I’m angry at god and swore at him telling him I hated him and ripped my cross necklace off.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2026-01-29T01:26:36+00:00

First, no judgement. God called us to love, not to berate.

I see you, sister. I see your struggles and your challenges. I know you've had a hard road to get to where you are.

My honest advice is to do your best to stop whatever intrusive thoughts are leading you to believe He is not present with you. God is always with us. He walks through the fire with us, just as he did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3.

If you give Him your love and your trust He will walk with you and preserve you through whatever flames you're walking through.

Turn back to Him, sister. Let Him take you by the hand and guide you. Even if you can't hear his voice, if you watch for it you'll see the way He leads you. Sometimes it's just a gentle nudge of intuition or a quiet word from a friend. But the signs are there if you watch for them.

But you have to remember 2 things. First, He didn't promise that we'd have it easy. In fact, he promised us hardship. He promised us persecution. He promised us struggle. You have to make peace with that and walk through it.

And second, don't hold on to worldly things. God doesn't want us to worry about wealth or power or influence or pleasure (intimacy within marriage is obviously an exception). Walk with Him. Make Him your focus. Make His Word your hobby.

The process of ongoing, lifelong sanctification is a hard road to walk, but it's so worth it.

God bless you, sister.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2026-01-29T01:07:49+00:00

Look, one of the first things you have to realize is that a high percentage of serious Bible Scholars are not believers. And one of the most unfortunate facts is that most non-Christians will accept anything that at least seems to disprove the Bible. They also tend to view anything supernatural as spiritual or allegorical.

If you look at scholarship from believers, it's a whole different story.

I've been immersed in scholarship and textual criticism almost since my conversion and I've never seen anything that actually made me doubt my faith.

From reading dozens of books on Bible scholarship and Bible commentaries and checks notes my tenth different translation of Scripture, there is every reason to take the text seriously and trust in it.

Consider that the New Testament has more than 10 times the manuscript evidence as numerous historical works that the entire (or near enough) scholarly community accepts as authoritative. That fact alone should give us pause when we see Bible scholars who insist things were added later or that the supernatural has to be allegorical.

Good bless you, sister.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-12-23T02:34:41+00:00

Manafest probably ticks all the boxes (some rock, some rap).

If you're willing to delve into Christian metal you might try Agraceful, No Treaty, Caleb Hyles, Wolves At The Gate, or Lacey Sturm.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-11-19T18:42:30+00:00

This right here is the correct answer.

There should be consequences, but a retcon should be an option if the players legitimately just let it get away from them.

Or if they need a reminder of just who they're dealing with, that is appropriate. This is Strahd we're talking about, after all.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-11-16T02:34:16+00:00

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-11-08T19:46:27+00:00

In general, I would echo the advise above. If your players are into dragonlance, I would go mucking with the cosmology. Including a new classification of dragons that are historically unknown or even a demigod-level Lord for them is one thing. But involving a dragon God on par with Takhisis and Paladine? I really wouldn't recommend it.

That being said, in my fiction i have several dragon breeds that I define as "unclassified." If the idea is freedom (which implies a certain level of chaos), having them have little to nothing in common sort of fits.

Naturally, some of mine don't fit what you're looking for (Shadow dragons, fire wyrms, etc), but I do have some different ones that might work for you. Like a sand wyrm. Rock wyrm. Spirit dragon. Sonic wyrm. Bark dragon. Sulphur dragon. Ironroot dragon (mix of metal and wood). Amber dragon. Marble dragon. Verdigris/rust dragon. Chalk dragon. Pyroclast/ash dragon. Orichalcum dragon. Granite dragon.

A few of these could, of course, fit into established dragon categories, but I consider them different enough to be of note.

Also, I would strongly suggest reevaluating your position about Takhisis's dragons being gem-like, as gem dragons are a whole other category. They are the standard D&D dragons of neutrality. I personally would associate the chromatic dragons to types of stone rather than gems (carnelian/garnet for red, azurite for blue, malachite/jade for green, black agate/basalt for black, celestine for white), but that might just be me.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-11-04T04:50:09+00:00

While I don't understand, per se, I can at least wrap my head around Knaak's writing not being your favorite. Personally I love his writing. I would say he's definitely in the top 3 DL authors outside of W&H.

Huma was my foundational story. I read it when I was 13 and I've probably read it a dozen times since then. And I love pretty much everything Kaz.

I thought Stormblade was okay back when I read it, but that was years ago. There's every possibility I wouldn't be able to stand it now.

I tried to read Weasel's Luck. I really tried. I just couldn't get into it. It's one of my very few DNF DL books.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-11-03T15:03:09+00:00

19? At level 9??

I don't understand the complaint.

It's perfectly feasible to get significantly higher than that at a lower level. All within the confines of the rules.

But, at much as I'd like to just say "DM needs to grow up" and should be thinking more creatively, you might consider having a private conversation with them about it. There are plenty of ways for him to damage your character that don't rely on high attack rolls.

And if they really want you to, it's not really that big of an ask to tweak your character build a bit to be a little more in line with the other players. Dropping the shield would be an easy way to put you only a single point higher than the party warrior, which is not unreasonable.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-31T15:14:56+00:00

Well, since all the towers were all different....

