100 Reasons I Retired and What's Happening Now: Putting on the Cape

Reason 24

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s Superman!

My brother and I were obsessed with DC comics. Every Thursday in the summer, my grandmother would take us to the comic book shop and hand us each 12 cents, the cost to enter the universe of superheroes. We’d read our comic books on her back porch, then don beach towels for capes and “fly” around the backyard, jumping over culverts and stony driveways.

We were invincible.

The real reason Superman was originally drawn by Joe Shuster as wearing a cape was to indicate he was flying when he leaped off a building, rather than falling to his death. Squint a little at the cartoon and imagine the cape is missing. Yep, it looks like he’s plunging into the streets of Metropolis!

That’s a little bit how I felt when I was asked to preach from the BIG PULPIT at church on January 19! I’d expressed my desire to take on a

larger role to our minister, Pastor Amy, back in October.

I was thinking more along the lines of leading a small group. Not preaching to the entire congregation. Both services.

Gulp.

It didn’t help my anxiety that our heater died the Sunday before, gasping out its last hot breath in the morning and bringing the temperature in our house to 52 chilly degrees. With workmen installing not only a new heater but also new wiring and gas lines, my son and I retreated to a hotel for a few days. I took my laptop, my Bible, and my notes and continued to work on “Hidden Identities: Rooted in Christ.”

The theme for the month was “Our Identities in Christ” and I was basing my message on Colossians 3:2-3.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

I’ve been a teacher for 30 years, so I’m used to speaking in front of people. I’ve even done professional development presentations to large groups of fellow educators and lectured 150 college students at one clip.

But taking the pulpit in church was a step up. Still, God had called me to it. I donned my cape as a “church speaker” and prayed I would fly, not plunge to my death.

I am blessed by a group of sisters who held me in prayer as I researched, wrote, edited, practiced, and finally stood before the church, a long white sweater serving as my cape.

And I flew! Not in my own power, of course. Once I started speaking, the power of the Holy Spirit took over. The congregation was engaged; years of practice as a teacher told me they were. Without even looking at my notes or checking my watch, I ended exactly on time and many people came up to me afterward to congratulate me on my solo flight as a speaker.

I was thrilled to know that God had used me in such a way and that my words had reached the hearts of many.

But the real blessing came a week later. My son, an adult with autism, attended both services. I didn’t expect much engagement from him. I was just glad he was there. A few days ago, he showed me the notes he had taken while I spoke,

Both services.

Superman, you may be able to leap tall buildings, but the power of the Holy Spirit is better.

It can reach everyone.

Anyone else a DC fan? I didn’t become a Marvel fan until decades later!