This week LinC goes back to the movies for a look at Real Steel, the story of a future society in which the sport of boxing has been outlawed unless it involves robots. Like the robots in the movie, the human characters in Real Steel are fighters: They fight adversity and low expectations and (in the case of main character Charlie Kenton) past mistakes. We’ll discuss this nonviolent definition of the word fight: to strive, to struggle, to persevere, and to take a stand for what is right. What does it mean for us, as Christians, to “compete in the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12a)? Key Scriptures: Exodus 17:8-16; 1 Kings 19:1-15; 1 Timothy 6:9-16. Last week brought news that two American hikers who had been held in Iran on espionage charges were freed. Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal had spent more than two years in an Iranian prison. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, spent about a year in prison before being released last year. To most of us the thought of being imprisoned, even for a short period of time, is frightening. We value our liberties and can’t imagine having them taken away. But, as sinners, we all face imprisonment, whether from addiction, warped priorities, despair, or something else. Next week LinC talks about imprisonment and how we can claim the freedom we have through Christ.
