Humor: Top 5 comic heroes not rumored to be in Avengers 2

Now that we all know who the villain is going to be for the next Avengers movie, the only question left is who are the Avengers going to add to their growing group. Virtually every Marvel superhero has been a part of or helped the Avengers at some point, so the list of possibilities is substantial.

Discussions have already been in place for new members joining the team. Stan Lee has said that he would like to see Black Panther, Doctor Strange or Ant-Man join. The Wasp also seems a natural choice. I would love to see the Scarlet Witch and her twin brother Quicksilver join, as they were members of the Avengers early on.

We know, however, that some superheroes will never be a part of Avengers 2. For starters, you can cross Spiderman and the X-Men off your wish list. They have been licensed out to other movie studios and cannot be brought back in for the upcoming sequel.

Secondly, you can rest assured that none of the comic heroes in this list will be part of the next assembling of the Avengers. [Note to comic book geeks: I'm well aware of the fact that several on the list are DC and as such could not be in a Marvel movie. I get that, jeez. Don't ruin the joke comic nerd. Also, I've got some special edition X-Men comics that I want to help make yours. I'm just saying. Call me!]

Here are the top 5 comic heroes not rumored to be in Avengers 2.

Marriage is not saved

This is part one of a two part series addressing both sides in the gay marriage debate. Today, is to the Church. This comes from a deep love for the Bride of Christ and a desire to see her be all that she was redeemed to be.

Dear Church,
This is particularly relevant to those of you in my current home state of NC. I rejoice with you that God's design for marriage was upheld by voters. It is an institution that stretches far beyond the jurisdiction of our nation and current cultural trends. I rejoice not because we "won," but because I believe that an affirmation of marriage is, in the long term, a positive for everyone.

Having said that, I do not always rejoice at how we won. Too often these debates, feed by a culture of victimization in our walls and an antagonistic media eager for a story, become part of the "culture wars." Let me say this - when we view our responsibilities as Christian citizens as being part of a war, we have already lost.

Make no mistake, we are in a war, but it is not with the gay couple living down the street or the divorced mom next door. Ephesians 6:12 makes it clear who our enemy is and where our war is fought. It is a spiritual war fought against spiritual enemies.

Recognizing that fact and the current situation with marriage and the witness of the church, I will say to you, despite what many people are saying today, marriage is not saved.

Following Jesus' plow, not just His cross

We often focus exclusively on the Jesus of the cross or the Jesus of the preaching ministry. What about Jesus the carpenter? Not that we want to or could ever ignore the depth of His teaching and the magnitude of His sacrifice, but is there something we can learn from His work with wood?

Even though the Gospels don't tell us anything about his work as a carpenter, it is assumed that Jesus learned the trade of his adopted, earthly father Joseph. Was the Jesus of the carpentry shop the same Jesus of rhetorical genius, profound human insight, God incarnate?

Does the marriage amendment limit rights?

It is a sad reality that many on both sides of the NC marriage amendment vote are using fear and intimidation to gin up support for their position and silence those that oppose them. That type of "reasoning" does not appeal to me.

That would include my previous post about the pastor supporting the amendment who used caricatures and an appeal to violence as reasoning to vote for the marriage amendment. That would also include opponents attempting to argue that passing the amendment would lead to unmarried women no longer being protected by domestic abuse laws or that it is somehow rooted in racist ideology. You can add stealing and defacing each other's yard signs and billboards as acts not likely to induce me to agree with you, as well.

For someone like me, who recognizes biblically teaching regarding the sinfulness of homosexual acts, but maintains a distinct distrust of expanding government control or attempting to use its power to accomplish religious ideals, the most enticing argument against the amendment is the one that frames this discussion as one of individual rights or freedom.

The question becomes, "Does this amendment limit rights and freedom?" The answer depends on how you define freedom and from where you believe our freedoms originate.

Avengers assemble into one of the best comic movies of all time

Honestly, until recently, that headline would almost be damning with faint praise. Not anymore. While the Golden Age for comic books themselves may have long since passed, we are in the Golden Age for comic book movies. Nolan's Batman, Rami's Spider-Man, Singer's X-Men have all boosted to new heights what was once a dying genre. Add Whedon's Avengers to the list, quite possibly at the top of it.

Humor: Top 5 Future Speeches by Anti-Bullying Bully Dan Savage

In case you haven't heard, columnist Dan Savage was invited to speak at a high school journalism conference on anti-bullying. Savage thought this was the appropriate time to do some bullying himself.

It's like a bully surprise party. "No one is going to expect to be bullied during an anti-bullying speech. Surprise!"

Savage ripped into Christians who actually take the Bible seriously, denigrated traditional Christian teaching on sexuality and then, to add the bullying cherry on top of his bullying sundae, he made it a point to start name-calling at some teenagers who were responding to the bullying by walking away and out of the auditorium.

The Wardrobe Door has acquired an exclusive, outbidding TMZ and the National Enquirer - the topics for Dan Savage's next slate of speeches and the already constructed "apologies" by his publicists for the aftermath. Here are the top 5 future speeches by anti-bullying bully Dan Savage.

Pastor gives worst possible "support" for marriage amendment

It has often been said, "With friends like these, who needs enemies?"

Friends of the proposed NC constitutional amendment to define marriage as being between one man and one woman found that out when a sermon in support of the amendment went viral and demonstrated many Christians still have much to learn about this new digital age, and the teachings of our Savior.

Interrupting Jesus

Have you ever been around that guy?

You know, the one who always has a comment about every subject and even stops the teacher in the middle of a lecture to insert his idea. Or your boss is giving a report and that guy has to throw his two cents into what was not previously a discussion.

That guy is annoying, but that guy is common and he's been common for awhile. Even Jesus dealt with that guy interrupting his teaching.

But if we are honest enough with ourselves, guy or a girl, a lot of times, we are that guy.