<\/p>\n
If you are a Christian, you will especially relate to the satirical game below, but everyone is invited to participate.<\/p>\n
I am going to give a lesson about the excuses we make to keep from praying and the distractions that come our way. Imagine you are playing a board game, one that moves pieces across from start to finish and imagine that along the way you are picking various cards with various instructions, much like Monopoly.\u00a0 The rest should explain itself.<\/p>\n
I hope you enjoy it.\u00a0 The game is based upon the following scripture:<\/p>\n
Phil 4:6-7<\/p>\n
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n
Diagram of scripture above:<\/p>\n
PROCESS:\u00a0 Prayer and petition with thanksgiving<\/p>\n
RESULT:\u00a0 Peace of God which passes all understanding.<\/p>\n
What is a petition?\u00a0 A well thought out, well worded request<\/p>\n
The Prayer Game: (updated version)<\/strong><\/p>\n Object: <\/strong>To have a quality time of prayer, focused, uninterrupted, which includes petitions and leads to the peace which passes all understanding.<\/p>\n To achieve this goal,<\/strong> one must roll dice, travel across the game board and eventually reach the Peace Which <\/span>Passes All Understanding Square<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n To start, you may choose the straight and narrow path<\/span> or the scenic route<\/span><\/p>\n -Because the straight and narrow path <\/span>calls for too much discipline and focus, you choose the scenic route.<\/span><\/p>\n -You roll a three.\u00a0 Move toward the first Excuse Square<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Draw an Excuse Card<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Excuse card:<\/strong> “I already prayed today at breakfast when I gave thanks for the food.\u00a0 And I really felt close to God at that time.\u00a0 Perhaps that’s all the prayer I need today.”<\/span><\/p>\n -This excuse leads to conviction.<\/span> Draw a conviction<\/span> card.<\/p>\n Conviction card:<\/strong> “Hey lamo.\u00a0 You need the prayer and you know it.\u00a0 Keep rolling, bucko.”<\/span><\/p>\n -You roll a 7.\u00a0\u00a0 This takes you to the instruction<\/span> square.\u00a0 Draw an instruction <\/span>card.<\/p>\n Instruction Card: <\/strong> Take some time today and visit a place of seclusion, a park, a beach, a cathedral and have a quality time of prayer.<\/span><\/p>\n -You notice that the Secluded Place<\/span><\/span> square is in the same direction as the <\/span>Peace Square<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> However, your mind is in an excuse mode due to the previous excuse card which made it harder for the Spirit to work in your heart.\u00a0 You must roll a 5 to get into the <\/span>Secluded Place<\/span> square.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n -You missed it. Instead you rolled a four.\u00a0 You landed on another Excuse Square<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Draw another Excuse Card.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Excuse Card: <\/strong> “I’m awfully busy today.\u00a0 I really don’t have the time to go to a secluded place.\u00a0 But work is also sacred unto the Lord.”<\/span><\/p>\n -Since this is your second excuse you must receive a penalty.<\/span> Draw a Penalty Card.<\/span><\/p>\n Penalty Card: <\/strong>Go back 3 spaces.<\/span><\/p>\n -You have landed on the Barrier Reef <\/span>square. Your excuses and laziness have built a barrier between you and God.\u00a0 A week goes by without prayer.<\/p>\n -Since one can’t go without prayer a week without feeling conviction <\/span>draw a Conviction<\/span> Card.<\/span><\/p>\n Conviction Card: <\/strong> Your own personal weather report: \u201c50 percent chance of dark sinful clouds coming toward your coast off the <\/span>Sea<\/span> of <\/span>Iniquity<\/span>.”<\/span><\/p>\n Since nobody likes conviction, draw a Conscience Searing card. <\/span> This card will enable you to ignore the conviction.<\/p>\n Conscience Searing Card:<\/strong> “Lord, Those clouds don’t look so dark to me.\u00a0 Besides, since there’s a 50 percent chance of rain, there is also a 50 percent chance of a clear day.\u00a0 So what the report is definitely saying is that there’s a 50 percent chance of a clear day.”<\/span><\/p>\n -Your response to the conviction involved another penalty. Draw a Penalty Card<\/span><\/p>\n Penalty Card:<\/strong> “Go to the <\/span>Sea<\/span> of <\/span>Iniquity<\/span>.\u00a0 Go directly to the <\/span>Sea of <\/span>Iniquity<\/span>.\u00a0 Do not pass All Understanding.\u00a0 Do not collect peace.”<\/span><\/p>\n –Sea<\/span> of <\/span>Iniquity<\/span> is hard to get out of.\u00a0 To get out, you must roll doubles. <\/span><\/p>\n -You don’t <\/em><\/strong>roll doubles.