Life... i am no longer going to try and explain why i've not been blogging every time i finally get back to it. I will just do my best to do it more often. And now, on to my typical ramblings...
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What good year for Carolina Panther Football! The 2013 pre-season, i liked what i had been seeing and reading about the Panthers Defense, but the Offense continued to worry me. The o-line showed troubles opening running lanes, and the receivers seemed to have trouble pulling the ball in, except for Steve Smith of course - but the Panthers have been a one-trick-pony in that are for far too long. Steve Smith is a warrior, but until they can bring in more consistent receivers, the passing game is always going to be just not good enough.
Then, around October there was a players meeting, and i forget now who did the talking, Jordan Gross i believe, but they turned things around. After going 1-3 in the first four weeks, the Panthers finished the NFC South champions and a 12-5 overall record. They lost to a very physical San Francisco 49ers team. I knew that the Panthers were in trouble in the first quarter when the Panthers players had 3(!) personal foul penalties, one of which gave the 49ers a crucial 1st down. I could ramble on and on, in more detail than i care to think about, but i was not very hopeful for a post season in August, and i was pleased to see them make it into January. My goal for the team in the 2014, a 9-7 season. I would just like to see two, back to back, winning seasons at this point. :) Oh, and they had best lock Steve Smith in for the rest of his football career.
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2013 was supposed to be "The Year of Shadowrun". There was supposed to be a flurry of releases, on multiple company fronts. The only two that were actually released, that i know of was the PnP 5th edition, and 
a computer game called Shadowrun: Returns. As things are likely to do in the corporate world, drek happens. There are at least two table top versions of the game. One is a "gang sized" miniatures version, and a card game. These have been delayed for play testing reasons, etc. However, i am really happy to hear that the card version is ready to move to the production side of things. Shadowrun: Crossfire. 
The one i am looking forward to the most is, Shadowrun: Online. It will be an MMO, with a changing story line as it goes by. The characters will have an influence over what happens as the story changes. I have shifted my story writing to follow more of the Cyberpunk-ish themes of Shadowrun... so far... i have... maybe, four characters, i will be following. Not even sure of the what/when/where. 8) A really good interview with Jan Wagner can be found at "The Arcology Podcast". Jan talks about cross platform, simultaneous, game play with both friends, and available Chummers. Seriously, this last one looks, and sounds, the coolest of all. Online will be released in Beta (with monthly updates mentioned in the podcast linked above) late 2014Q1 (late March).
a computer game called Shadowrun: Returns. As things are likely to do in the corporate world, drek happens. There are at least two table top versions of the game. One is a "gang sized" miniatures version, and a card game. These have been delayed for play testing reasons, etc. However, i am really happy to hear that the card version is ready to move to the production side of things. Shadowrun: Crossfire. The one i am looking forward to the most is, Shadowrun: Online. It will be an MMO, with a changing story line as it goes by. The characters will have an influence over what happens as the story changes. I have shifted my story writing to follow more of the Cyberpunk-ish themes of Shadowrun... so far... i have... maybe, four characters, i will be following. Not even sure of the what/when/where. 8) A really good interview with Jan Wagner can be found at "The Arcology Podcast". Jan talks about cross platform, simultaneous, game play with both friends, and available Chummers. Seriously, this last one looks, and sounds, the coolest of all. Online will be released in Beta (with monthly updates mentioned in the podcast linked above) late 2014Q1 (late March).
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I have heard comments similar to, "If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world?", and i can understand where such a person is coming from. Why, because i was once focused totally on myself, and believing that my opinions were the only correct ones too. However, i have found that human beings are hard pressed to seriously consider things from any other point of view, other than their own. I propose that, just maybe, God is doing what humans so desperately want Him to do.
To let us try and earn His good graces, to try and do it on our own, and that is where the suffering truly comes from. He has provided a way, He has shown, and provided, us a way through His Son, He has even taken the time to write it down, and yet, the one thing we truly do not want to believe is... the human heart is NOT naturally good. We do not inherently seek out the good of others - especially when it conflicts with our own wants and desires. I am not discounting those who help their fellow man out, but there is almost always a limit. A line that will not be crossed. Why, because no one likes to be thought of as a pushover. From individuals that feel the need to have some personal wish fulfilled or want to get tended to, to nations that want to exert influence in the world. 
Pride will invariably, at some point, exert itself, and God has told us what will happen to us because of our pride. He also does occasionally do something about it - hello, the Flood (Genesis 6-9), or Sodom and Gamorrah? (Genesis 19) He has also promised that He will be dealing with the entire world, and their transgressions against Him, and each other (which is, in turn, a transgression against Him), in His own time. However, if one chooses to not accept His time and place for such things, than they will most likely find themselves placed alongside Satan and his fellow angles who wanted to be like God and rebelled.
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