a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Ecclesiastes 3:4

Summer is upon us, and our church1 has themed this season as the Summer of Play. 

One may wonder why encourage play when it seems unproductive. Why not a Summer of Reading or Summer of Service? I won't doubt we will one year have a summer of reading or service, but this year, play seems to be the most appropriate endeavour to point our people toward. There are a few intentional reasons why we want to highlight play, and it is not because the church or its leaders wants to make it easy for themselves; It's not because we just want to be lazy or take it ease. On the contrary, because of the burden, pressure, distractions, and challenges we observe in our community, we realize the vital role of play in this season.

Coming out of the pandemic, with the struggle of being in-person or online, the fear of the next wave, the war in Ukraine, the freedom convoy, and the other hundreds of attention-grabbing headlines and political landmines, many of us are understandably drowning. And we are drowning on our own. As a church, we realize the importance of connections and communion as a crucial part of our faith. Still, these past few years, many of our community's connections and networks have been eroded. Whether it is restrictions or polarizations of current events, our relationships with one another are not the same as before. 

But how do we fix this? Is it to have more programs, do more Sunday School classes about how to make friends again, or recruit more volunteers in our caring ministry? Is the solution to just do more work? Or does play have something to offer us in times such as this?

So as part of our Summer of Play, I will use this space this summer to explore the potential and importance of play in our lives as Christians and how games can be a healthy medicine for all of us.

But first, have you played any games recently?
What type of games have you been powering through these past few months?
I would love to hear what you’ve been playing lately!

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I usually avoid pickup groups [PUGs]1 in games. 

It is often a social gong show as you just don't know who you will get on your team. The skill levels are frequently unbalanced, and their personalities can be unexpected... this is to say, you may find yourself with an angry, foul-mouth teammate than an encouraging one. It is truly a try-at-your-own-risk type of session if you open your group up to the unknown. 

Yet, when you do find yourself paired up with a group of pleasant, cooperative teammates, you will want to keep playing together for as long as you can. Pickup groups are a hit and miss. It can ruin the game for you or give you the joy and exhilaration as it was meant to be.  

The church community can sometimes feel like a PUG. It consists of people we may not have chosen to be part of our family, and yet, Jesus put them beside us. While in a game, the algorithm decides your teammates via limited criteria, but in a church, Jesus chooses each and every person for a purpose—Nobody is here by accident or by mistakes. 

But because Jesus placed each of us here by His own design, we don't often see the value and purpose of each other; We don't always get along. Sometimes, it can be abrasive, rubbing shoulders to shoulders against people who have different giftings, personalities, and views. It is easy to fall into the temptation of wanting to discard everyone we don't like or trust and only keep those we want to be around. 

In Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul tells us that there are many parts in the body of Christ, and each of us has different roles and giftings that work together. Like the pastors and teachers who help equip each rag-tag group of local members to build up the church and do the work of service. Most of us would say amen to that as we often find ourselves serving differently and thereby also independently or within like-minded ministry groups—We silo ourselves in groups so we can do different things. But then my question became, did God just put different people together in a community just so we can accomplish different works of service? Is it just so we have a diversified and efficient workforce?

Sometimes, We might think that is the only reason we are stuck with someone we don't get along with; In that, like a corporation, we have to be together because we have to work together for God. And because it is only for the sake of work, if they work in a different group, and I work in another part of the church, then that is good enough; we can say we love each other by tolerating one another in the same community. I know this may sound harsh, but I think we would have missed the point if the question we are asking is, how close do we have to be to look like we love each other?

What we would have missed is that God is not looking for us to do just work, but as verse 13 says, the aim is to "come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ." 

Our being together is not just to do, but to be. We are to become mature in Christ, and that means to be like Him in all His fullness. That means when outsider sees the church, they see not just the good work she does but the authentic love, grace, and mercy that binds everyone in her. 

The unity in our faith is something all of us need to intentionally pursue if we are to become mature brothers and sisters in Christ, together. This does not come naturally because we are all very different and sometimes even opposites. And I think this is why as verse 16 tells us, such a body of people can only be built up in love; not through efficiency, pragmatism, and certainly not through preferences. We have to actively grow in our love for one another.

The local church can often feel like a PUG, it can sometimes feel like a hit-and-miss type of family. but we know that it is not by chance or random placement that we are standing side by side in worship every Sunday. God put each of us in each local church body by design and for a purpose. Our job is to love one another as Christ loves the church. This is the way to maturity. This is the way.

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

- Ephesians 4:11-16

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Zechariah 8:4-5
This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there."

It is so very hard to imagine the city streets filled with children playing this week.

It is unimaginably difficult to know that 19 children in Uvalde were playing, smiling, learning, growing, dreaming, and being hugged and held by their parents until this Tuesday.

It is unbearable to see the immense loss of their parents, siblings, grandparents, and families as they held on to the pictures of their little ones, now gone.

Yet, like many other mass shootings in our very recent history. We, those of us who are removed from the events, will often forget. The news and media move on, and our eyes wander to the next violent spectacle. As sinners in ignorance, we forget and pretend it will never again; we convince ourselves that change is not needed, especially change that requires long, hard work as well as the giving up of our rights and idols. We believe we can have it all and control it all; sin and all our vices. And because of that, justice will never be satisfied through us. We are just too weak, too prone to our own lies, and too self-centred to face the truth.

And what is the truth we feared? Could it be that deep inside, we know if we are judged today by the justice we wish was there this Tuesday, that we, too, will fall short by a horrific margin?

Even though I am not an American with a say on their gun laws, I, as God’s kingdom people, am still accountable and connected to every soul living on this very planet. My prayers, or lack of, against unjust laws, corruption, war-mongering, greed and hidden evils are an indictment of my still self-centred nature. The world should not be this way, and I failed to keep my eyes open; I failed to fervently petition for change and justice through prayer.

If even Jesus, before he was arrested, spent his darkest hours in prayers, asking his disciples to do the same. Should we not also do the same when we feel the weight of evil and sin crushing this world? Shouldn't we pray deeper and be more committed as a church? Not to forget and make the pain and sorrow easier to swallow, but rather pray that the God of justice will have grace and mercy on all of us. Pray that God will lead us to know the scars and misery of sin and, at the same time, be ever so grateful for the undeserved righteousness that Christians have through faith in Jesus.

We need to pray for God to act in this world and in us. We need to pray for change, and for His kingdom come. We pray because it is our duty and nature to do so as God's people—His royal priesthood. We can't afford to forget and ignore as the world does so easily. So let us faithfully pray together for the most vulnerable in our midst and believe our God will hear and answer.

May our Lord Jesus Christ be with each and every family who has lost their child this week. Lead us to mourn with them this very hour and every hour.

May our God protect every child in all corners of this world; protect them from harm, neglect, abuse, and evildoers.

May every street be filled with children playing without fear. Amen.

Who is Varis Kang? Why does he get his teammates into near-death situations all the time?

