Defenders of Liberty Air Show – No Go

Saturday, the Texas Halls boarded the Prius (*beep, beep!*) for a quick trip east.

Destination: Shreveport, Louisiana; The Barksdale Defenders of Liberty Air Show, at Barksdale AFB.

Last time I had taken Wyatt to the air show, he was 5 years old. I had asked him the other day if he remembered going with just me. Memory was hazy. So, I figured it was time to go and make memories as family.

We got to Shreveport in good time. Exiting the interstate, we quickly got in line for the air show. Now, traffic was backed up (read: not moving). I got into the other lane that was actually moving, and we made our way towards the base gate. I had thought that I’d just pull a California ninja move and sneak my way into the traffic that was turning left onto the base. Only a police car blocked the lane next to me. There was an officer walking from car-to-car telling folks that the base was at capacity. Tab quickly checked Facebook to confirm that no one was being allowed onto the base.

What do we do now?

We drove an hour away to be turned away due to too many people?

The base’s Facebook page talked about how the Brookshires Arena was a good place to watch the show. So, we drove over to the Arena. We could kind of see the planes flying, except when they dove down below the tree level. We hung out for a bit. Enjoyed walking around and just being outside (the weather was wonderful). Finally, we drove over to the boardwalk and Bass Pro.

I can confirm that what was once a busy place filled with shops is no more. The boardwalk had people hanging out but no shops to go into. Besides the movie theater and a smattering of restaurants, COVID clearly did the boardwalk wrong.

RIP – SHREVEPORT BOARDWALK.

We walked around. Ate some ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. And then, made the journey back to Longview, Texas.

Overall, we had a great day. A little unexpected but fun. Sometimes it is nice to just get out and go somewhere.

JBG Video Game Reviews – 2023

I had thought I’d already written this blog post, but I haven’t. I have distinct memories of people liking what I had written, getting real life comments on what I had to say about JBG and reviews… Nope.

Moving forward, JohnnyBGamer will not be including a final score in our reviews. I don’t find a numeric score to be helpful in choosing whether or not to purchase a game. And it’s not like my reviews are aggregated on Metacritic for anyone’s use.

From now on, you’ll find an article or two with my initial impressions. Maybe some follow up posts with photos, maybe a post about a game mechanic that I find interesting. All of the above will be followed by a review that details what I disliked and what I loved about said game. That’s it. From reading the words of my review, dear reader, you can draw your own conclusions about whether you should take the plunge or avoid the game like the plague.

Blood Sugar and Sin

I am in charge of buying snacks and drinks for the office. I buy the candy, soda, and fruit snacks the office runs on to finish the week strong. But I have a problem, I am a Type 2 Diabetic. Most of the things I buy I really cannot eat or drink. Sure, I buy a few things that are healthy/low in sugar but for the most part, I’m in a sugar swamp.

On most days, I am able to tell myself no. I don’t need a Coke or sports drink or anything that will up my blood sugar levels. There are other days though where I think, “Why not just give in? It’s only a drink/snack?”

As a Christian, the struggle with sin is a lot like my struggle not to up my sugar levels. One can be living perfectly right with God, in the moment, only to sin in the next moment. Oftentimes it is questions like:

“There is nothing wrong with reading this article.”

Even though the article is about gossip.

Are we, as Christians, supposed to take part in gossip? No.

Do I want to know about Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s latest drama? Yes.

OR

“I’ll just watch these videos on TikTok / Instagram / Facebook, no matter the content.”

Social media is the gateway, video content is just another layer that can bring us to sin. Fact about watching videos: Time goes by quickly, and you do not even notice.

We are being robbed of our time.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

Paul calls Christians to think about things that are admirable and worthy of praise. Not to think of sweets… that can of Coke in the fridge… ultimately, that white powdery goodness known as sugar that is in everything.

Blood sugar levels and sin are a lot alike but different. However, both impact your body and your soul.

From Across the Net – Giving an Effective Gospel Invitation with Integrity

“It is imperative, however, that there is a plan for immediate follow-up. There are few things worse than someone surrendering to Jesus and no one following up with them.” – Shane Pruitt, Giving an Effective Gospel Invitation with Integrity