Slowly Put Down Your Weapons & Back Away

I'm going to keep this really simple.

If your main news sources are:

• talk radio
• TV comedy shows
• Facebook postings

Or if all of your news sources are from one political viewpoint, be it conservative or liberal...

Please think carefully before you forward what you hear... chances are excellent it is propaganda & not fact.

That is all.

OK, that is not all.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (James 1:18-19, NIV)

Now I'm done.

Heroscape: Paddling Down The River of Blood

The long promised "River of Blood" dungeon campaign for Heroscape/Dungeons & Dragons was finally released last week, both at GenCon & online. Braeden & I dove into it last Sunday afternoon... and so far I'm impressed.

I was the "evil that lurks in the Underdark" and Braeden was the "intrepid band of heroes trying to find the source of the River of Blood." His party was:

• Darrak Ambershard (the dwarf rogue with sneak attack)
• the Greater Ice Elemental
• Erevan Sunshadow (Eladrin wizard with fire blast)
• Sharwin Wildborn (Eladrin battle mage with arcane bolt attack)
• Brandis Skyhunter (half-elf ranger)
• and an Air Elemental

He had some tough going in the first scenario (The Descending Stairs), losing all but two of his party members to my crew:

• the Deepwyrm Drow (Drow squad)
• Drow Chainfighter (Drow with chain grabbing ability)
• Pelloth (Drow hero)
• and a Sahuagin Raider (nasty piece of work)

Still, once he knocked Pelloth out to end the battle, his Second Wind rolls left him with just one hit on each of the "dead" guys... and then he went farther along the river into scenario #2: The Hydra's Lair. This time around, he faced:

• 3 Fire Elementals
• 2 Earth Elementals
• and the aforementioned Hydra

The Fire Elementals played havoc with his team... and along with the Hydra chewing up a couple of guys, that was the end of his ill-fated expedition.

We played the first two scenarios again last Tuesday, this time with my Fresno gamer buddy Joe leading the heroes into the Underdark. He had a similar party, trading the Elemental & Brandis Skyhunter for Mogrimm Forgehammer (a dwarf warlord). I brought the Drow crew again. He had an easier time of than Braeden in the first scenario, but ended with Mogrimm one wound shy of death on his Second Wind roll.

So when he entered the Hydra's Lair, he had to leave the dwarf warlord back out of the action - and face the wrath of the Hydra, the Feral Troll & Brandis Skyhunter (enslaved to the Dark Side) a man down. Brandis made mincemeat out of his troops, defeating single handed the last three of the heroes.

The campaign rules are much improved from the first campaign (found in the Underdark scenario book), including a way for the heroes to get "dead" party members back in a wounded state.

• They managed to design a series of "rooms" that feel different but use only the terrain that comes in the Battle for the Underdark box.
• Combined with the need for only the 1st wave of Heroscape/D&D, you've got a campaign that is pretty flexible while not requiring a monstrous commitment of cash and/or table space.
• The Second Wind rule is excellent - heroes who "die" in a scenario roll X dice (X = how many lives they have on the card) and begin the next scenario with one wound per skull rolled.
• I've just received the new wave of Heroscape figures (Iron Golem! "Snotlings"! An Elemental Master!) and can't wait to see how these guys will offer new challenges in this particular dungeon.

Really Dumb Culture Wars

One of the things I love about my closest friends (be they my bride, gamers, pastors or a certain unnamed guy from high school who owned a Capri & dated someone HE named "Bimbo Surfer Chick") is that they can express the things I'm feeling & thinking better than I can (sometimes).

It's the same way I feel about certain bloggers & speakers, which is the reason you see me quote Jon Acuff (Stuff Christians Like), Anne Jackson (Flowerdust.net) and Linda Holmes (MonkeySee)... and the reason my congregation knows about Erwin McManus (Awaken), John Eldredge (Ransomed Heart) and Nelson Searcy (Church Leader Insights).

Of course, the writer who gets my vote for "Most Likely To Say What I Was Thinking With Substantially More Clarity Than I Usually Display" is James Emery White (Church & Culture). His newest blog post entitled "Strippers Go To War" is spot on - read the whole thing, whether you're jaded with the culture wars or the person always leading the charge into the next battle.

I’ll say it again. This is just dumb. They are dumb confrontations, and done in dumb ways. I won’t say they are over dumb things – I am not attempting to promote strip clubs, and if I was starting a school, I doubt I would pick the “demons” as the name of our team.

But it’s still dumb.

Why? Because the actions hold little or no hope for any real or substantive change. Because it brings the worst kind of ridicule on to the Christian faith. Because it does nothing but alienate the people we are most needing to reach for Christ.

New Games (or new to me, at least): Part Six

The ACTUAL final installment...here's the previous installments: Part One (A-B), Part Two (C-D), Part Three (E-I), Part 4 (K-M) & Park 5 (N-Ta).

• Tobago - I was really disappointed that this wasn't nominated for Spiel des Jahres... I like the treasure map building mechanic coupled with the push-your-luck nature of the treasure draws. (I do think there are some ways to make this more gamer-friendly - but they would come at the cost of the light touch that works so well currently.) [review copy provided]
• Twilight: The Board Game - It was a gag gift for Shari & so should be judged in that light. And even with that oh-so-friendly scale, it's a lousy game. Avoid.
• Valdora - Another abstract "move about & collect stuff in order to collect other stuff" game... and yet I enjoyed it. Not enough to try & play it a second time and/or buy a copy, but I wouldn't object if someone asked to play.
• Wool Rules - Another dice game in the Zoch/Rio Grande "small square box w/Doris M art" series. I think the game design is essentially solid - but it has some gamer-y elements that make it tough to teach non-gamers & some random elements that make it hard for gamers to like. Still, glad I own a copy. [review copy provided]

And eight games I played since I made the list:

• African Park - A simplified version of my beloved Ark... with a card drafting mechanic that reminds me a bit of Zooloretto. A good little filler.
• Dominion: Seaside & Alchemy - By this point, you've either decided you like Dominion (the winner of last year's SdJ) enough to buy all these boxes of cards or that you don't need to invest that much in plastic to sleeve 'em all. I fall into the second group, but I did have a very enjoyable game of this with friends who are much bigger fans than I. I see the appeal but I don't have the interest.
• Exit - An old Milton Bradley abstract game that pre-dates Haba's Highly Suspect & uses the same board-tilting mechanic. I'd picked this up a long time ago at a thrift store & finally got to play it with my son - it's not going to set the gaming universe on fire but it's a very interesting game with a nifty gimmick.
• Fresco - Earlier, I was sad Tobago wasn't nominated for the SdJ. Now add that I'm sad that Fresco didn't win... Dixit is a perfectly fine party game but Fresco manages to combine great thematic elements & clean game mechanics to make a very enjoyable game. I really like that 3 expansions come already packaged in the box!
• Jäger und Sammler - Imagine that you somehow placed Hey! That's My Fish & Africa into a supercollider - this is the new particle that would result. There's a bit of "hunter & gatherer" theme sprayed on top of that as well. The result is actually a very enjoyable game of set collecting & balancing your options.
• Life on the Farm - As dire as it sounds. Monopoly-esqe with content about how hard farming is... not doubting that farming is hard, but if I want to explore that in games, I always have Agricola.
• Settlers of America: Trails to Rails - This is the Frankenstein of Catan games - there are mechanics from Settlers of the Stone Age, the train variant in Das Buch, the ship-building/discovery element from the Anno games, the extraordinary build rule from 5-6 player Catan, & even the common Poverty house rule. What emerges is a really neat set of ideas that takes way too long to play. I'm a huge Settlers fan but I won't be coming back for this one any time soon.
• Zauberschwert & Drachenei - Surprisingly, the rules in this Adlung card game are easy to understand. (If you've messed with many Adlung card games, you understand my shock at this.) While it's got a fantasy theme, it's really a resource management/auction game. I'm looking forward to adding the first expansion in & giving it a go with a bit more complexity.

Journalism Warning Labels

Thanks to GetReligion.org, I happened on these wonderful & highly useful stickers to affix to newspapers & newsmagazines. (They might be esp. helpful with cable news, but putting a sticker on your plasma screen is not recommended.)

Read Tom Scott's entire post on Journalism Warning Labels, please... well done, sir!

New Games (or new to me, at least): Part Five

The penultimate installment in my series on new games... you can also read Part One (A-B), Part Two (C-D), Part Three (E-I) & Part 4 (K-M).

New Games (to me): N-Ta

• Nuns on the Run - My first play of this was delightful... the four of us had a blast. But then the whole "are we doing the noise rules correctly?" debating set in with the next game, as well as the sinking realization that the guard nuns never win and pretty much took all the fun out of it for me.
• Patrician - I only played this online for Jeff's Game of the Month... and it felt like a standard Michael Schacht abstract-y investment game. Nothing here so compelling that I feel a need to try it again.
• Piece o' Cake - The first time was fun, then as players slowed down to think through their moves, the fun evaporated. However, I played the other night with a group who didn't dilly-dally and found myself enjoying it again. Obviously, your mileage may vary.
• Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans - The rules in this first release in the series leave something to be desired... thank goodness for BGG and someone who put together a pretty massive FAQ for the game. (I will say that the rules for the new "Elves vs Orcs" box have been cleaned up & clarified - much better.) The game itself is quick - choosing your army is about a third of the game. Once we figured out how to play, we're really enjoying it.
• Prophecy: Dragon Realm - The long-promised expansion to Prophecy (a fantasy adventure game)... I like the stuff it adds to the base game a lot, and the Dragon Realm is fun. Wish it got to the table more.
• Risk: Balance of Power - A two-player Risk game not yet published in the USA. The design uses a neutral nation that both players control plus a Piece'o Cake-ish "one player sets up the game board, the other player chooses his side" mechanic that insures a relatively fair start. The game also uses objectives like Risk: Black Ops/Revised. I want to get more chances to play this!
• Schatz der Mumie - A full review of "Mummy's Treasure" is coming, but this is a very nice cross between Yahtzee & Tetris that works great with kids & gamers. (Review copy provided)
• Scrabble SLAM! - Quick recognition card game - Shari whupped me at it. It'll be a nice edition to the "small games to travel with" box.
• Tannhäuser Revised Edition Rulebook - Tannhauser is a theme-dripped alternative history battle game set in 1949 with the world still in the throes of the First World War. With elements of Hellboy, Indiana Jones & Harry Turtledove in the mix, the Reich (and their Obscura Corps) search objects of power while the Army of the Union seek to stop them before they open portals to unleash infinite evil. It's a pulp-y good time... but until the release of this new rulebook, it was a flawed game system with a great theme. FFG did an amazing job of streamlining & fixing the game without forcing anyone to buy new components. I like the new version enough to acquire the available expansion sets!

Framing the Conversation: Is There An Echo In Here? Redux

This is the third time I've posted this excerpt from Framing the Conversation: How To Get Kicked Out of a Gaming Group... and in light of yesterday's decision by Judge Walker about Prop. 8, it's time to post it once again. It was originally written the night of the election back in 2008.

I want to speak specifically to those who declare themselves as followers of Christ. We have a huge responsibility tonight, esp. in regards to Proposition 8.

If Prop. 8 passes, we have to live out the love for gays & lesbians we've talked about... there is NO ROOM for gloating in the gospel of Jesus Christ. These people are not second-class citizens, to be loved only if they "mend their ways" - they are created in God's image & loved so much by God that He sent Jesus to die for them (and for us!). To do the church-y equivalent of "Hey, Hey, Goodbye" is a sick perversion of the love of Jesus Christ...

If Prop. 8 is defeated, we must still live out the love of Jesus Christ in a political situation that is not friendly to our values. I can not state it emphatically enough - this does NOT justify us behaving in an unfriendly manner to homosexuals or those who support same-sex marriage. If we're gonna call ourselves "biblical Christians", then we better live like it.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6, NIV)

If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. (1 Peter 3:15-16, NLT)

The most important thing today is not the election of a particular candidate - no one person will usher in the Kingdom of God. (Well, one will, but He's not running this year.) Nor is it the passing of a proposition - law can compel moral behavior but it has no power over the heart. It is far more important that the world around us see followers of Jesus living in the grace & power of Jesus Christ.