Varis was the first D&D character I made from scratch. He's a half-elf paladin with a criminal background and is chaotically good. I wrote him what I thought would be an exciting backstory hoping that it could guide his motives. Two years on and two levels later, Varis is just as confusing and muddy to me as it is to my teammates. Why?

Varis is driven by vengeance with a deceptive dark side, yet, he is also a paladin with a code and an oath; He is tied to a greater calling and serves a greater cause. As it turns out, the dilemma I'd created within Varis is this tension between his self-centred motives and his higher calling. Why does he fight every monster he sees? Why does he align himself with a class [Paladin] that is intrinsically righteous? Why does he serve the weak?

Why do we do good, and why do we serve in the church?

I think this is an important question for every Christ-followers to reflect on. For some Christians, serving in the church can seem like a requirement and a norm; sometimes, it may feel like a burden than a joy. They do it because they think they should, and they do it because of what it makes them feel. But is this what God wants of us? Are our motives for serving chained to a set of laws and rules?

Romans 7:6
But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

As Christ-followers and a new creation1, we have been set free from the chain of sin in our hearts and mind. This freedom is not a self-centred choice to do whatever we want and how we want, but it is a freedom to live abundantly in the Spirit and in God's word. It's a freedom that aligns our hearts and minds to God's desires and His command and blessings for our lives. 

Our service in the church and in our community also flows out of this freedom. We are called to serve and not just "volunteer" because, at the heart of it, our service is a response and obedience to what our Lord Jesus Christ commands us, "To love the Lord our God with all our hearts and all our minds," and, "to love our neighbours as ourselves." We serve not because we want to feel good about doing good but because God has already freed us from such self-centred motives. We serve joyfully because we already are experiencing the overflowing delight of being God's children. 

So, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, how are you living out your freedom in Christ today? Are you living out of the abundant life that is in Him? If so, where are you exercising your service to God and for His kingdom? Jesus has instituted the church to be a place where we serve together as one body, and the Holy Spirit has given each of us unique giftings to add to it. Let's not waste our time standing on the sideline and take a step of faith into a ministry that God is calling you to be in. As you are in Christ, so should your motives. So serve freely, and serve faithfully.

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Being sick sucks. 

This past week and a half have been a battle to regain control of my sinus and throat. As it turns out, the horde of influenza has overrun my wall of immunity and captured much of the high ground since. It was a bit of a surprise, and so I attempted to parry the onslaught with an early dosage of Neocitran, but, alas, the defeat was imminent. The casualties were high; at least six boxes of tissue paper perished in a matter of a week. 

The battle was gruelling, as each day, I felt like I'd made headway in dispatching the many mucus and phlegm. Their bodies are scattered to be flushed away or buried with the tissue paper. Still, they somehow arise during the night and return with a vengeance. It really feels like these back-and-forth struggles will never end. I am tired, and I feel pretty worn down, but the fight is not over until the last tissue box is used up. 

Roll for healing.

Wait, I mean, pray for healing. 

Even though I've been sick for over a week, it was still not easy to pray for healing. A part of me thinks God has much bigger problems to solve in the world than a cold; that I don't want to take up his time and focus from other, more important, events like unjust wars or corporate greed. In a sense, I would rather roll a 1D8 each day and see how much health I can gain back, if any. 

It is a lie, obviously, that God does not have the capacity to hear our small and seemingly petty petitions. And it is a lie that I have to learn to correct each and every day. 

God is unlimited in his capacity and abilities, and He does want us to treat Him as the all-knowing and all-powerful God that He is. Anytime that I think otherwise, I make Him out to be something that He is not. And that is a dangerous place to be in. This is why praying for His healing hand is not just something for me, but it is also to acknowledge who He is. To acknowledge that He is the ultimate Healer of my body and soul and the designer of every second of my life. 

This is what faith means; it is a trust in God, not just in what He can do but also in who He is⁠. He is the God who reigns over the biggest and tiniest details of our lives and more. 

So pray for healing; you don't have to roll to a random number. Know that there is a good God holding you in his hand. 

James 5:14-15
Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

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Recently, my family got me a stationary bike at home to ride all year long. I had been wishing for one since I heard about Zwift. I love the idea of levelling up my low-polygon rider and customizing my kit and bikes! It is the perfect combination of what I love about riding and gaming!

I wish I could ride every day for hours on end, but my old unconditioned Michelin-shaped body would not be able to do that! Unlike Warzone, I can only level up at the pace of my body, not the amount of time I am willing to sit in front of my keyboard. To add to this limitation, some of the events and races are deceptively difficult for a newbie like me.

On one occasion, I was looking for a short and easy ride, and I came upon a seemingly appropriate 16 km event. But, to my own fault, I dismissed the event's title, which clearly states this will be a hill climb: a hill climb for mountain goats! As it turns out, this one-hour-long ride became one of the most brutal and challenging rides I have foolishly taken on. At one point, at the final 1 km of the event, I was climbing between 14-17% grade, and for a moment, I had thought about stopping. That last 11 minutes of climbing nearly got the best of me, and I was tempted to stop pedalling. I was tempted because I had thought the end would be easier. I expected the hardest part would be around the 2/3 part of the course, not at the very end of the ride.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I expect life to be easier near the end also. That the hardest part—the most challenging part of life—would be in my 30s-40s, and then I can start winding down near the end with my pensions and cruises. Yet, as I survey the Bible and even modern-day Christians, what I found is the complete opposite. The hardest part is at the end; the most challenging part of our life is whether we can finish strong, especially in our faith.

Paul captures this as he expresses his own life to his protege, Timothy. He wanted Timothy to know what was at stake and how he should finish. He writes in 2 Timothy 4:7-8,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Even though Paul was in his old age, he was not about to stop pedalling. He knows the most challenging part is at the end, and how he finishes will speak to the glory that awaits him. The ending is a vital part of his testimony!

Today, we don't always see good endings by Christians, and many testimonies are marred by hidden sins and lukewarm endings; Life that often ends with a whimper than a spark.

So how can we avoid such endings? I believe the first action we need to take is to prayerfully ask God to help us discern our mission in life. Paul knew his purpose and mission at the beginning of his conversion and ministry. He knew his goal was to preach the good news to the Gentiles, and he finished his race with clarity. He adapted his strategies and methods as he aged and as circumstances befall him but he never wavered from his mission. Second, Paul was also prepared; Paul expected this race to be difficult from beginning to end. He knew this because it is also what Jesus had experienced in his ministry. Persecution, hardship, and suffering are all part of keeping the faith and participating in the Mission of God. Jesus had taught this throughout his ministry, but the question for us is, are we expecting it and are we prepared for it?

And so my encouragement for you today is to take aim at how you plan to finish your life. I am not asking how you want to die—that's kinda morbid—but how you imagine yourself as you age; what will you be doing in the different seasons of life? How will you participate in God's kingdom as your energy and resources change?

Take some time to consider how God had designed you, what He had blessed you with, and where He has placed you today. Make a draft or a ‘rule of life’ and place it on the altar before God; Let God have the final say.

