Retro Attraction Posters...

...for Disney's California Adventure. (OK, I want to make a collage of these for my office wall.)

from the Disney Parks blog

The Rapture is Coming?!

The billboards have been around for a while - but the non-stop media coverage as the (supposed) impending date for The Rapture approaches has made Harold Camping (and his Family Radio "ministry") impossible to ignore.

Let me start with a couple of quick statements in case you don't want to read the whole article (and I know that there are some of you out there):

1. He's wrong. (Seriously, the guy is more than a couple of bricks short of a full load, theologically speaking.)
2. However the world ends, it won't be on a timetable that we can consult.

With those things out of the way, I want to suggest that those of you who are interested in a detailed look at Harold Camping, his heretical (meaning unbiblical) teachings & his predictions can check out Alpha & Omega Ministries excellent collection of links & resources on the subject.

Harold Camping has done this before, by the way... back in 1994, he predicted that the Rapture would occur in, well, 1994. Since it didn't, he monkeyed with his theology to come up with the May 21, 2011 date - based primarily on interpreting the Bible as one giant allegorical puzzle.

I don't want to get into the details of Camping's prediction - they're the usual mess of numerology, Scripture-twisting & outright nonsense. (And, if you're so inclined, the website referenced above can break it down for you.) Nor do I want to deal (right now) with his other heretical teachings: the rejection of the church, the Trinity & the reality of hell.

Instead, I'll like to excerpt a bit from an excellent article by Dr. David Reagan on the Lamb & Lion Ministries website entitled "Harold Camping: The Madness of Date-Setting."

The Ultimate Challenge

All date-setters have to deal with Matthew 24:36 where Jesus, speaking of His return, said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."

Camping dismisses this statement as being no longer true. He says it all changed in September of 1994 when the Holy Spirit began to be poured out and new revelations concerning the end times began to be given to true believers. He argues this is in fulfillment of a promise given in Ecclesiastes 8:5 where it states that "a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure."

Once again, Camping just fishes around for some words to substantiate an unrelated point. Ecclesiastes 8:5 is specifically talking about being obedient to political leaders. It says that a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure to obey a royal command. The fact that it is so specific is the reason that Camping only quotes the last half of the verse.

Camping also quotes Daniel 12:4 & 9. These verses state that certain end time prophecies will not be understood until the time comes for them to be fulfilled. This is certainly true with regard to prophecies that depend upon historical developments (like the re-establishment of Israel). The verses also relate to prophecies that rely on modern technology (like the whole world looking upon the dead bodies of the two witnesses in Jerusalem). But these verses certainly do not apply to Jesus' statement in Matthew 24:36 where He stated without reservation that no one can know the date of His return.

Camping also points to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 which says that the Lord will return "like a thief in the night," but not as such for "brethren" who are "sons of light and sons of day." Camping argues that these verses mean that true believers can know the date of the Lord's return. But that is not the meaning of this passage. Instead, it simply means that believers can know the season of the Lord's return (and not the date) because we have been given signs to watch for.

Camping is not the first to play this number/Scripture manipulation game - I remember well Edgar Whisenant & his book "88 Reasons the Rapture Will Occur in 1988." (I worked at a Christian bookstore that year & we actually got cussed out by a lady who was angry that we weren't carrying the book - she accused my manager of "having the blood of the unsaved on his hands" for not warning them about the Rapture... that never happened.) For another perspective on this year from an author I respect, read Jason Boyett's op-ed piece in the Washington Post, "Harold Camping & the apocalypse of my youth."

Sadly, he won't be the last. We want so badly to know what's going to happen - to feel like we have a handle on things & events. What we really want (if we're wise enough & honest enough to admit to ourselves) is to "be like God." The quote, btw, is from the advice of a certain silver-tongued serpent in Genesis 3:4-5... and we all remember how well that turned out.

Twitterpated

This is the throwaway sentence & graphic acknowledging my title-checking a Disney classic with an extraordinarily weak pun. You may now continue reading the actual blog post.

A good friend of mine (hi, Stephen "Want a Blizzard, Loser?" Weaver) asked me yesterday:

Would Jesus have used social media... twitter, facebook, and other... is there any biblical principle that gives us a hint? other than the obvious low-hanging fruit of twitter being based on following?

I thought my answer might be of interest to a couple of you... of course, I took the opportunity to clean up my dashed-off response and make it sound more erudite before releasing it into the wild.

Would Jesus have used social media? Hmm... maybe that's not the best way to ask the question. (It's kind of like asking "would Jesus have bombed Hiroshima?" - it's not an option He had living in 1st century Palestine and trying to answer the question is simply an adventure in speculation.)

How about this instead:

Q: In light of Paul's clear Biblical admonition in 1 Corinthians 9:22 to "become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some," what are some reasons we SHOULDN'T use social media to spread the good news of Jesus Christ?

A: I can think of three pretty quickly...

1. addiction - some people are unable to use social media without it consuming their "real" lives... that could be as obvious as the temptation of porn or as subtle as the gnawing suck of time spent hidden behind a computer screen
2. wrong context - if the community you're trying to reach isn't using it, don't waste your time... though this is becoming less & less of an issue as more & more well-seasoned adults (isn't that PC?) are using Facebook & Skype to connect with distant family members & friends
3. cool factor - using social media (whatever site is the "cutting edge" this week) BECAUSE it's the hip new thing is oopidstay... use it because it helps you do what you're called to do - "cool" is such a fleeting & elusive thing to be chasing

Otherwise, Paul has it right - use"all things" and "all means". The message of the Gospel is worth sharing!

