…delirium Mk. III

Posts Tagged “geekery”

Progress: 50%

This could very well be the halfway point of my time away from active ministry. I was taking time off when my son Asher was born, then some more when he was diagnosed with cancer, until I was offered a sabbatical to let me focus on taking care of my family, not to mention my own mental health.

Jesus vs. Cthulhu

I’m sad that October is almost over. I love this time of year. Fall is here and with Halloween in a few days, we all have an excuse to indulge in some spookiness. As such, I decided to draw the themes for our first XLM weekly Bible studies from horror stories.

Taking Correction

I got the chance to preach at Crossroads this morning! I ended up talking about how hard it is for me to take correction, even from God. Maybe you can sympathize?

Encumbrance

We had another great XLM Bible Study last Saturday. Here’s the audio. The background noise is the Magic players from the next table over.

Life is Co-op

If you haven’t seen The Avengers yet, do. It’s smashing. Joss Whedon has once again done what he does best: thrown a team of weirdos with supernatural powers at a seemingly insurmountable problem so we can watch them tear it up.

The Best Gear

One of the best parts of roleplaying is when your characters get new gear. After slogging through a baddie-infested dungeon or weathering a big boss fight, you get the payoff: loot. And every so often, your character gets that one weapon they’ve been waiting for, that one magic item they’ve needed – the thing that’s gonna get the job done.

Ancient Rules Lawyers

You know, they had real life rules lawyers in the first century.

The Real Story

Maybe it happened in a comic book. Maybe a TV series. Maybe even within a movie. You find a character you like, someone you identify with. You get to know how they work. Then, suddenly, they say a particular line or make a particular choice, and it just feels wrong. They would never do that, you think. You can tell the writer forced the moment in for convenience, or because they were pressured into it. It just doesn’t work.

Jesus' Character Sheet

I love my RPGs, my video games, my novels, my movies. I love a good adventure. And apparently, so does God.

How to Grow

The last XLM Bible Study was great. Thanks to everyone who came out! And thanks once again to Adventures in Comics and Games for hosting us!

Eyedrops

7:44 am

Push the Button

I had an unexpected moment in a police station that got me thinking about my life. Or rather, my character did.

Heroism

I’m very pleased. City of Heroes is now free-to-play, and it runs on my wife’s computer. This is good news because it runs very poorly on my aging laptop. Looks like I’ll be making my way back to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles once again. Woot! I’ve updated the “Game With Me!” page with the servers I play on.

XLM Bible Study!

You’re invited to the inaugural Extra Life Ministries Bible Study! We’ll discuss a Biblical topic for about 45 minutes, then have lunch and hang out. Questions are very welcome.

Blasting Bad Guys

I’m just now playing through Fallout 3, and I’m enjoying it a lot. I love post-apocalyptic fiction. It’s also been a while since I played through an RPG, so it’s a nice change of pace from my usual shooters.

The XLM LAN-tacular!

The Extra Life Ministries LAN-tacular will be at my place on September 17, starting at 2 pm.

Razorclown Roundup: August 2011

I recently beat Portal 2 co-op with my brother-in-law. Great story, great gameplay, great for bonding. I also learned something valuable: it’s easy to get snippy with someone when you’re playing a collaborative puzzle game past midnight, when you’re both mentally dulled. For the sake of your friendship — and science — call it a night and come at it fresh later.

RCM = XLM

We repainted.

Mur Keeps It Real

A couple months ago, I replied to a tweet from Mur Lafferty (@mightymur). I went on with my day. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed. I looked. She had replied.

One on the Wild Die

Yesterday, I outlined some of the reasons I love roleplaying. Here are some of my least favorite parts of it.

Transformation Hurts

In Highlander, when one immortal kills another, there’s an event called the Quickening. There’s lightning and explosions. Energy roars into the victor, who lifts off the ground, racked with pain. But they end up stronger.

Methods of Delivering Bullets

So, I was playing along in Call of Duty: Black Ops. I’d outfitted my classes that reviewers had recommended: my most-used guns were the AK74U and the Famas. Then, around when I hit level 34, I switched out most of my weapons for fun.

Mutants Are People Too: D&D Gamma World

Years ago, my friend Nick came into the room all excited, holding a copy of Polyhedron. He flipped the magazine open and told us about Omega World, a post-apocalyptic roleplaying system where you randomly generated your character, and would probably die really quickly.

Geeks Step Up

On 3/16, Bungie — creator of the Halo series — announced a fundraiser for relief efforts in Japan. Japan quake relief wristbands are available for $5 through the Bungie Store and Amazon.com, with the proceeds going to the Red Cross.

One Kind of Grace

We Christians talk about God’s grace a lot. It’s central to how Christianity works. If you’ve spent any time around a church, you’ve probably heard it defined as “undeserved favor.”

Thirsty for Gadgets

Jen’s due for a phone upgrade. This is a very exciting time.

Shoot the Clown

My typical Friday night? Hang out with wife and baby until they go to bed, then park myself in front of the Xbox.

Magic: The Gathering — Old Testament

A lot of characters and ideas from the Bible would make great Magic cards. Here are a few of my thoughts from the Old Testament.

Feed Me

I use the MobileRSS feed reader on my iPhone. Lately, I’ve had an unread count in the low hundreds.

Hypocrisy!

Anyone remember my rant on achievements? How I said they’re not to be taken seriously? How they’re not that big a deal?

Add to Friends List

I got the chance to play some Halo: Reach online yesterday. I do love me some shooty action, but playing online is always a mixed bag. There are some not-fun types out there that love nothing more than to cuss you out or — perhaps worse — scream nonsense into the mic until your ears bleed.*

I Like My Vampires Dark and Brooding

Pastor Michael will tell you that vampires are supposed to be hideous, irredeemable beasts. The Dracula from the novel? A wild-eyed monster trying to pass for a man. Nosferatu? A walking nightmare. None of this sparkly stuff.

Internet'd

Ladies and Gentlemen, the YouTube Effect, or Progressive Recombinant Absurdity.

Pick a Deity

I miss Dungeons & Dragons. It’s been way too long since I’ve played.

Love a n00b

My daughter Addison is finally here, and she’s teh cuteness.

Unlockables!

This little spoof goes out to my churchgoing friends. Up your Christian cred with these achievements!

Sin and the T-Virus

[Everyone] is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. -James 1:14-15

Memorial Day

I sit here in comfort, writing about fictional soldiers and playing first-person shooters. Meanwhile, real, flesh-and-blood people duck behind rocks to avoid rockets.

Achievements Aren't

I admit, I get a little thrill when I hear that little pa-pluck sound.

There is No Prayer Gauge

My wife and I were discussing a tough conversation she was praying about, and she wondered aloud if she had prayed enough.