So, Mark hinted at wanting to hear some of my adventures in the real world while I was away from the forum. But I doubt that I'm the only one having 'adventures' in real life, so I think it would be good to let this topic open for everyone.
So far I've been in Ukraine three times and Ukraine has been in my house twice. I'm probably going to have Orthodox Christmas there the coming winter.
I've got me a housemate to rent a little house.
I've stepped in a ministry among Assyrian youth.
I might be starting my own childcare organization once I have the funding.
What do you want to hear more about?
The Ukraine has been in your house twice? Sounds intriguing.
heheh, well, not the entire Ukraine. My translator-friend from over there. We went to see the sites in Belgium, taste various beers etc. Fun times.
First time was last Christmas, he celebrated with my family. We traveled to different cities, being good tourists. The second time was two weeks ago. Crazy adventure getting him from the airport. I don't have a driver's license, so I had to get a friend, who gets to use his dad's car. We went to the airport but did not know which flight he would arrive on, only the hour. He didn't arrive. We waited another hour and a half or something and he didn't arrive. We go back home and pick up two hitch hikers. They had their money stolen in France. They ended up sleeping over in my house. Once we were home and I got my unexpected guests settled, I get a phone call from my friend that he arrived. He said he would sleep in the airport.
I called my friend, he wasn't sleeping yet (it was about 1AM right now) and he felt like riding again. So we went for him. In the end we arrived back home at four o' clock at night and slept. I woke up the next day at eight because I had no breakfast so I got some for them. I put the lost tourists on the train (forgetting they were with two and only paying them one ticket. Stupid! I hope they arrived well. We had breakfast and church and then his stay in Belgium for about three or four days begun.
I did not have a lot of sleep that week. The day he had to leave I was up at five, since he needed to get the train in time to get his plane in time. Good memories. :)
Hmm. Not many for me, but I finally got a regular Shadowrun gaming group, and I'm a player. First time that's happened with a group. I have been a player in a solo campaign, with my friend CJ as a DM, and I have been Gamemaster many times.
If you guys want, I could share a story for Shadowrun I wrote, and how the player dealt with it, or the game I am a player in and it's story.
I didn't realize that there were any people who still self-identified as "Assyrian". Is that common in the Ukraine, or was it somewhere else?
--M. J. Young
It's in Belgium. They are refugees from Turkey. Their heritage is important to them, being the people from whom Abraham came. Usually it are mountain villages, and at times, entire villages have to run (I think from Islamic government. We've got a few communities in Belgium, there are some in Germany as well that I know of. Being tribal and all they all are related somehow. Usually cousins and nephews and stuff. The older generations, the ones who had to run, usually still have to learn to read or write. The women in any case.
This weekend's adventure was a weekend on several locations in the Netherlands, meeting old friends on several places, seeing Cloud Strife (for those who played FF7) on the train, Naruto in the train station and a girl with a cat's tail waiting on a train. (I suspect there was an Anime-convention)
I helped out at a wedding reception from a friend who married in Lithuania but gave his friends in the Netherlands a reception, the day after I went to Catholic mass with them and witnessed how the priest later on blessed their house with holy water.
I closed the past, which testifies to the good healing of an old wound and I saw the one month old baby boy of some good friends. The trains had a lot of trouble and I realized I have to develop a 'testify to Krishna-followers' skill. I think we were both equally strong (or weak) in our little discussion (which it became, mea culpa. It shouldn't be a discussion, but a revelation, an experience. She was not open to it (as I probably wasn't for her message, that's what you get with faith.))
The trains had a lot of trouble and I realized I have to develop a 'testify to Krishna-followers' skill.
What's the only thing worse than Jehovah's Witnesses showing up at your door? The man sitting next to you on the bus says "Friend, have you ever considered becoming a Hare Krishna?"
Well, I was wearing orange pants, so there was an attraction factor. And I don't mind them sharing their faith. I share mine as well, more like the Krishna's than the Jehovah's witnesses. The problem is that you are both very convinced of your own right when you enter a conversation like that. Discussions become very unfruitful like that.
I gave up trying to witness to people a loooooong time ago, for that very reason.
I think that you shouldn't underrate the value of "discussions".
I know that in gaming circles, a great many "nonbelievers" are so in part because they view Christians as narrow-minded and empty-headed. That's true outside gaming circles as well. One guy I know says that I'm a real mystery for him, because I'm intelligent and thoughtful and open-minded and also a Christian, and in his experience those things cannot be combined in one person, so I break his view of reality. There are a few people at Ubercon who are probably less antagonistic toward Christianity because I represent it there, and I am otherwise a decent and accepting human being who is not there to condemn them.
