The Lens of a Superhero

The world loves a good superhero. Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, the Marvel Universe and its epic gang of superheroes have raked in billions of dollars worldwide. These numbers don’t even include the DC Universe. (You can only choose one.) The market is flooded with superhero movies, TV shows, and cartoons. You would think we might get tired of seeing Black Panther or Black Widow save the day. But we don’t. Hollywood keeps churning out movies, and we keep paying to watch them.

I’ve heard children ask, “Are they real?” Just recently, I joked with a little boy who walked into a spider’s web that he just might get lucky if the spider bit him and it was radioactive. I turned to him, grinning, only to see an earnestly hopeful face staring right back at me. He took me seriously, telling me he would call me if he woke up the next morning with superhuman strength and the ability to cling to the ceiling.

The pull of superheroes is real. It is amazing how children love these characters. They admire them. They want to be them.

Miles Scott, a five-year-old leukemia survivor, had a wish come true a few years back. The Make-A-Wish Foundation transformed downtown San Francisco into Gotham City and welcomed him as Batkid. Everyone from the local news to the police department got in on it.

A call went out on social media for volunteers to show up downtown and help cheer Batkid on. Make-A-Wish expected 200 volunteers…25,000 answered the call. With the help of actor Eric Johnson playing Batman, Batkid saved a damsel in distress, threw Riddler in jail, and trounced Penguin.

When he was presented the key to the city at City Hall by Mayor Ed Lee, the crowds went crazy. President Obama called to congratulate him. The world was cheering him on. Batkid saved the day!

Superhero Mythology Is the Great Escape

We’re not that different from Miles. We would like to be superheroes, or at least have their powers—for a day…or even an hour. Who wouldn’t love to leave their day job and fly into outer space? Who wouldn’t want to have their nemesis shudder at the mention of their name?

Every year, hundreds of thousands of fans dress up as their favorite characters at hundreds of superhero and fantasy conventions across the globe. For a few days, they get hyped up about upcoming movies and shows. They meet their favorite actors. They pretend they are the heroes they wish they could be. And they buy loads of merch. Because we all love merch. But fun costumes aside, where does this great appeal for playing “superhero” come from?

Superhero mythology is a great escape.

Today’s Great Escape – Social Media

Let’s face it. We may or may not be facing a life-threatening illness like Miles, but Americans are pretty stressed out. In good times and bad, we always rank as one of the world’s most stressed nations. We are stressed about politics. Money. Pandemics. Relationships. Our health. Not only are we stressed out, but we are angry and sad. No wonder we want to escape.

Life can be difficult. No one gets through without a struggle. Challenges at home and at work are hard to overcome. We want to break free from the stress of real life and imagine a different scenario.

You may be thinking, I couldn’t care less about Comic-Con. But superhero tales aren’t the only method we use to escape. Social media is one of the main ways that we escape reality. The average American spends 4.5 hours on digital media per day.

If you can’t be a superhero, at least you can escape your problems by creating a “super” avatar. Your “super you” calls you to escape with as much force as that latest blockbuster in theaters.

Of course, confidence doesn’t come from social media likes, and fulfillment doesn’t come from being viewed a certain way by others. But the siren song of social media lures us into thinking that maintaining a superhero look is easier than developing “super” character.

If you’re sad, why not post a carefully curated story to Instagram to get Instalikes? Or if you’re anxious, just lose yourself on Facebook for an hour. Or seven. If you are feeling overwhelmed by life or overlooked by others, why not just watch YouTube videos on auto-play? The endless stream of entertainment will keep your mind occupied and free from stress. Until they stop. And you actually have to live your real life and face your real problems.

While it is fun to escape, real peace doesn’t come from escaping our problems. Hope doesn’t come from pretending you are someone else, no matter how cool your cape is.

The Hero Lens

Looking through rose-colored glasses is a Pollyannaish way to look at the world. Everything is good. Everything will work out. There are no insurmountable problems. As we all know, that isn’t real life. The opposite take is viewing life with dark, morbid glasses and a critical lens. Everything is bad. Nothing will work out. There is no solution to my problems. Both lenses are bad optics. Neither one reveals the truth of the situation.