Responding To the Death of Osama bin Laden

I really wanted to pull together a well-thought-out & theologically sound response to the death of Osama bin Laden... but frankly, it's too soon (just over 15 hours since I turned on the TV and saw the news) and I'd simply be pretending to wisdom rather than being wise.

I feel like I need to respond, however... the conversation (particularly in evangelical circles) has spun off in a wide variety of directions, including (sadly) a good bit of proof texting. (For those from outside the Bible bubble, "proof texting" is when you lift an isolated verse or verses from their original context in order to prove your point.)

So what follows is simply a dump of verses & quotes with my reactions... and I'll try & close with a couple of semi-original thoughts of my own.

Proverbs 24:17-18 (NIV)

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.

Proverbs 24:17 is a favorite of those who are appalled by the celebration at the death of bin Laden... though I haven't seen any of those folks reference the full couplet (vv. 17-18) which imply that the wrath of God is an implicit part of the fall of the enemy.

So, while I think people referencing this have a point (the drunken street parties over what amounts to an execution are hard to take), I believe that simply dropping 24:17 into a discussion as a theological bomb may not reflect the whole picture of Scripture.

Proverbs 24:15 (ESV)

When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

This is the proverb quoted by the "it's time to party" folks... and it seems a pretty clear support of what we want to hear. However, there are some Bible scholars who believe that the verse refers to right living and the recoil that sinners have from that choice. (I'm not agreeing with them, mind you - just pointing out an alternate opinion.)

Deuteronomy 16:20 (ESV)

Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

I think the middle way in this discussion is to focus on justice, as evidenced by a number of thoughtful Tweets last night:

• don't celebrate death, celebrate justice (derekwebb)
• I do not rejoice at the death of an enemy but I do rejoice when justice is done. Justice, and only justice. (russellpage)
• Friends, it's ok & good 2 celebrte justice. much diff than celebratng death. justice points 2 our hope that evil will NOT have the last word (ScottHodge)

A Few Random Thoughts From Me

• I wonder what Dietrich Bonhoeffer would have to say about this. (Couldn't find adequate material after a quick Internet search this morning - but in case you're unaware, he was a German pastor/theologian who was on the edges of the plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944.)
• I'm glad that we've brought someone to justice who financed & fought for the mass murder of not only Americans but citizens of the world (as evidenced by the embassy bombings in Africa).
• On a very pragmatic level, the operation that would have been necessary to capture bin Laden alive & then the resources needed to put him on trial would have been monstrous.
• I fear that we're going to see a lot of political hay-making off this over the next few weeks & months... already, individuals & organizations are rushing to interpret these events as either a validation of ongoing U.S. policy or as a repudiation of our failed policies. While I understand why someone might choose to do that, my base reaction is a hearty "Pipe down already!"
• In our debates involving Scripture, it's important to remember & reference Romans 13:1-5 & Acts 5:1-11 as well as the more commonly quoted O.T. passages.

Closing Thoughts (from other people)

• Let's pray together that Bin Laden's death is a blow to religious terrorism, not a fuel source. (JenHatmaker)
• Lord, may we see peace. May the world be more free so the gospel may be preached w/o restriction. Use this for your agenda." (edstetzer)

Five & Dime 2010: Peak Performance

I haven't posted this data before... but thought it might be interesting for those of you who've been following the Five & Dime Reports for a while.

The following list is the peaks for the top 50 games over the last 12 years... the highest percentage of people playing these games 5+ times. (Because of the incredibly small sample size of the first year, I excluded it from this list.)

Game	% Peak	Year
Puerto Rico	73.85%	2002
Ticket To Ride	73.64%	2004
Lost Cities	72.41%	1999
Dominion	69.82%	2009
Carcassonne	69.64%	2001
Settlers of Catan	61.11%	2000
Agricola	60.87%	2008
Race for the Galaxy	59.63%	2008
San Juan	59.09%	2004
Saint Petersburg	55.45%	2004
Mamma Mia!/Sole Mio	55.17%	1999
Pandemic	50.31%	2008
Attika	46.36%	2004
Liar's Dice/Bluff/Perudo	42.86%	2001
Battle Cry (AH)	41.67%	2000
Ra	41.67%	2000
Transamerica/europa	41.54%	2002
Samurai	41.38%	1999
Citadels/Ohne Furcht & Adel	38.89%	2000
Klunker	37.93%	1999
Union Pacific	37.93%	1999
Wyatt Earp	37.50%	2001
Thurn and Taxis	37.07%	2006
Crokinole	36.92%	2002
Coloretto	36.84%	2003
Can't Stop	36.11%	2000
Web of Power/China	36.11%	2000
Tikal	34.48%	1999
Balloon Cup	34.21%	2003
Power Grid/Funkenschlag	33.64%	2004
Euphrat & Tigris	33.33%	2000
10 Days/Europa Tour	31.58%	2003
Bargain Hunter/Schnäppchen Jagd	31.03%	1999
Loopin' Louie	31.03%	1999
Ricochet Robot(s)	31.03%	1999
Hey! That's My Fish/Pingvinas	31.03%	2006
Alhambra	30.91%	2004
For Sale	30.65%	2005
Princes of Florence	30.56%	2000
Schotten-Totten/Battleline	30.56%	2000
Ingenious/Einfach Genial	30.15%	2005
Goa	30.00%	2004
King's Breakfast	28.95%	2003
Diamant/Incan Gold	28.64%	2005
Circus Flohcati	27.78%	2000
Shadows Over Camelot	27.64%	2005
Ticket to Ride: Europe	27.64%	2005
Amun-Re	27.63%	2003
Apples to Apples	27.59%	1999
Bohnanza	27.59%	1999
Settlers of Catan Card Game	27.59%	1999

