SBP 2013 Resolutions

Well, it's the start of a new year, which means a new set of hopes and dreams are in front of me that I'd love to see come about. But as I look back at previous January posts, I notice how bad I am at predicting what will actually happen for Spirit Blade Productions in a given year, or even a given month.

Last year at this time I hosted the reading session for Spirit Blade 3, with plans to begin casting in February or March. In actuality, I decided to focus on recording the returning actors first, saving new casting for later (which is now looking like February or March of THIS year.)

The "Golden Knight" audio book was released as planned, but the Spirit Blade Card Game was set back by significant redevelopment. (Far from abandoned, however! I'm considering a release date that will build toward, or coincide with, the release of Spirit Blade 3!)

As I'm reminded again, tomorrow is promised to no one, and our plans can only be made with the understanding that God's agenda may be very different from our own. However, taking that into account, here are some goals for 2013:

1. Launch the unofficial (alpha, if you will) version of ChristianGeekCentral.com in February.

2. Finish recording all Spirit Blade 3 principle actors by May. (Those remaining include Randy Hesson, Holly Frandsen and Myself)

3. Hold auditions in February-April and begin recording secondary roles before May.

4. Complete half or more of the mixing work on Spirit Blade 3 before December.

5. Decide on the subtitle so I can stop calling it Spirit Blade "3"!

6. Launch the new version of the Spirit Blade Productions Website before May.

7. Launch the Christian Geek Central Network (more on this later).


I'm aiming conservatively this year, so it's hard to imagine that most of these things won't happen. But God has taken me through so many unpredictable turns over the years that I'm trying more and more to keep a loose grip on the steering wheel.

Whatever may come, I'm committed to Spirit Blade Productions' vision of encouraging, equipping and inspiring Christian geeks like you and me to live more and more for Christ!

I hope you'll continue to join me for the ride and maybe even become a part of how the engine works!

-Paeter Frandsen

In Search Of Truth, Genesis 4:8-16

A few months ago we began looking at some key passages in the Old Testament that give insight to who God is, who we are, and the nature of our relationship with God. We've been laying the foundation for an examination of the sacrificial system and major rituals of the Old Testament, which we will aim to begin looking at in the coming months.

We've looked at the fall of humanity, as the first humans rejected God's instructions in favor of their own desires. We've seen the lasting consequences of that choice. Now we'll see, in this passage and beyond, how humanity continued to fall, becoming increasingly evil.

V.8-9

Here the first murder is recorded. Rather than accept God's correction and become better as a result, Cain let bitterness grow inside of him and ultimately killed his brother because of it, trying to avoid responsibility for his actions afterward.

Our natural tendency is the same. We aren't all murderers, but it's easy for us to become silently bitter toward someone making better choices than us instead of learning from the good examples of others. We are also quick to shift responsibility away from ourselves, either in our outward conversations or our inward thoughts.

V.10-12

God hadn't yet commanded humans not to murder each other, but instead intervened after corrupted human freedom led to murder.

Sometimes people complain that God gives us too many rules for our lives, as though we would be more free and better off without God's laws. But this kind of "freedom" was given more than a fair chance by God. What we see between the fall of humanity and the Exodus of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt, is a period of time in which God intervened largely with consequences for unguided choices rather than preemptive rules to help avoid sin.

V.13-15

Again, we see God's mercy in the midst of punishment. Just as God provided clothing for Adam and Eve while expelling them from the Garden, God puts a protective mark on Cain to prevent him from being murdered.

On a side note, you may notice the implication that there are numerous other humans in the world at this time, not including those specifically mentioned in Genesis to this point. A reasonable explanation for this is that Adam and Eve, and their children, had many children not recorded in biblical geneolagies, which often included both large and small gaps. Unlike today, the purpose of ancient geneolagies was not necessarily to provide an exhaustively detailed record of a family line.

V.16

A final consequence of Cain's sin was his departure from God's presence. Whether from an implied command, his newfound inability to grow produce, or his own shame, Cain left "the presence of the LORD".

Distance from God is both a just and a natural consequence of making our own will a higher priority than God's will.

I can be a very self-indulgent geek. I love my hobbies so much that I can become absorbed in them for days, giving as little attention as possible to anything and anyone else (as I discovered over my recent vacation). Then when I come up for air, or when I need comfort or encouragement, I wonder why God seems so distant.

The truth is that I allow myself to become distant from God when I make my own entertainment and escapism a higher priority than serving God and seeing the world through his eyes.

Thankfully, because of the untiring love and forgiveness of Jesus, every day, every moment, is a fresh start and a clean slate. (Romans 8:1, Lamentations 3:22-23) A chance to "reload my save" and start the level again.

Posts Resuming January 14th, Podcast Resumes January 18th

Hi Everybody!

I wanted to give you the heads up about a minor delay to my return from vacation.

I woke up at 5am on Christmas morning to begin a three-hour puking event. (You know you're creating a special memory when some water from the bowl splashes up and back into your mouth. Luckily I had flushed down my liquid stool just moments before beginning to vomit.) Most of my immediate and visiting extended family followed close behind later that day.

We all spent most of the week between Christmas and New Years Eve quarantined in our homes recovering, losing close to a week of precious family time.

Although I had planned to return to work the middle of next week, I want to take advantage of every chance I have to make up for lost time while my sister and her family are still in town. For this reason I hope you'll understand that I'll be coming back to work a little later than I'd originally stated, and the next podcast will not go up until the weekend of January 18th.

Sorry for the delay and thanks so much for your understanding.

-Paeter Frandsen