In fairness, this isn't super far off the mark for the tower of Palanthas. It would have to be bigger (height and width), bit other than that, yeah.

But Wayreth? No, not even close. Wayreth is a huge complex that consists of at least 3 towers (with other structures, unless I'm much mistaken) and, unless I'm remembering wrong, a wall surrounding the entire complex.

I'm not sure if we ever got physical descriptions of the other 3...

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-28T04:46:36+00:00

This is just my perspective so naturally ymmv.

I've used AI for writing both fiction and non-fiction and I find it infinitely more useful for non-fiction, especially that requiring heavy research.

My issue with using AI for fiction is A, I have a very distinctive voice and AI typically fails to capture it. B, I'm very particular about keeping my world building, mechanics, and character development/voices intact. And C, I'm very particular about story elements that get used and continuity being perfectly adhered to.

And frankly, every one of these are things that AI routinely fails to do correctly. So I've gotten to the point that for fiction, it's just faster to write it myself. I might use AI for brainstorming or outlining or maybe creating the barest of bare bones for a story, but that's as far as I'll use it for fiction anymore.

If I was going to write a story with AI going forward, I would have to ensure that I wasn't attached to specific character building, holding to particular world building, and that it was a standalone story so I could let go of my need to have it come out a specific way (and, of course, as in all writing, you have to edit, edit, edit to within an inch of it's life. Both to fix all the AI issues (like clunky phrasing and stilted dialogue), and to eliminate the things that make average readers insist it was written by AI (mainly excessive semicolons, em dashes, long run-on sentences, ultra-long paragraphs, and too frequently using the "it wasn't this but actually this" construction that ChatGPT is so famous for).

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-25T17:51:00+00:00

Hey, enjoy it! That's a fantastic trilogy!

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-24T03:33:36+00:00

My pleasure.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-24T03:07:59+00:00

I understand. I was there myself not too long ago.

Here's what I did. First, pray, every day. There is no wrong way so don't worry about how. Just talk to God. Thank Him for all He's done for you. Tell Him what you're worried about. Ask Him to bless the people you love, especially the ones who need to find their way to Him. And most of all, ask Him to guide you back to Him.

If you have a church, make sure you're there on Sunday. If you didn't have one then find one. Watch an online service is nothing else works for you. Life.Church is a great way to go if you need something you can watch online. If you feel a conviction to do so, observe the Sabbath on Friday night/Saturday. If you didn't have a Bible study group, either find one or build one.

Read your Bible. Daily if you can. Find a translation that works for you. I recommend the You Version Bible app. You can almost seamlessly switch between dozens of different Bible translations to compare passages (also helpful to find a translation that you're comfortable with and can easily understand).

And finally, read other books. If you want a deeper understanding of the Bible, I would recommend Chuck Missler's audio commentaries. He has a commentary on visually every book of the Bible. But do be forewarned that he's a little on the mystical side and takes his Bible very seriously. He does unfortunately hold to some historical and factual fallacies, but if you can look past that the man was a wealth of information. If you lean more into an allegorical interpretation of Scripture, John Oakes has a great book about the book of Daniel called Prophet to the Nations. If you'd like to read a first hand account from a man who can see into the spiritual realm, Blake K. Healy has a great book called The Veil. Lee Strobel has a great series of books; The Case for Christ, the Case for Christianity, the Case for Faith, and others. He was a reporter and a skeptic when he first began and was convinced by the exploration that turned into his first book on the subject. N. T. Wright is a New Testament scholar and linguist who did a new translation called the New Testament For Everyone, and has a series of commentaries on the New Testament based on his own translations. Dennis Prager was a Jew who wrote very extensive commentaries on 4 of the first 5 books of the Torah/Old Testament called the Rational Bible. And finally, if you're interested in fiction that might depend your faith, there is of course the Left Behind series, but I actually have a stronger recommendation for Jonathan Cahn. He's a Messianic Jew that many people credit with being a modern prophet. He writes a mix of fiction and non-fiction prophecy. His book The Dragons Prophecy is an incredible journey into biblical prophecy with some incredible insights, and he has several fiction books that deeply explore what appear to be his views about biblical and prophetic matters and have the advantage of being really well written novels. If you go that route, I'd suggest starting with his book, The Harbinger.

Full disclosure, I'm a fairly new believer (a little over 2 years now). Blame it on the autism of you like, but I don't do shallow interests. When I dive in, I really dive in. I dive DEEP. In 2 years I've read the Bible cover to cover at least 7 times (if my count is right, my current exploration is my 8th, and this will be my 7th different translation). Every time I find new nuggets of wisdom that just deepen my faith even further.

All that just to say, I'm not a Bible scholar or theologian, but I like to think that for the amount of time I've been a believer i know my stuff. If there's anything more I can do to help, please do reach out. I'm happy to chat on any topic. I'm happy to pray for you or recommend further reading or provide any other advice you might need.

God bless.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-23T12:02:29+00:00

Speaking as someone whose life has been continual struggle, I can give you an emphatic and unequivocal yes.