Five & Dime 2010: Nickels (29th-50th)

Since I'm posting the main results over at the Opinionated Gamers website this year, I thought I'd offer some extra-special goodies here on aka pastor guy... so, for those who are willing to follow the links, here's the next 25 games in the Nickels List! (There are some extras, since there was a tie for 50th.)

Coloretto	6.12%
Tobago	6.12%
Arkham Horror	5.88%
FITS	5.88%
Liar's Dice	5.65%
Dungeon Lords	5.65%
Fresco	5.41%
Hive	5.18%
Battle Line	5.18%
Space Alert	5.18%
Kingsburg	5.18%
Endeavor	5.18%
Power Grid	5.18%
Wits & Wagers/Family	4.94%
Saint Petersburg	4.94%
Sorry! Sliders	4.71%
6 Nimmt	4.71%
Glory to Rome	4.71%
TransAmerica	4.71%
Zooloretto	4.71%
Crokinole	4.47%
Innovation	4.47%
Galaxy Trucker	4.47%
Hey! That's My Fish!	4.47%
Parade	4.47%
Mr. Jack	4.47%

Five & Dime 2010: Dimes (27th-50th)

Since I'm posting the main results over at the Opinionated Gamers website this year, I thought I'd offer some extra-special goodies here on aka pastor guy... so, for those who are willing to follow the links, here's the next 25 games in the Dimes List! (There are some extras, since there was a tie for 50th.)

Werewolf	4.47%
Blokus	4.24%
Diamant	4.24%
Sorry! Sliders	4.24%
Loopin' Louie	4.00%
10 Days	4.00%
Dixit	3.76%
Hansa Teutonica	3.76%
Space Alert	3.76%
Bananagrams	3.76%
For Sale	3.29%
Macao	3.29%
Liar's Dice	3.29%
Thurn & Taxis	3.06%
Wits & Wagers/Family	3.06%
6 Nimmt	3.06%
Zombie Dice	3.06%
Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization	3.06%
Carabande	3.06%
Twilight Struggle	3.06%
Ghost Stories	3.06%
Kingsburg	2.82%
Vikings	2.82%
Battlestar Galactica	2.82%
Ticket to Ride: Europe	2.82%
Fluxx	2.82%

This Could Have Easily Come Out of My Mouth On a Sunday Morning

Read the entire quote from President Obama & watch the video on the GetReligion blog:

But then comes Holy Week. The triumph of Palm Sunday. The humility of Jesus washing the disciples' feet. His slow march up that hill, and the pain and the scorn and the shame of the cross.

And we're reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world -- past, present and future -- and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection.

In the words of the book Isaiah: 'But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.'

This magnificent grace, this expansive grace, this 'Amazing Grace' calls me to reflect. And it calls me to pray. It calls me to ask God for forgiveness for the times that I've not shown grace to others, those times that I've fallen short. It calls me to praise God for the gift of our son -- his Son and our Savior.

Five & Dime 2010: Most Played Games (26th-50th)

Since I'm posting the main results over at the Opinionated Gamers website this year, I thought I'd offer some extra-special goodies here on aka pastor guy... so, for those who are willing to follow the links, here's the next 25 games in the Most Played List!

Diamant	315	10.59%
For Sale	285	10.12%
Macao	280	9.88%
Sorry! Sliders	280	8.94%
Magic: the Gathering	280	7.53%
Space Alert	270	8.94%
Werewolf	270	8.24%
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer	270	7.29%
Thurn & Taxis	265	9.41%
Liar's Dice	260	8.94%
Bohnanza	255	9.41%
Memoir '44	255	7.06%
Le Havre	250	9.18%
Loopin' Louie	240	7.29%
San Juan	235	8.71%
Wits & Wagers/Family	235	8.00%
Kingsburg	230	8.00%
6 Nimmt	230	7.76%
Bananagrams	230	7.06%
10 Days	230	6.82%
Zombie Dice	220	7.29%
Arkham Horror	215	8.00%
Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization	215	7.06%
Endeavor	210	7.53%
Vikings	210	7.06%

Kid Game Review: Animal Upon Animal: Balancing Bridge

Animal Upon Animal: Balancing Bridge

• Designer: Klaus Miltenberger
• Publisher: Haba
• Players: 2-4
• Ages: 5+
• Playing Time: 15 minutes
• Review by Mark Jackson (6 plays w/a review copy provided by Haba USA)

Once upon a time, there was a yellow box filled with chunky wooden animal pieces. Between the whimsical components (gotta love the alligator building base) and the kid-friendly “knock-down” rule (you only have to keep two of the pieces you knock down), Animal Upon Animal became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic for Haba Games in 2005.

