Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Blinded by the Light

So I took the long way home from board game night tonight. Why? Because there was a beautiful storm outside and I wanted to experience for as long as possible. As I drove along at around 20 MPH on the back roads between Fayetteville and Springdale I watched the glorious lightning storm play out across the night sky. Huge pulses of light shining behind the clouds. Long forked bolts arcing across the sky. The cool, crisp air blowing in my open window. It was awesome (yes, it really was awe inspiring, so yes I'm using that word).

The only bad part of the experience was all the artificial lighting I encountered along the way. The street lamps, house lights, car headlights, and the like all interfered with my ability to see the amazing power of creation on display around me. It annoyed me immensely.

But it also got me thinking. All this illumination we create every night, all this light we shine out to push back the darkness; sometimes it blinds us to things that we could or should be seeing. I bet that of all the people in the Springdale and Fayetteville area; very few of them were out and about in this storm, and of those that were the majority didn't spare a second's thought for the awesome power and beauty that was on display around them. They were blinded by the very lights that they depend upon to see in the night.

How often do we allow something very similar to happen in our spiritual lives? The "lights" of our own efforts and "righteousness" that try to push back the darkness with only end up blinding us to the glory and power of God that is there all around us in the storm and the darkness. I think we should not be afraid to stand out in the wilderness, far from the light of our "civilization" and to enjoy the amazing creation that God has given to us, and bask in the protecting power that His light surrounds us with. If we do that I think that in the darkest places we will be able to see the clearest.

And next time there is an amazing lightning/thunderstorm going on out there, get out somewhere dark and enjoy the show for a bit.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

So much to do, so little time

Man, there are just so many things I'm wanting to do these days and no where near enough time in each day to get it all done. While I really enjoy and appreciate the act of doing the things I love to do; sometimes I just wish I could read books like Data from Star Trek, or download TV shows into my brain instantly like on that one episode of Futurama.

Oh if you hadn't guessed by the references I made; all these things that are warring for my time are just leisure activities. Nothing of any REAL importance. Here's the list:

1) Doing research for the new character I'm going to be playing in Jeremy's sci-fi campaign. Shepard Liam Gudson. This involves rewatching Firefly to learn from Shepard Book, reading the books of the Bible that deal with the lives of Paul and Peter, reading another book about Paul, and reading a book about a missionary named Bill Wallace. I'd like to be doing all of these things simultaneously and at at least double time; cause I want all that info in my head when we play the first session on Sunday. Not going to happen of course, but doesn't stop me from wanting it. LOL.

2) Last Exile. Beautiful, beautiful series. I recently recommended it to a friend and since he has been enjoying it so much I've decided I really want to watch it again myself; so ya even more hours of TV to watch.

3) I'm also finishing up my Mouse Guard campaign, trying to plan how to run a portion of it for Magpie Night (with 6 players to boot), and trying to finish up the Burning Empires book so that I can move on to finding a system to run another fantasy campaign idea I have in my head in.

Add in all the TV shows I try to keep up with, my usual social gaming activities; and a full work week and my free time is at quite a premium these days. But I guess its better than being overloaded with other more stressful things and the like. Anyway, I'm hoping to get a more normal job starting next month (at the least I'm going to be very aggressively attempting to get one) so hopefully a more standard schedule will help me do more that I want to do.