Escaping the Vampire: Desperate for the Immortal Hero – Book Summary
Escaping the Vampire: Desperate for the Immortal Hero
By: Kimberly Powers / Summary by: Stacey Tuttle
Note: Check out additional resources on the Twilight Series – click here.
About three things you can be absolutely positive: First, every girl longs to be loved with a vast and endless passion. Second, there is a fiercely protective Immortal Hero who longs for your heart. And third, He loves you with an unconditional and irrevocable love.[1]PREFACE:
“If you knew there was a true hero…wouldn’t you want him to desperately search for and rescue you?”[2] Kimberly Powers asks. She hopes through the book to introduce the reader to the true rescuer / hero who offers “belonging, mystery, love, excitement and adventure—all the things we are desperate to find.”[3]
PART 1: ILLUSION SHATTERED
CHAPTER 1: ALLURE OF DARKNESS
Vampire mythology is nothing new; it can be traced back to ancient cultures such as Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Ancient Greeks and Romans. The idea of morally upright vampires, though, has only been around for about fifty years. This explains how an evil vampire can become a romantic hero: “the promise of excitement and the allure of danger…[with the] chance for redemption… What could be more impossible—or irresistible—than a devastatingly handsome, reformed vampire?”
Powers looks at some of Edward’s positive characteristics (trust, protection, selflessness, choice, discipline, restraint, vulnerability, sacrifice, love…and the inevitable excitement that comes from being with a vampire) and understands why he is so alluring to girls of all ages. Adding to the allure of vampires, in our culture vampires have become “the new rock stars. They are the bad boys your parents don’t want you to date.”[4]
Powers then turn the tables and the readers, “Who is your true hero?”[5] Who provides those things that they love about Edward, for them? She shows them how a relationship with Christ should fulfill those things that draw fans to Edward such as excitement, mystery, security, consuming love.
CHAPTER 2: CHARMED IN THE GARDEN
Beginning with the Garden of Eden, Satan has been the enemy of mankind. Powers calls Satan the Ultimate Vampire and points out some similarities between Satan and James, the tracker vampire from Twilight.
- Can appear beautiful and pleasant but is in reality devious, tricky, out for blood and destruction and in actuality represents death
- Tracks his prey relentlessly
- World’s most dangerous predator
- Everything about him (vampire and Satan) invites you (mankind) in
- The worst kind of liar
- Plans to trap victims and suck the life from them (for Satan it’s to “suck the lifeblood of a vibrant life and a close relationship with Christ”[6])
Not only is there an Ultimate Vampire in the world, but there is also an Ultimate Hero—someone who loves the unlovable, offers strength to the weak, saves the day, saves lives (even if it means giving up his own), is wise, handsome, brave…Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER 3: POISON IN THE BIBLE
Just as catching Bella was an intriguing game to James, catching our affections, our heart, finding our weaknesses and figuring out how to lure us into his snare holds the same intriguing challenge for Satan. Just as James lied and used Bella’s concern for her mother to trap her, Satan lies and uses our weaknesses to trap us, specifically targeting our emotions so we feel incapable, insecure and desperate. Satan’s plan works like this:
- The Struggle: I buy into the lie (‘venom’) that brings paralysis and destruction.
- The Substitute: I compromise and accept the intriguing enticements offered to ease the pain
- The Serum: I receive the truth of God’s Word[7]
Top Lies of the Ultimate Vampire that Powers comes across when working with young girls:
- I am not beautiful. (Bella struggles with this – no matter Edward’s praises, she still can’t believe he finds her beautiful and on her wedding day, she is still comparing herself to Rosalie.) God rescues you from this lie saying: You are beautiful, Ps. 45:11.
- I have to prove my love in order to be loved. (Rescue: I Cor 6:18-20)
- I am worthless. (Rescue: Zeph. 3:17)
- No one will love me just for who I am. (Rescue: Jer. 29:11, Rom. 8:37-39)
- I’m not good enough. (Rescue: 2 Cor. 10:12,18)
Practical steps to take to escape the lies of the Ultimate Vampire:
- Expose the Vampire’s Lies
- State God’s Truth
- Choose to Walk in His Truth
Remember, you aren’t fighting the Ultimate Vampire alone; the Holy Spirit is with you.
CHAPTER 4: IN NEED OF A HERO
Bella’s painful lack of a relationship with her dad mirrors the relationship many girls have with their fathers. When Bella needed her dad the most, he was powerless to save her. The Ultimate Vampire wants to make all girls feel this way about their dad, but there is a Father who never disappoints and who is mighty to save: God.
PART 2: SOUL REDEEMED
CHAPTER 5: DESPERATE FOR FORGIVENESS
Many girls love Twilight because they long for what Bella has with Edward: connection, acceptance, love and a hero. But the Ultimate Vampire flaunts their flaws, emptiness, faults and sins in their faces, telling them that they don’t deserve it. The good news is that there really is an Immortal Hero who longs to rescue us, forgive us, love us. Powers encourages girls to write out their “yuck” – all the things they don’t like about themselves (all the things the Ultimate Vampires keeps haunting them with) and give it to God in prayer asking for forgiveness and/or healing. She uses the story of Rahab as encouragement that, even in the midst of a sinful life, God chose her and used her mightily. Girls can find what Bella found with Edward…only they can have it a million times better with Jesus.