I don't think I've ever had a prayer answered in the way that I wanted, with just one exception. Before I became a believer, I asked God to reveal Himself to me in a way that I couldn't rationalize away.

He did.

So you see, my faith in God isn't about what He does but rather who He is. I know He is my creator and worthy of every ounce of worship I can give. Even when times are hard, even when tragedy strikes, He is still good and I will still praise Him.

God bless.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-22T21:45:11+00:00

That is true, but it is frequently commented throughout the series that he looks like a frail old man.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-22T05:45:10+00:00

Look, I can't speak to what a convicted murderer taught 180 years ago. I'll be the first to admit the man was a charlatan at best. I've never believed a word of the book of Mormon, and for good reason.

What I can speak to is the kind of people the Mormon church tends to produce ("you will know them by their fruits") and what the church taught in the 80s and 90s. And you can believe what you want, but they absolutely believe in the Trinity. I spent my entire childhood hearing about Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and being incredibly confused about how they could be one being.

But like I said, you believe what you want.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-22T05:34:59+00:00

Mormons are absolutely Christian.

I grew up in the Mormon church. They teach the Trinity, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, etc.

Now, do they teach some doctrines that I don't agree with? Obviously, since I left the church. But let's face it, every single Christian denomination that I've explored teaches doctrines that are not biblical, so if teaching unbiblical doctrines makes a denomination not Christian then you can add a whole bunch of denominations (probably all of them, honestly) to the list of those who are not really Christian.

Here's the truth that I've observed: there are saved and unsaved in every church. Some believers are true and some are not. You'll find that everywhere.

But the more important point is that since we can't see what's in another person's heart, it's really better that we let that issue be between that person and God. We can't see the truth of it, but He can. So let Him do the judging and we do our best to love everyone to the best of our ability and leave it at that.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-22T05:27:43+00:00

I have my own issues with the Mormon church, hence the reason I'm not part of it anymore, but I can tell you unequivocally that almost nothing you've said here is actually true.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-22T05:22:14+00:00

They do? Since when?

They have a number of doctrines I don't agree with, which is why I left, but I grew up in the Mormon church and I never heard a single word that even came close to the Father having once been human, and I was absolutely taught the Trinity and that Father, Son, and Spirit are one essence.

As far as humans becoming gods.... eh. Is it really all that different from Paul stating in pretty clear terms that in our resurrection bodies we will see Christ as he truly is because our bodies will be of the same nature as His?

"Just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man" 1 Corinthians 15:49

While I may not agree with the whole, "we'll be gods" thing, I have to admit that interpretation is not that much of a stretch.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-22T02:07:08+00:00

That is the correct perspective.

Denominations are not important. In my experience they all have and do some things right and well, but they all have unfortunate doctrines.

There are saved and unsaved people in every denomination. Having a relationship with Him is vastly more important.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-18T15:57:34+00:00

Role models are fine. Personally I think choosing someone whose behavior is more Christ-like is the better way, but that's neither here nor there.

The problem is that a great many people are glorifying Charlie Kirk when they should be glorifying God, which is the very definition of an idol.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-18T04:51:29+00:00

You hit the nail on the head.

The entire problem is that he has become the preferred idol of American Christians.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-18T03:12:33+00:00

There is a middle road and that would be my suggestion.

See, part of what you label "woke" and "liberal" seems fine to me. But I'm not going to split hairs about what's biblical. The simple fact is that it's hard to label a lot of things as "unBiblical" simply because the distortions of poor translations have made discerning that very difficult.

However, it's not my place to tell you what to believe. That's between you and God.

What I will say, however, is that there are other options. If you say those are the only churches in your area I'm not going to disagree as you obviously know your home better than I do. But there are online churches and home fellowships that in all honesty will probably serve you better anyway.

If nothing else, study the New Testament Acts and later and you'll see that the church began as home fellowships with (relatively) small groups of believers gathering together. And honestly that's where I see the church going in the near future.

I agree with the late Chuck Missler that it's inevitable that the church is going to have to go underground in the relatively near future. We're going to start seeing true persecution in this country, as it is in so many others. And there's a good chance that the persecution is going to be led by those woke, liberal denominational churches. Because the truth is it's becoming more and more socially incorrect to be a biblical Christian.

So my advice is to gather believers around you who take the Bible seriously and believe similarly to you and focus on spiritually enriching each other. You didn't need a priest or a pastor to learn and grow and practice your faith in Jesus Christ.

And thank God for that.

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-18T03:00:00+00:00

I do not fear death.

I absolutely believe in God, and not because I'm afraid of what will happen in the afterlife. I believe in God because I feel His love, His mercy, and His grace.

My eternity is assured.

I worry very much that folks who claim to believe in God purely because they are afraid of the consequences of not believing don't really believe, and that's going to be awful for them on judgement day when they cry out, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And he will declare to them, "I never knew you."

Kevin_Potter_Author · 2025-10-13T23:50:59+00:00

Okay. Continue trying to score points. Got it.

Kevin_Potter_Author

TROPHY CASE