You may have heard this say, "if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time." I will add one more bit to it, "if you plan to finish your race strong, aim to pedal the hardest at the end."

I pray you will finish strong and finish in faith. Amen.

#FinishStrongGloryAwaits

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As I am writing this, my Battle.net portal is stuck in nowhere land. Yup, Warzone Season 3 just launched a few hours ago, and I attempted to update, only to be given an error at 75%.

I only needed 25% more!
… 25% to seeing the updated map and POI.
… 25% to experiencing all the changes to the weapons and the new mechanisms.
… 25% till I see how King Kong and Godzilla are added into Caldera.

It is quite disappointing because I’ve been reading and getting myself ready for Day 1. And yet… so close and yet so very very far.

This month, we have been focusing on Easter and what Jesus has done for us two thousand years ago and what He is preparing for us on the other side of eternity right now. I had an opportunity to teach one of the kid’s small groups and in one of the activities, a child wrote this question to God, “Why do bad things happen?” It dawned on me that, as we were teaching the kids that Jesus has risen and is victorious over sin and death, today, we are still experiencing bad things in this world. Bad things that this child is trying to understand in light of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he proclaimed the Good News and he said,

“The time promised by God has come at last!” [Jesus] announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
-Mark 1:15

The Kingdom of God is near! Jesus has inaugurated his kingdom into this world, and He has finished what is needed to defeat sin. Yet, not all is well in the world today. We do not need to go far or list out our news headlines to know that Jesus’ Kingship; His justice, grace, love and mercy is not fully realized in this world. Did God make a mistake like a bug in the game update? Or is it by design?

The writer of Hebrews provides us with an insight into God’s grand design,

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
-Hebrews 2:8-9

As it turns out, God’s Kingdom is now here, and not yet. Jesus’ kingship is established; He is crowned with glory honour, yet, not everything in this world is currently subjected to Him. Or maybe I will phrase it in a different way: God’s kingdom which is perfected both spiritually and physically has been established, and this perfection is a future that we are all currently being pulled toward. We don’t see it all completely right now, but it is already there in the future.

In the meantime, those of us who belong to God’s kingdom are called to be the city on a hill and a light in the darkness. We are called to testify and reflect God’s kingdom values—justice, love, grace, mercy, forgiveness—to those who do not know Jesus. We give others a glimpse of this kingdom that is to come, and we do this with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

How are you shining your light on the world around you today? How are you living purposefully in light of God’s kingdom, which is here, and not yet?

Let’s not just sit and wait till eternity hit us. Let’s make the most of the time given to us by God to do the mission He has called us to. His Kingdom may be here and not yet, but our season for mission is now.

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But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
-Philippians 3:20-21

Easter is one of, if not the most significant calendar dates of the Christian calendar. It marks the day we remember our Lord Jesus Christ resurrected and overcame death. We say, "He has risen!" not symbolically or metaphorically, but literally. It is one of the most essential elements of what we believe in because if the resurrection didn't happen, we would still not be saved, and death would still be victorious.

Resurrection is a word that is not easy to believe and understand. On top of that, we often get it mixed up with how our media and entertainment portray it.

Take, for example, the many 'redeployments' I have made on Rebirth Island in Warzone. Rebirth Island is great because you will be redeployed as long as your teammate is alive. It's like having infinite lives as long as your team is breathing. So in a sense, you get to try and try again!

Or how about the more horrifying images of resurrection: we become the undead or flesh-eating zombies. [Back4Dead stills scares me]

In either case, we are at best the same as before or a more frightening version of ourselves. If eternal life is lived out in either of these options, I don't think any of us would want to have it because I don't want a worn-out rerun, nor do I want to be skinless.

So what is the resurrection that Christians believe in? 

In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he writes,

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
-1 Corinthians 15: 42-44

When Jesus returns, we who are his people will also be resurrected. Those of us who have died will be raised to life again. But not in the same body or an animated corpse, but it will be a new body, a body that is like his. And if we read back to his encounter with the disciples after his resurrections, we find his body is neither worn out nor horrifying. Instead, he was recognizable [when he unhid himself from them], warm, and glorious. 

This is what God's people should be looking forward to because this is what God is preparing for us. And so today, I want to encourage you with this truth: When Christ raises us from the dead, our new bodies…

• …will be glorious, not frightening.

• …will be powerful, not oppressive.

• …will be forever but not ordinary.

• …will be perfect physically and spiritually. 

• …will be for life, in ways we cannot imagine on this side of eternity.

Let us remember to live with this truth today. Amen.

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Have you ever bought a game you've been waiting for years, only to be massively disappointed in the first hour? You have watched their teaser 5 years earlier, and you gobble up every screenshot and eventually the trailer of this much-hyped game, but only to be let down by the actual products. 

Through the years, I have experienced, or I should say, wasted a lot of hopes in some of these games. Whether it was because of their IP (Aliens franchise?!?!) or the promised scope and feature of the game (No Man's Sky, Cyberpunk2077?!?!). I had high expectations for them, yet the final products just did not deliver. 

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday. It's the day we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey while the crowd lay down their cloaks and palm branches on the road for him [Matthew 21:1-11]. These were the same crowd that had been following Jesus and watched him raise Lazarus from the dead. They shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!" The expectation was high, and the hype was real. 

But how did they go from shouts of honour and praise to "Crucify him!" in just a few days? Was Jesus overhyped? 

As we read through the passion story in the gospel, we realize it was not Jesus that did not live up to the expectation, but rather, the people's expectation was underwhelming and fell far below what God had in mind. The people expected Jesus to be the new political king that would free them from the power of Rome; that he would use his supernatural power to deliver them from their oppression right there right now. But God had a much bigger plan, a long game⁠—a AAA game⁠—with a more extensive scope and more profound resolution. What God is interested in is not victory over one empire in a small section of history but victory across time and space. He wants victory over sin and death⁠—the roots of our oppression, tears, grief, and hopelessness. 

But the road to victory, unfortunately, did not conform to human expectations and plans. No one would have thought that in order to achieve this cosmic victory, it would be through being nailed on the cross, but God did. And for that, the crowd hated Jesus and mocked him; They killed him on Good Friday. 

Palm Sunday reminds us of our fickleness and self-centred nature. It reminds us of our sins and how we often see ourselves as kings rather than Jesus. While we may give him honour when he does what we want, we can quickly become disgruntle when things don't go our way. 

In a way, it is not Jesus who is overhyped, but rather, it is us. We seem to have so much potential, yet we are bug-ridden and fall far short of expectations because of sin. But God, unlike human beings, didn't ask for a refund or discard us into the cosmic trash bin. No, He loves us and gave His one and only son Jesus for us to save us. And because of that, we sing, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Friends, the hype is real; God does love us. Good Friday is coming, and Easter is inevitable. 

I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
- Ephesians 3:18-21

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I play a lot of games at church. 