In fact, it was such a big hit that Haba released Animal upon Animal – The Duel in 2008, a two-player version of the game that involved a little more dexterity skills coupled with real-time competition and was more appropriate for ages 6+. (It’s also known in the gaming community as “the expansion pack for Animal Upon Animal” – two copies of this give you enough new animals to make for longer, trickier versions of the original game.)

But Haba wasn’t done trading off the goodwill generated by the original game. 2008 also saw the release of Animal Upon Animal: The Card Game… a nice portable dexterity game which probably the least successful of the series as it involves balancing cards rather than wooden animals.

Fast forward to late 2010… and Haba goes to the well one more time for a big box game based on the same theme, Animal Upon Animal: Balancing Bridge. There’s still chunky wooden animals & a gator base in a bright yellow box… but there’s a new twist that makes for a different yet still enjoyable playing experience.

The large box is divided diagonally into 4 quadrants, each decorated with appropriate art (desert, river, forest, etc.) and a symbol which also appears on the die. Across one of the walls lays the balancing bridge of the title – which is not, as I first thought, actually a wobbling bridge. The animals are placed around the outside of the box, divided up between the various sections.

Evidently, the gator wants to make sure that the bridge is safe (he’s like the jungle version of a crossing guard lady) so he’s placed in the middle of the bridge. In turn, players roll the die and place an animal from the determined section onto the bridge – either stacking it or putting it next to an already placed animal. There is also a wild card (pick any animal) side to the die… and a bridge side, which requires players to shift one animal on the bridge.

Each player has three secret assignment cards that show three animals – your objective is to get those three animals to touch. (For example, if you had the bat/lizard/flamingo card, you could place the flamingo where it was touching a bat & a lizard to successfully complete your secret assignment.)

Assignments can be completed – even on another players turn! Completed cards are discarded… and the first player to get rid of all their cards wins.

Of course, with this many animals on the bridge, some are going to inevitably get knocked off. Whichever quadrant they fall into is considered their abode – and players may now use them when they roll the appropriate symbol. As well, the player who knocks animals over must take another assignment card as a penalty.

That’s it. Simple enough for a five year old to enjoy – silly enough to make a nice late night closer with gamers. The secret assignments make for a different game experience that I find equally enjoyable to the original game.

Some random thoughts:

• We found that 4 (or even possibly 5) cards is a better starting hand for older players, as the game can end too quickly with players with dexterity skills.
• You can use the number of cards dealt initially to handicap better/older players.
• The ONLY problem we’ve had with the game was playing with gamers – one of whom decided to knock the pyramid over to keep someone else from winning. Simply put: avoid playing these kind of games with those kind of people.

Added bonus for Animal Upon Animal fans: for a few years, buying two copies of The Duel was the only easy way to “expand” your game… and now, with 25 new animals in the box, you can nearly double the size of the original game with this one purchase. The animals in Balancing Bridge are slightly thicker (the same width as the sheep in Animal Upon Animal) but that doesn’t cause any problems when playing the game. (My older son & I played an Uber Animal Upon Animal, using a complete set of animals from the original game, The Duel & Balancing Bridge – it was a lot of fun!)

And an additional added bonus for parents: the new animals have already seen a bunch of solo play time with my 6 year old son, who uses the game to make up interesting (if bizarre) stories involving the cast of animals.

This review originally appeared on the Opinionated Gamers website.

Splitting Hairs: My Opinion of The BGG Top 100

Here's how I'd split up the Board Game Geek top one hundred games as of this morning (April 13th, 2011)... your mileage may/will vary!

Games I've Played (61)

ON MY PERSONAL TOP 100

• Agricola (2007)
• El Grande (1995)
• Memoir '44 (2004)
• Pandemic (2008)
• Puerto Rico (2002)
• Race for the Galaxy (2007)
• The Princes of Florence (2000)
• The Settlers of Catan (1995)
• Ticket to Ride (2004)

PROBABLY IN MY TOP 200

• 7 Wonders (2010)
• BattleLore (2006)
• Claustrophobia (2009)
• Dungeon Lords (2009)
• Galaxy Trucker (2007)
• Ra (1999)
• Small World (2009)

WOULD GLADLY PLAY THIS

• Arkham Horror (2005)
• Carcassonne (2000)
• Combat Commander: Europe (2006)
• Commands & Colors: Ancients (2006)
• Die Macher (1986)
• Dixit (2008)
• Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation (Deluxe Edition) (2006)
• Space Alert (2008)
• Space Hulk (Third Edition) (2009)
• Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries (2007)

WOULD PLAY IF SOMEONE ELSE WANTED TO

• A Game of Thrones (2003)
• Battlestar Galactica (2008)
• Civilization (1980)
• Dominion (2008)/Dominion: Intrigue (2009)
• Endeavor (2009)
• Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage (1996)
• In the Year of the Dragon (2007)
• Notre Dame (2007)
• Power Grid (2004)
• Samurai (1998)
• Stone Age (2008)

EH (could be talking into playing but only if some sort of bribe was involved)

• 1830: Railways & Robber Barons (1986)
• Crokinole (1867)
• Descent: Journeys in the Dark (2005)
• Dune (1979)
• Shogun (2006)/Wallenstein (2002)
• Steam (2009)