A couple of closing suggestions:

• Strike the phrases "activist judge(s)" (for you conservatives) and "fundamentalist Puritans" (for you not-so-conservatives) from your vocabulary. While there may be some truth to this in some situations, it makes us sound like little kids (or certain unnamed adult gamers) who start accusing people of cheating the minute they start losing. (In gamer terms, this is similar to arguing that a game is "broken" because you couldn't win it using the strategy you thought you should be able to use. Pathetic.)
• Stop gloating/whining. The process isn't done yet (the decision may or may not survive appeals) and we just don't know what is or isn't going to happen.

And a final thought... the best thing you can do to support marriage is to do everything in your power to have a great marriage and/or support those around you in doing the same.

Migration: What's Your Name Again?

This post was originally written in January 2000 - I've substantially revised it before posting it here in July 2009. The reason for re-posting it yet again (August 2010) is that I finally found & scanned the picture that's the focus of the story.

May of 1983... outside my dorm (Penland Hall) on the last day of my freshman year at Baylor University. I'm trying to burn off the end of a roll of film before I hop a shuttle bus to D/FW airport and my plane home for the summer. I happen on a guy from 2nd floor who's loading his car... and, for some bizarre reason, ask to take his picture.

Tim (the aforementioned guy) tells me now that he wondered what kind of idiot would take a picture of someone he hardly knew. I just kept thinking that I could get the roll developed quicker if I used up the film. So, I've got this odd picture of a guy standing against his Firebird in a parking lot with a very quizzical look on face... as if to say, "Hurry up and take your stupid picture... I want to start driving home."

Fast forward to June of 1990... on the platform of Shady Oaks Baptist Church where I'm waiting in my tux for Shari to appear. Standing next to me is that same guy - Tim Formby, my best man.

Fast forward again to October of 1996... in a hotel room in Forrest City, Arkansas. After a night of boardgaming, Tim and I stay up late discussing the ideas & dreams that will become the church @ hickory hollow.

And I've still got that crazy picture of him... and it reminds me that none of us know what role people will end up playing in our lives. We don't have a clue. (And that ought to cause us to think twice about how live out what we believe in front of 'strangers'... hmmm.)

Of course, I've got to belabor my point for just a moment... every person you meet is an "eternal being" (in other words, they will live forever, either with God or without Him). Simply put: you have never met an "average" person... each one of us matters to God. It's about time we started living like it... waiters, checkers, the guy in the next cubicle, friends, the girl who drives like a maniac... all of them... an eternal being. Wow. (Credits to C.S. Lewis for putting this idea in my head.

I think that's true of churches, too. Chances are pretty good you didn't know what to expect when you walked in the doors of the church you attend - or, in my case, pastor. Oh, sure, you can read the website & look at the promotional materials, but that isn't the same as being smack dab in the middle of the experience.

Chances are also pretty good that your impression of your church has changed... some for the worse, some for the better. For Shari & I, the moment that NewLife Community Church wwent from being a job I loved to place where we belonged was when Braeden was in Valley Children's being treated for Kawasaki syndrome.

Here's what I'd love for you to do... take a minute & think about this statement: you've never been in an "average" church.

Really. Think about it! If none of us are average people - if we're each special, created with purpose & destiny, then the churches we are a part of are stuffed full of non-average people. And they're filled to the brim with purpose & destiny!

Now, your church may not feel like that this weekend. That doesn't mean it's not true - it just means it could be buried under a load of other junk: useless traditions, outdated methods, cultural imperatives that mask the truth of the Gospel. So it's time for you to start a revolution - to value each person in each pew (or chair or whatever) as people created by God who have the potential to change not only your life but the lives of people around the world.

Interview With A Vamp... err, Former Christian

I am probably the last person who should comment in any detail about author Anne Rice's announcement that she is no longer a Christian. The following is from her Facebook page:

“For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.

As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I’m out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”

The only book of hers I've read is her spiritual autobiography, Called Out of Darkness... and here's how I reviewed it on Goodreads:

I've never read an Anne Rice novel. (I did collect the Interview w/a Vampire comics for a while, but that was a long time ago.) So I don't come to this spiritual memoir as a fan.

I'm not a Roman Catholic, either... though the book is about a person's journey from Catholic faith to atheism & back to Catholicism.

So my review/response to this book is colored by these things.

Here's the bullet points:

• the structure of the book is rambling... and that's being charitable. While individual passages are brilliantly written, they're set in a rickety framework that feels like it is threatening to collapse at any moment.
• it's very interesting to watch spiritual conversion inside another "branch" of Christianity. The emotional content & the basic theology is similar; the trappings & traditions are unfamiliar (esp. to a kid who grew up inside a conservative evangelical Protestant church.)
• the last chapter of the book (her "suggestion" about rewriting Catholic doctrine about marriage & sexuality) feels tacked on.

In closing: interesting read at times that suffers from shoddy editing.

If you didn't know a little about her life, this is her second time to leave the Church/Christianity - the book focuses on how she returned to the RC Church after loving it as a child & leaving it in her teen years.

Beyond that, I don't have much to say - but there a couple of folks that I respect that have done a nice job responding to this pronouncement with humor & grace:

Jon Acuff on his blog Stuff Christians Like: Reacting To Anne Rice

Yowsa! I’m not sure she could have received more heat if she had said, “My next book is going to be about Harry Potter using a Golden Compass to figure out the DaVinci Code.”...

So why weren’t more people upset that Anne Rice said, “I refuse to be Anti-Democrat?”... To say you have to renounce Christianity to be a Democrat seems as extreme of a stance as the girls who said they couldn’t date me in college because they were dating God. All I wanted was a blooming onion from The Outback, I’m not sure we needed Yahweh involved in that.

Justin McRoberts on his blog: Open Letter to Anne Rice

But I take issue with the notion that you must disassociate yourself from ‘christian’ people. I mean sure, we’re a motley lot. Belonging to this family can often feel like you’ve adopted a few thousand drunk uncles. It’s incredibly embarrassing at times and frustrating at least as often. I get it. But I also read that you’re making your move “in the name of Christ” and that presents a rather perplexing dilemma for someone who wants to quit on people. You see, Christ hasn’t quit on us and if you choose to align yourself with Him, then neither can you...

It’s simply reasonable that if you set yourself against people who set themselves against people you are only adding to the friction. If part of your issue with christianity is it’s exclusivity, you aren’t helping by only including those who “get it” the way you do. True christian inclusivity means embracing the homosexual and the gay-basher in the same embrace; working for the release of the oppressed while praying and working for the redemption of their oppressor; loving the beautiful game of baseball and yet, somehow, also loving the Yankees. It means loving the Lord with all of yourself and also loving those who grossly misrepresent Him.