Israel’s first king—Saul—lived his entire life going from one lens to the other. At first, he actually believed all the accolades people were heaping on him and made sure all the social media of the day reinforced his superhero status with the people. However, after young David killed the giant, Goliath, and knocked King Saul off the cover of GQ magazine, Saul removed his spectacular spectacles and replaced them with the gloomy glasses that he would then wear for the rest of his life.

Want to learn more about how to get beyond the optics? Grab a copy of my new WSJ & USA Today bestselling book, Overliked, and experience the real love that God created you to have.

 

Here’s the thing. Authentic heroes don’t look at life with rose-colored glasses or a defeatist view. They see the problems and issues in front of them as being very real, but they have a lens of hope. They face trials head-on. They aren’t looking for a way to escape. They look for a way into the battle of good versus evil. They aren’t concerned with looking good; they are concerned with doing good.

Real heroes don’t worry about the optics. Mostly. After all, the optics are usually bad for heroes, right? Doom? Gloom? The end of life as we know it? The day that David faced Goliath, his optics were looking pretty grim. Lucky for him, he wasn’t into optics.

If you want to dive deeper into optics, joy, authentic love, and more, grab a copy of my book, Overliked: Finding Direction, Courage, and Meaningful Relationships in a Society Crippled by Social Mediawhere you’ll find ways to get beyond the fake optics to the incredible love God wants you to have!

Until next time,

Pastor Rob

aka P-Ro

The First Three Chapters

Why wait until the book is released to start reading it? With your pre-order, you will receive the first three chapters immediately, so you can begin reading it right away. Pastor Rob sets lays the groundwork for all that he will be sharing, and you will get to start on his end-of-chapter “Change of Heart” exercises.

 

Out of Egypt Devotional

In this 6-day devotional, Pastor Rob will walk you through Scripture, much like the Israelites following God out of Egypt, and show you that God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary and how to discern the truth over all the noise. You can also join the private Out of Egypt Facebook Group where you can connect with Pastor Rob and others in a supportive and encouraging environment.

 

Social Media First Aid Kit

Every home, office, store, church, and public gathering place has a first aid kit. Something to help patch up those bumps and scrapes we get from time to time. So it seems only appropriate that we treat the bumps and scrapes we sometimes get from social media. In Pastor Rob’s Social Media First Aid Kit, you will find valuable tools to not only treat the wound but to also prevent the wounds from coming in the first place.

 

Included in the kit you’ll find:

  • 5 Bible Verses to Look at Before Engaging Social Media Today – Get the Scriptural foundation you need before checking in with your social media platforms.
  • 3 Decisions to Make TODAY to Protect Your Mental Health When Engaging with Social Media – Having a more positive experience with your social media platforms can be as easy as 1-2-3. These three simple tips, when implemented consistently, will help keep social media in its place…and move you closer to God.
  • The Age of Narcissism – Narcissism, a personality trait that we all possess to a certain degree, has become a major problem. Not just because we’re obsessed with selfies and making sure we look—or at least appear¬¬ to look—good, happy, successful. But because the focus is on self and not God. Take this seven-day journey to putting God—and not you—at the center of your life.

 

Make It the Best Year

Everybody wants this to be the best year of their life—who wouldn’t?! But making this year better than the others means making some adjustments—changes. This 21-day devotional is the jump-start you need to do just that. Filled with scriptures, insight, and encouragement, Pastor Rob walks with you on this daily journey. Don’t wait until next New Year’s Day, make this the best year of your life…starting today!

The First Three Chapters

Why wait until the book is released to start reading it? With your pre-order, you will receive the first three chapters immediately, so you can begin reading it right away. Pastor Rob sets lays the groundwork for all that he will be sharing, and you will get to start on his end-of-chapter “Change of Heart” exercises.

Out of Egypt Devotional

In this 6-day devotional, Pastor Rob will walk you through Scripture, much like the Israelites following God out of Egypt, and show you that God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary and how to discern the truth over all the noise. You can also join the private Out of Egypt Facebook Group where you can connect with Pastor Rob and others in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Social Media First Aid Kit

Every home, office, store, church, and public gathering place has a first aid kit. Something to help patch up those bumps and scrapes we get from time to time. So it seems only appropriate that we treat the bumps and scrapes we sometimes get from social media. In Pastor Rob’s Social Media First Aid Kit, you will find valuable tools to not only treat the wound but to also prevent the wounds from coming in the first place.