Nikolaj, by being the person who is willing to interact, to hear what they are saying and ask intelligent and challenging questions, you might not see conversions but you take away some of their objections. Certainly some of the objections people have to Christianity are simply avoidance mechanisms, excuses to escape facing the claims of Jesus Christ; but some are genuine problems, issues that stand between a person and the possibility of faith--and many of those issues are we. That I can be an outspoken believer who wears his faith openly and a considerate rational human being who cares about what others think and doesn't condemn them for disagreement opens them to the possibility that what they have concluded about Christianity is not entirely correct.
So don't assume that you've failed to make a difference in someone's life simply because you were not able to persuade him to accept Christian faith. One plants, another waters, another reaps, but everyone works in the same field, and God gives the increase. By being a kind intelligent human being who is also a Christian, you subvert and undermine their positions, forcing them to rethink. That is a very valuable impact.
I hope this helps.
John, you can't actually stop being a witness. The only question is whether you're an honest and credible witness.
--M. J. Young
There are a few people at Ubercon who are probably less antagonistic toward Christianity because I represent it there, and I am otherwise a decent and accepting human being who is not there to condemn them.
I had an Atheist I just met say "I don't believe in God." I replied "That's OK. He believes in you." He said it was the best answer he had ever heard to that, because most so-called Christians he had met would have replied "Well then you're going to Hell." That's something that really bothers me about so-called "Christians." I'd like them to show me where in the Bible it has their name written as the person who makes that decision.
John, you can't actually stop being a witness. The only question is whether you're an honest and credible witness.
I no longer consider myself "Christian", so yes, I can. In my experience, "Christian" is just another word for "Hypocrite". With exceptions, of course. I'm not a "Christian" I am a believer in God.
Funny, there's a lot of that going around.
Ann Rice recently announced that she was disclaiming any connection with Christianity, but maintaining her connection to Christ.
I find it a tenuous position. After all, it is easy to see the flaws in other believers, and the more of such others we group together the more flaws we can see. It is harder to see our own flaws. Yet I know I have them, and I'm sure that there are some people who find Christianity less believable because of me. That is ultimately the problem: people reject Christ because of Christians.
But then, there is the second problem, what is really the semantic problem. I cannot claim a connection to Christ and not in a fundamental sense be a Christian. That also means that I cannot truly separate myself from everyone else who is connected to Christ. They, too, are Christians. I can distinguish myself from specific religious organizations and from certain types of Christians. But if by "Christianity" I mean those organizations, I am misusing the word.
I've been to gaming conventions. The majority of those there actually do bathe or shower fairly regularly, wear perfectly acceptable clothing, and are well-socialized and well-adjusted individuals. People notice the ones who have not showered since last month, are atrociously attired, and act rudely or inappropriately. That is true of every generalized group of people--scientists, college professors, boy scouts, high school students, college students, fraternities (well, most fraternities), politicians, whatever group you can identify. All of them have "stereotypical" examples who are not at all like the majority but create the image of the group in the minds of outsiders--the arrogant scientist, the absent-minded professor, the goody-goody boy scout, the irresponsible high school student, the wild college student, the partying fraternity, the egocentric politician. Christians, too, have a small number who are the identified stereotype, whom people connect to what it is to be Christian. Most of us are not like that. But you don't overcome the stereotype by saying "I'm not one of them." You overcome the stereotype by saying, "I am one of them, but they're not really the best examples of who we are."
So I am a Christian, and although in some ways I am unique, I'm really not that different from "most" other Christians. I'm only different from most of those who are in the spotlight. I can only fix that by taking the spotlight away from them and pointing it at someone who better represents what Christianity is and does--and while I might wind up saying that's me, let me also say it's James Aubuchon who founded the Christian Gamers Guild, and Star Wars author Timothy Zahn, and Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Dave Arneson--all of us imperfect people whose imperfections are different from those presently in the spotlight. So I am a Christian, and I'm proud to stand with some of these others whom I've met who are equally willing to let you know that they are Christians, and that there are Christians who don't fit your stereotypes of us.
--M. J. Young
I think that you shouldn't underrate the value of "discussions".
I don't, but I'm not Schaeffer, McDowell or Lewis. If it comes to intellect, most people (at least of those of my surroundings, students etc.) can out-talk me. I rather have Christ reveal Himself to them. Revelation is much more powerful.