Follow the links & read what these guys have to say - it's worth your time.

Diego Drachenzahn

Of course, one of the few major Haba releases I haven't played in the last year or so wins the Kinderspiel des Jahres - Diego Drachenzahn!

Sorry I don't have more information - I'll get to work on it right away! (This was JUST announced...) Here's the game description from BGG:

Publisher's website: "Snarl! Dragon Diego Dart has missed the target once again! What's more he has set fire to Uncle Drooge's hat! But which target did he want to hit? Can he still win this race in the dragons' fire spitting competition? A fiery game of skill for 2-4 players."

In Diego Drachenzahn, you will first choose a target alley that you're trying to hit, then roll 3 balls into the right slot. The others will try to guess what your target was. They score when they guess corectly, and you score when your fireballs hit their target. Who will end up with the most points?

New Games (or new to me, at least): Part Four

Yet more about the games that are new to me this year... you can also read Part One (A-B), Part Two (C-D), & Part Three (E-I).

New Games (to me): K-M

• Kachina - Overly busy & very abstract game of tile placement - like some weird blend of Kingdoms (which I don't like) and Qwirkle (which I do like) on peyote. (The game is Indian-themed.) Not a game I would seek out to play again.
• Kleine Magier - The prime feature here is the gimmick... multiple cloth magician hats that spin about on three gears & are picked up by a magnet in a magic wand. The game itself is pretty standard memory fare - but this has been well-received by my younger (5 year old) son. (review copy provide)
• Klopf, Klopf - A real-time reaction game that just didn't quite work... the components are nice (though the art isn't up to Haba's usual standards) but the gameplay was kind of clunky. (review copy provided)
• Level X - Multi-player dice game with some interesting decisions about what combinations to use... I need to try this one again.
• Make 'n' Break Extreme - There are a number of Make'n'Break games from Ravensburger... all involve a timer & players attempting to build "sculptures" from the provided bricks to match the cards. I actually found this version easier (with the Tetris-like brick shapes) than the standard games where the bricks only vary in color.
• Maori - I like the ideas here (the tile grabbing mechanic reminds me of Drôles de Zèbres & Kupferkessel Co.) but my only play was on yucata.de... I need to try this one face-to-face.
• Masons - This is one of those "place pieces to get points" Euros that has a number of fans & probably as many detractors. (The theme is almost non-existent.) I didn't mind the game but I probably would find something else to play.
• Memoir '44: Breakthrough - I've reviewed this elsewhere but I'll just remind everyone that I'm a huge fan of Memoir '44 and the Breakthrough expansion (which gives you deeper maps) just increases my enjoyment of the game. (review copy provided)
• Mystery Express - Days of Wonder already had a beautifully produced deduction game, Mystery of the Abbey. However, it also contained some chaotic elements & an odd questioning system that drove some gamers batty. Mystery Express is a much better system - there doesn't seem to be any way for a player to "break" the game with a wrong answer - and the presentation is very nice... but it's really long for what it is: Gamer Clue.

New Games (or new to me, at least): Part Three

Hopefully, this post is more like "Toy Story 3" rather than "Jaws 3" or the "The Matrix Revolutions"... (you can go back to Part One: A & B or Part Two: C & D, if you'd like).

New Games (to me): E - I

• Eketorp - This game became a running gag in our gaming group - Jeff brought it each week and then we wouldn't play it. Week after week, month after month... and then finally it happened! And it wasn't bad... the components (as has been true for Queen Games) were excellent & the gameplay was a reasonably enjoyable "take-that" brawl. I don't need to own it but I'd be happy to play it again.
• Enuk the Eskimo - The box is a tad big for what's inside it... but the game itself is a really nice memory/push-your-luck game with some cute thematic elements. I actually like this one better than my kids. (review copy provided)
• Forbidden Island - Pandemic for kids & people with short attention spans... and that's not damning with faint praise, as I really, really like this one. The artwork is perfect, the tension builds & every play of this cooperative game is a nail-biter. Well done, Mr. Leacock, well done. (review copy provided)
• Gelini Nightlife - Who knew that (a) introducing a random element to Knizia's dry & abstract Tutanchamun and (b) changing the theme to gummi bears trying to fill up discos would take a mediocre game and make it a winner? Not me - yet that's what has happened here. It's extremely light but lots of fun - a great filler!
• Gemblo Woodman - a simple dexterity game of knocking bark off a tree with a plastic axe... dexterity game haters need not apply. This one rewards some practice, as the balance can be kind of tricky.
• Gloria Picktoria - the reboot of one of my favorite Alan Moon games, Get the Goods... but there are some odd rules changes that I'm not sure (after one play) if I like or not. The Doris M. art is cute, though. (review copy provided)
• Halo Interactive Strategy Game - Bargain basement 2-player minis game... I've never played Halo but it doesn't feel much like a video game. The plastic stuff for constructing the board is pretty cool.
• Heroscape: Battle for the Underdark - I'm a long-time Heroscape player/collector AND a former DM (back in the early, early 80's)... so I was curious what the melding of the two would look like. I'm actually pretty impressed with the new characters & the chaining of scenarios together to make a "campaign" (read: dungeon crawl). Well done, WOTC.
• Hoppladi Hopplada! - Doris art & cute bits doesn't make this game go fast enough for me - it's a push-your-luck dice game. The fun ends 15 minutes before the game ends.
• IGOR: The Monster Making Game - Reboot of an old Knizia dice game (Code Knacker) to go with the very unsuccessful film... game is light but playable. Nothing to write home about.

Dark = Artistic?!

Yesterday, while cruising across Fresno to pick up a pizza - which, yes, I ordered over the Internet, thus finally confirming all my wife's fears that had been inflamed by Sandra Bullock's 1995 thriller, "The Net" - I was listening to NPR's "All Things Considered" and caught the tail end of some commentary by Andrew Wallenstein on scripted cable shows:

Cable hasn't entirely lost its artistic streak. AMC is keeping the flame burning with the likes of "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad." But "The Closer" and "Royal Pains," they get like three times the ratings.

I quickly Tweeted a note to my readers (and myself):

Did NPR just say that "dark equals artistic"? Huh?