Whenever I arrived at the office, I would turn on my Pokémon Go and sync up my Pokémon Go Plus device. Then, during my breaks, I would hit up a raid, maybe a Team Go battle, and sort out my gifts from friends. If I am lucky, I might even be able to join in on a higher-level raid battle with the church secretaries. It helps that the church is also a Pokémon Go gym, so I don't have to get out of my chair most of the time. 

Besides swiping Poké Balls at monsters, our church also hosts Nerf nights in our chapel for our youth fellowship and our adult life groups. It's one of the many games we play here at church, and yes, our worship team continues to find Nerf Rival balls and foam darts for weeks afterward. Yet, it's one of the fun activities we love here at the church; to play and play well as a community. 

Maybe this is not something you expect to hear from a pastor. I mean, pastors have fun, but not usually at church. That is unless you are the children or youth pastor, then you might have a reason to play at church. Or maybe you have seen games and fun activities are often used to 'attract' newcomers, and so play is seen as a means to an end, a bait-and-switch tactic.

I have always wondered what does Jesus means when he said in John 10:10b, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." What does an abundant life look like? Is it a life only filled with seriousness and somber reflection? Is it a life of productivity and no play? Does God bless our playing? 

In Zechariah 8:4-5, it says, (MSG)

A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

"Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in."

As God paints a picture of what the city of Jerusalem will look like when He brings back the exile. He describes this city with elders moving about and sitting in the city square, talking about the day's happenings. And not only that, there will be children playing on the streets. These are not 'productive' activities, and yet, God sees them as good and something He wants His people to look forward to. Laughter, joy, fun, and games are all part of an abundant life. 

This means our work and play are all part of the Christian life.

As God's people, all aspects of our lives are designed by and submitted to our LORD Jesus. There is no part of our lives that should be outside of our faith; that is separated from our Christian living. This is why as the church, we also want to reflect this abundant life authentically. This means play should not be a gimmick to get people to come to church, but rather, it is part of the church; It is part of being in a community of faith. 

We believe, we serve, we give, we worship, we work, and we play. We do all these to the glory of God. It is to His glory because we can't and didn't earn this fullness of life. Instead, it is given to us through faith in Jesus. As such, our joy overflows and can be expressed in leisure and play.

Do you play well with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Or better yet, have you played a game, a sport, or a hobby, with your fellow Christ-followers? If not, maybe it is time to bring play back into your relationships with your church community. Maybe it is time to testify to the abundant joy and hope that God has painstakingly painted for us through His Word. 

See you on Nerf night!

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I remember the first few hours in Forza Horizon 5's Mexico. I've never felt so relaxed. I didn't feel like I had to hurry, yet I was driving fast from one place to another because it was fun. All the adventures and missions were not overly tense or stressful, as the mood was chill and easy-going. 

It truly feels like a massive festival with many celebration spots dotted throughout the map. No stress, no pain, no total loss, gift cars arriving regularly, fun 'jobs,' fireworks, beaches, sunsets, and good times all the time. I really want this place to be real. Do you?

Today, it is hard to imagine such a place could even exist. It's not just this fantastical place but also a time when the world does not feel like it is imploding on itself. So much of our time and space today seems to be drowning in strife and darkness. Can there be something more? 

As I drive through this make-believe Mexico within a video game, I yearn for such a place. Something in me tells me I belong to such a place, and I am made for a place where I live in a way life was meant to be lived: Joyous, peaceful, satisfied, fulfilled, purposeful and loved. Could such a place exist?

It's moments like these that I am reminded that such a place does exist and will be there waiting for us. Sometimes I forget that the scriptures are sprinkled with reminders of the place Jesus is preparing for us, the new heaven and new earth.1 It is a city, as the writer of Hebrews2 describes it, one that is prepared by God and one that we can look forward to. It is described in beauty and awe as John writes in Revelation 21:18, "The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass." and it is lit by the glory of God with no darkness in sight.3 In Luke 23:43, Jesus called it a paradise when He told the repenting criminal hanging on the cross beside him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." And what's more is that there will be no more tears, death, sorrow, crying, or pain.4 I want to be there, but how can such a place be possible?

Friends, it is possible because there is a God who loves us and knows us. And such a place is real because He created us to be with him. And He made a way for us to be with Him because He sent his one and only son Jesus to die for our sins. Jesus took up the consequences of all our hate, lies, corruption, and iniquities, and He willingly gave up his life for all of us. But if he only died, then such a place would not be possible either because death would have won; sin would have won. No, Jesus died and rose again, proving his victory and lordship over all creations, life, and death. And because He is alive, we can be with Him in paradise if we believe in Him, seek Him for the forgiveness of our sins, and give Him the reins to our lives.

This is the hope that Christians have. A hope we know is real when we catch a glimpse of the new heaven and new earth: when we survey the horizon on top of a mountain on a clear morning, when we embrace the poor or the refugees in their time of need, when we experience forgiveness for offences to others, or even when we are playing an open-world driving game. There is something in me that tells me this is right. This feeling of rightness is not just a yearning for the "good place," but it is to be in a good relationship with the one who made that place. 

Do you know this God who loves you? Do you know Jesus and what He has done for you and me? Have you submitted your life to the one who saved you? If not, I invite you to start here with the story of Jesus from the book of John. Get to know the one who created everything, including the paradise He wants to be with you in. 

 However, as it is written:
"What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived"—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

- 1 Corinthians 2:9

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I am usually the last one that enters into a gunfight.

To my teammate's dismay, my buddies are usually outnumbered by the time I enter into a team battle. They will usually still win the battle because they are much more skilled; however, it's often way too close to call. 

I am always told that if I had entered together, we would guarantee to win it. The percentage of winning the gunfight goes up because the opponents would not be able to focus on just one target, but several at a time. We would also have more guns in the fight, increasing our overall damage. You take some, and you give some. 

But at the end of the day, everyone on the team has to be willing to take a few shots for each other in order to come out on top. 

I avoid getting shot at by nature. If I hear shots fired in the distance, I automatically run in the opposite direction. I let my teammates go first because I want to see how bad it is before jumping in; this is a horrible mindset! Not to mention, what an awful teammate I am! 

Nobody wants a friend like that. We don't want a friend who leaves us behind as bait or treats us as shields. But, on the other hand, we value friends who are willing to step in front of us, who are willing to lay down their life for us. 

Jesus taught and modelled for us what a good friend is in John 15 (v12-15). He says,

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

Jesus explained to his disciples that they are his friends because they also share in the knowledge of His Father; they know about the Father through Jesus, and they believe because of Jesus. He also told them that they are his friends if they do what he commanded, and that commandment is to love each other in the same way Jesus loved them. This commandment to love is shown through Jesus laying down his life for them and us. 

This lesson to lay down our lives for our friends does not come automatically. Even Peter needed to learn this as he denied his relationship with Jesus when he was arrested. It's a counterintuitive lesson for us because we think self-preservation is our highest priority and the only way to stay alive. And we are only alive for maybe 100 years max, right? We don't see that what causes us to die is sin. We don’t see eternity because we are sinful people.

