DiXit or “That’s It” According to My Mind
Shared an enjoyable great-bad movie night with friends and played a new game afterwards. DiXit is comparable to Apples to Apples in game play but a little bit stranger (in a good way). Game play progresses in order around the circle of participants. Each participant has a chance to by the ‘dealer’ and choose a card from their hand and describe the picture in a figurative way. Other players listen to the description and choose a card from their own hand that they think resembles the description of the dealers card. No two cards are identical. Cards are turned in to the dealer and then displayed together on the table. Each person votes for the card they think the dealer described. Points are scored based on guessing the dealer’s card or having other people guess the fake card you turned in. As points are awarded the tokens are moved around the board. Incidentally, depending on your eye the tokens could be motorbikes or squirrels.
It’s a fun game and very easy to learn with potential limited only to the descriptive talents of the players. The enjoyment of the game peaks as the number of players and small hours of the morning increase. We didn’t find the limit but I suspect at about 3 or 4 AM enjoyment would peak and discontinuous drop in enjoyment would begin.
Even Though I Walk…
The House Of God, Forever
by Jon Foreman
God is my shepherd
I won’t be wanting
I won’t be wanting
He makes me rest
In fields of green
With quite streams
Even though I walk
Through the valley
Of death and dying
I will not fear
‘Cause you are with me
You are with me
Your shepherd staff
Comforts me
You are my feast
In the presence of enemy
Surely goodness
Follow me
Follow me
In the house of God, forever
Each Ocean Wave Has Two Faces
A wave moving across the vast ocean expanse is lost in the horizon. Hardly distinguished from the crest before or the one yet to come into view. The will of the wind conforms each wave’s size and frequency. The wave doesn’t start to become unique until it reaches a boundary.
The shore edge is a boundary that is the breaking point of all waves. Standing from shore you see the wave crest and erupt into a white frothy foam. Perhaps it curls into a graceful tunnel as it goes storming out of existence. The side you see from shore is confrontational and magnificent, the source of many inspired writings and thoughts.
Opposite the magnificence and fury is a side that few see or experience. The back of the wave is as graceful as the front is unwieldy. It appears to effortlessly roll over and into the shore as to rest for another attempt at overcoming the boundary. If the wind is fickle and changes direction against the wave it created the frothy spray is whisked up into the air as an ethereal veil to cover the wave’s graceful end.
People are much the same when the precipice of a unavoidable boundary is reached. The face and emotion that everyone can see doesn’t always correspond to the emotion or rational behind it. While the world may see a game face approaching the boundary the true face behind it may be completely opposite.
Who can see both of your faces?
"Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me." Psalm 42:7 NIV
Sweat, Tears, AND Sea
“The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea.”
–Isak Dinesen
When the waves are big enough to deliver the occasional pounding and you’re having so much fun sweat forms on your brow then you know it’s a great day at the sea!
The day started with me hoping to catch a glimpse of the sun rise through the cloud covered horizon. To my dismay the quiet wait for sunrise was shared with a long line of fishermen up and down the beach. As fate would have it I walked into the middle of a fishing competition. It turned out the group next to me was a man short for qualification to enter the contest so they kindly adopted me for a couple hours!
Shortly after day break several dolphins swam by about 150 yards from shore. The moment was truly spectacular because in all the mornings at the beach this was the first time I witnessed dolphins swim by.
By afternoon the beach was clear without a trace of the fishing competition. It turned into a stellar afternoon at the beach with so many unexpected blessings that I scarcely can name them. The weather forecast contained nothing but rain for the entire weekend and despite not bringing my board I found one to borrow for a couple hours (cough). The waves ranged from small breakers to huge rollers and the water temp was just right for leaving my wet suite behind. It was shared with a great crowd (and lifeguards) from the conference. Fortunately someone had their DSLR at the beach and was kinda enough to send me something to remember one of the better days of summer spent at the beach.