Today we conclude this week's series on what you can learn in church in just one day...in this case last Sunday, October 27th. We've already talked about some of the things we learned in Sunday School, Worship, and Confirmation. But after all that came one more event. The boys came trooping and driving up the hill to play D&D.
We actually didn't play at the church this Sunday. Instead we carpooled down to Clarkston to play with our friend Grayson, who is staying there as his house in Genesee is remodeled. It's always great to see Grayson and it's ten times as fun now that he's closer to home! We gathered as friends, shared some pop and snacks, and got to playing!
D&D is a cooperative game. The players don't play against each other, but against a scenario in the game. The challenges they face can be tough! Mostly it boils down to thinking ahead, communicating clearly with your team, and taking advantage of each player's strengths. If you don't manage that--if even one person goes off the rail or is in it for themselves--the players usually end up in disaster. When that happens they have to roll up another set of characters and start all over...sad face. But when it all comes together, when the plan is good, and when they get just the right roll of the dice to make it work, cheers resound.
This Sunday was a pretty good day for the guys. They started off a little random and rocky but by the end of the day they had gotten in the groove and managed to persevere.
In a way, what the players go through on a given day is not too different than what a family or workplace goes through. You have a hundred different possible goals and a hundred ways of trying to achieve them. The players have to come to a consensus agreeable to everyone. One person holding out usually scuttles everything. They talk, negotiate, then work hard together once the plan is set. In the end it matters less if you agree with the plan or like the process that got you there. Working together is the thing. Everybody pursuing a less-than-ideal plan with good intentions and full commitment will usually end up better than people following a fantastic plan but only half of them committing. I'm thinking that someday when these young men have children, jobs, and all that stuff in their lives they'll have already been prepared to work through the steps necessary to prosper.
We could go more into the things you learn in D&D but we won't make this too long. The points of this whole series have been three:
1. You learn something from every experience at church.
2. In each example we've cited, we've covered only one or two things people learned...not even scratching the surface. Actually being there offered the opportunity for much more.
3. Missing even one day means you miss a lot! The process will repeat this Sunday with Sunday School, Worship, Fellowship, more D&D, and Girls' Discussion Group. The beat goes on.
Don't forget Theology on Tap tonight (Saturday) at Brent and Verna's. See you there!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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