BTW, if you'd like to read my Twitter feed, my handle is "akapastorguy".

Back to my story... so, this morning, I pulled by NPR's website & checked the transcript of the commentary to make sure I'd heard him correctly. And I did.

There's two underlying assumptions in the the lines I quoted above that really set me off:

• First, the implied argument that "Mad Men", "Breaking Bad", and "The Shield" (mentioned earlier in the piece) are good because they are gritty & dark in tone... and not bland detective or medical shows. (After reading the whole piece, I realize that Mr. Wallenstein is attempting to prove that cable programming is becoming derivative & staid - but I still think the particular shows he chose to illustrate his point underline the "darker is gooder" critical viewpoint.
• Second, the other implied argument is that shows that get better ratings must be, by definition, less artistic than shows which get lesser ratings. While this may be true at times (and at this point it's time to highlight something like "Two & A Half Men"), this isn't a hard & fast rule of thumb - and it's a lousy principle to use for evaluating the subjective artistic worth of any kind of work, be it television, literature, movies or music.

Finally, "artistic" is such a loosey-goosey word to use here - it's vague & subjective & used primarily to "bless" things you like, often in opposition to things that you do not like. (The word "fundamentalist" serves a similar function in religious journalism, except as a pejorative "curse".)

New Games (or new to me, at least): Part Two

The mid-year review of new games continues... (here's Part One: A & B)

New Games (to me): C & D

• Carcassonne: Catapult - If you felt like Carcassonne needed more whimsy & a dexterity element, this is for you. Otherwise, it's a pretty expensive way to add a wooden flicking device & a few extra tiles to your Carcassonne collection. (BTW, this is not the worst Carc expansion - that honor goes to The Count of Carcassone.)
• Carcassonne: Wheel of Fortune - OTOH, I really enjoyed playing this Carc spin-off/expansion as a stand-alone game... the wheel actually offers some interesting extra choices & not as much random silliness as you'd think. (It is not a roulette wheel but a rondel - that's gamerspeak for "it's actually a cool gaming mechanic, guys.") (Review copy provided)
• Cardcassonne - This makes me sad to say this but the word that popped into my head is "pedestrian." There's nothing wrong with the game - it works - but that's all it does. It's not really a card version of Carcassonne except in theme... it's more of a brinksmanship/press-your-luck card placement game. (Review copy provided)
• Castle Panic - Surprisingly enjoyable cooperative game of fending off monsters... has been a hit both with kids & with gamers. (There are rules included for a LOTR: Sauron-like variant as well as "coop but only 1 player wins" variant - but we haven't played those yet.)
• Catacombs - I keep saying this in a variety of forums, but it's worth saying again: take the dungeon crawl/combat experience of Descent: Journeys in the Dark, subtract 3 hours & add the flicking element from Carabande... and now you have Catacombs. We've had a lot of fun with this one - it's cries out for an expansion!
• Chopper Strike - Finally managed to trade for a copy to complete a set... this is weird combination between checkers & a simple wargame that is made palatable by the very cool two-level board. (In fact, the board & cool minis are my reasons for acquiring a copy of this 36 year old mass market game.) I see this mostly coming out with my boys.
• Claustrophobia - Space Hulk + Kingsburg... really. Impressive game design w/pre-painted minis & easier set-up/tear-down than most dungeon crawl games. Seriously thinking about buying a copy.
• Click Clack - The MSRP is way too high... but if you can get a deal on this very large kids game, it's a lot of fun esp. with the younger set. The pieces are big & chunky... and the board is a huge mass of molded plastic that sits in the box. (Review copy provided)
• The Magic Labyrinth - The winner of last year's Kinderspiel des Jahres deserves every bit of recognition it gets... it's a memory/maze game done with magnets that feels like a combination of the best bits of A-Mazing Labyrinth & Goblin's Gold. It's even fun with adults (if they can relax & enjoy themselves.)
• Dungeon Lords - The rulebook is stuffed full of D&D/WoW-tinged humor... and why not? You're the bad guy this time, using a variety of monsters & minions to defeat those pesky adventurers who keep coming & stealing your stuff. Mechanically, it reminds me a bit of Galaxy Trucker, but the mechanics are more complex and the game is not real-time. Probably my favorite new "think-y" game because of the theme & humor.

New Games (or new to me, at least): Part One

Yet another "I've been meaning to blog about this" project - wherein I give you, my faithful readers, some quick reactions to the games I've played in 2010 for the very first time. (There's a lot of them - 51, to be exact - so I'm dividing this post into multiple parts.)

New Games (To Me): A & B

• A Brief History Of The World - a redesign of a classic Ragnar Brothers game that not only shortens the playing time (with slow players, actual history could move faster than the original game) but also tightens up the system & gives each player more control. If possible, I like it even better than my much-loved copy of the Hasbro/Avalon Hill edition of the game. (But I do miss all the plastic minis...)
• Adios Amigos - A real-time game of Wild West gunfighting that uses basic math (addition & subtraction) as a main mechanic. Yes, I know that sounds tedious - but it isn't. This 20 minute filler game for 4 players is a lot of fun.
• Alea Iacta Est - I've played this dice game (with a Roman empire theme) with 2, 3, 4 & 5 players... and I think it's best with 3 or 4. Each additional player adds to the playing time and that finally tips over the edge with 5 folks at the table. I like the way you manage your supply of dice - but the Senate cards iconography is a little weird and makes the first play pretty slow for newbies. (Review copy provided.)
• BasketBoss - I was really excited to try this auction/basketball team management by the designer of Streetsoccer... the changing value of the players from year to year is really nifty. The game, however, runs a little slow & the moving of the strips can be a bit fiddly - not enough to ruin the game but certainly enough with a full contingent of players to make me cautious about playing again.
• Birds, Bugs and Beans - Standard issue speed recognition game with the added attraction of getting to make animal & farting noises. I will play it ONLY if one of my boys asks...
• Buccaneer - Interesting think-y filler with a pirate theme... worked better than I thought it would but feel like there might be a kingmaker issue in the final turn.
• Burger Joint - Disclosure note: the designer (Joe Huber) is a good friend of mine & I playtested one of the earlier versions of the game. With that said, I like Burger Joint a lot - while the theme is fun, it's a pretty abstract game of manipulating resources for two players that plays in 30 minutes. (Review copy provided.)
• Burg der 1000 Spiegel - The mechanic (using mirrors built into the board) is awesome - you peer through a hole inside of the box & what you see is bounced around off a series of mirrors - but it's really just a standard memory game with a slight betting element. Fun with kids but doesn't have the oomph to be played by just adults.

