Another sign that the doctrines of Grace truely changed me

[ReformedWretch]

For the first time in my life I am loosing intrest in video games. I have always been a BIG gamer. I've contributed to many well known gaming sites and have a job offer for a new one on the table right now. (Job may not be the right word as you don't get paid you just get free games).

I have always been convicted if I spent too much time with games, and tried to manage my time well with them, but lately I just can't get into them. I either want to pick up the bible, a good book, or come here.

I have Half Life 2, Doom 3, and Halo 2 just sitting here and I look at them and think....NAH.

This has to be the Lord, because me not being into games is a miracle.

 

[ANT]

That's funny. But I know what you mean, All my free time, I want to use to learn about the LORD. For me though .... I hardly ever get free time. Only after 11 or 12 at night when everone else goes to bed. But, I guess that's what you have to do when you have 5 kids.

 

[ReformedWretch]

5 kids huh?

I work with 9 teen girls (we can hold 12) and while they can be challanging, as teens they spend alot of time gabbing and doing hair, etc that I can get some free time. I used to play games with most of that time.

 

[ANT]

Yep, 5 boys ... ages 3, 5, 15, 17, & 19
My 15 year old just got his learners permit today.
It was a good day for him. Now I have 3 boys driving.
I need all the I can get!

 

[bigheavyq]

Yeah, I'm starting to lose interest in the boob tube, movies, and even sports lately, I used to know everything that was going on. I'm reading more, and on here more, but sadly I started playing a lot of games lately,
tetris hand game, my new pente game I recieved for christmas, and card games: cribbage, I Want It, and Hold 'em.

 

[Ivan]

I wonder if this is typical of most at PM? Last Spring was a big turning point for me. I have read more in the last nine months than I did in the previous nine years! And that's because I have averaged about five hours a day reading.

Have others seen this pattern developing in their lives?

 

[satz]

Wow...

Sadly i can't say i've really had that experience...i still struggle alot with using my time wisely...

but reading these posts really makes me feel like i am missing out!

 

[Puritanhead]

Driving with your fifteen-year old has the potential to bring back memories of video games...
:bigsmile:
I used to be a game addict-- I just won't buy anything new... browsing in mall or Wal-Mart looking at throngs of shelves with new strategy games, Command and Conquer sequels and clones, Medal of Honor, and Ghost Recon has an allure, as does the commercials... The graphics today with NVIDIA accelerator are light years beyond what I grew up with, but I can resist the temptation to fritter away my time now. I used to love LucasArts graphic adventures from Indiana Jones to Monkey Island growing up in 1990s. Cutting off the television or the idiot box is best thing I've done yet, my TV consumption is pretty minimal... I still waste time on the Internet too much.

 

[FrozenChosen]

I've also dropped a lot of the computer games I used to play. The most graphically intense game I think I play now is Spider Solitare. Wooo!

 

[SmokingFlax]

I've been doing a lot of reading too. Here's what I finished reading in 2004:

1- From Sea to Shining Sea Peter Marshall & David Manuel
2- The Lost Secret of the New Covenant Malcom Smith
3- Paradise Restored David Chilton
4- The Attributes of God Arthur W. Pink
5- The Art of Divine Contentment Thomas Watson
6- The Blood of the Moon George Grant
7- The Fear of God John Bunyan
8- A Christian Manifesto Francis A. Schaeffer
9- Spiritual Desertion Gisbertus Voetius & Johannes Hoornbeeck
10- Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life John Calvin
11- Elijah Arthur W. Pink
12- Truth for All Time John Calvin
13- A Lifting Up for the Downcast William Bridge
14- Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God Keith A. Mathison
15- Grace Unknown R.C. Sproul
16- The Glory of Christ John Owen
17- Call the Sabbath a Delight Walter Chantry
18- Riches Increased By Giving Thomas Gouge
19- Chosen By God R.C. Sproul
20- The Divine Covenants Arthur W. Pink
21- The Roots of Reconstruction R.J. Rushdoony
22- The Marrow of Theology William Ames
23- The Vanishing Word Arthur W. Hunt III
24- The Acceptable Sacrifice John Bunyan
25- The Five Points of Calvinism David N. Steele & Curtis C. Thomas
26- The Last Days According to Jesus R.C. Sproul
27- Justification Francis Turretin
28- Always Ready Greg L. Bahnsen
29- Ethics and God's Law William O. Einwechter
30- The Holy Spirit John Owen
31- Charismatic Chaos John F. MacArthur Jr.
32- Persuasions Douglas Wilson
33- Moral Law Ernest Kevan
34- Art & the Bible Francis Schaeffer
35- Systematic Theology (Abridged) Charles Hodge
35- Christianity Through the Ages Kenneth Scott Latourette
36- Missing From Action Weldon Hardenbrook
37- The Christ of the Covenants O. Palmer Robertson
38- The Church Impotent Leon J. Podles
39- The Hoax of Higher Criticism Gary North


Plus a host of other articles by Matthew McMahon, Greg Price, Reg Barrow and Michael Wagner among others.

