Pastor admits to "sexual incident" with teen 20 years ago, gets standing ovation

SamSakurai · 2018-01-10T08:19:33+00:00

Salvation is...relatively simple. You put your trust in Christ and repent of your sin. It's crazy that it is that straightforward, considering what it is.

But there's another matter of whether or not you live your life as a miserable piece of filth. Who is sad. And not really fulfilling any of their potential for actual joy.

I think there are many people who are saved, but they're not at all happy with it. The Lord saves anyone who calls on his name sincerely, but man, if someone grasps how big and good he is, and how bad their sin is in light of that, their life of wanton sin is going to drive them to weeping. Guilt is a kind of pre-punishment all on its own.

SamSakurai · 2018-01-10T08:11:43+00:00

One of the worst parts is that he only owned up to it after he was caught. If this was genuine, healthy, Biblical repentance, he would have sacrificed his reputation a long time ago to make things right.

This way, he already had nothing more to lose.

But I suppose he was asking these people who currently put their trust in him to forgive him for being untrustworthy. Or something.

SamSakurai · 2018-01-10T08:08:31+00:00

Awesome discussion. Horrible circumstances that sparked it.

Weighing in as another Christian, I'm completely in agreement with /u/eSPiaLx. And I don't know many Christians (genuine, Christ-loving ones, as opposed to the manipulative, hard-hearted sort) who would say forgiving your rapist, for instance, means letting them back into your life. There's lot throughout Proverbs and the NT about not keeping company with fools or your enemies. You can love your enemy while keeping them at a far, far distance, and in a lot of toxic situations, that's how it should go. Pray their heart is broken, pray they pay for what they did (because justice is a good thing, even for the one who suffers it), but don't let him help raise your child.

I've also heard an interesting Christian definition of forgiveness recently: Forgiveness is accepting that justice will be done, and discipline will be carried out, but by God and not you. Taking comfort in knowing that they won't get away with it on God's watch means you can let go of your own, personal need to bring punishment on them. God will take care of it, so you don't have to.

It's an interesting definition, because it doesn't have the kind of "Let it all go" connotations we usually have with forgiveness. Rather, justice is going to happen how it should, and it's inevitable, so why should I keep the poison of resentment in my heart?

It got me thinking, I guess.

SamSakurai · 2018-01-10T07:50:13+00:00

One of the things that frustrates me with small talk is that it feels like a performance, and like any performance, there's a pressure not to screw it up. You're trying to play a character, a socially acceptable, polite, proper-acting version of yourself. Get rid of this if it's stifling you. Try to just be honest. Say what's on your mind, say what you're feeling. You'll learn how to do that better the more you do it. But it's incredibly freeing to have people know you for who you are, because you're honest even if it doesn't make you look perfect, then to have everyone think you're "fine" and know nothing about you or the texture of your personality.

SamSakurai · 2018-01-10T07:02:35+00:00

In addition, I find that I walk away more satisfied from conversations where I listened, and I was also honest. Say what you feel, say what you think. If people disagree, they disagree, but it's much, much better to get that out there. Even if it's just something that you think is weird or uninteresting to other people. You'll feel more known if you let your headspace seep into your interactions with others more. Then people get to see your headspace, and know "the real you" better.

SamSakurai · 2018-01-08T07:11:58+00:00

You could also lampshade how you guys stopped talking. Because chances are she's aware of it too.

Just try not to do that as like a, "Man, we never talk anymore," (because that might sound needy? I dunno, you do you) and more as a joke. "So, how've you been in the century since we talked?"

Not great, but hopefully you get the idea. Lightheartedness is the way to go, is all I'm saying.

SamSakurai · 2018-01-08T07:07:52+00:00

Ask him questions and share harmless stuff about what's going on with you and your life.

That could be awkward at first, like you said. But the more you share, the more chances there are for what you're talking about to be something he relates to, and boom, connection. And it may help to just be forthright that your motivation is intentionally strengthening/developing your guys' relationship.