NOT SURE WHY PEOPLE LIKE THIS SO MUCH (will only play under duress)

• Acquire (1962)
• Advanced Squad Leader (1985)
• Battle Line (2000)
• Blood Bowl: Living RuleBook (2004)
• Go (-2200)
• Modern Art (1992)
• Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization (2006)
• Tichu (1991)
• Tigris & Euphrates (1997)
• Ticket to Ride: Europe (2005)
• Tikal (1999)

ACTIVELY HATE THIS GAME

• 1960: The Making of the President (2007)
• Amun-Re (2003)
• Cosmic Encounter (2008)
• San Juan (2004)
• Taj Mahal (2000)
• Twilight Imperium (Third Edition) (2005)

Games I Haven't Played (39)

WANT TO TRY

• Cyclades (2009)
• Hansa Teutonica (2009)
• Twilight Struggle (2005)

WOULD TRY IF SOMEONE ELSE WANTED TO PLAY IT

• Glory to Rome (2005)
• Le Havre (2008)
• Navegador (2010)
• Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game (2010)
• Ticket to Ride: Märklin Edition (2006)
• Troyes (2010)
• YINSH (2003)

AM UNLIKELY TO TRY BUT WOULDN'T REFUSE TO

• Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! Russia 1941-1942 (2008)/Conflict of Heroes: Storms of Steel! Kursk 1943 (2009)
• Imperial (2006)/Imperial 2030 (2009)
• Paths of Glory (1999)
• Up Front (1983)
• War of the Ring (2004)/War of the Ring Collector's Edition (2010)

HAVE ZERO INTEREST IN TRYING

• Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery (2007)
• Antiquity (2004)
• Automobile (2009)
• Dominant Species (2010)
• Goa (2004)
• Hammer of the Scots (2002)
• Here I Stand (2006)
• Indonesia (2005)
• Merchants & Marauders (2010)
• Napoleon's Triumph (2007)
• Railroad Tycoon (2005)/Railways of the World (2009)
• Roads and Boats (1999)
• Struggle of Empires (2004)
• Warhammer: Invasion (2009)

REFUSE TO TRY

• Age of Steam (2002)
• Brass (2007)
• Caylus (2005)
• Chaos in the Old World (2009)
• Runewars (2010)

Christian Marketing?!

Pete Wilson (familiar to many of you because of his wonderful book, Plan B, which I used as a basis for a sermon series earlier this spring) blogged this morning about a Tweet from Derek Webb (familiar to many of you because we used his song "T-Shirts" in a couple of worship services):

Derek: The word “christian,” when applied to anything other than a human being, is just a marketing term.

So Pete listed a bunch of stuff where we do just that:

• Christian music.
• Christian books.
• Christian label.
• Christian publishers.
• Christian bookstore.
• Christian greeting cards.
• Christian dating service.
• Christian radio.
• Christian camps.
• Christian clothing lines.

Derek's comment (esp. in light of the list Pete threw out there) is a bold & thought-provoking statement... and the thought it provoked from Kyle Reed (in the comments section of Pete's blog) is the must-read quote of the day:

To me it is a term that promises safety.

Which that is the marketing side of it all. You are safe when you buy this. You are safe when you read this. You are safe when you listen to this. Just go and listen to Christian radio. That is what they say every time. Safe for the whole family.

I think the problem is, there is nothing safe about Christianity.

Which begs the question - when have we traded in passion for the good news of Jesus Christ for safety & security from the big, bad World?

It's Almost Here!

Game Review: Alvin & Dexter - Monsters & Trains, Oh My!

Ticket to Ride: Alvin & Dexter

• Designer: Alan R. Moon
• Publisher: Days of Wonder
• Reviewer: Mark Jackson (review copy provided by Days of Wonder)

When he designed Ticket to Ride, Alan Moon mashed up a card-drafting mechanic along with some rummy-ish set collection and then let all of that play out on a map of the United States. Coupled with the gorgeous Days of Wonder production, the game won a well-deserved Spiel des Jahres.

Over the following years, Alan has tweaked the game in a variety of ways:

• three “big box” additions to the franchise (which are stand-alone games, each with their own innovations): Europe, Marklin & Nordic Countries
• one “map” expansion for 2-3 players that can be used with any of the big box games: Switzerland
• two “tin box” expansions that add cards & other alternate ways to play the games: 1910 & 1912
• one “dice” expansion

So the next logical step, of course, was to have monsters invade.

In interest of full disclosure, I was an early hater of the idea. I tweeted about Ticket to Ride “catapulting the shark” – managing to reference Fonzie & the most ridiculous of the Carcassonne expansions in the same 140 characters.

But after playing the basic game (augmented a couple of times by the 1910 tickets) with Alvin the Alien & Dexter the Dinosaur, I’ve had a change of heart. I think there’s a lot to love about these not-so-cuddly additions to the Ticket to Ride franchise. The Alvin & Dexter expansion (it requires any full box edition of the game in order to play) is a winner.

They’re simple enough to use: the two players who are last in turn order place them on the board & the game takes off as usual. Each player now has an additional option on their turn: trade in a locomotive (wild card) or two to move one of the monsters 3 (with one locomotive) or 6 (with two locomotives) cities.

Any city occupied by the monsters are being ravaged. (You are welcome – nay, encouraged! – to make sounds of destruction & mayhem.) Those cities are unsafe and therefore may not be built into or out of until the monster has moved on to greener pastures.

