The Golden Lightning Bolts: The World's First Official Organized Alliance of Christian Superheroes!

By Jarrod Dixon

In 1978, the Shaw Brothers Studio introduced to the world the legendary Five Deadly Venoms. In 1993, Haim Saban and Saban Entertainment introduced to us the trailblazing Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. In 2012, Stan Lee and Marvel Studios introduced to Planet Earth the Avengers. And today, in 2018, Jarrod D. Dixon, a prolific soul-winning preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ for nearly two decades and certified Christian Counselor, introduces you to his Holy Spirit""inspired reflective creation, for such a time as this. So, ladies and gentlemen and boys and girls, meet . . . The Golden Lightning Bolts! (A cinematic surprise; an exhilarating Motion Picture-ready book-to-film accomplishment.) A proven anointed storyteller and thought-revolutionizing philosopher with an accredited College Degree in Ministry of Christian Psychology (Scriptural-based Counseling), Minister Dixon is a National Award-Winning Published Poet and Author of the groundbreaking, global-selling Inspirational/ Self Improvement 7-Part Series- The Traveler's Touch Saga. He is also an aspiring Screenwriter and Film Producer who is currently planning to make his latest and eighth book project, which you are about to experience, a Motion Picture in the near future, as his "...gift opens doors for him, bringing him access to important people." (Proverbs 18:16, International Standard Version Bible.) But until then, welcome to the ingenious imagination of Jarrod D. Dixon, and enjoy this Contemporary Inspirational Illustrated Story about the World's first official organized alliance of Christian Superheroes- The Golden Lightning Bolts! Ahhhh yeaaaah. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER WORKS than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father." -St. John 14:12, KJV

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781643499130

Book preview

1

You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.

—Desmond Tutu

Question: What if some people were not what you thought they were? Ponder on that thought.

A mask of gold hides all deformities.

—Thomas Dekker

Denard reaches down to the picnic table and picks up his large red picnic cup, which is filled to the rim with pink lemonade. He takes a big gulp and then says, Ahhhh! This stuff is delicious!

The date is Thursday, July 4, 2024. The time is 4:31 p.m., Pacific Time. The place is Beverly Hills, California. There is a fabulous cookout taking place underneath a huge, elegant sheer white Palm Springs wedding party tent with a canopy. Several red, white, and blue helium-filled balloons are taped in specific spread-out spots on the exterior of this magnificent tent, which is standing a reasonable distance away from the patio of a fantabulous mansion. The homeowners of this royal palace-like mansion are Mr. Elijah and Mrs. Blue Banks. The atmosphere is simply celebratory. And speaking of atmospheres, the arousing aroma of grilled rib eye steaks, filet mignon, lamb chops, salmon, swordfish, and duck breasts have totally hijacked the atmosphere above the backyard. And speaking of backyards, the Banks’s Independence Day–decorated twenty-acre backyard is a bountiful beautiful sight to behold! One could easily picture this scene on Robin Leach’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Word up.

The lively crowd is small, really more like a group—a group consisting of five adult couples, including the Banks, in their midthirties. And speaking of groups, this group is really more like a family—a family of Christian superheroes! Yes, dear reader. That’s right. A family of Christian superheroes is celebrating the Fourth of July together at a festive private cookout, full of fun and fellowship, full of laughter and lounging, in the backyard of a modern-day castle in the middle of forty acres of gorgeous emerald-green professionally landscaped real estate. And to top it all off, the old school R & B classic hit Family Reunion by the Original O’Jays is blasting through a pair of tall outdoor-event DJ speakers, which are each methodically angled at a corner of the edge of the outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi patio area. Ahhhh yeah. This is a fantabulous Fourth of July family reunion indeed!

As Eddie Levert’s melodious velvet voice is effortlessly poured onto the timeless song’s undeniably soulful groove, like some zesty room-temperature Thousand Island salad dressing, which has the perfectly blended flavors of tangy, spicy, and mildly sweet, casually cascading all over a refrigerated fresh and scrumptious chef salad, each of them, at this time, on this particular song, are outside the tent and underneath the glistening, glorious late-afternoon world-famous LA sunshine, the five opposite sex–couples—everyone wearing all white After Six attire—are dancing with their significant other; they’re laughing, flirting, and smiling.

