Community Service Announcement "RE: Decline in Values for Manhood"

*Are You An Obsessive Online Gamer?

EverQuest addiction? Many laugh at the thought, yet more cases are being seen each year. The highly addictive nature of online role-playing games impacts children and teenagers the most, but a growing number of adults are also getting hooked, and the latest craze is to online sports fantasy games.

Answer "yes" or "no" to the following statements to see if you may be addicted to online gaming:

1.Do you need to play online games with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve the desired excitement?
2.Are you preoccupied with gaming (thinking about it when offline, anticipating your next online session)?
3.Have you lied to friends and family members to conceal extent of your online gaming?
4.Do you feel restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop online gaming?
5.Have you made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop online gaming?
6.Do you use gaming as a way of escaping from problems or relieve feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression?
7.Have you jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, or even risked your marriage because of your online gaming habit?
8.Have you jeopardized a job, educational, or career opportunity because of your online gaming habit?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, you may be addicted to online gaming. These are common warning signs that you have lost control, lied, or possibly risked a relationship to support your gaming behavior. Why wait until it is too late to seek out help? Contact our Counseling Services today to receive fast, caring, and confidential advice to stop online gaming or read through our library of Books, eBooks and DVDs to help you find the information you need to understand Internet addiction and steps towards its recovery.

*Original post at netaddiction.com.

A recent article over at the NY Times highlights the emerging effects of heavy multitasking, over gaming and tech device dependence that has gradually infected the lives of most North Americans. Think twice before checking your Facebook, Twitter feed, IPOD app, email, whatever . . . you may be addicted . . . clinically proven addicted. "Technology is rewriting our brains . . ." Essentially, our bodies crave "dopamine squirts" that result when heavy multitasking on tech . . . without it our bodies feel bored and worse even depressed.

Asian-american affluence/self-centeredness + consumerism/materialism + technology = 30 year old guys still living at home (or the "one off" ~ the home purchased and down paid by mom), driving mom's car ~ also financed by mom, eating mom's food, leeching mom's bank account (bankrolled by moms like a freakin dealer ~ or getting transfers), laundry done by mom, playing World of Warcraft or PS3 till 4:00AM . . . ad naseum. Who cares if you have a 58" TV in your room!?!?!

What does that amount to? Insecure, overly sensitive, aimlessly wandering, wishful thinking, "banked" DEADBEATS! Deadbeats with credit cards - another dreadful global credit crisis in the making. Puh-lease brothas', quit yo' frontin' and "MAN the FREAK UP!" Get real jobs, move out (renting is no shame), find a girl who loves Jesus (more than you), marry her (before the local church community), and have kids (adoption is theologically on team) . . . ASAP! It's no family without kids. That alone ought to sanctify you. Also, go find a real girl not the fake one you starin' at on your screen. God help you.

(For the confused idiot - refer to the previous post)

Leadership Insights from a Former Navy SEAL

Residual takeaway from time spent watching Discovery Channel.

"Do you have the courage to start? Do you have the commitment to finish? Do you have the clarity of vision, to see exactly what you got to get done, that you are going to stick it out no matter what?"

"A man can only be beaten in two ways: if he gives up or if he dies."

- Former Navy SEAL, Zen Buddhist, Self-Protection Specialist Richard "Mack" Machowicz

What is an Evangelical?

"Evangelicalism is dead . . . Evangelical Christians no longer believe the Bible. Their real religion is Equality, which trumps their so called biblical convictions." (white supremacist radio talk show host James Edwards)

Over the past decade, I have heard and read that the team "Evangelical" referred to Protestants with a severe affinity for the gospel and Jesus. This was the team that held a high view of Scripture, the death & resurrection of Jesus, proclaimation of the gospel message, and the evidence of one's conversion (being born again) through "faith & deeds."

However, nowadays, everyone from the likes of Brian McLaren, Erwin McManus, John MacArthur, Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis, Elmer Towns, Chuck Swindoll, Chuck Smith, T.D. Jakes all apparently fall within this team. Nowadays, things are just not that simple anymore. Complicated? Quasi-neo-liberal social gospel-ites, open theists, prosperity gospel-types (with the lower case "g"), free will advocates, Calvinists, inclusive "warm fuzzy" inter-faith dialoguers, far right, far left, pro choice, pro life, same sex marriage advocate, traditional marriage advocate . . . the team doesn't seem to be on team anymore. Back in the day when Billy Graham started preaching, the team was simple and the lines were clear - today, the team is no longer a team but still tries to maintain the name, the theological lines are deeper and depending on which sub-team you are on - the lines may or may not be clear but "unattainable" and mysterious.

Is there such thing as loyalty to a team? In fact, does a "statement of faith" matter or hold worth in such an era as ours? One seminary boasts being "inclusive" while another boasts "biblical fidelity" ~ whether we like it or not, their clones have gone viral and the "evangelical community" will suffer. How does this play out theologically, missiologically and ecclesiologically? Shot gun blast, nuclear fallout, sniper round, cruise missile, chemical warfare, or the largest conventional weapon available post-cold war "a bunker buster"? Whatever we dump in the "front end" will come out the "back end" ~ we need to closely monitor and evaluate the "back end" damage.

When a white supremacist has a better take on the team, God have mercy on us all.

Hero of Last Month ~ My Rant

Former Principal Ken Fells of Graham Creighton Junior High of the Halifax School Board in Nova Scotia attempting to cease and desist 14 year old Josh Boutilier. Props to Fells who held his ground and put himself in a potentially dangerous situation as another student could have blind-sided him. As the parents of Boutilier create smoke and fallout over the incident, the rest of the country observes their clear irresponsible upbringing of another disrespectful, self-entitled, ignorant bastard of a boy . . . one who probably don't got no self-respecting Daddy who can teach him manhood at home.

Principal Fells, thank you for "manning up" when the boy was severely lacking.