Jesus' call to give up our lives for others, especially our friends, is not a call to end our lives, but it is a call to embrace our lives now and our lives in eternity. If we are Jesus' friends, then we will be with Him for eternity. Life doesn't end because we give it up for others right now, but on the contrary, it testifies to our eternal reality with Him. 

Living in the knowledge of this reality should make Christians the perfect friend to others! We know the risk to love others is worth it, and we endeavour to witness this kind of love to those who do know who Jesus is. 

Are you practicing this same kind of love to other brothers and sisters in Christ today? Are you learning to bear with one another in your local church family even though you may be very different than everyone else? If we can't practice loving each other in the church well, how will the world know Jesus is real? If we can’t even get along with others, why would anyone believe we are willing to give up our lives for others?

Let’s make this commandment from Jesus a priority: Love each other in the same way I have loved you... Love each other. This is not a give-and-take kind of relationship, our relationship in Christ is not a business contract, but rather it is a genuine response in loving others as Christ loved us. 

Take the bullet for one another; you will not regret it for eternity.

I've jumped out of that plane 1,734 times. 

I've mastered the last-second parachute deployment in order to get the most efficient landing in the quickest time. Yet, here I am, lying dead in the first minute of my game. It wasn't my fault. The game froze right as I was diving down in the last 50 meters of my landing. It froze before I could pull the cord, and when the game came back to its senses, I was already dead. 

It is frustrating that no matter how much experience I have or how I have mastered the jump and landing, there is no safeguard against a nasty bug that is just there to kill you. No amount of hours of training or practice could anticipate when this bug will occur; I was just a passenger along for the ride when it happens. The game spends 5 minutes for matchmaking and loading, and I only get less than a minute of playtime. Like many of you, I'm not too fond of these unpredictable, game-ending bugs that should not happen in a AAA game. 

Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
- James 4:13-17

Life can sometimes feel like a AAA game. There are so many dreams we want to accomplish in it, and many things we want to have and to do. We spend our first 20 years mastering the skills for such a successful life, and we expect to reap all that we want in a future we have secured. We don't expect the curveball that hits us at any moment. We don't expect the diagnosis of a terminal disease right when we graduate. We don't expect the sudden death of a loved one. We don't expect a pandemic that shut down the whole world, nor did we expect to see one country brazenly attempting to conquer another in the 21st century. 

What many of us expect is to live forever while missing nothing we want. We think we deserve what we expected, and we don't think about the brevity of our AAA life. 

The scripture is a continual reminder for us about the shortness and fragility of our life. God doesn't care to sugarcoat our lives, but rather, He wants us to live in sober reality. At the same time, He is not looking to make humanity live in a depressing weight of gloom, but instead, He wants us to live with a glorious eternity in mind. He wants us to make the most of our unknown duration: To love Him and others, to act mercifully and justly, to serve the poor and unseen in our society, and to anticipate for the eternity that is to come. This doesn't mean our short time on this side of eternity will be joyless, but rather, we are to seek the joy that is from the Holy Spirit (Gal.5:22). 

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 15:13

Have you lived your life ignoring the sober reality of our fragility? Are you living just to prolong and secure your life, or are you making the most of it for others because eternity is just around the corner? My encouragement for all of us today is to risk it all for God's kingdom while we have our health and resources because there will come a day when our game will freeze; when our time is up. Whether our game will last 90 years or 1 minute, let’s dive into life with an eternal purpose.

"Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
    Remind me that my days are numbered—
    how fleeting my life is.
- Psalm 39:4

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Managing an F1 team is no joke; There are just so many emails to read and respond to. You've got the press, your boss who's asking for results, and then the temperamental drivers, engineers, pit crew, and every other human being that you are paying. But as an F1 fan, playing a fictional manager in a management simulation game is a dream come true! 

While Motorsport Manager was released in 2016, the game holds its longevity with the many mods created by die-hard fans and amateur developers. There are so many complex decisions and tasks in this game that it makes me giddy as I consider the many unorthodox choices I can make and the resulting train-wrecks. 

One of the interesting details included in the game is the scrutineering process. After each race, the FIA officials scrutinize all the cars to ensure they are within the rules. As it turns out, you can research and design risky gray-area or illegal parts for your cars as part of your management and development strategy. In essence, you can cheat as long as you don't get caught. This game truly reflects the problematic morality of F1! 

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
-Romans 3:20

Rules and laws have a funny way of motivating us. Even as children, rules are like guard rails on a cliff that we like to lean over as far as we can without falling over. We push and prod our parent's rules to see how far we can go before being disciplined. 

The truth is, rules are not something we like to embrace or celebrate. Rather, they are something we want to overcome and take advantage of. When we read rules, we want to discover the loopholes. Rules and laws motivate us to break them more than to follow them. 

God knew that sinful human beings would not be motivated to follow the rules and laws. Our self-centredness and pride oppose any external "scrutineering" by others, even God. This is why what we think is right or our rights often benefits no one else but ourselves or those like us. It is why we have racism, nationalism, freedom convoys, and other self-centred movements. At the heart of it, we think we are better than others, and we value ourselves higher than others. 

From the very beginning of time, God's commandment to human beings is given for the benefit of all humankind. It reflects how his created beings were to flourish and function, but more importantly, it led us to the ultimate solution to our sin. Knowing that people would not follow God's law [Old Testament] wholeheartedly, He sent Jesus to set us free from our corrupted nature. For Christ-followers today, we don't look at the laws as something external imposing on us, but like the prophet Jeremiah writes,

"This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time," declares the Lord.
"I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
-Jeremiah 31:33

The law of God will be etched into our hearts and minds. 

Jesus' commandment to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' will be embraced as my own. I will not be obeying out of compliance or duty but out of love for God and His words. That's the work of the Holy Spirit in all believers, and it is an important work that all Christians participate in with the Holy Spirit. If we don't cooperate with the Spirit, we will always struggle with God's Law; We will always be looking for the freedom that is out of our grasp.

Today, our world desperately needs more Christians who flourish in the freedom that can only be found in Christ. We need Christ-followers who are not looking for loopholes and minimum requirements but instead seek to welcome the self-giving and sacrificial law of love that Christ has modelled for us. 

Have you been cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the transformation of your hearts and mind? Are you still holding on to living life your own way and desires? 

If you are still worried about how God may evaluate you on judgement day, maybe it is time to replace that fear of failing the scrutineering process with Jesus. Perhaps it is time to come clean in prayer about our motivations and open our souls to the uneasy but rewarding renovation of our hearts. 

Ottawa was the first city I planted on this unknown land. I wasn't sure what I was doing or where I am at in this version of the world, but I know I am up north with some tundra not far from me and have access to some rich farmlands and water sources. I spend many years building up my Ottawa while doing some risky explorations. I bumped into many barbarians and lost many scouts and builders. The early years were rough, and I am glad I didn't plant more cities. It would've been tough to defend as I didn't want to put too many resources and focus on warriors and military units.