When a player moves a monster, he receives a card that indicates he’s done just that. (You can decide for yourself whether this indicates that he’s used the military might of our great country to chase the monster away… or instead that he is actually in cahoots with the monster, directing its every move.) No other player can move that particular monster until the end of moving player’s next turn, when he flips that card over.

At the end of the game, Alvin & Dexter affect the scoring in two ways:

• the player who has moved each monster the most gets 15 points (ties are friendly)
• the two cities which are currently being rampaged are worth 50% less points (rounded down) for any player with a ticket that ends in those cities

In practice, we’ve found that the monsters affect the game without overwhelming it – in other words, they add some variety to the game without making it into a completely different game… and with a game I like as much as Ticket to Ride, I see that as a good thing.

Here’s some ideas for things you can use Alvin & Dexter to accomplish for you:

• block access to a city that looks to be important to your opponent(s)
• stop building in a city which you need until you can get the appropriate tickets
• position them for the endgame so that your opponent loses half the value of their high value tickets (this means that monsters should head for the East & West coast)
• position them for the endgame so that the tickets you whiffed on only cost you half the points

So far, we’ve found that most of the monster movement occurs in the mid to late game… but I think that’s probably a function of the aggressiveness of the people you’re playing with. I’d be interested to see a game where players begin sending Alvin & Dexter out to kill & destroy earlier – thus really chewing into the number of available locomotives for actual track building.

As I’m not as big a fan of the more complex games in the series, we haven’t tried the monsters with those sets. I’m especially curious to see how Ferries (which require locomotive cards) will interact with Alvin & Dexter.

My only negative about the monsters is that their miniatures are a little tippy – I wish they’d had slightly larger bases. In the long run, however, that hasn’t proven to be a big deal in play.

This review originally appeared on the Opinionated Gamers website.

Terry Taylor: No Ship Comin' In

As my long-time readers know, I do almost no fund-raising on this blog... but today I think I'll make an exception for someone who has touched my life through his music for over 25 years.

To any and all who been blessed by the life and gifts of Terry Talor,

It is with much regret that I come to you with a desperate prayer. Our dear friend and brother, Terry Taylor, is experiencing one of the direst personal struggles of his life. Since the cancellation of Catscratch, his financial situation has been dismal to say the least. His wife and daughter both teach at a pre-school to help make ends meet week to week but it hasn’t been enough and two years ago they lost their home in foreclosure.

As many of you know, Terry, who is uninsured, has had ongoing medical problems for the past five years, with last year being particularly troublesome and expensive. The bills have mounted steadily and the late fees continue to add more misery. Last month their little apartment was burglarized and items of great sentiment were stolen. As an unwanted culmination to one of the toughest years in the life of his family, this past weekend his daughter Noelle was rushed to the hospital and had to have emergency surgery to remove her gall bladder.

He hasn’t wanted us to share his story and burden his fans and we’ve been trying some creative new ideas to raise Terry’s income but this last blow has broken the camel’s back and nearly broken Terry’s spirit. I know many of you would want to help our brother in this time of personal crisis. If we all gave $10 or $20 it would go a long toward relieving this burden for their family. Some of you may be able to give more; some less. Anything would help right now.

We’ve set up a relief fund that can be donated to through Paypal. Please visit www.DanielAmos.com and click the donate link in the upper left corner. Be sure and click on “Update Total” after you enter the amount. If you’d like to donate in some other way, please email tom@eveselis.com.

Thank you for hearing and for being the support you’ve been to Terry and his family for these many years. Sincerely and with much love and gratitude,

Tom G., the Townsends, the Lost Dogs, and Terry’s family

How In The Heck Did I End Up Here?

I've been working on the history of my ministry life... if you want to read the whole thing (geez, I'm long-winded), here's where to go:

• Part One: FBC Fordyce
• Part Two: Dalewood Baptist
• Part Three: Road Trip (Summer of '97)
• Part Four: the church at hickory hollow
• Part Five: the end of the church at hickory hollow
• Part Six: saying goodbye to the church at hickory hollow
• Part Seven: waiting for something good to happen
• Part Eight: NewLife Community Church (still needs to be written)

Of course, I need to write down the stuff BEFORE Part One, too. Sigh, a blogger's work is never done.

Vision! Manifesto! Kumquat!

I wish I could say that this is silly - but read enough church vision statements & you'll start to think that these guys (kim mok copywriting) are psychic.

#82: Clash of the Gladiators

Clash of the Gladiators

• designer: Reiner Knizia
• publisher: Rio Grande/Hans im Gluck
• date: 2002
• BoardGameGeek rank/rating: 2430/5.88
• position on my top 100 in 2005: did not appear
• age: 10+
• # of players: 2-5
• print status: out of print
• cost: numerous used copies are for sale/trade on BGG

Others may prefer the more refined Knizia offerings - Euphrat & Tigris or perhaps Amun-Re - but my tastes run towards his, well, lighter work. In this case, a game so delightfully light that it contains almost as many die rolls as your average game of Risk... packed into 45-minute game!

Clash of the Gladiators is just that - a battle royale between groups of gladiators and the occasional rabid animal (btw, bears are more dangerous than lions - important safety tip). To radically paraphrase noted philosopher Bob the Tomato (from Veggietales): "You roll the dice, you move your mice... everybody gets hurt."

