Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Need To Create

There are so many things rattling around in my brain. Ideas, ideas, ideas. You don't have any clue. I can't stop thinking and I have this intense desire to just create and write.

Right now, I am reading 5 or 6 books at the same time, trying to complete a huge gaming project I began many moons ago, blogging, and diving in to writing a screenplay. And this is all on top of my being a family man, a youth pastor and preacher.

Sometimes I want to just ignore the urges, but I can't seem to. So, late at night I sit at my computer and spend time in the books. I mostly fall asleep that way.

My gaming project is called God's Heroes. I am creating a paper and dice, d20 system, roleplaying game for my group of young adult gamers. We usually get together and play the Star Wars Saga Edition roleplaying game or The Lord of the Rings roleplaying game. After all these years of gaming and game creation, I wanted to give them something God-centered that was just as fun. So, I combined the best of all the roleplaying systems I know and I have only a few chapters to go. I have vowed to finish before Christmas and give each player a copy as a gift. The book will end up somewhere around 200 pages.

In case you're wondering, the game's premise is that during the 1,000 year lock up of Satan in the Abyss, the Lord God has sent every demonic ruler, minion, and beast to a new planet he created, called Fallenworld. In a Job-like challenge, Satan predicts that God's creation could never defeat his forces on Fallenworld in a thousand years. So, the Lord God plucks from the earth heroes. He sends them to Fallenworld and gives them a mission to "Go into all the world and slay my enemies..."


The screenplay I'm writing is based on the book Adam by Ted Dekker. I recently went and saw the movie House based on a book by the same author. I was slightly disappointed with the screenplay and the way the director put it all together. I thought it could have been so much better than it turned out. So, that got me thinking about writing a screenplay for Adam. I don't know if anything will become of it, but more about that in a minute...

You can follow my progress on this by visiting here. This is the message board on Ted Dekker's website. Let me know what you think.

Now, I don't know if anything will ever become of most of what I create, except to entertain and inspire those in my social circle and possible a few peepers. But, that doesn't stop me from creating. I can't stop. It's who I have been made to be and I must be it.

What about you? What have you been made to be? I want to encourage you to find out and do it with all your heart. Remember, there are some successes that cannot be measured until 20 years later or beyond. And ultimately, all our works will be tried by fire.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Getting in trouble again.

All my life I've been plagued with a strong will and the need to stand up for others or myself. I remember many times when I "interfered" with punishments my brothers and sisters were getting and probably deserved, but I didn't like how it was all going down. I would end up getting in trouble more than they would in the end. For as long as I can remember, I have been that way. I don't know why.

I don't like mistreatment. And when I lose my temper with my own daughter, I see it in her too.

I try to remember that is what the world needs healing from. The last thing they need in the church is mistreatment. They need understanding and compassion...and patience.

I pray I can be like Christ and have that tenderness about me.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

He Has Plans

Today I memorized Psalm 138:8, which says, "The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me."

No matter what you're going through, remember the Lord has plans for you. And he is working them out. Why? Because he loves you and he made you.

When I think of the great things God has planned for me, I feel giddy, like a kid at Christmas. I don't really know what I'm going to get, but I can dream and imagine. Jesus knows me real well, and he knows the things that I want. Maybe, he'll grant me some of those things...

After all, he helped place those desires in me!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Is this the real church?

Every year our students participate in a state Fine Arts Festival. They perform in category divisions like Music, Art, Drama, Communication, and others. This year we had about 13 different entries from my students. One of them was in the category of Large Human Video Group. Although they did not receive an invitation to the National Fine Arts Festival in Charlotte, NC, they certainly gave the judges some comic relief from all the wild party, violence, and crucifixion scenes they endured all day.

"Is this the real church? Is this the ministry?" is how the song begins. For those of you who grew up in the church, maybe you can relate.