X-Series: Kadin (Forge)

This is part of an ongoing series in which I am honoring my family in my own nerdy way. You can read the introduction for context. The information in each post was originally shared on Thanksgiving at the Tribal DMx 2020. The shadowboxes and art were done by Tom and Clayton at The Collector’s Outpost. Thank you Tom and Clayton! Thanks even more to Karen, Dakota, Kadin and Kasey who have fulled my life with love, joy, peace, adventure, fun and so much more.

To my son Kadin –

Here is a quote from Forge, your chosen X-Men team member.

“My power is in my mind. Deep inside. That is where I live. That is where I get to be a super hero… They don’t understand what they don’t see… But I see. I see it all. I see things before they are real. It always starts with a problem. An impractical, unattainable, unworkable problem that needs to be solved. Then… I solve it. I work it. I attain it. I move and shift and reshape. Make something out of nothing. I prepare my unfeasible solutions for birth. And when they’ve incubated and grown and developed, I bring them into the world. I am a midwife of the impossible. I am Forge. I make the impossible real.”

Kadin, from the time you were a tiny tot, you have always lived in the  fused world of reality and your imagination.  You have used the wonderful brain the Lord has given you to do the most amazing things.  It has been an incredible joy for your mother and I, and so many others, to watch the creations that are constantly birthed in your mind.  It is a perfect fit that Forge is Your X-Men counterpart.  Here are some ways that you and he are alike.

• The Marvel Database says this about Forge: Forge possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in moderate regular exercise.  That’s totally you!  On a serious note, you have dedicated yourself to Cross Country and Track, and more than most people I know, you did everything you could to master your body to run as fast and as far as possible.  When your coach or I told you to do something, you just did it.  You drank no liquids aside from water for months.  You avoided sugar and junk food.  You worked your core to amazing results.  You took your role as a runner and changed your lifestyle to give yourself the best advantage you could get.  Your discipline and drive are amazing.  You made many personal sacrifices for your goals and for your team.
• Forge has superhuman intuitive talent for inventing mechanical devices. His mutant ability functions as perception, as he possesses the ability to visually perceive “mechanical energy” (the kinetic energy and potential energy present in the components of mechanical systems) in action.  Forge’s superhuman talent does not mean that he is a greater inventor than geniuses such as Reed Richards, Victor von Doom, or Tony Stark, none of whom owe their talent for invention to mutation. But even a genius at invention must, for the most part, consciously work out the theoretical principles behind the invention and then design the invention itself through a series of logical steps. In Forge’s case, however, many of these logical steps would be worked out by his subconscious mind.  Richards, Stark and Doom all have to think through their inventions where as Forge just intuitively “sees” his inventions with very little effort compared to these other Marvel geniuses.  Kadin, that is like you in so many ways!  When you were four you helped grandpa Coddington take a propeller off a boat.  You asked him if you could make something like a clock out of it.  At four years old you saw a potential creation in something that anyone else would have throw away.  You have done that over and over and over in life.  From building a forge yourself to school projects to making knives…the list goes on and on.  God has given you this incredible talent and mind and you, like Forge, but even more like God, are a phenomenal creator.  While God can’t be competed with as Creator, He has embed you with a very special gift.  Your mother and I are grateful that we get to watch you grow in your God-given creativity.
• Interesting fact about Forge: He left the X-Men because he needed time off so he started working with Dazzler as her stage manager/set designer.  Dazzler, being your sister Kasey’s X-Men character, makes this an interesting detail.  Over the years you have helped you sister with so many creative projects, speeches and just regular homework.  You are like peas in a pod and what a joy it is to see you and Kasey doing things together.
• Most recently in the comics, the mutants of Earth moved to an island named Krokoa.  There, Forge helped create a protocol and machinery that allows any mutant that dies to be resurrected. While it’s just a story, it really reflects the most import way you are like Forge.  We have had a front row seat to all the ways you have used your genius, creative mind to move people forward in the Kingdom.  Munyoki shared publicly before we left SoCal that when they put you, just a student, in charge of Sunday Morning interactions, in completely change the tone and culture of the group in the church. The group grew and was excited to be in service because of the creativity and originality you used to draw the group in.  Many students have heard the gospel and grown spiritually due to your hard work and dedication to quality and creativity.

Kadin we cannot wait to see what God does through you as you get formal education in engineering AND work with Resonate Church.  It’s gonna be awesome!