Problems are for Solving

I’m in the car (Seth is driving) on the way home from Indianapolis. I have some thoughts on the whole experience, but I probably won’t get any flesh on them, at least in written form, anytime soon. Here are some extremely brief (possibly overly simplified) reflections from my week, in no particular order:

1. If I come again I want to figure out a way to bring more of my family, in particular my wife and oldest son. My wife because I have missed her horribly (and she, me) and three nights is just a long time to be away when I’m taking vacation. My oldest son because he missed his brother terribly and would have loved to share the experience. This, however, was Toby’s 10 year old trip and as it ought to be was just him and me.
2. I got some good time to talk with Toby and get to know him a little better as he’s growing. And I’m looking forward to our friendship growing as I pursue things with him that he takes interest in.
3. Everyone in the known universe is a geek. Some people are geeks about sports (quoting batting averages, etc.), some about fast engines, some about games, some about music, ad infinitum. And among different types of geeks there are geek specialties. And this week I got to see many of the sub-specialties of gamer geeks. And some of them were quite interesting, others disturbing.
4. While I consider myself to be normal (don’t we all) I did not feel as out of place among gamers as I thought I would. Certainly there were times when I thought, “do I really belong here?” but most of the time I thought “except for some morality issues that separate us, Toby is a lot like people here.” And since I like hanging out with Toby and Seth and Ralph, there was no feeling of non-belonging despite various differences.
5. I like playing games. I also like games to keep moving. I found myself losing patience with the slowness of moving by our opponents in the massive heroscape scenario we took part in this week. (See my FB account for some pretty cool (and some awfully taken) pictures of the event. Some of this is my need for more patience, and some of it is my desire to have things moving, and some of it is my lack of desire (possibly to a sinful extent) to stop and enjoy the moment when the next moment is more attractive to me.
6. Gamers need Jesus. I overheard just enough conversations sitting around while Toby talked with the homestead to realize that there are hurting, self-centered people just like me that just happen to be immsersed in stuff that I am not. And in that context, Christians need to engage this subset of people who need Jesus just as we need to engage the stockbrokers who need Jesus and the street people who need Jesus and the people on our street who need Jesus.

I’m sure I”m forgetting something, but if I didn’t write this down right away I’m sure I’d forget it. I’ll close the post with a nice picture of Toby doing what Toby does well–concentrating on a visually pleasing art project. I’m thankful for this time with him.

For his birthday, Toby received a copy of the role-playing game (RPG) Sons of Liberty. In playing the game, one player has to take the side of the tories (no choice, sorry) and the others play characters from the time period like Thomas Paine and John Adams. About the game:

The game’s fast-paced card mechanics ensure high-action madness and revolutionary heroics. If you are playing Benjamin Franklin and you aren’t swinging an electrified kite over your head to clear the streets of redcoats, then you are playing it wrong.

That’s the kind of game it is.

The tory is guided by card draws, 1 through 10, and his solution/tactic is essentially related to which of the first 10 amendments he’s violating in the attack. So I thought I’d re-familiarize myself with the Bill of Rights by writing a short blog post about each, and how it’s worked out so far in our nation’s relatively brief history.

Here’s the preamble:

Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New-York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution

More to follow! But I make no guarantees for regularity.

Previous post here.

 I may get around to telling you about yesterday at some point, which was busy like all of these vacation days, but I needed to post a quick note about this:

 I WON A GAME of Amun-Re!

It’s one of the lowest scoring games I’ve been in and certainly the closest (four points from 1st to 5th) and I have no idea how I won with only 12 point in the New Kingdom . . .but I won.  The hurdle has been jumped and maybe there will be another later, but for the first time I’ve come out on top and I don’t care that I’ve scored higher in other games and that it’s only by one point.   

( Previous post here. )

I really like the game, and can’t quite pull off a win.  I finished a game today where I scored within 2 points of the winner, and I”m pretty sure this is my best finish yet. 

I wrote earlier about last month’s game night. We had it later in the month last month because the normal Friday (3^rd Friday) was my anniversary.

Game night for May is tomorrow–May 19^th. It’s at 6:00 PM at my house and supper is provided and children are welcome. My home is in the University East neighborhood. If you’re interested in coming (it’ll be fun!) you can contact the game night organizer here.

We do this every month (and I’ll post stories about it so you can get a glimpse of it) on the third Friday–so even if you can’t make it in May, let us know and we’ll make room for you another month. See you at the gaming tables!

I’ve been playing Amun Re on line at SpielByWeb and I’m trying to get better at it. Seth taught me the game at game night a few months ago.

So far my results have been mixed. By “mixed� I mean three differing results:

· Distant last place

· Not so distant last place, and

· Next to last place

I have yet to finish in the top two, but when I win a game I’ll post a link.

People, “non-people� and “family� all congregate at Ebenezer House (my home) one Friday every month for game night.

We used to meet at our church’s building but thought that the homey feel of being in the neighborhood was nicer. Plus we’re hoping this becomes as much of a neighborhood event as it is one our church enjoys.

Game night is something that we enjoy and is different each month. Many different people come and we play different games* each month. We start with a meal, thinking that this is important that eating together breeds the right kind of fellowship for the competition of games later.

This month we had the Ben-Ezras and Lansberrys as usual, and we were joined by Pastor Ben-Ezra (Seth’s dad), two adult singles and a family from our church and a new family who found out about the event from a local homeschool e-group.

Seth taught a group of people Tikal and then settled in to play Tigris and Euphrates with another group of us. The kids love Fireball Island and I know a game of Inegenious broke out in the kitchen.

We broke up late this month (we start at 6 with dinner and usually get done about 9 or 9:30) but everyone had a great time. Part of community is doing things together and game night is just one more way we’re building relationships and being with one another in a way that challenges us to pursue love and good works together.

* There are specific types of games we play. We go for something that is at least three players, as many as six or eight, and that is easily taught. (Easily taught is no the same thing as easily mastered, btw.) We look for imaginative games. Most of the games we play are not produced by Parker Brothers but by European game designers (the Germans are well known for games like Carcassonne). You can find all of the games we’ve played (and many more) at Just For Fun here in Peoria.