psst.. I am IRON MAN

Ok fine, you are IRON MAN but what Iron Man are we talking about?  In my few years on this Earth I have observed many Iron Mans.

In fact  there are even IRON MAN CONTESTS where biking,  swimming, and running are combined into one big competition.  Don't know if that makes someone an iron man or just a very sweaty man.

There was also the TIN MAN from the Wizard of Oz, who technically was not Iron man as Tin and Iron are  two different grades of metal. 

​And I have even heard rumor of MEN WHO IRON their clothes are IRON MEN, but I am not one of them and does not a superhero make you.

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So that eliminates a few HEAVY METAL (insert iron pun here) guys narrowing my list of true Iron Men to three.  Let's choose the right Iron Man via the ol'  'Let's make a Deal' selection method.

Will it be the IRON MAN behind door#1, door#2, or door#3?

• DOOR #1: Billionaire industrialist and genius inventor, Tony Stark builds a high tech flying armored suit and uses it to combat crime and terrorism, and other misc BAD GUYS.  
• DOOR #2: "Iron Man" The song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath. It is taken from their second studio album, Paranoid. The song is about a man who travels into the future and sees the end of the world. When he goes back in time, he goes through the great magnetic field turning him into Iron Man. When he tries to tell the world what will happen, nobody cares because he can't talk. Being so enraged by this, he goes on a killing spree, creating the end of the world that he foresaw. ​

• ​DOOR #3: Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 
  ​For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:11-17​

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​There you have it, three fine choices for IRON MAN but let's take a closer look.. Choosing 

• Door #1, I could end up being comic book character fighting comic book evil.
  conclusion: NO, I am too old to be fighting evil on such a grand scale. 
• Door #2, Worst case I would be supporting an End Times scenario not found in Revelations, and the least case I may end up singing Karaoke with a mumbling Ozzy Osbourne.
  conclusion: Again, I must say NO for so so many reasons..
  BUT.. by choosing
• Door #3 I have just what Ephesians 6:11 says.. armor to stand up against the very real schemes of the Devil. 
  conclusion: YES, as I see the practical value of this Full Armor

Seriously, none of us of need Tony Stark, and certainly not Ozzy Osbourne to look up to for protection. In stark contrast we do need The Full Armor of God.

Not so many years ago I umpired a lot of baseball games and in doing so have been dinged by a foul ball, or two,  or what seems like 1000 times. Sometimes I was hit directly on protective gear, but other times finding a gap in between my face mask and chest protector, or an exposed elbow.  Even with a quality face mask a foul ball can really jar you. 

And so much more am I exposed to the flaming arrows of the evil one where the Full Armor of God is very much needed.

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Now considering those days I leave my house without quieting myself by praying, and/or without taking time to focus on God.. I believe I am left more unprotected like an umpire without a NUT CUP. 

TMI, TMI

So I pray today to encourage each of you to.. Put on the Full Armor of God lest ye be struck by a foul ball wherest thou hurtest most.  King James/Back Pew/umpire paraphrase Ephesians 6:11
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Blessings 

Jeff (Iron Man) Larson

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