Between the Panels

Rengoku is such an inspiration for keeping a great mindset about life! This character, from the anime series Demon Slayer (a must watch), is one the most powerful demon slayers, but that's not what makes him awesome in my books.  Rengoku, is always positive and uplifting to the people he is around; taking every opportunity to be kind and supportive.  The guy is so encouraging that at the end of every bite from his food, he exclaims with great enthusiasms "TASTY!!!" (yes, the all-caps were necessary) Immediately after watching this kind of character in action the phrase "Taste and see that the Lord is good." popped into my head (Psalm 34:8).  However, I wanted to dive into it a little further than just one verse and let me tell you, we all need to spend sometime in Psalm 34. It is brimming with the perspective we need to have have in life, both in good and bad, the need to be focused on God (the constant through it all).  God is our defender, our refuge, our inst...

If you are into Role-Playing Games (RPGs), you most likely have heard the phrase " Make a perception check! " from your Game Master's mouth.  For those of you who are not accustomed to this phrase, allow me to explain. A perception check in these types of games are for your character to be able to assess what is going on around them.  This is likely to see if there are any threats that might be an issue or to get a better understanding of what is going on in the environment around the player. It is often used to try and find details in the world so that the player is able to advance not just themselves, but their team on quests. How does this connect to the Bible you may ask? When we read about Jesus in His ministry, there are these strange moments where he would reveal a great truth to the crowd around him, but it was in the form of parables (stories with a lesson in them). In Matthew 13:9 Jesus shares a parable and follows it up by saying, " Anyone with ears to he...

Sword Art Online is amazing and here is why! This anime demonstrates how we should be looking at life through the lens of eternity.  Confused? Allow me to clarify if you have not seen it yet.  A new game, Sword Art Online (SAO), that is a fully immersive Role Playing Game (RPG) has just been released and gamers are checking it out.  However, they are not able to exit the game.  As it turns out they are locked in and the only way to escape is to beat the game to get back to the real world. Oh and if they die in the game, they die in the real world... (bum bum BUUUUUUUMMMM!!!!!) So the goal is clear: to beat all the levels and make it to the end of the game. How does this relate to our life/faith you may ask? If you look in the Bible there is the constant struggle of being too focused on what is happening around you in life that you can forget what I like to call The Eternal Reality . Jesus gave a reminder that it is God that can destroy not just the body, but the soul...