CHAPTER 6: RESCUED BY LOVE
One of the Ultimate Vampire’s most prevalent and effective lies is that you are not worthy of God’s (The Immortal Hero’s) attention or love—you’re not worthy of rescue. Satan rejoices when you feel unaccepted and unlovable. This is one of the reasons fans love Edward so much – he’s good looking, attentive, protective and “so into Bella”[8]…and he is “sacrificial”, resisting his lust for her blood. But Powers suggests that Edward is only the illusion of a hero and that there is someone who is much greater, more heroic, more in love with you and more sacrificial—to the point of sacrificing his own life for you. “God created you with a desire to be pursued with a pure and passionate love.”[9] And then He wants to fulfill that desire. “God’s love for you is the purest rescue story because it does not contain a hint of selfishness.”[10] God’s rescue and his love is there for you, you have only to pray and accept it.
CHAPTER 7: FLIRTING WITH SHADOWS
“The Vampire’s only desire is to assault”[11] you and one of the ways he does that is by haunting you with your past, by filling you with shame; but the Immortal Hero desires your freedom, from your past, from shame, from guilt, from sin. When the Vampire throws shame at you, you have a choice to let it paralyze you or to let it push you toward God. Once you’ve asked God for His help and received His forgiveness, Powers says it’s important to “begin the process of breaking away from things that pull you back down. Whether it’s a guy, a habit or a thought pattern, breaking away from sin and staying free of it is the hardest part of all.”[12] But, it is worth it (Romans 6:12-14, Hebrews 12:1-3, I John 1:9) and Christ equips us with everything we need in order to do it (Ephesians 6:10-20).
CHAPTER 8: ILLUMINATED WITHIN
Powers says that “we’re caught between a desire for life that is lit up, godly, whole, and clean, and a desire to stay trapped in the darkness that has become so familiar.”[13] To live in the light means we are exposed, faults, flaws and all, without the cloak (or darkness) we are so used to hiding our messy selves behind. (Note the similarity to the vampires in Twilight who avoided the light because it exposed who they were.) But, the exposure is worth it because “the light of Christ illuminates the darkness—removes fear and the unknown, replaces it with peace and life-giving direction.”[14]
PART 3: MYSTERY EMBRACED
CHAPTER 9: LIVING BRAVE AND BEAUTIFUL
Powers recounts the story of Ruth, widowed, childless, a foreigner and yet God had incredible blessings and a beautiful future in store for her. She encourages readers that “living beautifully means moving from doubt and fear to discovering who you were designed to be-and then living that life without hesitation.”[15] God plans for us to be” beautifully strong—strong in heart, strong in purpose, and strong in person,”[16] and it is his love which strengthens us.
CHAPTER 10: UNDYING LOVE
“Each of us is searching for a hero who is eternally attracted to, fiercely protective of, and passionately committed to us”[17] and Christ is the only one who can provide this kind of love for us, and yet often we keep searching.
Powers describes C.S. Lewis’ four categories of love: affection, friendship, eros and charity. Charity or Agape is unconditional love which doesn’t depend on anything worthy or lovable in the person being loved. It is the love we all most long for. It is God’s love. We can only find it in Him and we can only extend it to each other if we first receive it from Him. In I Corinthians 13 God shows us what love is supposed to look like.
CHAPTER 11: YOUR PLACE IN THE STORY
We all have a longing to belong to something bigger, for our lives to count for something, to have a significant part in the epic story. The good news is, there is an epic story going on, a love story, and there is a key role that you are designed to play.
- Get to know Him: The greatest story of all involves a Hero who loves beyond all limits. Edward pursued Bella, getting to know her likes, dislikes, details about her, etc. Christ already understands you and knows you and he too longs to have you share your thoughts with Him.
- Knowing His Voice: The greatest story of all involves a Hero who gives His heart. He is always listening.
- Trust His Lead: The greatest story of all involves a Hero who asks you to trust Him completely.
- Enter the Rescuer: The greatest story of all involves a Hero who offers pure rescue. Whether you feel abandoned, misunderstood, unheard, burdened for someone else, unappreciated or forsaken, Jesus is there to meet your hearts deepest needs.
- A Heart Like His: The greatest story of all involves a Hero who leads you on a path of righteousness for His name’s sake.
- Live Beyond Yourself: The greatest story of all involves a Hero who rescues you so that you can love like He loves. (Mother Theresa is an example.)
- Live Forward: The greatest story of all involves a Hero who redeems you so that you can step forward in power and purpose.
A LETTER TO MOMS AND MENTORS:
Powers encourages moms and mentors to get their own copy of this book, read and discuss with their teen. Let it help open up their heart and the struggles going on inside. She also offers downloadable material with talking points, creative ideas and key Scriptures to take you through themes of the book at both her Web site (www.wttym.org) and her publisher’s website (www.davidccook.com).
Also – check out Shepherd Project Ministry’s interview with Kimberly Powers here!
Don’t forget our additional Twilight Series resources – click here.
[1] Powers, Kimberly. Escaping the Vampire: Desperate for the Immortal Hero. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2009, 111.
[2] Ibid., 9.
[3] Ibid., 10.
[4] Ibid., 24.
[5] Ibid., 3
[6] Ibid., 36.
[7] Ibid., 48.
[8] Ibid., 104.
[9] Ibid., 104-105.
[10] Ibid., 105.
[11] Ibid., 115.
[12] Ibid., 121.
[13] Ibid., 134.
[14] Ibid., 128.
[15] Ibid., 148.
[16] Ibid., 149.
[17] Ibid., 155.