The Problem With Sorting Kid Games By Age

I've promised a couple of you that I would eventually sort the Kid Games 100 (and other kid games I've reviewed) by appropriate age... but in the process of doing so, I've run into some snags.

• Most importantly, there is a marked difference between "age at which a child can play the game with a parent/adult" and "age at which a child can play the game with kids his/her own age." For example, my 9 year old son can play a number of games (Thebes, Return of the Heroes, Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge, Battlelore) while I'm at the table that he would have a difficult teaching and/or "officiating" with his friends.
• A similar issue: the intellectual maturity of kids varies wildly - while both my boys seem to have developed reading skills very quickly, some kids don't... and that keeps them from comfortably learning and/or playing certain games.
• Along the same lines: the emotional maturity of kids also varies - my five year old can make the decisions needed to play Dungeonquest... but he was completely creeped out by his character being bitten by a vampire (for those who don't know the game, it's just a card w/some game effects) and refuses to play again. Other kids we know don't have the ability to play games with hosage without having major breakdowns.

Those three issues are making it tough to know how best to sort the games... I'm thinking that I'll probably make multiple lists, but that's going to delay the project a bit.

Sorry.

Through the Years: Yet More Gaming History

OK, I never thought this would spawn 3 different posts... weird, huh? (If you want to read the first two, here's the one about most played games by year of release & here's the one about most time spent playing by year of release...

• 2009: Race for the Galaxy (229)
• 2008: Race for the Galaxy (81)
• 2007: Scene It? Disney (27)
• 2006: Scene It? Disney (19)
• 2005: Carcassonne (25)
• 2004: Streetsoccer (59)
• 2003: Lost Cities (82)
• 2002: Lost Cities (72)
• 2001: Can't Stop (58)
• 2000: Can't Stop (51)
• 1999: Can't Stop (28)

So, we've got one 30 minute sci-fi card game, one 45 minute party/DVD game that the boys loved to play, one 60 minute tile-laying city-building game, one 15 minute backgammon-ish soccer game, one 30 minute Rummy-ish game w/a great exploration theme, and one of the best push-your luck dice games on the planet (playing time dependent on the number of players).

Through the Years: More Gaming History

I already posted the first Through the Years post earlier this year... which simply listed my most played games by year of release. This time, I'm listing the games I've spent the most time playing (still by year of release):