It wasn't until the late late industrial age that I started expanding my Canada. I strategically planted cities to block off a corner of my continent, and quickly, I had carved out a vast kingdom with my cities. I spend most of my time expanding trades, aiding other countries in need, and growing the culture of my cities. Basically, I was being a good Canadian. I had one or two defensive military units fortified in my cities, and it wasn't till 2020 that I had my first naval unit. Seriously, I wondered how I survived my first two millennia.

I was hooked to empire-building games ever since I first played Sid Meier's Colonization back in 1994. I fell in love with the explorations and the choices to mould and create my own country. But I also loved war, and that's why I had spent much of my time and resources stocking up on military units and attempting to invade other cities. In a way, I tried to play it like the classic RTS game, Command & Conquer. I thought I could win if I got more resources, built a vast army, and picked a place to fight over. Who knew I had to govern people's happiness, consider their morales and invest in their future?

As it turns out, waging war all the time doesn't make a good place to live in. And in some ways, it makes games like Civilization more stressful and difficult. I was always watching my borders as attacks would come invariably, and my grievance points kept going up. Also, peace was costly once I picked a fight with someone, which adds to my limited resources that could've advanced my people's scientific and cultural developments. In the end, I lagged behind all the other countries, and my name faded into a blur.

I think that’s why the older I got, the more I started to play these games with a more equitable and peaceful mindset; To be a less aggressive and warmongering leader. And it's faring much better!

World peace seems to be a hopeless cause these days in light of Russia's unjust invasion of Ukraine happening right now. It’s ironic that we teach children to make peace and be good to one another. We ask them to follow the golden rule; to do to others as you would have them do to you. Yet, the older we get, and as we gain more power and influence, these rules and virtues apply less. In that, the governing of countries and how we relate from one nation to another often plays out like a video game of an angry, undisciplined child than a wise leader who cares for people and this planet.

I think this is why many of us feel a bit hopeless about a peaceful resolution. On the one hand, we believe our modern era of information and scientific development should have brought about more peace; that we should all have learned from our history. Yet, today, we have a world leader who acts otherwise. Instead of peace, there is murder; instead of serving his people and the world around him, there is oppression. And rather than having the courage to stand firmly against, other world leaders are uncertain about the cost of resistance.

Some may be asking, how much do we want to provoke this much bigger bully until it turns to us? To what degree should we, as an international neighbour, rise up to say no more and be the voice of the oppressed. Is economic sanction enough, or should there be more consequences?

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

When Jesus taught the sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter 5, I think the idea of peacemaking was difficult to grasp by his listener. What does it mean to be a peacemaker when an invader rules over them? Does it mean to ignore the injustice and not fight back? Does it mean we should mind our own business and not get involved in the conflicts of others?

No! Of course not!

Peacemaking does not stand on its own from God's justice. On the contrary, peace should come out of and reflect our God's character of love, mercy, grace, mercy, and justice. Peacemaking is not shallow, blind or self-defeating, but rather, it is intentionally sacrificial and self-giving. It means choosing the hard work of peace when the cost is high. It means world leaders will have to decide whether to risk their nation's well-being to stand up for others because it is morally just. It is a big decision, and yet, that's why God gives authority to governments and world leaders1; they are called to govern in righteousness as God would have wanted.

For many of us today, we may not be world leaders or are in a role within our governments. Yet, we are citizens of our nations with able bodies and voices. What we need are citizens who not just ask our government to make decisions that do not affect us but also individually be willing to act and give up our security and resources for the sake of others. We have to tell our leaders we are ready to stand up for others even if it means harm or loss to us. This should come naturally to Christ-followers.

As Christ-followers, we are, first, people of God's kingdom. This means we have a God that is already victorious and ready to hear our petition for His justice, mercy, and grace. We place our hope not merely in human endeavours and chance, but rather it is in the hands of our God, the Maker of our innermost being and the Defender of the weak. We do this because our God does not forget, and He is not powerless against the corrupted nature of human beings. He will have the last judgement on all of us, and until then, we pray for the transformation and softening of our hearts and mind.

And so this is my prayer as a peacemaker, that God will soften the hearts of the Russian people; that their citizens and their soldiers will feel the weight of God's righteousness in their hearts and mind; that they will know and have the courage to act justly and in love for others as they would want others to do to them. That God will make them peacemakers. May they resist the hardened heart of their fleshly president, and may they place their allegiance ultimately to our LORD Jesus Christ, who loves them and desires all of us to belong to Him, together. Amen.

When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.

Prov 29:2

The sun is out; it feels like summer, and the roads of Mexico are inviting me to come out for a cruise. There are 223 cars in my garage that includes a $30 million Shelby and eleven Ferraris. So what should I take out for a spin today? The answer was clear, and I already knew before I started up Forza Horizon 5. It was the black 2001 Acura Integra Type-R. 

The Integra was not the fastest car or the nicest. Compared to the many vehicles I have in my garage, the FWD Type-R was not the best for races, nor was it the easiest to drive around the canyons, but it does hold a special spot in my heart. The 2001 Integra was the first car I bought when I started working, I couldn't afford a Type-R, but I was content with my GS model. I would work on it every weekend for the next few years to mod it into my own design. The car wasn't the fastest, it had gremlins and issues, but it was my own creation. The car was tuned to me; I knew how to care for it and where its limit is at. 

I loved cruising around town with it because it was my pride and joy. The sound of my HKS exhaust and the blow-off valve from my turbo was a unique fingerprint of my design. Of course, the Type-R in Forza Horizon can't replicate the exact feeling, look, sound, or even performance, but it was close enough to bring back memories of all those cruises. 

Sometimes it is not about driving that perfect car, but rather, it is just about enjoying your own built–your own creation.  

I imagine God thinks of us in similar ways. While human beings are infinitely more valuable and complex than machines, God also designs every one of us with distinct features. From our appearance, voice, attributes, and character, each of us bears a unique fingerprint, a fingerprint in our Creator's likeness. 

Along with our uniqueness, all of us also have different strengths and weaknesses. Some of more physically capable while others are intellectual, some even have both. Yet, no one is perfect. Our capacities and tolerance for stress, pressure, work and pain are also distinct. One person's limit is not necessarily the same as the others, even if they are identical twins. 

We are created beings with limits. And yet, God loves us just the same. The Psalmist writes,

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother's womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed.

- Psalm 139:13-16

We are loved not because of our strengths and weaknesses; not because of what we can do. But because we were created with love and for love. The writer of Psalms wanted us to see that even when we were in the most vulnerable state–while we were being formed in our mother's womb–that God already had His eyes and hands on us. His care for you and me was active even before we were able to do anything for Him. He loved us despite what we see as our limitations and inadequacy. 

Today, in our society, we give higher value to those that can achieve more, have more important jobs, or are more successful. Even in games, we are more inclined to celebrate the more skillful players we play with; we value them more regardless of other attributes and flaws. But, on the other hand, we are also easily annoyed by the less skillful teammates whose mistakes and inadequacy quickly result in mistreatments by their teammates. Unfortunately, it does not matter if they are 12 or 55 years old; the expletive comments are often just the same. Your achievement or lack thereof dictates how you will be treated by others even in games.