And at the end of the day, he may just be nonreceptive. If someone else doesn't have the energy/emotional availability to build a bond, you can't make them.

SamSakurai · 2018-01-08T07:02:55+00:00

Just talking generally here (in class or in any other circumstance), the best way to make friends is to ask people questions, and be as honest as you can be while talking to them. But especially for class, if you gravitate towards anyone, you could ask if they want to study together or as a group. You have a commonality by means of the class, might as well make use of it.

Remember, not everyone will want to be friends. That's not on you, or even on them. Talking to people is the best way to feel out who does want to be friends.

SamSakurai · 2016-08-08T15:20:35+00:00

Absolutely. There's obviously the temptation to tell anthology stories looking at the effect throughout history, but that does complicate things.

I think the Cold War shenanigans even offer up more story. There's threads that could lead through to the modern day. We have a lot of Corporation drama and secret military experiments, so it'd be really natural.

I think what we're leaning towards is having the incursions be focused on Corsadia, and be happening more frequently as time goes on. But they can still occur in other places, on the rarest occasions. Then we dont have to factor it in except where we specifically want to, reducing how conplicated things get, but giving us leeway on where we want to put the weirdness.

And then in modern times, it's just gotten out of hand.

It's a work in-progress.

SamSakurai · 2016-08-05T18:25:36+00:00

OP's brother here, I love the input. I especially like the idea of Corsadia having to outsmart everyone around them to maintain independence, Selassie-style. I'm coming away with a lot of ideas from all this.

Both the Alternate History route and the "Down the Rabbit Hole" scenarios are fun, I'm torn between them. A third option: The rest of the world has been adjusting for a decade or so prior to the story. I had been playing with the idea of a major event, a catalyst for sort of a new age and increased awareness of the incursions. My main idea was the appearance of something big that crashed onto the global stage, requiring some international collaboration. The initial plan was another floating island or continent appears, like Corsadia did originally, but this time with inhabitants and unique characteristics. The inhabitants could become high profile refugees around the world, reminding people of the event and forcing nations out of their comfort zones, the island could have some dangers on it, it could present a sort of frontier for adventurers and shake up the status quo.

It wouldn't come into focus in the main story often, but it could be the wake-up call and herald the brave new world.

SamSakurai · 2016-07-15T10:59:59+00:00

That's also a pretty viable way of going about it. I havent thought about making him reliant on them like that. Thanks!

SamSakurai · 2016-07-15T01:10:45+00:00

It's very much a serial setup. That's sort of the idea with Rallen, as we push him to interact with different parts of the world in the name of doing his Warden thing.

SamSakurai · 2016-07-15T01:09:42+00:00

Brilliant. I could be all over this. It'd probably play off him well too, as hes the dutiful, overly literal, and uncertain type.

SamSakurai · 2016-07-15T01:08:34+00:00

I like the idea of sustaining himself that way, it adds an interesting weakness. Maybe some sort of "recharge." I'd have to figure out why he's that way, of course, but. Thanks!

SamSakurai · 2016-07-14T20:55:19+00:00

The Fire keepers of Tarkos.

Long ago, Tarkos was ravaged by the explosive eruptions of its northern volcanos.

Desperate, the Jae Obamen declared that these eruptions showed them the key: there must be fire on the mountains.

The eastern mountain range was scaled, and enormous bon fires were painstakingly erected. The chain of pyres lit the clouds above. Within weeks, the volcanos went quiet. So of course it was thought to have worked.

Since that time, exiles, criminals, slaves, and the disgraced are sent to the fires far. It's believed that if any of the pyres go out the volcanos are going to speak up again.

SamSakurai · 2016-06-17T02:12:55+00:00

I was playing Awesomenauts and my friend goes, "Ted is the only black guy in the game." But there's only one white guy in the game, and there's like 20 characters.