• 2009: Roll Through the Ages - Matt Leacock's inventive "Yahtzee meets Civilization" game has been successful with gamers & non-gamers... and it's very cool that he released an online print-n-play "gamer" expansion as a freebie bonus!
• 2008: Pandemic - Interestingly, this is yet another Matt Leacock design - and one that works equally well with gamers & non-gamers (again!) This time, it's a cooperative game where the players attempt to save the world from a variety of killer viruses.
• 2007: Race for the Galaxy - Tom Lehmann's magnum opus is this incredibly addictive card game about space colonization & war. With the addition of the third expansion, you have now have a complete epic game that still plays in 30 minutes or so (with experienced players).
• 2006: Battlelore - While I don't love this to the same extent that I love Memoir '44, I think this fantasy/medieval entry in the Command & Colors system (created by Richard Borg) is a great way to blow a couple of hours. My oldest son really likes the newest expansions because they added more creatures for him to choose from...
• 2005: Pizza Box Football - It's a pretty simple dice game with some slight simulation elements (there are team cards for each year, but they don't vary a great deal)... but that doesn't dampen the fun I have playing this game. I finally won a game earlier this year after going something like 0-18.
• 2004: Heroscape - Little did I know when Frank Branham emailed me & told me "get thee hence to thy local Wal-Mart and pick up this game" that I would end up 6 years later with four shelves full of figures & 5 cartons of terrain. It doesn't hurt that Braeden loves the game - we're in the middle of an Orcs vs. Dragons battle right now - and that it's easy to teach to new players.
• 2003: Return of the Heroes - Lutz Stepponat designed my favorite "D&D in a boardgame" game with this interesting hybrid of fantasy quest & Eurogame... I own all the expansions & have enjoyed in a variety of settings. The lack of direct combat between players speeds up the game & makes it very wife-friendly.
• 2002: Puerto Rico - My first 4 plays were in 36 hours at the Gathering of Friends... it's wild to be introduced to such an important game in the company of so many really skillful gamers! This "build an economic/points engine" game is still (for me) the standard by which all other such games are measured.
• 2001: Pig Pile - This is probably my favorite "better than Uno" game. (Yes, as a matter of fact I have created my own moniker for card games that are relatively mindless & great with non-gamers that don't make you want to have a frontal lobotomy 1/2 way through the game - see Phase 10 or Uno.)
• 2000: Lord of the Rings - LOTR is not as non-gamer-friendly as Pandemic, but this Knizia cooperative masterpiece uses an abstract card-driven mechanic to ratchet up the tension in a way that reflects the writings of Tolkien brilliantly. We like to play with the Friends & Foes expansion or with the Sauron expansion (but not both at the same time).
• 1999: Ra - I really disliked Ra the first time I played it - the scoring seemed convoluted & the game took FORever (almost 90 minutes). But thanks to a clearance sale, I picked up a copy to trade, broke it out again, and realized what a work of genius this auction game is... esp. when you play it in an appropriate 30-40 minutes!
• 1998: Elfenland - This hasn't hit the table in way too long - probably because of the 2 hour playing time & the unforgiving nature of the game if you get behind. That doesn't change the fact that this re-imagining of Alan Moon's classic Elfenroads is a splendid game... and the addition of the Elfengold expansion turns into it a heavy gamer-friendly exercise.
• 1997: Arriba / Lowenherz - It's a tie! Arriba is the first edition of what you can now buy in the store as "Jungle Speed"... it's the demented (and potentially physically dangerous) love child of Set and Spoons. OTOH, Lowenherz is 1/3 of the massive Klaus Teuber prototype that eventually gave birth to The Settlers of Catan & Entdecker... and it's one of the meanest Eurogames that I own. I would play it a LOT more if it didn't require exactly 4 players to work well.
• 1996: Settlers of Catan Card Game - It's almost obsolete - Herr Teuber is publishing a new updated version of the game later this year - but that doesn't change the fact that this is card game implementation of The Settlers of Catan is a great game. It's too long & only plays with 2 players - but it's more than just a luck of the draw/dice card game. (Humorously enough, my first 10+ plays of this game were with a German set with a translation cheat sheet... that's how we did it back in the day - "kickin' it old skool." )
• 1995: Settlers of Catan -If Helen of Troy was "the face that launched a thousand ships," then Catan is "the game that launched a thousand games." When this appeared back in 1995, it revolutionized the board game world. It certainly revolutionized my playing habits - my conservative guess is that I've played 250+ games of Catan along w/the plethora of expansion sets. If you haven't tried it, you're missing out on one of the classic gaming experiences
• 1994: RoboRally - Before the umpteenth game of this with soul-deadening AP (analysis paralysis) burned out my love for it, this was a very popular game amongst myself & my friends. The reprint of the game by Avalon Hill solved a couple of major game problems (virtual status & the lack of help for setting up workable race layouts) but it came too late for me. Don't let my ennui stop you, though - there's a really neat programmed movement system here that's a lot of chaotic fun.
• 1993: Ausgebremst - In the gaming world, most folks know the game this was based on (Ave Caesar) better than they know of this auto-racing themed follow up... and they mostly know of Ave Caesar because it was difficult to find & expensive to acquire for a long, long time. I like the "gear" system & variable tracks of Ausgebremst - but you've got to be prepared to get hosed early & often in this game of choke point racing.
• 1992: Fast Food Franchise - Long before Tom Lehman created the masterpiece of Race for the Galaxy, he produced some other very interesting games - Time Agent, for example, is not quite like anything else around. In that same time period, he created an homage/re-visioning of Monopoly that adds some tactical decisions, a nice helping of theme & loads of "drive each into bankruptcy" fun. This is way, way OOP... but I keep hoping that someone will pick it up & reprint this - it's probably the most "non-gamer" friendly of the games on this list, due to the similarities with Monopoly.
• 1991: History of the World - My first playing of the Avalon Hill "chit" version of HotW was miserable... enough to turn me off the game for life. But when H/AH re-issued the game with streamlined rules and tons of plastic minis, I took a copy off the prize table at Gulf Games & found a new gaming love. The epic sweep of this game is an absolute hoot. (Last year, the designers released their newest take on the game system, A Brief History of the World... and while I miss the plastic minis, the game is tighter, better & less chaotic.)
• 1990: Sindbad - This is a French game of the early 90s, with all that implies: interesting artwork on the cards (you don't want to have to explain some of the pictures to the younger members of your family), odd dice/card combat system, a stock market-like mechanic of investing in commodities... all in the same theme-drenched game. There are substantial amounts of chaos but also great fun to be had...
• 1989: Space Hulk - Back when Games Workshop was actually attempting to produce games & not just gaming systems, they created this shoot-'em-up space opera of outnumbered marines vs. hordes of Genestealer aliens... and the relatively clean rule systems plus the gorgeous minis & boards made for a great experience. They've recently republished this at an EXTREMELY high price point.
• 1988: Blood Bowl - Another Games Workshop game (that soon spawned a miniatures gaming system - of course) that we had lots of fun with back in the day. You fielded fantasy squads to play a game that was more violent than rugby and had the same high-scoring tendencies as soccer. I think the system is out-dated now, but we played a lot of this early on.
• 1987: Dungeonquest - This is very possibly the game I've played the most over the longest span of time... as I've described it elsewhere, it's like playing D&D with a DM (in this case, the game system) who hates your guts. Capricious death (trapped in a rotating room, eaten by a giant centipede, falling into a bottomless pit, etc.) are part & parcel of each game - but since it's only an hour long at worst, that's perfectly OK.
• 1986: Fortress America - Not the last of the MB big box wargames series, but the one I've probably played the most - it's the U.S. vs. the rest of the world as they attack America. Cool plastic minis, partisan cards that read like someone O.D.'d on the movie "Red Dawn" & clean rule systems made this a great, great game to play. I'd love to see it re-developed & re-released.
• 1985: Mosby's Raiders - A solitaire wargame about the Civil War guerrilla cavalry unit... I liked the way it played enough to spend a lot of time with this one during college & seminary.
• 1984: Axis & Allies - Not the first of the MB big box wargames... but the best known and the one that's spun off the most games. I've never actually won a game of this, btw, but that hasn't stopped me from playing it over & over.
• 1983: Talisman - This is the game by which all over fantasy boardgames are judged - and it's well-loved enough to have 5 different editions (I think it's five?)... I owned most of 2nd edition & all of 3rd edition. It's too long for what it is, but we had great times with it 20 years ago.
• 1982: Family Business - Another game that is still in print... I didn't start playing it until the early 90s, but it became a "we need a game where we can beat up on each other" staple at our game nights.
• 1981: The Broadway Game - I bought a copy of this in a clearance bin at a Toys'R'Us... and it became the game that defined the early years of our marriage as Shari & I taught it to every couple we spent major time with. Yes, it's overly long; yes, it has some game mechanics that can go completely haywire; yes, the voting at the end is a screwy way to finish the game... and yet, we love it all the same. (Man, we need to play that again! It's been too long.)
• 1980: Can't Stop - Sid Sackson's dice masterpiece... there have been various editions over the years (and a really nice Flash computer implementation called Roll or Don't) - no matter which one you use, it's one of the best push-your-luck games ever designed.

I'll list the rest of these without comments... you'll note that all but two of them are Avalon Hill games. The exceptions are Tally Ho & Junta.

• 1979: Circus Maximus
• 1978: Junta
• 1977: Squad Leader
• 1976: Starship Troopers
• 1975: Wooden Ships & Iron Men
• 1974: Rise & Decline of the Third Reich
• 1973: Tally Ho
• 1972: Paydirt
• 1971: Speed Circuit

Game Review: Forbidden Island

Forbidden Island

• designer: Matt Leacock
• publisher: Gamewright
• date: 2010
• BoardGameGeek rank/rating: 2090/8.04
• age: 10+
• # of players: 2-4
• print status: in print
• cost: $11.20 (Boards & Bits)

Maybe it's because I started writing this review during the final few weeks of the TV series, LOST... but the whole "island full of crumbling ruins & ancient secrets" vibe resonates pretty strongly with me right now.

