Level UP

 It's 2 AM. You pad down the hallway for a glass of water and see that telltale glow under your kid's bedroom door. Your parental spider-sense tingles. You know exactly what's happening in there. You mentally prepare your speech about responsibility, sleep schedules, and "wasting your life on those games." You open the door, ready to drop the parental hammer… ...and find your teenager furiously taking notes about Byzantine military tactics because they just got destroyed in Civilization VI and they're determined to understand why Basil II is such a historical beast. Wait. What? Here's the uncomfortable truth that's about to mess with your "video games rot your brain" narrative: Your kid might be learning more during their gaming sessions than they do in half their classes. I know, I know. This sounds like something a teenager would say to get out of trouble. But stick with me, because the Bible, yes, the Bible, is about to become your unlikel...

 Let’s imagine we’re sitting across from each other. We’re sitting at your kitchen table. You’ve got your coffee (cream, two sugars, right?), and I’ve got mine black, because that’s how you drink it when you’re trying to sound like you’ve got life figured out. You sigh and say, “I just wish he’d put as much energy into school as he does into that game.” I nod. I get it. It feels like gaming is stealing hours that could’ve gone to homework, chores, or maybe even sunlight. But before we start fantasizing about pulling the plug and hiding the console behind the Christmas decorations in the farthest realms of the attic, let’s take a breath. Maybe, just maybe, God is doing something through all that screen time. Let’s be honest: gaming can absolutely eat time like a kid with a Costco-sized bag of Doritos. It’s not uncommon to see “just one more match” turn into “why is the sun coming up?” Hang on a sec. Let's not get ahead of ourselves and yeet all the gaming consoles just yet. Because ...

How many friends do you have on Facebook ? And how many followers do you have on Instagram ? Just take these two for now. What is that total number? Sure, there will be some overlap, but is the number over 300? 500? 1,000? 2,000? I recently saw a Facebook post from an adult that said “I could use a word (or 50!) of encouragement.” The account has over 1.8K friends and the post received 42 comments. Now add in Twitter , Snapchat , and LinkedIn and the number could be much, much higher. Like on the way to the moon higher. But, did you ever take a step back to think about how connected we all are and yet how disconnected we feel? We’ve got more “friends” than ever, but somehow we’re lonelier than a guy in a Minecraft server with PvP turned off . And it’s not just adults feeling that way. Many of our kids, especially our gamers, are plugged into massive online communities. They’ve got Discord servers , group chats , and squads that stretch across time zones. And yet, for a lot of them, th...

 So, parents of a gamer have probably heard the phrase “I’m hanging out with my friends” shouted from behind a closed bedroom door, accompanied by the sound of a clicking keyboard and muffled laughter through a headset. And here’s the thing: they’re not wrong. Gaming online can connect people across states, countries, and time zones. Your player might be leading a Fortnite squad with a kid from Texas, a college student from Ohio, and a new friend from Canada. And they are all working together for that glorious Victory Royale. But while gaming connects people digitally, the struggle is that it can disconnect them emotionally. You see, there’s a strange irony in today’s world: we’ve never been more connected, yet so many feel completely alone. At first, gaming feels like a social lifeline. Players talk, laugh, and share moments of triumph and failure. But slowly, subtly, that digital space can start replacing real-world relationships. Instead of meeting a friend at youth group or gra...

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  I heard that a lot growing up. From my mom, from my teachers, and various other people. They wanted me to think deeper and look closer. They wanted me to come to a conclusion that was supported by more than a superficial glance. The Bible has this story about Samuel and David and is kinda something similar. When Samuel was searching for Israel’s next king, he saw a bunch of strong, impressive brothers and thought, “Surely it’s one of these guys.” But God said, “Nope. You’re looking at the outside, I’m looking at the inside.” God wanted Samuel to see more than what he saw at first glance. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” () Sound familiar? Because if you’re a parent of a gamer, you might feel like Samuel standing in Jesse’s living room. You see a headset, a glowing screen, and hours of clicking buttons and you might think, “This can’t be good for them.” But what if God sees something else? What if we can se...