If we, as Christ-followers, can't even play well with others? What does that say about how we might treat others in our work, school, neighbourhoods, or even the church? Even if we don’t say it out loud, what does our heart say about others around us?

John writes in 1 John 4:13,

"We love because he first loved us."

What would happen if we treat others the same way Christ loves us? To love first before weighing the other's worth and benefits to ourselves. To be gracious and loving to a human being even if we only meet them once in our lifetime and can only hear their voice through our headset. Can we wholeheartedly say #GG to everyone and every game, no matter who won or lost? 

My Integra has many limits and weak points; if I hammer the accelerator too much, my engine may blow, the intake clamps may come off, or my clutch will smoke. At one point in time, my front bumper was utterly held together by a handful of zip ties. And yet I love being with it. Every so often, I would pad it on the dashboard and smile. 

I think Jesus also smiles when He is with us—when we are cruising through life’s mountain top and valleys together. If God loves being with us—His children—regardless of our limitations and imperfections, how much more would He love to see us being with others regardless of theirs. 

Who are you to love and be like Christ to today?

#LoveFirst #GG

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Valentine’s day is a tough one for gamers. 

Every year, a dilemma presents itself for those of us who are married or dating: Should I skip playing for the day and spend the whole day with my loved one? Or could I squeeze in half an hour of controller time while they are preoccupied? Let’s be honest; we try our utmost to squeeze in a game or two if we can get away with it, even if it is just Pokemon Go! It’s true, we love games, and sometimes, we rather hang out with NPCs1 than real people. 

Last weekend, along with 1.3 million concurrent players, I loaded up Lost Ark and began my warrior-gunlancer2 adventure in Arkesia. This game is massive and deep, and after 14 hours, I still can’t believe it is free. After I had pretty up my character, the game dropped me into the city of Prideholme, and I found a city filled with NPCs and people to talk to. As it turns out, building friendships or rapport with NPCs is an essential part of the game. The higher your rapport meter goes up with NPCs, the more benefit you gain to your character. 

Gaining rapport with an NPC could involve assisting them on their quest, giving them gifts, playing them a song, or even doing emotes around them. In one of the earlier encounters, I met Neria, who wanted to be a good cook and part of my assistance was to tell her whether her cooking was good or not. Let’s just say that her food was best served to your enemies, and yet I felt I needed to give her two thumbs up if I wanted to move my friend meter from neutral to amicable. Suffice to say, I should’ve just played her more songs than to encourage her to pursue her Top Chef dream.

In the real world, the mechanic of friendship and love is much more complicated than the “I give you this, and you give me this” type of relationship. True friendships and love are not built on transactions. If it were so, everyone would be lying to each other’s faces all the time just so they can maintain the benefits from each other. Of course, you can be dishonest to an NPC in a game, but genuine friendship and love demand much more from both parties in real life. 

Jesus says this in John 15 12-13, 

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

I think Jesus sees clearly the relational failures of sinful human beings. We are self-centred people who will often look at what is best for me first, and if it is worth it, then so will the relationship. It is a contract rather than what Jesus commanded, which is self-sacrifice. 

Jesus exemplified this point literally in that he gave his life on the cross for us. And all humanity across time who choose to believe and place their faith in Him are called his friend and adopted family. Jesus gave it all for all of us. 

Today, we might not be jumping in front of a speeding train to save our friend. But we are called to love our friends by giving up things that put us first. It might mean giving up our preference for the kind of Korean dramas we watch with them, or maybe it is to forgo a double XP boost weekend in Warzone in order to walk the mall with your loved one. 

Love always calls us to give up something, and if we can’t even give up something small as gaming time or choice of movies, how can we expect ourselves to give up our lives for our friends when the time comes? How would your loved one know that you would be willing to give it all up for them? 

If you can’t give up the trivial preferences, will you be able to give up the costlier choices? What if it is your career or job that is killing your marriage? Do you choose your mortgage over your sacred oath to your spouse? What if it is pride that is holding you back from getting help for your addiction or mental illness, and it is causing tensions with your friends? Could you put down your pride so that healing can begin for you and everyone around you?  

Mutual self-giving is a mark of true friendship, as Christ has shown to us and His church. It is countercultural compared to our culture marked by self-preservation and treats others like NPCs. 

How are your friendships and marriages today? Do they reflect how Christ loves you and me? Let’s make a turn this Valentine’s [week] to be a better friend and spouse!

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 
- Romans 12:10

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found that I stayed alive longer playing solo in Warzone.

As a team of one, I get to choose the pace and the level of aggression from the beginning to the end. In some games, I would literally hang out in one house until the final circle. Yes, I am that type of player. I may not get a lot of kills, but I prefer to feel secure and at ease in a battle royale. I know that’s not the point of the game, but my personal playstyle is more self-centred and relaxed. Solo is definitely the way to go if I just want to think about myself. 

But let’s be honest, the game is way more fun when you are in a team of not one.

Yet, the difficulty noticeably scales up as you go from solo to duos, trios, or quads. As the team size grows, so does the number of targets per engagement. Along with a larger team, there are differences in playstyle as well as skill levels. The number of strategies and tactics also increases as team members can move in various ways and in different roles. There are just a lot more variables and options to account for when you have more people in a team. 

During one of my trio games, our team made it to the final circle, but unfortunately, I was the only one left alive. Being the last man standing on the team is a stressful ordeal, especially when I know I am the weakest player on the team. My team members were watching every move I make and calling out all that they see through my screen. But as I was hurdling inside a house by myself, waiting for the final circle to shift and the other teams to fight each other, I knew my only move—the one hope I had left in order for our team to have a chance of winning—was to buy back and redeploy my fallen teammates at a buy station. And so, in a last-ditch effort, I jumped out of the second-floor house and ran into the gas toward a buy station. My gas mask gave me barely enough time to buy my two teammates back, and in the end, they finished off the last few teams, and we got our W.1 

Having a full team gives you a huge advantage in a battle royale, and this is why there has always been a priority in keeping team members alive. If you have a team member down, you will always prioritize your resources and movement to revive or redeploy them. 

I think followers of Jesus can also learn much from this teamplay priority.

Christians are called to live and follow not just as an individual but also within a community of faith. We do have teammates on our life journey. Yet, often, we are quite passive in helping one another up when they are down or when they wander from their faith. When a brother or sister wanders away from Jesus, we reason that it is their personal journey, and it’s not my right to correct and speak truths into where they are headed. Truth be told, we preferred the solo games; we are comfortable with the thought that each individual is responsible for their own journey, and even though we are on the same team, we run our own course, attempt to win our own battles, and more often than not, suffer losses in the dark. 