Included in the kit you’ll find:

  • 5 Bible Verses to Look at Before Engaging Social Media Today – Get the Scriptural foundation you need before checking in with your social media platforms.
  • 3 Decisions to Make TODAY to Protect Your Mental Health When Engaging with Social Media – Having a more positive experience with your social media platforms can be as easy as 1-2-3. These three simple tips, when implemented consistently, will help keep social media in its place…and move you closer to God.
  • The Age of Narcissism – Narcissism, a personality trait that we all possess to a certain degree, has become a major problem. Not just because we’re obsessed with selfies and making sure we look—or at least appear¬¬ to look—good, happy, successful. But because the focus is on self and not God. Take this seven-day journey to putting God—and not you—at the center of your life.

 

The First Three Chapters

Why wait until the book is released to start reading it? With your pre-order, you will receive the first three chapters immediately, so you can begin reading it right away. Pastor Rob sets lays the groundwork for all that he will be sharing, and you will get to start on his end-of-chapter “Change of Heart” exercises.

 

Out of Egypt Devotional

In this 6-day devotional, Pastor Rob will walk you through Scripture, much like the Israelites following God out of Egypt, and show you that God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary and how to discern the truth over all the noise. You can also join the private Out of Egypt Facebook Group where you can connect with Pastor Rob and others in a supportive and encouraging environment.

 

Social Media First Aid Kit

Every home, office, store, church, and public gathering place has a first aid kit. Something to help patch up those bumps and scrapes we get from time to time. So it seems only appropriate that we treat the bumps and scrapes we sometimes get from social media. In Pastor Rob’s Social Media First Aid Kit, you will find valuable tools to not only treat the wound but to also prevent the wounds from coming in the first place.

 

Included in the kit you’ll find:

  • 5 Bible Verses to Look at Before Engaging Social Media Today – Get the Scriptural foundation you need before checking in with your social media platforms.
  • 3 Decisions to Make TODAY to Protect Your Mental Health When Engaging with Social Media – Having a more positive experience with your social media platforms can be as easy as 1-2-3. These three simple tips, when implemented consistently, will help keep social media in its place…and move you closer to God.
  • The Age of Narcissism – Narcissism, a personality trait that we all possess to a certain degree, has become a major problem. Not just because we’re obsessed with selfies and making sure we look—or at least appear¬¬ to look—good, happy, successful. But because the focus is on self and not God. Take this seven-day journey to putting God—and not you—at the center of your life.

 

Make It the Best Year Devotional 

Everybody wants this to be the best year of their life—who wouldn’t?! But making this year better than the others means making some adjustments—changes. This 21-day devotional is the jump-start you need to do just that. Filled with scriptures, insight, and encouragement, Pastor Rob walks with you on this daily journey. Don’t wait until next New Year’s Day, make this the best year of your life…starting today!

 

Exclusive Private Virtual Event – “Narcissism and Breaking Its Hold”

Narcissism is at an all-time high. And it’s not just because we’ve become a society obsessed with how we look and making sure we’re #1. It’s because we’ve put ourselves at the center of our lives instead of God. Join Pastor Rob in this 45-minute private event, where he will discuss the challenges facing society today and how we can make powerful changes in our lives to break the self-centered hold and embrace a God-centered life.

The First Three Chapters 

Why wait until the book is released to start reading it? With your pre-order, you will receive the first three chapters immediately, so you can begin reading it right away. Pastor Rob sets lays the groundwork for all that he will be sharing, and you will get to start on his end-of-chapter “Change of Heart” exercises.

 

Out of Egypt Devotional

In this 6-day devotional, Pastor Rob will walk you through Scripture, much like the Israelites following God out of Egypt, and show you that God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary and how to discern the truth over all the noise. You can also join the private Out of Egypt Facebook Group where you can connect with Pastor Rob and others in a supportive and encouraging environment.

 

Social Media First Aid Kit

Every home, office, store, church, and public gathering place has a first aid kit. Something to help patch up those bumps and scrapes we get from time to time. So it seems only appropriate that we treat the bumps and scrapes we sometimes get from social media. In Pastor Rob’s Social Media First Aid Kit, you will find valuable tools to not only treat the wound but to also prevent the wounds from coming in the first place.

