I got my love of superheroes from an unlikely source: my Papaw E.O.

When I was a small girl, I loved watching “Underdog” with my Papaw. We both would laugh and sing along with Polly Purebred. I still treasure those memories. The article picture is of my papaw and me at his birthday picnic!

For those of you unfamiliar with “Underdog,” it was a cartoon that ran in the mid-1960s. Yes, I am giving my age away. This cartoon was about your average dog that shined shoes for a living. When trouble reared its ugly head, he would take some kind of power pill and (Ta da!) become Underdog.

In the 70s, I watched the original “Superfriends” on Saturday mornings. Then one of the local channels began broadcasting the “Batman” series from the 1960s in the afternoons. I loved that campy show so much that I would park my bike in my grandparents’ carport and go inside to watch it. After it was over, I would go back to riding my bike or digging up stuff in Mamaw Girdle/Myrtle’s flower garden. Now as an adult, I would love to have the Batmobile. Who wouldn’t want a car with a rocket on the back? Or how about Wonder Woman’s invisible jet?

Obviously, I still watch superheroes movies when they are on TV. I even have some on DVDs and on our DVR. So why do I have such a fascination with superheroes? Because they can tap into powers that I can’t. Or can I?

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.” Philippeans 4:13
(KJV)

For those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Resurrection, is always at our disposal. We don’t have to pop a power pill or eat spinach (yuck) to get it. We just have to pray. We just have to plug into it.

To be honest, I think some of us Christians don't realize just how much power that really is.

All superheroes share a common threat in that they’re vulnerable to something. Take Superman for example. If he gets too close to Kryptonite, it saps out all of his energy and super-strength. But our power, the Holy Spirit, has no vulnerability. It is never weak. It will never wear out. And it will never let us down. How super-awesome is that?

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9 (KJV)
If I could be a superhero. I would be Chocolate Girl. In order to obtain my superpowers, I would have to eat pounds of chocolate, but I wouldn't gain any weight or break out. Also, I would have a long flowing cape with a big C on it! Best of all, my fellow superhero would be Underdog!

Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. Also, she is a member of Toastmasters and will be attending storytelling camp again for the 4th summer. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. And she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from