This is such a disadvantageous way of playing the game of life. Especially when the God of victory, who knows how to win, tells us to live as a people, to be in a community, a church, and treat each other as family. He knows that on this side of heaven, His children will need one another in order to complete the mission and finish the race. And we need one another not just symbolically or metaphorically, but we need one another practically. We need to be known by one another and be accountable to each other. We need to be shoulder to shoulder as we speak truth into each other’s lives and stand by one another as we march against the dark forces at play in this world. Spiritual warfare requires the side-by-side presence of our brothers and sisters in the faith—our teammates. 

My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.
- James 5:19-20 (The Message)

James tells us that we need to take note and act intentionally in bringing back brothers and sisters who have wandered away from the truth. Our excuses should never be, “Well, even though they are living in opposition to God’s Word, I think they are still Christians, so they should be ok.” Christ-followers and disciples of Jesus should never be just ok. We are called to live into the victory and freedom that is from our King and Saviour. Our testimony is one of Ws, and we are to do that together as one people.

Are there brothers and sisters in your fellowship, church, or family that are sliding away from their faith? Have their choices and lifestyle testify to a need for truthful but also gentle correction? Be a brother or sister who you will want in a battle. Go after them. Get them back. That’s part of what it means to be on God’s team.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
- 1 John 5:1-5 (NLT)

Oh, that I had wings like a dove;
    then I would fly away and rest! 
Psalm 55:6

It’s a beautiful resort on a tropical island that is always warm, bright, and inviting. It's a got beachfront with cabins situated behind the sands with cabanas, beach chairs, surfboards and umbrellas littered across the coastline as far as the eyes can see. I ran past there many times before, but today I decided to just stop and settle in on the beach. It has been a busy and stressful week, and all I really wanted to do at that moment was to take a breath, look at the blue skies and hear the waves coming in. It was just what I needed.

I did get a few minutes of kicking the sand before I heard the sound of sniping and the airstrike coming my way. That’s life on Caldera. That’s Warzone.

Even though this virtual island is filled with many beautiful locations, for most of us, all we care about is who we are hunting and who is hunting us. We run from house to house, one hill over another, looking over our shoulders and our little map on the corner of the screen, all the while missing out on every detail and grandness of this fantasy island. 

It is by design, of course, that we don’t experience Caldera like a tourism sim. It was not made for walks on the beach, or romantic gondola rides to the peak. It’s a game designed with one goal in mind: Finish as the last team/person standing. 

Our life can also seem like a “last person standing” kind of game. For some,  people are obstacles to overcome and subdue; a wolf and sheep type of multiplayer dynamic. For others, it may be the solo grind of survival, to last as long as you can against the crushing pressure of life and work. Eventually, we wonder if the earth is just a pretty rock where we grind out our mission to outlast each other. Did God create this planet just to watch us burn out or snuffed out?  

In David’s famous Psalm 23, he writes, 

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Have you ever wondered why God made the green pastures and the quiet waters? Why does David see life led by God as one marked by rest, comfort, blessings, goodness, and love? It’s certainly not because we made it happen! It’s not because we worked hard enough to earn rest and all the other good stuff. Rather, it’s all because God loves us. He creates because He is love. Our world and all that He created are not designed to be a backdrop for our battle royale. Instead, it is a message to us, a clue that calls us away from our grind and into His presence, from the knowledge of Him to knowing Him. 

Caldera was designed to be a warzone, there is no way I can truly rest in peace there, but the world we are living in right now was lovingly made by someone who wants to know us. It is marred by sin, and yet it continues to speak to the God who created all things out of love. It cries out to us and calls us to look up.

Have you lost sight of God lately? That amid the grind of life, pandemic survival, the pressure of work and expectations, we may have fallen for the lie that we can’t find rest in this world; that we are on our own and it’s up to us to be the last person standing, and then maybe we can rest.

If that is where you are at right now, I want to point you back to Jesus. He is the Shepherd who is waiting to lead you to quiet water. He is the chain breaker who wants to free us from the grind that we often feel we are locked to. Let Him take you to the beach; let Him help you find rest where we can’t find before. 

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
   or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In his hand is the life of every creature
    and the breath of all mankind.

Job 12:7-10

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Praise the Lord, who is my rock.

    He trains my hands for war

    and gives my fingers skill for battle.

- Psalm 144:1

I am quite certain when David wrote Psalm 144, he did not mean God will train our hands and fingers for video games. Right? While we flexed our fingers and knuckles in our pyjamas on our keyboards and controllers, he was dodging real spears thrown at him by a king and facing down a literal giant. The guy was talented, but I am sure he was trained. And I don’t mean by professionals, but through every moment of his life by his creator God. 

Throughout these past few years, I have racked up over 577 hours in Warzone. That’s 24+ days of continuously jumping out of an aircraft, choosing the right location to land, getting to the next circle, and most importantly, aiming well in the heat of the battle. I will be honest, even after that many hours, I am at best an average player on my best days. In most games, I land into the wrong locations, took too long to pick up my gears (or as my teammates yell, “STOP SHOPPING!!”) or worst yet, lose out on gunfights when my team needed me most. It can be frustrating being my teammates! 

As it turns out, there is a limit as to how much I can improve by just playing the game over and over again, even after 577 hours. And so this year I installed Aim Lab and committed to some weekly training sessions for the sake of my team. The training is not as fun and the graphic far from great, but that’s not the goal of Aim Lab. The goal is for the next time I am in Caldera, where I will be ready for the actual battle with faster reaction time and better accuracy. The training is needed so I can win the battle when it matters most to my stats and to my team.

It is the same in our walk with Jesus, it may also need some training. We need better training and practice in our daily life because life is full of giants and hidden falls. The valleys in life are deep, and the darkness can last for years. For many of us, we often persevere through these dark moments by the skin of our teeth and we can’t imagine going through it again. The truth is, just existing through these life challenges is not going to be enough. We can’t just self-actualize out of every storm and into smooth water. We need training and instructions so we can face each and every battle that comes our way with assurance and hope. 

The Word of God is our life-saving instruction, encouragement, and training manual. It provides the instructions for our lives so we are not easily overcome; it is His training program for righteousness. But what’s more, is that the Holy Spirit directs us through the scriptures. When we fail to follow His instructions, our Trainer—the Holy Spirit—convicts us to correct our errors and to get back on track. And it is through these daily practices of good decisions according to His words that God readies us for the big battles on the horizon. This is how He equips us for the many giants that are aiming for me in my life. 

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” - 1 Timothy 4:8

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. - 1 Cor. 9:24-27

The apostle Paul reminds us that we need discipline and training if we are to live a victorious life in Christ. The much-sought-after “W” doesn’t just come on a platter in life. We need to aim for godliness, and we need to be intentional in our training discipline if we are to get the prize.

What changes in your training habit do you need to make today?
What is your Trainer saying to you right now?

Let’s aim better and aim higher!

#GG and Be Gracious!

Reflections:

• What is your training program—your daily regiment—for godliness? 

• How can we practice godliness even as we play? 

  Maybe it is in controlling what we type or say and not just how fast we click shoot? Make a plan, find a verse that will hold you accountable, and practice it every time you play.