What's your superpower?

by Captain Ordinary, himself

I am Captain Ordinary. I am a superhero. But not because I have a cape and a big O on my chest. I am a superhero because I have a superpower which I use for good. I wouldn't trade it for super strength or invisibility or X-ray vision. My superpower is Availability.

Not such a super power, you say? Well, my motto is, "God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things." And your Availability is all God needs to do extraordinary things through you!

You might say that I'm like Batman. He didn't have crazy powers, but he was very wealthy. Meanwhile, I have glorious spiritual riches in Christ. You know, that actually gives me an edge over those pointy ears.

Still, I don't have Batman's budget, and I can't afford a help-signal like his. So how do I know people are in trouble? I hang around on Sunday mornings to see if anyone calls for help. Then when my theme music starts up, I know I'm being called.

Now I'm not one to boast (except in God!), but I wanted to show the Kids Clubhouse kids last month about how Availability is a superpower they all can have. They got to see me help a girl who was learning to ride a bike. I told her how the pioneer missionary William Carey did something with his Availability that practically no one else had ever done. He became a missionary to India. He had lots of setbacks, but with the support of friends, he stuck with it and had an incredible impact for Christ. The girl stuck with it too, and with a little bit of support, she was off and biking.

I helped another girl who had two quarreling friends. I told her about Bruce Olson. He used his Availability to meet the fierce Motilone people of South America, risking his life to bring the good news of Jesus. The girl took action by risking her own birthday party to bring her friends back together, and God used her courage for good.

My inspiration is a quote from William Carey who said, "Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God." Christian missionaries from the past and present dared to go to strange places and endure hardships to demonstrate God's love to people. They didn't have superpowers. All they had was Availability and the willingness to respond to a call for help.

Jesus gave us the ultimate example of going to a strange place and enduring hardships when He left heaven to live with us--and die for us--here on earth. He made Himself Available to us in every way.

Maybe running around in a superhero outfit is a little weird, but I have the courage to do it and inspire kids with stories of great missionaries. I fully expect God will use many of the Clubhouse kids to do extraordinary things. To help inspire them, I always say, "Remember, kids, it's not your ability, it's your Availability!"

Captain Ordinary is also known as the mild-mannered Jim McGee. Jim has been married to Peggy for 17 years, and they are the International Ministries Team liaisons to Kids Clubhouse. They have a son Kelly (12) and daughters Lydia (8) and Audrey (6).