The game begins with drafting your various 4-man gladiator teams:

• Swordsmen (who give you extra dice)
• Spearmen (who let you attack first)
• Net throwers (who neutralize enemy gladiators)
• Shield bearers (who soak up wounds)
• Trident carriers (who give you the chance to reroll the dice)

Once the teams are ready, you fill in the empty spaces with wild animals & the attacks begin. A turn is simply the option to move followed by an attack & the response of the other player. Unless you're playing with someone with a bad case of analysis paralysis, the game rips along at a delightful pace.

It's easy enough to teach 8 year olds... yet the right crowd of gamers can enjoy this game as well, complete with Steve Reeves' imitations & lots of trash-talking.

BTW, this is another game that begs the question: "How do you tell the difference between a Euro game & an Ameritrash game?"

• European designer? Check.
• German publisher? Check.

It's a Euro, right? Well...

• Copious amounts of dice-rolling? Check.
• Violent theme? Check.
• "Target the leader" tendencies? Check.

Oh, it's Ameritrash.

Wait a minute... (he types, grinning!)

Westboro, Motown, Sesame Street, & Tiny Tim

I will start by acknowledging that the title of this article is a bunch of obscure pop culture references scattered throughout the post. I will not, however, apologize for it - it makes me smile.

So that we're all on the same page, here's the beginning of the AP wire report regarding Fred Phelps & the Supremes (not on Motown Records, btw):

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a grieving father's pain over mocking protests at his Marine son's funeral must yield to First Amendment protections for free speech. All but one justice sided with a fundamentalist church that has stirred outrage with raucous demonstrations contending God is punishing the military for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

The 8-1 decision in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., was the latest in a line of court rulings that, as Chief Justice John Roberts said in his opinion for the court, protects "even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate."

The decision ended a lawsuit by Albert Snyder, who sued church members for the emotional pain they caused by showing up at his son Matthew's funeral. As they have at hundreds of other funerals, the Westboro members held signs with provocative messages, including "Thank God for dead soldiers," `'You're Going to Hell," `'God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11," and one that combined the U.S. Marine Corps motto, Semper Fi, with a slur against gay men.

More specifically, here's the conclusion of the majority opinion (written by Chief Justice Roberts) in Snyder v Phelps:

Our holding today is narrow. We are required in First Amendment cases to carefully review the record, and the reach of our opinion here is limited by the particular facts before us. Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and—as it did here—inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker.

As a Nation we have chosen a different course—to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate. That choice requires that we shield Westboro from tort liability for its picketing in this case.

All of which leaves me flopping about emotionally (and otherwise). On one hand, I'm glad that the Supreme Court made such a clear stand for free speech (esp. in dealing with a religious group) . On the other hand, I'm think that the religious group in question (Westboro Baptist Church) is reprehensible in their behavior. I'm also convinced that their theological elevator doesn't go to all the floors.

Noam Chomsky Is Right (about at least one thing)

"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all."

Whether it is the neo-Nazis marching through Skokie, IL, (the first "free speech" incident I remember as a kid) or the Phelps family antagonizing people in the name of God, I have to acknowledge that their freedom to be ungodly & bigoted protects my right to be "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) without free of government reprisal or legal entanglements.

Please don't misunderstand me - I feel sick at my stomach that this kind of anti-grace, anti-Jesus rhetoric is foisted not just on our country but also on the mourning of those who simply will help get Fred Phelps more attention.

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

A quote from the Associated Baptist Press report pretty much covers it:

George Bullard, general secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowship, said Westboro Baptist Church is not affiliated with any of the member denominations related to the North American Baptist Fellowship or its parent body the Baptist World Alliance."

"The word 'Baptist' is not owned by anyone,” Bullard said. “It is available to everyone. This means that even churches such as Westboro, which does not represent the positive spirit of freedom and grace that characterizes so many of the church denominations related to the North American Baptist Fellowship, can use the name 'Baptist.'”

Bullard said most Baptists in North America are “appalled at the position and tactics” of the Phelps clan.

"In spite of their use of the word 'Baptist,' the Westboro church does not represent the position of any free and faithful Baptist congregation or denomination we know in North America," Bullard said.

Yes, I know that Fred Phelps was ordained in 1947 by a church in my denomination (the Southern Baptist Convention)... but because SBC churches are autonomous local bodies who voluntarily affiliate with the denomination, only the church who ordained him can revoke his ordination. That doesn't stop me, a Southern Baptist pastor, from declaring loudly that Fred Phelps & his church are hatemongers who radically misinterpret the Gospel.

Tiptoe Through The Tulips

According to the Oakland Tribune (Nov. 4, 2002):

Phelps and his followers call themselves "primitive Baptists." They believe in predestination, the idea that God already has selected those who will go to heaven and that everyone else is irreversibly doomed to hell. Their mission, members say, simply is to spread this news.

"We don't strive to change your hearts or minds," Phelps wrote in a letter to the Capital-Journal. "Even if we wanted to, we couldn't make you believe the truth."

"Every person who is predestined for hell will remain in darkness."

It's very important for me to note that Calvinists (no matter how many points of the TULIP they ascribe to) in general would reject this incredibly anti-evangelistic stance. (J.I. Packer's excellent book - Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God - is an excellent resource on this question. There's a great outline of the book on Andy Naselli's blog.)