After ten years or so of reading sensationalistic type charismatic and/or Dispensational stuff I feel like I need to do A LOT of catching up. Every time I learn one little point, it seems that it forces me to conclude that there is a bunch more that I just don't yet understand...

Yes, reforming my walk has changed me into a more voracious reader than before.

I just read that Rushdoony read a book a day for like 50 years!!! If I could I would. Does anyone know anything about speedreading...is it legit???

 

[king of fools]

Adam, I can relate to you on this issue. Growing up, I wasn't allowed to play any "video"-games, only word games or games like Chess.

After a couple of years, that rule dropped and I was spending hours upon hours playing video games each and every day. I remember during the summers in high school waking up at 8 am and playing games straight until maybe two in the morning, and being angry that I was tired and hungry.

I'm confident looking back that it kept me from doing better in a lot of areas, not to mention that I "stole" about 90% of the games that I played having downloaded them off the old BBS systems.

When I became a Christian about 10 years ago, I had struggled with wasting time with TV and games, and have gone through several rounds back and forth on this. Currently, I've erased all of my games and am very encouraged by Christopher's post of the books that he read in 2004. That's great and encourages me to read more myself.

 

[bigheavyq]

To chris(smoking flax)
I'm interested in a few titles you have there. can you tell me about these books?
The Lost Secret of the New Covenant Malcom Smith
The Blood of the Moon George Grant
The Divine Covenants Arthur W. Pink- How does it compare with other covenantal works.
Christianity Through the Ages Kenneth Scott Latourette

 

[Irishcat922]

My fifteen year old was into video-games, I taught him and my seventeen year old how to play chess and now that is all they want to do, i.e. gamewise. I must have taught them well most of the time they both can beat me.

Malcom Smith is that the guy with the Radio show? I used to listen to him all the time, as I remember he seemed to be a real solid guy.

 

[luvroftheWord]

I didn't really read much of anything until I became a Calvinist at Liberty. I could use some lessons in becoming a better reader. Maybe I could read a book on it. Oh wait...

 

[RamistThomist]

Rushdoony read, underlined, and indexed 6 books a week for fifty years. Modern academic scholars could bost of far less. You can listen to his funeral sermon at sermonaudio by his son, Schlissel, and a few others to hear cool stuff about his library. According to Otto Scott, Rushdoony had most of the bible memorized.

 

[tdowns]

Balance

is key for me.

I go through phases with vid games. I've never really been hooked or played more than a couple of times a week. But I'll go through a phase where that is my fun time, and other times I just don't feel like playing at all, I'd rather spend that waste time on sports center or reading whatever novel I'm in.
A balance is good, I know reading is a superb thing to do, (and I do alot of it) but it is not action, I always think doing something is better than reading about it. I can read about serving till I'm blue in the face, but a couple of hours on the food line will teach me more. Same with evangelism or anything else.

A father who's read a hundred books on being a pastor/teacher/philosopher but spent those key hours in the evening when his kids are available to hang out with him to do so--he is doing himself and his kids a disservice.

TD

 

[SmokingFlax]

BigHeavy,

I don't know much about Malcom Smith...I think he's an Anglican. His book was kind of a disappointment for me as I was looking for something that explained covenant theology but he doesn't really address that at all here. It's more about his own realization of his concept of legalism vs. grace (if I remember correctly).

The Blood of the Moon is about Islam. It's a pretty easy read. Not bad for a quick reference and I only paid like $3 for it at Half Price Books...so I got that goin' for me.

The Divine Covenants is a good book. But then again I like Arthur Pink, I think he's very insightful on the Scriptures. It's from a Baptistic perspective (so I've come to understand). Honestly, I couldn't tell you how it compares with other books about CT as I've only read OP Robertson's book (and some of Webmaster's essays) up to this point and I don't feel that I yet have a real firm grasp of CT. I'm of the opinion that if (one) wants to really know a subject he should read EVERYTHING about it -from every perspective (pro and con).
There are a few points where Pink openly disagrees with Witsius (I forget the issues). I made a note of them (in my book) and when I read Witsius I'm going to go back and see what Pink's objections were, etc.
I'd recommend this book.

Latourette's book is kind of a synopsis of Christianity up to about 1960 -it hits the high points in Church history but also calls attention to the wider setting of that history. It's only about 300 pages. I have his 2 volumes of A History of Christianity (which I scored another fine deal from Half Price Books!). I hope to start that sometime this Spring -I like to read at least one Church history book per year...it's kind of like taking your vitamins.

Jacob,

How did he do it?! Six books per week! It takes me about two months to accomplish that -and then I wonder if I absorbed the info as well as I could've many times. Rushdoony was pretty amazing I'd say -and very insightful.