As I was reading though the Book of James, chapters 1 and 2, this morning, I came across the following verse:
Faith in action, right? My hope is that wherever God is leading me, I am not just sitting on my faith butt but instead actively living out my faith.
My chest hurts today. I’m not sure why. All I know is that it feels like someone is sitting on me. Someone large; Someone heavy.
I read this morning that:
God is working right now, but not so much to give us predictable, comfortable, and pleasurable lives. He isn’t so much working to transform our circumstances as he is working through hard circumstances to transform you and me. Perhaps in hard moments, when we are tempted to wonder where God’s grace is, it is grace that we are getting, but not grace in the form of a soft pillow or a cool drink. Rather, in those moments, we are being blessed with the heart-transforming grace of difficulty because the God who loves us knows that this is exactly the grace that we need.
God knows what I need. Even if it’s not the cool drink of peace that I desire.
Social media is a mess. Everyone seems on edge. Nerves raw after what felt like a prolonged election cycle. Ready to explode when given the hidden signal or somebody sneezes on accident.
My twitter feed has become a water pitcher filled with fear and adult temper tantrums. I get it, people are upset over the Presidential regime change. When you spend 8 years with one President, you are bound to feel shaken. Especially when the newly elected President is Donald “You’re Fired” Trump.
As a Christian it is easy to get caught up in the political vortex, to lash out without thinking. Easy to forget your identity.
Pastor Paul Tripp said it best in his devotional New Morning Mercies. As you go about your day:
“May God give you grace to remember your identity as His child in those moments when remembering is essential.”
Remembering is essential. As Mufasa told Simba in The Lion King, “Remember who you are.”
I want to challenge myself. I want to challenge you. Remember who you are when:
There is no need to pass along the negative emotions you are absorbing as you scroll through twitter.
Listen first. Limit your social media time/exposure. Be who God created you to be, remembering that you represent Him, now.
We minimize and reject portions of the story God is telling through our lives. Stuffing those experiences, those moments we don’t want to talk about, away.
Wounds become scabs. Ready to be made raw at a moments notice. A simple comment made; A scene from a TV show. Pain discovered anew.
Walking grief is the new norm. We don’t even know that we are living in this manner, sick. Ignoring the bigger story God is weaving. Denying that pain has occurred. Until one day, someone speaks truth. Giving light to the darkest depths of anguish.
Expectations rule us. We perceive that others do not want to hear what we are going through.
“They are sick and tired of us talking about this,” we say.
A pit of lies.
And yet we live in denial of the story being written. Telling God that He is not there in that moment. While failing to realize that He has never left.
It’s jarring to read about video games one day and then infertility the next. It’s uncomfortable.
Welcome to JohnnyBGamer.
The Aetherlight Bible is tool, a companion piece meant to help players navigate through the fog. Presented in the New Living Translation, this Bible is easy to read for both children and adults. Built with the desire to connect players of The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance with Biblical truth, The Aetherlight Bible features:
Build for others what you would want them to build for you.
From the outside cover to the smallest details found inside, The Aetherlight Bible is a video game tie-in done right. Each page, from the watermarks to the quotes, show that much time and love went into the creation of this Bible.
However, I dislike how the page numbers are situated near the spine of the book. But, I realize that this formatting choice could force readers to actually learn the Books of the Bible. Clever.
I recommend this Bible to the hardcore players of The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance and to those not familiar with the game.
Parents, grandparents, this is the Bible you want to buy your kids/grandkids.
The Aetherlight Bible’s cover is inviting. Almost begging the reader to pick it up, read it, and embrace the adventure.
I was given a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this piece by my friend Josh, via Gamechurch. Can’t wait to play this on my PS4, August 23rd.
They’re looking for you, little boy. The masked men just released their hounds. You run. The bloodthirsty dogs close the distance between you and a cliff. Just as the dog’s teeth lunge for your foot, you jump off the cliff. Let me pause right here. You have no idea what’s at the bottom of this cliff. You’re completely at the whim of the game designer. Knowing there’s no other option, you simply trust the creator.
Joe, over at Theology Gaming, writes about Dark Souls and community. You can read more here.
There’s a life lesson in here somewhere. How many times in my own life have I set out with unwavering determination to accomplish a thing, armed only with my own knowledge and experience? More frequently than not those experiences serve to remind me that I don’t know as much as I thought I did. It’s certainly not that I think I know it all; I just think I know enough.