Determination, who is the eye-popping spitting-image of Michael B. Jordan, is twirling Enlightenment, the jaw-dropping mirror reflection of Beyoncé, who is carrying their sleeping toddler, Sky, over her left shoulder, by her right hand. Success, who is the head-turning mirror reflection of Corey Hawkins, is twirling Self-Worth, the eye-catching spitting image of Sanaa Lathan, by her right hand. Double, who is the jaw-dropping mirror reflection of Nate Parker, is twirling Virtuous, the head-turning spitting image of La Insuperable, by her right hand. Overcomer, who is the eye-popping spitting image of Mike Colter, is twirling Redemption, the jaw-dropping mirror reflection of Meagan Good, by her right hand. And right next to the blissful honeymooners, Miracles, the head-turning mirror image of O’Shea Jackson Jr., is twirling his heavenly significant other, Self-Respect, the eye-catching spitting image of Lauren London, by her right hand . . . miraculously!

Sing that song, Eddie. Sing that song, brother.

I wish grandma could see

The whole family

I sure miss her face

And her warm and tender embrace

And if grandpa was here

I know he’d be smiling for me a tear

To see what he has done

All the offsprings from his daughters and sons

Family reunion (Got to have)

A family reunion

Family reunion

(It’s so nice to come together) To come together

(To get together)

(The Original O’Jays, Family Reunion)

Brings back memories, doesn’t it, dear reader? The Original O'Jays. Ahhhh yeaaaah. Gonna have . . . a family reunion.

Now if you are a natural-born skeptic, I understand, and I am not the least bit offended if your verbal response to all of what you have read thus far is, "Saaay what? A so-called family of Christian superheroes is celebrating the Fourth of July together at a festive private cookout, in the backyard of a royal palace-like mansion, in the middle of forty acres, in Beverly Hills? Really, author? Recovering alcoholic superheroes . . . maybe. Rehabilitated ex-convict superheroes . . . maybe. But a so-called family of Christian superheroes? Yeah, right. Excuse my French, but that’s bull (bleep)! Christian superheroes. Come on, man. Anyone with an IQ of 60 would even agree that is rhetorical redundancy and redundant rhetoric. Christian superheroes. Wow. Hahahaha. But hold up. I beg to differ. Well, I can show you better than I can tell you, so just continue reading this illustrated story. Notice, I did not say fiction." You see, dear reader, there is a method to my madness. Hahahaha.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself (Joseph Campbell, Mythologist).

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles (Christopher Reeve, Superman).

The only difference between a hero and the villain is that the villain chooses to use that power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people (Chadwick Boseman, The Black Panther).

And speaking of superheroes, now that I have your attention . . . let’s boogie.

Twelve Months Earlier

Flashback begins . . .

Denard reaches down to the picnic table and picks up his large red picnic cup, which is filled to the rim with pink lemonade. He takes a big gulp and then says, Ahhhh! This stuff is delicious!

The date is Tuesday July 4, 2023. The time is 4:31 p.m., Eastern Time. The place is Staten Island, New York City, New York. There is a fabulous cookout taking place underneath a huge, elegant sheer white Palm Springs wedding party tent with a canopy. Several red, white, and blue helium-filled balloons are taped in specific spread-out spots on the exterior of this magnificent tent, which is standing a reasonable distance away from the patio of a fantabulous mansion. The homeowners of this royal palace-like mansion are Mr. Denard and Mrs. Destiny Jiwann. This is a private affair . . . for VIPs, and the VIP guest list is short—very short. And speaking of the invited VIPs, howbeit despite their usual all white After Six attire, it is nonetheless quite difficult for one to tell they are indeed very important persons based on the footloose, no-holds-barred manner in which they are currently behaving. And speaking of footloose, All I Do by Stevie Wonder is blasting through a pair of tall outdoor-event DJ speakers, which are each methodically angled at a corner of the edge of the outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi patio area. Needless to say, at this time, on this particular song, outside the tent, this small group of ten silly-acting VIPs has unshackled their feet and are all shamelessly, unapologetically getting down, doing the Electric Slide! Ahhhh yeah. Stepping and sliding and sliding and stepping!

Denard is stepping-and-sliding in unison right next to his pregnant wife Destiny. Darius is stepping-and-sliding in unison right next to his sweetheart Thundalisa. Keir is stepping-and-sliding in unison right next to his sweetie