Fawkes

For Christmas my son gave me an XBox 360 game: Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition.

Really an addictive game. Wandering through the wasteland around Washington DC a couple hundred years in the future.

A lot of the decisions that you make affect the course of the game and how it plays out. You can be good or bad or neutral (karma in the game).

At one point you will come across a character named Fawkes. Depending on your karma he may be recruited to help you out in the future.

I am not really good at video games and tend to die a lot (think it has to do with the fact that I was in college when Pong came out). But it sure makes it a lot easier to have Fawkes along with me during this game.

He has saved me from a lot of grief along the way so far. The big guy can carry whatever I give him. And he has unlimited ammo. And his thick skin lets him take a lot of damage. And he tends to see danger before I do. He's got my back.

Now I realize that this is just a video game and Fawkes is just a figment of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) of the game engine.

But it really points out just how tough it is to "go it alone." Having someone to rely on is valuable.

Kind of like life. God did not make us to go it alone, he made us to live in community with others. This includes not only our spouse and kids, but other members of our families and our friends and others. Life is easier in community

We will still have challenges and trials and things won't go the way we want to go. But having others that we can rely on when things get tough can make all the difference.

Oh, sure, Fawkes can be annoying at times. He makes the same stupid Zen comments that don't make sense, over and over and he blocks the door all too often when I am trying to get out of a room.

But it sure is handy to have him around to help me get over my mistakes...

Busy

Since Monday morning, I have reffed four high school soccer matches, prepared for a bible study, led a bible study, wrote an e-mail newsletter, done the laundry, mowed the lawn, trimmed the lawn, answered a bunch of music business e-mails, and done my day job - three times.

I haven't even had time to play any Half Life 2 on the XBox!

But I take comfort in that being this busy is just for a time, a season.

I know that the five hours of soccer a night will be over in mid to late May. And while I enjoy the reffing and interaction with the kids during the season (as well as the small amount of money that I get), I am sure glad when the season is over.

And I do try to keep some balance in my life by not reffing on Wednesday nights so that I can get caught up on all the stuff I can't do the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, Loralie sometimes feels like a soccer widow.

Especially when I have to leave before she gets up and get home about the time she is going to bed.

And that is never good...

Gaming

Interesting article by Jim Rosignol over on www.boingboing.net in the Offworld section (view BoingBoing at your own risk but OffWorld is pretty safe).

Jim interviews game designer Ed Stern. Ed has designed several outstanding video games including "Return to Castle Wolfenstein". Any way, Ed makes the comment that all too often game designers try to design for the "in crowd" of hardcore gamers instead of the the community of gamers at large. There are the in jokes and designs in the games that many casual gamers just don't get or appreciate.

Ed even argues against innovation to a certain degree, saying that if you want to bring in more people you have to have things at least partly familiar.

As I read the article I was reminded of how similar this is to the Christian experience. We become so familiar with our own vocabulary and rituals that we fail to realize how outsiders might feel when they visit our churches and services. To the unchurched, a typical worship service in a typical church can be almost incomprehensible.

Add in something like communion and many first time visitors will be out the door never to return.

And I am not sure that the so called "seeker sensitive" services are the entire answer either. I have heard it many times that the goal of our evangelistic efforts is to get our neighbors to come to church with us.

I think that is the wrong approach. We need to get people to Christ. First. Foremost. Always.

And too many times church is a hindrance to getting people to Christ.

Time to go check out Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter...

XBox

So I've taken a little grief from my friends since my post on playing Halo 3.

Not about the post.
About the fact that I have an XBox 360 at my age.

Simple reason: Its fun.

Complex reason: It connects me with my son off at college.

Last night we hooked up over the Internet (XBox Live) and played Gears of War together.
First time I have been able to do that. It was an absolute blast!
We played on my account and moved along pretty quick. It is a lot more fun playing with someone rather than playing a solo game.

Still had that sense of accomplishment that goes with moving along in the video games.
But I also had a good evening with my son who is off at college.

Well worth the investment for the game system.

Only one problem: He is quite a bit better than I am at this stuff.

I think that means that I will have to practice some more...

Halo

OK, I confess: I like to play video games.

Kind of different for a guy of my advancing age, but I do enjoy them.
I get a real sense of accomplishment when I finish one.

I finished Halo 3 (Christmas gift from my son) tonight.
Great game. Looking forward to Halo Wars in March and Halo 3: Orbital Drop Shock Trooper in November (hopefully).

But that's not my point.

As I played through Halo 3, there were several points that for me were pretty tough to get past. One was where the two Scarab tanks drop in and have to be destroyed while flying in the Hornet (if you don't know what I am talking about that is OK, just bear with me). It took me over 50 times to get past it. Pretty frustrating.

I was reminded of this process of God's work in out lives. We are going along and we make a mistake. I can not progress until the problem is fixed. It might take me failing 50 or 100 or more times until I learn the lesson. If I keep doing the same thing I will keep getting the same results. But if I turn to the Lord for help and rely on Him I can get through the tough spots.

And just like a video game, there are usually more tough spots ahead.

I can quit and put the game aside. But it gnaws at me. I want to finish and I want to finish as strong as I can.
I can give up the Christian life and try to live the way the world wants me to, but the Holy Spirit will keep gnawing at me until I pay attention. And I want to finish as strong as I can.

Most of the popular video games have strategy guides to help find the way. Even with a strategy guide, I still make lots of mistakes and lose my way and run into road blocks. Sometimes I have to call my son for help in getting past the real tough spots.

God has also given us a strategy guide: The Bible. But even more than the Bible he has given us a strategy guide interpreter: the Holy Spirit.

And if I pay attention to both, I have a much better chance of getting past those trouble spots and getting to the end.