But don't take my (admittedly gamer-oriented) word for it: listen to my (gamer-in-training) 8 year old son... or his non-gamer 8 year old friends... or my long-suffering wife (who games because she loves me!)... or even other actual gamers who've played the game. It's been a hit with everyone who has had the opportunity to play!

Forbidden Island is a cooperative game for 2-4 players, though since the game is played with open hands, it works just fine as a solitaire game as well, with the player controlling two (or more) pawns. (Another odd Lost reference: this is definitely a "live together or die alone" kind of game.) Regardless of the number of players, it seems to clock in at right about a half hour of playing time.

The color text of the game has the players on a search for elemental treasures (The Crystal of Fire, the Statue of the Wind, The Ocean's Chalice & the Earth Stone) created by an ancient civilization. Of course, it's not a simple archaeological expedition - the island is booby-trapped to begin sinking when anyone attempts to steal the treasures... and that's exactly what you're here to do.

I could go into a detailed rules explanation... but that seems pretty pointless when a PDF of the rulebook is available online, thanks to the good folks at Gamewright. Simply put, you're using 3 actions per turn to move your piece across an island made of tiles, attempting to collect the treasures, shore up the sinking parts of the island, and generally survive long enough for all of you to grab the last helicopter off the island (is Frank Lapidus the pilot?). At the end of each turn, you draw cards to increase your hand (and potentially increase the rate of flooding) as well to sink more parts of the island.

There are lots of ways to lose:

• if the helicopter landing pad sinks, you lose
• if one of your team doesn't survive, you lose
• if you fail to recover all four treasures, you lose
• if the island floods completely, you lose

But it wouldn't be much of a cooperative game if you won all the time, right? So far, we're doing very well playing at the Novice setting, while we're about 50/50 at the Normal setting. I have yet to convince my son to try it at the more difficult settings. (BTW, a clever game feature - you only have to change the starting level of the water - indicated on a sliding scale - to change the difficulty of the game. No re-mixing the deck, no convoluted alternative set-up.)

The components are high quality - nice cards, great chunky tiles with evocative "forbidden island" artwork that reminds me a bit of the computer game Myst, and nifty plastic "treasures" - all packaged in a cool-looking tin with a well-designed box insert. (For those of you non-gamers, the "well-designed insert" may not sound like a big deal, but I can tell you from experience that it makes it easier to transport & keep the game in top-notch condition... and that not all companies think this part through.)

A side note: since the designer, Matt Leacock, is best known for his OTHER cooperative game, Pandemic, it's helpful to note that while the games share some mechanics (most notably the Infection/Waters Rise restacking of the decks & the various player roles that allow each person to "break" the rules in a particular way), the board play (due to the sinking tiles) and kid-friendly theme make for a very different game experience.

Finally, the recommended age of 10 is correct - but only if the kids are going to be playing without any adults helping run the game. With a friendly adult, the game can easily be played by kids as young as 5. The cheap price point (the MSRP is only $15.99) means that Forbidden Island will likely be one of the best kid gaming investments you're likely to make this year.

Migration: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

The "Migration" posts are actually much older articles I wrote for the church @ hickory hollow e-newsletter back almost 10 years ago. I've edited them a bit for clarity (and because some of them just needed an editor!)... and in this case, substantially rewritten the end of the article to reflect 8+ years of experience.

I'm not always a big martial arts movie buff, but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is more of a cross between an 'artsy film' & a 'martial arts flick'. Either way, it kept me entertained the other night - sure beat the heck out of The Mummy Returns, which I'd also rented.

Anyhoooo...

I actually have a reason for bringing up Crouching Tiger... the fight scenes in it were spell-binding in their speed and grace. Blocking one blow after another, deflecting kicks & lunges & punches, parrying with spears & swords & whatever else they can find... all at a lightning pace.

But, of course, someone has to win, so one opponent would surprise the other and deliver an incredible blow. Stunning not only in its physical power but also in the raw shock of being hit.

Feels a little like life, huh? Blocking one thing after another from hurting you and your family, fending off creditors & bosses & people bent on irritating you for no good reason, parrying the verbal thrusts of gossip, lies & anger...

...and then someone/something blind-sides you. Hits you with incredible force, knocking you off your balance, setting you up to be hit again... and again... and again...

Why? Well, I'm not sure I have the be-all and end-all answer to this one... but I do know what's meant the most to me the past few days. Shari told me about it following her quiet time (read: time spent praying & studying the Bible) earlier this week... it's a quote from Beth Moore:

"The enemy can't squelch the power of God so he tries to disable the people of God."

And the verse she quotes is from one of Paul's letter (2nd Corinthians 1):

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."

Paul was, in the language of martial arts & schoolyard brawls, getting the poop kicked out of him. Read it... "great pressure", "far beyond our ability to endure", "despaired even of life", "felt the sentence of death". That's not just a bad hair day.

But the issue for Paul was so he could rely on God... and the issue Beth Moore raises parallels that: Satan would LOVE for us to believe that our lousy circumstances & the below-the-belt punches of life mean that God is gone and/or doesn't care... so we might as well give up.

When I originally wrote this post (back in the Spring of 2002!), I was freaked out about our church plant moving our services to Saturday nights in order to save $ on renting facilities. For me, it felt like one thing after another had imploded or exploded on me... and the temptation to sit down & give up was huge. What I wrote was:

But I still believe God is doing something special here in our authentic Biblical community, and that letting myself be disabled in the process means I'll miss out on it. I'm not going there.

Don't you go there.

As Paul Harvey used to say, "Now for the... rest of the story." 6 months later, the church @ hickory hollow closed. I went on to work the phone for JC Penney catalog sales & sleeve/stack videos for a fulfillment company. As you can probably guess, this is was not the "something special" from God I had anticipated.

But in that same time period, I had an incredible renewal of my calling to ministry & my desire to live for Christ. That personal revival got me ready to meet the incredible folks @ Easton Southern Baptist Church (now known as NewLife Community Church) where I've been pastor for almost 7 years.

And in those intervening years, I've been privileged to see how God has led a number of the key folks from the church @ hickory hollow to places of healing, restoration & leadership. God has done something special... just not the way I'd planned to see it happen.

BTW, anyone want to watch Enter the Dragon with me? :-)