsibility for most things and I still find when I turn things over to God they work out for the better. I'm most at peace when everything is under control and knowing the creator of all things who is just and merciful, who knows all things and who is all powerful, eternal and Holy is the sovereign Lord of everything I can't help but be at peace.

The Origin of Indiana-Man

Twenty-two years ago Sterling "Chuck" Jones and I were playing around with my newly purchased camcorder. Hard pressed for a subject to amuse our interest, I went back to my room changed clothes and revealed myself dressed in an Indiana University sweatshirt and sweatpants with a towel draped over my shoulders to fashion a cape. Announcing my entrance as Indiana-Man, the legend was born. Chuck hurriedly cut out a dominoe mask from red felt and then made one for himself, and introduced himself as "Sparky", the Indiana-Lad.
We ventured into the back yard and began videotaping ourselves acting out imagined scenarios for the camera.

Of course such silliness wasn't satisfactory so we contacted my good friend Maurice Broaddus and his friend Darrel and invited them to partake in our first Indiana-Man adventure.
When night fell we searched for a suitable location and found it in a small cemetery on 52nd street between Georgetown and Lafayette Road. The cemetery was illuminated by a security lamp and we needed to do most of our video taping fairly close to the lamp as the camcorder's lux meter was insufficient in low light.
Stephen Kendall did the honors of video taping our ad-libbed antics in the graveyard.
The loose plot of our story concerned Indian-Man and Sparky searching out a vampire in the cemetery and being repelled by the vampire's hired hands. Maurice took on the role of "The Black Muslim", soon to be Indiana-Man's arch foe. Political correctness wasn't a consideration. Darrel chose the moniker of "The White Bishop".
Silly fight scenes with incredibly ridiculous dialogue like "How dare you, Black Muslim? How diabolical, protecting the bloodsucker", dominated the play. In reviewing the video tape the funniest part could be when a car drove by the cemetery and everyone dove to the ground not to be seen by the passerby. Stephen laid the camcorder on its side when he laid down for cover. The video shows the tilted scene at ground level with the audio of our group announcing the car and the declaration to hide.
Indiana-Man proved to be such fun, we soon planned another adventure this time with a little but not too much planning.

Indiana-Man and the Indiana Handsaw Massacre took place mostly at Eagle Creek Park. We actually developed a simple story- A young man (Stephen) and his girlfriend (Darrel with nerf balls placed strategically in his shirt to give him a well developed appearance) go off for a picnic in the park. They stumble upon a deserted cabin in the woods where the young man is slaughtered by a "frightening" figure with a handsaw. My wife's chili was used for the gore effect. Indiana-Man and Sparky just happen to be at the park enjoying a picnic also. They soon stumble upon the body of the young man and must rescue the girl from the clutches of the fiend who turns out to be the Black Muslim in disguise. Again the dialogue was mostly ad-libbed and

Indiana-Man stories quickly took on the form of a parody of the old Batman TV show.It was amazing how many people in the park became onlookers entertained by our exploits. Onlookers at future locations became the norm.

Next up was Indiana-Man and the Swamp Cult. A woman is kidnapped at the main branch of the Indianapolis Public Library and Indiana-Man pursues the assailants. With some help from Sparky, Indiana-Man stumbles upon a cult in the swamp near Eagle Creek Park where worshipers are trying to make the girl a human sacrifice to the swamp-god "Swamp-Allah" who is in fact- The Black Muslim. I remembers attaching various sorts of foliage to Maurice in preparation for his role as "Swamp Allah / The Black Muslim". My wife, Judy was none to happy with tree branches decorating our kitchen as we dutifully applied vines and leaves to his makeup.

The final Indiana-Man adventure was a team up with Rick Lee's character Video-Man, in Indiana-Man meets Video-Man in Bloodlust of the Vampire. A vampire stalks the streets of Mooresville Indiana and the Comissioner (played by Ken Daum) summons the help of Indiana-Man and Video-Man to unravel the mystery. Julie Lee (then Julie Kyle) played the female vampire who is confronted by the dynamic duo while she is shopping.