<\/p>\n -Sin leads either to conviction<\/span> or excuse<\/span>. You will get out during your next turn and the roll will take you either to a conviction square <\/span>or an excuse square.<\/span><\/p>\n -Your roll takes you to Excuse Square<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Draw an Excuse Card.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Excuse Card: <\/strong> “Define Sin.”<\/span><\/p>\n -This nutty excuse makes it impossible to take a conviction card for three more turns.\u00a0 Take a Numbing Card <\/span>instead and numb yourself to conviction.<\/p>\n Numbing Card: <\/strong> “Life is great.\u00a0 God is on his thrown.\u00a0 It seems God had something he wanted to tell me, but I can’t remember what it is.\u00a0 Oh well.\u00a0 It probably wasn’t important or he would tell me again.” <\/span><\/p>\n To get out of this Numb<\/span><\/span> State<\/span><\/span> you need the intervention of a third party.\u00a0 You need fellowship and accountability.\u00a0 Take a Fellowship Card.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Fellowship Card:<\/strong> The pastor preached about prayer in church.<\/span><\/p>\n -Draw a Response Card.<\/span><\/p>\n Response Card:<\/strong> “Oh come off your high horse!”<\/span><\/p>\n -Wrong Response:\u00a0 Go back to the Sea<\/span><\/span> of <\/span><\/span>Iniquity<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n -Try to roll doubles to get out<\/p>\n -You roll doubles!\u00a0 You land on the Instruction Square<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span> Take an Instruction<\/span> Card.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Instruction Card: <\/strong> Have a quiet time now.\u00a0 Roll one for <\/span>Obedience Square<\/span><\/span> or 2 for <\/span>Excuse Square<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 You roll a one.\u00a0 But since it has been so long since you’ve obeyed your obedience skills are rusty. You agree to pray but not effectively. Draw a Miserable Excuse For a Square Card:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Miserable Excuse for a Prayer Card: <\/strong> “Lord, Bless me this Day, Forgive me my sin.”<\/span><\/p>\n -Draw a Prayer Critique Card<\/span><\/p>\n Prayer Critique Card: <\/strong> A little brief, wasn’t it?\u00a0 What are the specific sins you’re guilty of?\u00a0 Which blessings do you want?”<\/span><\/p>\n -You have lost your incentive to cultivate a relationship with God.\u00a0 Draw another Excuse Card.<\/strong><\/p>\n Excuse Card:<\/strong> “Gee, I didn’t get much out of my quiet time yesterday, so why have one today?”<\/span><\/p>\n -This excuse takes you to the Square<\/span><\/span> of <\/span><\/span>Distraction<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Draw a Distraction Card.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Distraction Card: <\/strong> “You know.\u00a0 Lately reading Popular Mechanics does more for me than reading the Bible.”<\/span><\/p>\n -Distraction takes you back in the direction the <\/span>Sea<\/span><\/span> of <\/span><\/span>Iniquity<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span> But it takes a while to get there.\u00a0 Various Excuse Squares<\/span> are landed upon along the way.\u00a0 With each <\/span>Excuse Square<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>you draw an Excuse Card.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Excuse Card: <\/strong>“You know, Sometimes I see more love in the lives on non-believers, than Christians.”<\/span><\/p>\n Excuse Card: <\/strong> “You know?\u00a0 Christians can be awfully closed minded at times.”<\/span><\/p>\n Excuse Card:<\/strong> “God, You understand my unique personality, my unique weaknesses, and my unique hormones. Basically, you understand that I’m unique.”<\/span><\/p>\n -You continue to move in the direction of the Sea<\/span><\/span> of <\/span><\/span>Iniquity<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span> Fortunately there is <\/span>Deliverance Square<\/span> along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n -You land on the Deliverance Square<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> You may choose either a Fellowship Card <\/span>or a Memory Card.<\/span> Also, since you rolled doubles you may draw two more cards if one doesn’t work.\u00a0 You draw a Fellowship Card.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Fellowship Card: <\/strong> The importance of obedience is being discussed at church.<\/span><\/p>\n -You don’t like the discussion.\u00a0 You exercise your option to draw two more cards:\u00a0 The first is an excuse card:<\/span><\/p>\n Excuse Card: <\/strong> Those Christians are always talking about money and always arguing over unimportant matters.\u00a0 Why should I listen to anything they say? <\/span><\/p>\n -This excuse puts you in the direction of the Sea<\/span><\/span> of <\/span><\/span>