But you've already seen that I use that approach as it is the 'skill' I use most in my current game.
@John and everybody else disappointed in the behavior of prominent Christians:
It is funny that you expect impeccable behavior of those who preach grace and mercy and who are dependent on that themselves.
For those who call themselves Christian: We are commanded to be perfect as our Example is perfect. More accurately we need to be Holy as He is Holy. But do realize that you cannot do that in your own strength or you render the cross useless.
If this continuous to be discussion I suggest we open a new topic so that here we can keep on topic. There are not many Krishna-followers in Belgium, so it took me by surprise. That's why it is mentioned. I realized that I knew next to nothing about their faith and thus had no real arguments to add. Sadly, she was very self-righteous. I do pray that God opens her eyes and her heart to herself.
"The greatest single cause of Atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, and go out and deny Him by their lifestyle. This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
From a song by DC Talk.
I remember one game I ran at a con. Everyone was happy as the game wound up, and the girl made a comment slighting about Baptists. I didn't say anything, but I laughed at her comment. She's a bit puzzled, and after a bit, my friend J explains that I am a Baptist. We did not discuss it further, and I just pretty much smiled.
Now, she has a problem. A)Eric is a very good gm. B)Eric is one of those ignorant twit Baptists. Now how does she square that circle?
So Eric, that sounds like a real life adventure, how did that end? Or did it just fizzle out?
Hey Brock, I didn't read over your reaction, and I would like that. But not here. I like game summaries, but that would kind of make the title of this thread moot (or how do they say that?), and if it's about GM-ing experiences (which are real-life), I would think that on this forum that would deserve a topic of it's own since it opens the discussions and possibilities of technique, style, how to handle players etc.
I am a fan of game summaries, so if you feel like it, I would be interested in reading those adventures.
So telling about times when you've witnessed to people isn't a real life adventure? I would say you must not do very much witnessing if you think that, but of course I know better.
As MJ quoted, some water...Call me a watering can in that situation.
I had a 'Let me send you a Watchtower' lady called Melanie call me this morning. We discussed whether Jesus was the Creator and the whether the Trinity was real. We both gave each other something to think about. I tried to be of God and not of Eric and his brilliant :) brain in the discussion.
I think that you shouldn't underrate the value of "discussions".I don't, but I'm not Schaeffer, McDowell or Lewis. If it comes to intellect, most people (at least of those of my surroundings, students etc.) can out-talk me. I rather have Christ reveal Himself to them. Revelation is much more powerful.
Certainly revelation is more potent; but someone has said that God left the job of revealing Himself to a bunch of ordinary people.
My point was not that you should be able to out-argue anyone, or demonstrate your brilliant reasoning in connection with proofs of one faith over another. I would think in many of these situations you would have more impact if, like Eric, you had a pleasant conversation, showed interest in the other person, and proved yourself to be a decent human being.
I was very impressed by a book I read within the past few years, by Anthony Campolo, entitled A Reasonable Faith. Campolo is a sociologist at Eastern Baptist, and he in essence applies sociological concepts to his understanding of the gospel in a way I find credible and fascinating. In short, people tend to conform to those with whom we spend our time. If we spend our time with nasty people we tend to become nasty; if we spend our time with people who are basically kind we tend to become more kind. If, then, we want to be perfect, we ought to spend our time with someone who is perfect--and Christianity offers us the chance to do that.
It is also a principle of relationships that people discover who we really are through interaction. That is, you could tell this person what you believe in about two minutes, to the degree that she cares, and in another two minutes you could probably tell her why you believe it; but what will make a difference to her is not the facts but the person, that you, Nikolaj, have started to become a good person, someone she would like to know better. What is most persuasive is not your arguments but the degree to which your character reflects His nature, and that is revealed through relationship and interaction.
That's why I say not to discount the value of discussion. I don't mean that you should be drawing her into argument. I mean you should be sharing with her, as Eric shared something of himself with those at the gaming table. She can hear about Jesus anywhere, but she can only see him in people who care about her, listen to her, connect with her personally. Befriend people who need to see Jesus; the better you are at being a friend, the more likely they are to recognize Christ in you.
--M. J. Young
Then I agree (almost) completely with you :)
I had another, probably faulty, definition of discussion.
If you want I can open a new thread for this discussion (heh), or I could send a mail to all those interested in the discussion so that we can discuss this without bothering the others, since this is not gaming-related.