During the taping of this story a Moorseville police officer drove up to the strip mall we were shooting in. Not sure of what we should do, we approached the vehicle. I'm dressed in Indiana-Man garb with towel cape and dominoe mask and Rick in his goofy costume and Julie in this strange looking black dress. With no better thought in mind I addressed the policeman in true Indiana-Man fashion, staying in character, "Greetings officer, my colleague and I are here fighting crime." I can't remember the policeman's reply but he didn't seem to mind and we resumed the videotaping.

An Indiana-Man event I wasn't privy to was a a surprise arranged by Stephen, Chuck and Maurice on the day of the Batman Returns premier. Chuck had been away at college and Stephen and I were going to set out in front of the theatre early in the day in order to be the first in line. Stephen insisted on bringing the Video Camera and my Indiana-Man suit. As we were sitting out in front of the theatre a car drove up and Maurice came forth silently and shrouded by a hooded robe. He said nothing and presented me with a sheet of paper with esoteric sayings and clues written on it and then he departed. Stephen began making only one statement "I Must Tape Indiana-Man." I finally caught on and began following the clues, bouncing me around locations in the vicinity, which eventually led me back to behind the theatre where Chuck as Sparky was tied to a tree being tortured by the Black Muslim. Astonished to see Chuck I resisted the urge to welcome him but I stayed in character and fought the Black Muslim freeing Sparky. A wonderful surprise concocted by a great group of friends.

The only other Indiana-man video is actually a spin off where I video taped my three year old son, Jason ,as Indiana-Boy in pursuit of a bank robber named Rombat played by my five year old son, Kyle.

My friends and I not only made Indiana-Man adventures but we also made many a horror film. We mostly used old horror comics as story boards and went from there. We even had horror hosts like the crypt keeper introduce the stories. We were making Tales From The Crypt long before HBO aired the series.

Getting a Feel for This Thing Called Blogging

I'm not sure why I started this. My opinion of most bloggers is they are doing this blogging thing to bolster their self esteem. Face Book, My Space and blogging all appear to be ways of expressing "Hey, look at me!" I know for some it is a way to express themselves and for others a way to network.
Many are want-to-be writers. I'm not sure where I fit in.


Last week I was on vacation and Judy, Jason and I made a few short trips. First up was a trip to Cincinnati where we visited the zoo and went to a Reds game. It was my first Major League Baseball game. The next day Jason and I went to the southern part of the state and went canoeing on the Blue River. We entered the water about 11:00 am. Our canoe was approximately in the middle of our group and we didn't waste time paddling into the lead position. Everyone else was making a leisurly time of it. Jason and I on the other hand opted to press forward. Not only did we complete the 7 mile trip first in our group but we also finished ahead of everyone in the group who entered the water 45 minutes ahead of us.


















Judy and I capped off last week with a celebration of our 34th wedding anniversay. We spent a night in the Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park. It rained the entire time we were there but we still found the time together without interruptions enjoyable.




June 12 1976 Walking down the aisle


These past 2 weeks have been one expense after another. First our refrigerator hasn't been working correctly for the past 2 months and the repair company has made numerous trips to fix the problems. Now the dryer's heating element broke. Last week I had to replace the exhaust on our Cutlass and Jason replaced the brakes and rotors on the Cavalier. Then the cavalier began overheating and it's going to cost over a thousand dollars in repair. In addition, Judy had to purchase new glasses costing a little over $300. Capping it all off, Jason goes to orientation at Lincoln Tech tomorrow and the first installment on his tuition will be due.

Initially I was upset by all the unexpected expenses but after giving it some thought and praying about it, I realized how much God has blessed us and how He has provided. True, the expenses will cause us to be a little thiftier but we do have the money to pay what we owe without going into debt. With so many people out of work or hampered with health concerns, it seems ridiculous to get upset about the loss of a couple thousand bucks. Thankfully, the car problems all occurred close to home and not in a compromised position. Even though the refrigerator hasn't worked for over a month, we at least had the old refrigerator in the garage to fall back on. God truly has been good to us and doesn't heap on more than we can handle.


I loved Russell Davies run on Doctor Who and felt both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant were remarkable as the Doctor, but I'm finding Steven Moffat's take on the show to be superior. Maffat was responsible for writing what I consider the best of the Davies run starting with my personal favorite The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances which he later followed with the exquisite The Girl in The Fireplace and what many believe ishe best Doctor Who episode ever- Blink. During Tennant's final season he wrote the two parter Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead.
















