JohnnyBGamer

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

Read Ecclesiastes 9 this morning. This story, towards the end, stuck out to me. Verse 17 seems to be key.

“13 Here is another thing that has made a deep impression on me as I have watched human affairs: 14 There was a small city with only a few people living in it, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. 15 There was in the city a wise man, very poor, and he knew what to do to save the city, and so it was rescued. But afterwards no one thought any more about him. 16 Then I realized that though wisdom is better than strength, nevertheless, if the wise man is poor, he will be despised, and what he says will not be appreciated. 17 But even so, the quiet words of a wise man are better than the shout of a king of fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one rotten apple can spoil a barrelful.” – Ecclesiastes 9:13-18 (NIV)

Tide and Tempest by Elizabeth Ludwig

Bryan Note: I would like to welcome my wife, Tabitha, to JBG with her debut book review of Tide and Tempest. I love her review’s conclusion. Enjoy!

Tide and Tempest, by Elizabeth Ludwig, is a story about Captain Keondric Morgan who has just docked his ship, the Caitriona Marie, in New York Harbor. His plan: reload supplies, make repairs to the ship and then be off delivering more cargo. However, a deathbed confession about a poisoned traveler, Braedon McKillop, has the good Captain worried about Braedon’s fiancé, Tillie McGrath, and the danger she may be in without her knowledge. Now Captain Morgan, his first mate, and brother Cass have to protect Tillie from harm and from each other’s love for her.

Apparently this is the last book in the three-part Edge of Freedom series. Being the only book in the series that I have read, the author did a great job of allowing me to know some background of what has happened with the characters up until this point. The cast of characters in this book was extensive. I found the constant switching between a character’s last name and their “Christian name”, as the author put it, very confusing and hard to keep straight.

The digital copy I received had numerous glitches (Kindle version). For example, several words had letters missing or the author’s name would appear randomly between paragraphs. This made the book both hard to read and comprehend.

Overall, Tide and Tempest is a story of two acquaintances trying to figure out a mystery surrounding a ring and fall in love in the process. The typical Christian fiction book: a little mystery, a little scripture/prayers recited, and the boy always gets the girl…after he falls in love with her at first sight. Sigh.

I was given a copy of this book by Bethany House. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Off Campus – Fallout: Fire Emblem Awakening

NOTE: Spoilers ahoy!

I am not happy.

One year, twenty-plus hours later, I have completed Fire Emblem Awakening. I spent hours upon hours fighting for the Halidom of Ylisse. I grew to love the characters just as one would with a good book. Yet, in the final levels of the game, the developers violated the rules they had set up from the beginning.

In most games, especially in JRPGs, you expect a certain level of dramatic tension AND a consistent way to represent it. After a while, you assume the story will direct itself, while you do all the fighting/hard work of progressing the story. In Fire Emblem Awakening’s case, what had been a fairly linear story was suddenly injected with player choice.
Head on over to Theology Gaming to read more

Videogames and Men

We need more writing like this:

“As any football fan or regular participant in golf, ultimate frisbee, or Settlers of Catan will confess, embracing make-believe battles isn’t in itself a sinful or even unwise act. What matters is one’s perspective. For anyone who plays videogames, there must be a commitment to proper perspective. The game is not the ultimate reality, even while playing it. The player should see the game as an experiment, not as a genuine set of priorities and goals, but as a pretend set of priorities and goals. Videogames should be viewed as opportunities to practice and explore the values and commitments we make with ourselves and with our God. Just as men ought not genuinely despair over a lost football game, men who play videogames should learn to accept failure as an integral part of the experience.” – Richard Clark, Videogames and Men

Fasting by Jentezen Franklin

Neon lights mix with the sound and smell of sizzling fajitas, nothing like a Mexican food restaurant in East Texas.

My pastor and I had a lunch meeting a few weeks ago. During the meeting, he encouraged me to start fasting as well as read Fasting by Jentezen Franklin. I have since done both.

In the book, Jentezen discusses a Biblical command that is often ignored, fasting. Matthew 6:1-18 serves as the Biblical aircraft carrier from which he launches his book. The following are some quotes and notes I jotted down while reading.

“Jesus said, “when you give…” and “When you pray…” and “When you fast.” He made it clear, that fasting, like giving and praying, was a normal part of Christian life. As much attention should be given to fasting as is given to giving and to praying.” (p11)

According to the book, there are three types of fasting:

Absolute fast
Normal fast
Partial fast (giving up particular foods or drinks for an extended period of time).

“Whenever you begin a fast, remember, if it doesn’t mean anything to you, it won’t mean anything to God.” (p35)

“…fasting is a constant means of renewing yourself spiritually.” (p71)

This one was interesting:

“When you fast, you abstain from food for spiritual purposes. I have heard people say that they were planning to fast TV or computer games or surfing the Internet. It is good to put those things down for a time of consecration if they are interfering with your prayer life or with your study of God’s Word or you ministering to the needs of others, but technically, that is not fasting. Fasting is doing without food for a period of time, which generally causes you to leave the commotion of normal activity. Part of the sacrifice of fasting, seeking God, and studying His Word is that normal activity fades into the background.” (p111)

What do you think? Any thoughts on fasting?