Written by Jordan Ekeroth

In Matthew 13, Jesus' disciples approach Him and ask the question that’s been burning on everyone’s heart: “Why do you tell stories?” His answer: “You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight.”

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Written by Jordan Ekeroth

For a home-schooled boy growing up in the church, there is nothing more thrilling than to enter the 6th grade. Not only are you once and for all leaving the trappings of childhood behind, you are, in fact, gaining access to that most mysterious and alluring social circle, the church youth group. For the first time, you find yourself spending time with the coolest of the cool: high-schoolers. If they say something is cool, you’d better believe it’s pretty darn cool.

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Written by Ben Stevens

I finish a new journal about every four months. In fact, I make use of two different journals at all times—one for my personal life and one for work—just so that I can keep those two parts of my life separate. My wife says I’m crazy. I tell her it would be worse if I didn’t journal so much.

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Written by Kristin Tennant

I’ll admit: I’m a big Apple fan. The first computer I bought with my own money was a Mac Classic, purchased in 1992 through my college bookstore. Since then I have owned only Mac laptops (my first, purchased in 1994, had a tracking-ball instead of a finger pad mouse). I love my iPad and iPhone—which I was on the other night when I first read about Steve Jobs’ death.

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Written by Drew Dixon

The nature of God remains a subject largely untouched by video games. Games like Assassin’s Creed, Red Dead Redemption and Dragon Age: Origins ask significant questions about religion. Japanese games have a history of appealing to pantheons of mythical gods. From Dust asks the player to act as a tribal deity protecting your worshipers from natural disasters. Spiritual forces, mythical gods and religion are common subjects in games, but serious, thoughtful explorations of faith in a singular, omnipotent God are largely absent from the gaming industry. El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, a game based on the Dead Sea Scrolls’ Book of Enoch, breaks new ground in this realm.

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Written by Drew Dixon

Scorpio, a well-built Hispanic man dressed in black and dual-wielding submachine guns, takes aim at a group of armored soldiers. He guns them all down in rapid succession, jumps on a motorcycle and speeds toward the edge of a cliff, only to be quickly pursued by several military Jeeps and a helicopter. Scorpio launches off the cliff and in midair releases a parachute, leaving the motorcycle to fall. The helicopter sends bullets screaming past his head. Scorpio turns his parachute toward the helicopter and shoots it with his grappling-hook-gun, zipping instantly to the bottom of the chopper. He quickly dispatches the chopper pilots and commandeers the vehicle. Seconds later, the chopper is hit by a missile, sending it into a tail-spin. Scorpio manages to jump out and latch his hook onto a Jeep speeding below him. He dispatches the Jeep’s driver, but takes control of the Jeep too late, as he skids off the side of a steep mountainside and rolls several hundred feet to the shore of a river. He climbs out of the smoking Jeep. For the time being, it appears he has escaped his pursuers.

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Written by David Wenell

Fact: If I had business cards (stay-at-home parents don’t tend to carry them), I’d still have nearly a whole box full.

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Written by Jett Farrell-Vega

Gripping intrigue. Silk-smooth game play. Men who survive leaps from skyscraper-high buildings. There is good reason why Assassin’s Creed has sold more than 28 million games.

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Written by Drew Dixon

For some reason, video games haven’t reached the same level of cultural acceptance as books, movies or television. They are "childish and unproductive." They take more from the player than they give—or so I’m told.

As with most stereotypes, there is probably some truth to these claims. However, just as Christians have done in the past with movies and music, we are overstating our case and revealing that, maybe, we just don’t "get" games.

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Written by Johnmark Smith

There are many things in my life of which I am embarrassed. Until fourth grade, I proudly wore my hair in the classiest style possible: the mullet. I blame baseball stars of the day. In eighth grade, I actually bought and—regrettably—listened to Hanson’s CD. "Mmmbop," anyone? In college, I made a fool of myself with more than one young woman.

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