 

Included in the kit you’ll find:

  • 5 Bible Verses to Look at Before Engaging Social Media Today – Get the Scriptural foundation you need before checking in with your social media platforms.
  • 3 Decisions to Make TODAY to Protect Your Mental Health When Engaging with Social Media – Having a more positive experience with your social media platforms can be as easy as 1-2-3. These three simple tips, when implemented consistently, will help keep social media in its place…and move you closer to God.
  • The Age of Narcissism – Narcissism, a personality trait that we all possess to a certain degree, has become a major problem. Not just because we’re obsessed with selfies and making sure we look—or at least appear¬¬ to look—good, happy, successful. But because the focus is on self and not God. Take this seven-day journey to putting God—and not you—at the center of your life.


Make It the Best Year Devotional

Everybody wants this to be the best year of their life—who wouldn’t?! But making this year better than the others means making some adjustments—changes. This 21-day devotional is the jump-start you need to do just that. Filled with scriptures, insight, and encouragement, Pastor Rob walks with you on this daily journey. Don’t wait until next New Year’s Day, make this the best year of your life…starting today!

 

Exclusive Private Virtual Event – “Narcissism and Breaking Its Hold”

Narcissism is at an all-time high. And it’s not just because we’ve become a society obsessed with how we look and making sure we’re #1. It’s because we’ve put ourselves at the center of our lives instead of God. Join Pastor Rob in this 45-minute private event, where he will discuss the challenges facing society today and how we can make powerful changes in our lives to break the self-centered hold and embrace a God-centered life.

 

Exclusive Live Webinar – “How to Help Your Teen Break Free of Social Media Addiction”

While it might not (yet) be considered a clinical addition, many in society can’t go 5 minutes without checking their phone to see how many likes they have for their latest post, or how many comments people have left. And our teens are especially susceptible. After all, they’ve been all but raised with a device in their hands. How do we help this next generation deal with the debilitating side effects social media can have on us? In this 90-minute webinar, Pastor Rob will discuss the issue and provide practical ways we can help our teens navigate these formative years in a positive way. There will also be a live Q & A session at the end. (A link to the recorded webinar will be provided after the live event.)

Overliked by Rob Singleton is a tome for such a time as this. Even though I work on television, I also make a living through social media. Coincidently, right before I started reading the pre-release copy, I had checked my "Likes'" and numbers on social media! How was I doing? Were my numbers growing? Declining? Did a few drop off?  
 
It's so easy to get our self-esteem and self-worth tied to those likes and numbers.  
 
Through Pastor Rob's book, we learn how frivolous and fake it can all be and ultimately, how it can lead to a miserable and unfulfilled life if left unchecked. The tools, scriptures, and "change of heart" takeaways that Pastor Rob provides at the end of each chapter help considerably shift the focus from there…to in here. He gently, but with statistics and examples, gives us a guide us to live a more authentic life.  
 
In the book, Pastor Rob says, "Honesty is what sets us up for authentic relationships," and isn't that what we really all want? 
 
As a woman over 40 in Hollywood, the expectations have never been higher. Overliked sites that, in one 12-month period, YouTube logged 169 billion views just for beauty-related content. Beauty is good… perfection is lethal. And don't I know it? I am on high-definition TV with glaring set lights, standing next to 20- to 30-year old young women daily; it's a test to stay solid and secure in your own skin.  
 
I was posting perfectly lit and curated pictures of my "Beautiful" (heavily filtered) life; people followed and viewed but scrolled right along. However, when I let down the curtain, turned off the filter, and decided to share my real-life sorrows and struggles with cancer, the comments, words, notes, and numbers flooded. People want to see my honesty and weaknesses because they can relate.  
 
Overliked shows us that when we pretend to be perfect, the only person we are hurting is ourselves.  
 
Pastor Rob's easy and relatable storytelling draws the reader in. We find that our weaknesses become our strengths to help us touch, encourage, and heal others, not just impress them.  
 
Thank you for this very needed and essential book that helps us realize that being real is the only way to have a true connection with our Lord and our friends and family. 
 
In Overliked, through story references of David, we learn the Lord encourages us all to ignore appearance and stature. "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
 
This book is an important message for developing authenticity in our lives, which is far more critical than adding strangers, getting fake followers, and creating a heavily-filtered life experience. I promise you will really "LIKE" it.