JohnnyBGamer

Worry

Once a month, I meet with a group of guys from my church to study the Bible. Our epic 3 hour meetings include time to eat, discuss everyday life, and dive into God’s word. This past week we met and dissected Matthew 5 & 6. What really stuck out to me was in verses 25-34:

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

With the world seemingly spinning out of control due to natural disasters and financial meltdowns, I find it hard not to worry. And yet in Matthew, Jesus tells us to focus on him, chill out, and have faith. These are words that are really hard to actually put into practice and yet, as a Christian, I am called to live them out. So how do I do this? 1 Peter 5:7 says:

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Taking all of my worries and fears to God, on a daily basis, through prayer is a great place to start. Also, by reading His word daily, I am able to remind myself of His promises.

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

As I immerse myself in God’s promises, I encourage you to do the same. There really is no reason to worry.

Nepal

Nathan Drake and I arrived in Nepal last night. The city of Kathmandu has become a virtual warzone. Slowly, we have fought through the city streets in search of the temple that leads to Shambhala. Along the way, we have met up with Chloe–I don’t trust her!–and are now trying to find a good vantage point to locate the temple. Hopefully all goes well…

Rotating between Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Red Dead Redemption, my PS3 is certainly getting a workout. Modern gaming sure is rad!

Sunday, Sunday

It is a nice and toasty 89 degrees outside today. Hurray for Texas in the springtime!

So far, I have spent my Sunday going to church, hanging out with friends this afternoon (got to play Shadows Over Camelot for the first time), and now just relaxing. The house is nice and quiet due to my son being down for a nap. I can’t imagine what life will be like when he finally stops taking those…

Last night I dove into Red Dead Redemption on the PS3. First off, I would like to give developer Rockstar massive kudos for keeping the game relatively clean thus far. The lack of language and even sexual content has shocked me after dabbling with several games in the Grand Theft Auto series. Such restraint Rockstar! Keep it up! Second, I am not a huge fan of open world GTA-like games. Red Dead Redemption is slowly making a believer out of me. The game is a fulfillment of all of my childhood fantasies of becoming a cowboy. Love it! So far I have herded cattle, rounded up rustlers, and kept a garden free of varmints. I will most likely be writing more about this game in the future.

That is about all for this relaxing Sunday. See ya on the flip side tomorrow!

Connections

In the hustle and bustle that has become everyday life, I am beginning to wonder how I ever found time to play such games as World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online. I think that when I was playing them, I was using them as a social means to hang out with friends from back in California. With the time difference proving to be too big of a drawback–I’m usually in bed by the time my friends get around to being able to game–, my friends and I all slowly walked away from MMO’s.

While part of me misses the thrills of leveling and exploring the various game worlds, I more so miss being able to hang out with friends in another state. Slaughtering the digital denizens, while shooting the breeze, created good memories for me. As a guy, doing something with other guys is just priceless, even if it is just playing a game online.

I don’t know if it is this way with every gamer, but I have a core group of friends that I have gamed with since high school. Since moving to Texas, I have kept in touch with them by phone, email, and occasional visits. I ultimately don’t want our connection to be lost due to distance. Though we may have walked away from MMO’s for the moment–Bioware’s Star Wars MMO is on the horizon–, we are all still good friends. I am thankful for friendships that evolve and change with time… and distance.