750 Words

(I type everyday at 750words.com.  This was todays entry.  Straight and uncut.)

I almost missed it today.  I was reading my Google Reader stuff.  If Faith had succeeded in sending me to Jack in the Box I would have blown my streak.  40 days today I think.

that is how long Jesus was in the desert being tempted.  I haven't suffered anything like he did.  I don't really deserve to wear his name.  My only consolation is that none of us do.  We are not worthy.  We are declared worthy, and then made worthy by his name.

I was watching Ip Man the movie on Hulu earlier.  I guess it is like being a student of someone.  We are their student, not their equal, or their twin.  We grow to be a bit more like them in one way or another, but not in all ways.  We are still ourselves, just with a bit of an overlay changing one facet of our lives.

Except, with Jesus, it should change every facet of our lives.  I'm not saying I'm going to grow a beard and learn to speak Aramaic or Greek.  Nor do I plan on upsetting the current religious regime enough that they trump up charges and sell me to the political tyrants in charge.

But, I should be more like him.  Caring and loving.  Sacrificing.  I have a lot of "things" but nothing, other than my Self, that I can sacrifice.  the problem with living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar.  Its an old saying, but still true.  I have laid my life on the altar multiple times, and still I find myself living my own life.

there are many problems with organized religion.  We tend to push not just our beliefs but also our culture on another group.  Hence, the name the "missionary position."  As I understand it, this was the only accepted sexual position God wanted.  And missionaries forced many others to adapt.  Government, dress, government.  Language, etc.  It was all an attempt to make them like us, because we are Christians.  So, to be Christians, they must be clones of us, our habits, our dress, our styles of speech, music, entertainment.  Everything must be like us.

No wonder so many people see Christianity as a European, white man's religion.  It didn't originate with us, but European's certainly were effective at sharing it.  I wonder how much success was at the point of a gun, much like Islam "conquered" Arabia and northern Africa by the sword.  It wasn't Islam as much as it was religious zealots backed by armed might.  Convert or die is a persuasive argument.  whether it be Christianity or Islam, much conversion was done by force.

I wonder how this should be interpreted by that phrase of Jesus' when he said the gospel suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  It has been violated.  the muslims claim that terrorists do not truly represent Islam.  And I say the Crusaders don't represent the best side of Christianity.

We are both at fault.  Of course, trace our roots back to Judaism and they were commanded to decimate, no, to obliterate and remove their enemies from their midst.  Not to convert, but to slay them all.  Complete irradication.  That doesn't sound like the God I serve, but it is in the Bible.  I have to believe it.  I can see reasons for it, too.

All filthiness must be removed.  All temptation.  All impurities.  Despite what they were commanded to do, they still fell again and again into idolatry.  Now, what do we have to say for ourselves?  We are mixed into the civilization around us, and commanded to be salt and light, a preserving and guiding force for the countries and communities we live in.  Thermostats instead of thermometers. 

What changed?  We are the ones who are supposed to be changed.  Israel was isolated from the nations, commanded to be separate as an example to them.  A Light among the Nations.  We, Christians, are given the Spirit individually to carry into our personal lives.  We are not alone.  We are not isolated.  We are carriers.  We are changers, movers and shakers.  We are the yeast in the dough.  We have been sent into the world, not to be OF it, but, still, in it, making changes wherever we go.

Not with the sword, as many religions and cultures did through the ages, but with our lives and our blood.  A daily sacrifice lived to enhance and enrich the lives of others, and not to please ourselves.

What I learned today

I sat down while the kids were at school, and decided to work on my GM/DM/AM/referee skills a bit. That's Game/Dungeon/Adventure Master. I've been reading a lot of blogs about how to be better, tips for newbies, and general improvement. Most of them agree on the first rule: This is a game. Games are fun. If it isn't fun, do something about it.

What makes it fun? Personal involvement for one. The players need to be emotionally attached to whats going on in our shared world. I want them to want to slay the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy/Girl). Because he is messing with their friends and their family. He is the one who set fire to the General Store. He burned down the Warrens. He is sacrificing the towns people. He is planning ... well, you get the idea. Emotional involvement on their part will make the gaming experience much more intense and memorable.

We did not actually sit down and "play" tonight. I reviewed my notes from our first session where we generated their characters. Luxord is a human fighter. Stevo is an elven mage. Sonic and Zoey are halfling rogues. I discovered some ... things ... about my children. When I summarized those things, it surprised me. My son's characters wanted to improve themselves, just to be the best. The best fighter. The best wizard. (His master sent him away because he couldn't teach him anything more.) My daughter wanted to go out and help people. Wow. What a difference. I've never really seen them in that light before, and it was an eye-opener. I'm not sure its a totally accurate representation of them as individuals though. But, I do think they are too young and inexperienced to create characters totally unlike themselves. Frankly, I'm surprised my daughter is playing a male character at all. (This is cute though. He's on the road to be with her. He got lost. He seems fairly clueless and inept. I wonder if this says something about her view of men in general, or someone in particular.)

After supper, I pulled my daughter over, and talked with her about her two characters, Zoey and Sonic. I knew they were cousins, but where did they come from? A farm. Why are they out on the road? To help other people. What skills do they have? Parents? Siblings? Home life? Village, forest, mountain, farm, city? We sculpted the background of her characters, and it was fun for both of us.

Then on to my son's two, Luxord and Stevo. Luxord's parents died when he was 15. Stevo's died when he was 15, too. (That doesn't look good for me, but, he's reading the Harry Potter books. So, I hope its a HP thing, and not a wish to be orphaned.) Luxord's little brother is apprenticed to a blacksmith, while Luxord does odd jobs. "Oh, you're a loafer," said Faith. "No!" "Yes!" we both said. "You won't get a job. You just do enough to earn money when you need it." "No!" Well, that's what it sounds like to us. Stevo was apprenticed to a wizard when he was 40. (Stevo is an elf, so ages and timelines are ... weird.) What did he do in the intervening 25 years? We don't know. Loaf? Odd jobs? He said he'll have to think about it.

When we were done, he said character/world building was just as much fun as actually playing. Cool. I think so too. I also learned quite a bit about my children as I reviewed my notes. I hope this game of ours proves to be character building in more than just one way.