And when they're described as "Primitive Baptists" it's not like the Westboro folks live in mud huts and/or have just discovered the secret of fire. It's a particular set of theological & methodological beliefs that typify a particular group of churches.

Once again, we turn to the ABP report for insight:

Bill Leonard, a Baptist historian who teaches at Wake Forest Divinity School, said he has not studied the group carefully but they clearly represent a “stem family” church, where everyone is kin and related through only a few intermarried families.

“Because of Baptist polity, anyone can start a church, baptize by immersion, have some kind of congregational polity, require believer’s baptism, and go from there,” Leonard said. “This is clearly the radical, radical right wing Baptist fringe combining fundamentalism, literalism, separatism, anti worldliness and a strong belief that we are sinners in the hands of a very, very angry God.”

So What?

This is how I end most of my sermons - I mean, it's fine that you've listened to me for the last 30 minutes but what difference does this actually make?

• Pray for these folks. Really - if the Worldwide Church of God can move from the cult-flavored teachings of the Armstrongs to evangelical Christianity, the same could well happen to the folks involved in Westboro Baptist Church.
• It's OK to say "They're not with us." If Jesus can tell Peter to "get behind me, Satan," (Matthew 16:23), we're "in bounds" to say "the Westboro folks don't speak for me... or for 99.9% of the evangelical church."
• Live out the grace of Jesus Christ. When dealing with people caught up in sexual sin (whether it's homosexuality, adultery, sex outside of marriage, pornography, or a host of other ways to mess up the wonderful gift of God), we need to show the same love that Jesus shows the woman caught in adultery in John 8.
• Use your free speech rights for more than putting bumper stickers on your car. Talk about what you believe & why. Ask questions of those who have other belief systems... and LISTEN to them. Build real relationships with people - not simply turn them into evangelism projects.

2011 Oscar Birdbath (the Results)

Here, as promised, are the results to my annual Oscar Birdbath ("Pool"). It's a four-way TIE for first place (with 18 correct answers)!

• Rebecca Becknal (my oldest niece, who is currently racking up a healthy student loan while working on her masters degree at TCU)
• Jim Christiansen (aka "Jimbo" - a part of NewLife and [though long absent] the Fresno Gamers. Wanna play Bang, Jim?! We promise not to shoot you - much.)
• David Gullett (aka "Davebo" - a gamer and friend from the L.A. area)
• Margaret Kellar (1/4 of the much-missed Kellar clan... her husband was our worship/youth pastor here at NewLife)

Congratulations also go to the three 3rd place finishers (with 17 correct)... Bob Trezise, Charles Glaser & Jeff Monaghan.

Here are the final scores...

• 21 - the "collective mind' (this, btw, is the first time that we as a group scored higher than any one of us as individuals!)
• 18 - Rebecca Becknal, Jim Christiansen, David Gullett, Margaret Kellar
• 17 - Bob Trezise, Charles Glaser, Jeff Monaghan.
• 16 - Chris Newcomb
• 15 - Alea Fairchild, Scott Firestone, Craig Berg
• 14 - Mark Jackson
• 13 - Scott Alden, Elizabeth Arneson
• 12 - Jonathan Degann
• 11 - Jeffrey Leegon, Allen Troxler, Eric Arneson
• 10 - Gigi Johnson
• 9 - Eric Burgess, Chris Comeaux
• 7 - Alfred Wallace
• 5 - RC Martinez, Jennifer Madon, Joe Huber

Our predictions as a "collective mind" were spectacular!... 21 correct - way to go!

• BEST PICTURE: The King's Speech - correct!
• BEST DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper for The King's Speech (we picked David Fincher)
• BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth (The King's Speech) - correct!
• BEST ACTRESS: Natalie Portman (Black Swan) - correct!
• BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale (The Fighter) - correct!
• BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo (The Fighter) - correct!
• ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The King's Speech - correct!
• ADAPATED SCREENPLAY: The Social Network - correct!
• CINEMATOGRAPHY: Inception (we picked True Grit)
• FILM EDITING: The Social Network - correct!
• ART DIRECTION: Alice in Wonderland - correct!
• COSTUME DESIGN: Alice in Wonderland - correct!
• ACHIEVEMENT IN ORIGINAL MUSIC: The Social Network (tied w/The King's Speech) - correct!
• BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3) - correct!
• ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP: The Wolfman - correct!
• ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING: Inception - correct!
• ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING: Inception - correct!
• ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception - correct!
• BEST ANIMNATED FEATURE: Toy Story 3 - correct!
• BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: In a Better World - correct!
• BEST DOCUMENTARY: Inside Job - correct!
• BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT: Strangers No More - correct!
• BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT: God of Love - correct!
• BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM: Lost Thing (we picked Day & Night)... only one person got this one correct - my lovely niece, Rebecca!

And some final thoughts on the Oscar ceremony:

• Anne Hathaway is a delightful, vibrant young woman. James Franco is a sad product of the "everything must be ironic" way of treating life.
• I still think Toy Story 3 should have won Best Picture.
• Didn't miss Ben Stiller.
• The show seemed to flow smoother - but there wasn't much surprise to it.
• Second year with Tivo - still not missing the acceptance speeches.
• Stop picking on Hugh Jackman.