Steven Moffat has a knack for using the concept of time in his stories better than any previous Doctor Who writers. This continues during this season as the umbrella story certainly revolves around time and leaves us anxiously awaiting every new episode. The feel of this season hearkens back to classic Doctor Who but with better production values and tighter stories. Matt Smith has made the role of the Doctor his own and Karen Gillian as Amy Pond may be the best companion yet.

If it weren't for our recent financial squeeze I'd be purchasing the recent Captain America Omnibus editions featuring the Ed Brubaker/ Steve Epting run on Captain America. This included the death of Steve Rogers as Cap and told the story of Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier and his eventual taking on the mantel of Captain America. These stories are more influenced by international espionage than super heroics and the characterizations are well developed. The storyline over the past four years is,in my opinion,the best comic book story over the time period. That is saying alot for me as I'm first a DC guy.



Sadly, I wasn't in tune with Captain America until very late in the run and didn't purchase these comics as they came out. Though not in my collection, I did get a chance to read them consecutively and the omnibus editions should be a good way to add the stories to my collection.


I haven't seen too many new movies this year. Very little has interested me. I did see Iron Man 2 and enjoyed it. Not quite as good as the original but a worthy sequel



Just as Sam Raimi understood what Peter Parker / Spider-man was all about and captured the soul of the character, Jon Favreau knows what makes Tony Stark tick. ( I'm not referring to his damaged heart) Robert Downey's performance in both the original and the sequel displays Tony's narcissism and his charm.

Most super-hero stories have to deal with dualism in some way, but the Iron Man/ Stark character doesn't pursue this as Tony Stark is a man comfortable in his own skin or suit whether it is an Armani or made of iron.


I was originally concerned with the path Iron Man 2 was going to take. I thought the inclusion of War Machine would be unnecessary and I couldn't imagine Whiplash being a suitable foe for Iron Man. Though War Machine/ Rhodey was adequately pulled off by Don Cheadle, I still didn't see the point for the inclusion. I was impressed by Mickey Rourke as Whiplash though. His characterization of Ivan Vanko was superb. He is menacing and a little sympathetic at the same time.

Again, Gweneth Paltrow is perfect as Tony's compass, Pepper Potts.

Scarlett Johansen as the Black Widow gets in one excellent fight sequence but pretty much adds to the Avengers Initiative storyline being set up for the eventual Avengers movie. She looks great in her Black Widow garb. The Black Widow made her first appearance way back in the Iron Man story in Tales of Suspense 52, so it was fitting she appear first in an Iron Man Movie.

Interestingly it took private enterprise to achieve peace through strength and then the government steps in and takes over Stark's technology and everything falls apart. Maybe President Obama could learn from the film.


Whether it's Health Care, Financial Institutions or Car Companies, President Obama seems to think there is nothing the federal government shouldn't be running. I truly believe he is a socialist at heart.
One area the Fedral Government should be taking the lead in is the Oil Leak in the Gulf. Admittedly, Obama and the government don't have the knowhow to stop the leak but he could have been more responsive to the situation. When Governor Jindel of Louisiana requested booms and islands to prevent the oil reaching shore, the government said studies would have to be done to gauge the environmental impact. What were they thinking? As they were studying the Gulf shore was being coated in oil and pelicans were being painted with black death. The people who depend on the environment for their livlihoods have been decimated. The feds response to Governor Jindel's requests was too little too late. Help (skimmers and supertankers) were offered early in the days after the disaster from other countries with experience in dealing with oil spill disasters. The Obama administration turned down the help sighting the Jones Act which restricts foreign ships between U.S. ports. The Jones Act was developed in 1920 to protect the interests of unions and it has been waived temporarily in the past during times of crisis. President Bush waived the act after hurricane Katrina to allow foreign vessels the chance to bring aid to the region. But the Obama administration has failed to act. Throughout the crisis Obama has appeared disinterested and only after it has taken a political toll has he become engaged all the while claiming he has been in charge since the beginning. This has been a fiasco and points directly to Obama's lack of leadership and abilities as an administrator. Now Obama is giving speeches stumping for Cap & Tax and threatening British Petroleum and trying to appear active. I am not fooled. As the late John Wooden stated "Never mistake activity for achievement".