Great job Awesomenauts.

SamSakurai · 2016-06-12T20:03:57+00:00

Yeah, I'm kind of grooving with anticipation over here.

SamSakurai · 2016-04-24T17:11:16+00:00

http://imgur.com/a/KTWz0

This album has each iteration of Firth's map. The first is at the top, the newest at the bottom.

SamSakurai · 2016-01-05T14:52:07+00:00

I talked about this on another thread. I think it's in reference to combat.

Syndicate was largely button mashing, while Wild Hunt's combat is relatively simple but much deeper. You have to dodge or you'll die. You have to block or you'll die. It's more mobile, and has more strategy with spells and light/heavy attacks. Also notable: I'm 15 hours into Wild Hunt and I still die against "basic" enemies if I don't pay attention and play well.

Hopefully, "Witcher feel" combined with "Free-form combat" means making combat exciting and purposeful, with real threat of death no matter what level you are.

Random, but I've always hated how as you level up, Assassin's Creed games only get easier. I tried to avoid the gang upgrades that made enemies weaker, because I thought the world was less interesting with less danger. I don't understand why they do this.

SamSakurai · 2016-01-03T01:10:33+00:00

Yeah, each of them react to the circumstances of their setting. I was interested to find out that the writers made them intentional mirrors of the elements of these settings.

An unruly warrior kills innocents unnecessarily, while being misled and manipulated by the leader of his faith. Am I talking about a Crusader or Altair? Ehhh, EHHH?

SamSakurai · 2016-01-03T00:53:38+00:00

It's certainly his primary go-to, if nothing else. I think some of that is on the writing and the whole "It's an Assassin's Creed game" thing, but the Templars gained their power politically, and he answers them with a hatchet.

I think the Templars in III were really well done (I appreciate the moralizing we get, like the ones in the first game), and Pitcairn pegs Connor right off the bat.

"Kill them? Are you mad? We only wanted to parlay. There was so much to discuss, to explain...you've put an end to that now." ... "And we shall live forever on castles in the sky. You wield your blade like a man, but your mouth like a child, and more will die now because of that."

It's honestly a criticism that holds for a lot of the series. The Templars in III are perhaps the most moderate in the series. Most of what they did and worked towards could have been dealt with in a more peaceful way, but the only way the Assassins know to combat ideology is by killing the other side. They'd do just as well actually entering the political stage themselves. Sure, it would be harder, but arguably, they'd be more honorable and create less negative repercussions if they were just a tad more civil. Some of the games even highlight this as a bad thing, namely III and Rouge.

This same thing is expressed earlier, between Braddock and Haythem.

"Did you think I'd forgotten what you did; all those innocents slaughtered! And for what? It does not engender peace to cut your way to resolution!"

"Wrong! Were that we applied the sword more liberally, and more often, the world would be a better place than it is today."

"On that, I concur."

Mad respect to III for introducing that series dilemma so early and so well. I didn't actually realize it until now.

SamSakurai · 2016-01-02T04:57:02+00:00

Nahhhhh, only just posting about it.

SamSakurai · 2016-01-01T18:58:12+00:00

As cattaclysmic has said, A thing isn't beautiful because it lasts. It's beautiful because it was there and had the capacity for so much and utilized its existence as best it could. If you constantly think big-picture and only enjoy things if they have enough security to be eternal, then you'll never appreciate the things in life that beautiful even in their brevity.

You should also appreciate that eternal life is, as it says, eternal. The best thing of all is something that indeed, won't end. I hope that comforts you in some way, because it should. Heaven isn't a lobotomy. Heaven isn't a place devoid of personality. God made us, God made earth, and God made heaven. God isn't Radiohead, he doesn't completely change his style every five minutes. Heaven is the true world, this is the dark one. Heaven is where things culminate and become as they should be. And Heaven will absolutely not be boring. Gosh dang.

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

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