Keys to the Kingdom

So, I was going to the bathroom today at work, and what do I find in the women's bathroom? Keys to the Kingdom...what else would you find in a women's bathroom at a church? You're probably wondering what this incredible find is...and you should wonder, because if you've never heard of it before, you might be as amazed as I am. It's a board game. Yes...they made our spiritual journey into a board game. Incredible isn't it? Here's a little taste of the game, as written in the direction packet:

Object of the game:

1. to become "born again"

2. Through the Holy Spirit draw closer to God

3. To love your neighbor as yourself

4. To put off the deeds of the flesh and walk according to the Spirit

Explaination of the game board

The game board consists of 5 concentric bands, held together by 12 yellow spokes coming together at the center. the largest (outer) band represents the world. The 4 inner bands represent your growth path in the Kingdom of Heaven, God being the center.

The yellow spokes represent the Holy Spirit (leading your closer to God) while Jesus is represented by the red doors located where the yellow Holy Spirit spokes connect with the world.

There are "key cards" which include things such as truth, faith, humility, and trust, and "flesh cards" which include things like anger, lust, greed, jealousy, selfishness, and the like. There are also "scripture cards" and "crown cards," which are needed to win the game, and are received when you "love your neighbor" and give up a turn or give over a card needed by another player in order to help them out. I'm kind of in awe that someone took the time to make a game out of this, and even moreso, because it was possible to take something incomprehensible and make it into a board game...

I wish I could say more, but I'm off to a retreat. I leave you to ponder the wonders of spiritual board games on your own. Chaio!

Like NASCAR, only mini :) 

View from our apartment last Saturday. 

Professional Go-Cart Racing?

This past weekend the road outside our apt was transformed into a go-cart track. Honestly, this is a very real thing that happens. People truly do race go-carts professionally! It all began on Friday night as fences began to line the streets and we weren’t allowed to park within two blocks of our home. It was further emphasized when we saw truckloads of hay bales stacked up to outline the track, along with huge plastic barriers that served to protect not only those on the sidelines, but those who were driving. We woke up early on Saturday morning to the sound of go-carts buzzing past our house as the racers warmed up and got a feel for the curves and the straight-aways. We were told that it only took 30-40 seconds for one of the go-carts to make one lap…and it wasn’t a small track. These things were absolutely FLYING. We heard they went up to 100 miles an hour. In a go-cart. We left our apartment like normal, about 15 minutes before we need to be somewhere, only to realize, as we wove our way through the fenced in blocks surrounding our house, that we were living in the center of the track; in order to go anywhere, we would have to cross the track. Easier said than done. They had pretty strict regulations on when and where people could cross, mainly because if you were to step out onto the track at the wrong time, you were endangering not only your life, but the lives of any of the drivers that would come zipping around the corner at any given moment. They were letting 3-5 races go without letting people cross. Translated into minutes, it ended up being about 30 minutes in between crossings, and since Mark and I have impeccable timing, we always got to the designated crosswalks during the first or second race :). It was pretty funny. And we were late a lot this weekend :). It was only mildly frustrating at times, and it was easy to put up with knowing they were done in less than 48 hours. Mostly it was just funny to us, and kind of fun to watch. I guess I never knew people did this professionally. It’s pretty amazing to watch people zip around on go-carts, and kind of unnerving at times to watch people hit those plastic barriers and spin out of control or flip. Luckily, we never saw anyone get seriously injured. It was a pretty fun thing, and the best part about it? We could sit in our apt and watch from the window! We had the best seats in the house!