My 5 Geekiest Parts of Christmas and New Years! (A Semi-Triumphant Return)

Greetings and Salutations! 

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! It's been quite a while since I've posted, I know, and for that, I sincerely apologize. To say that things have been busy would be a bit of an understatement. But, as this is the first day of the new year, I hope to be back active blogging with at LEAST one post a week. Anymore than that, and I would just be setting myself up for failure.

So, over these last few weeks have been "Holiday season", I've gotten to "get my geek on" quite a bit, whether it be hanging out with friends, getting some awesome geeky gifts, or just geeking out in my off time. I'm very excited to share with you all of my recent Geekery :D (man it's been a while since I got to use that word!).

Without further ado, here is: 

My 5 Geekiest Parts of Christmas and New Years!

 5) I got to play SO. Much. D & D!

 By far the biggest, most prevalent geekiest-thing over the last few weeks have been prepping and running D & D games for both my friends and family.

D & D is something that I've been interested in for SOOOOO long and have just recently gotten in to. It's been both a time-consuming and EXPENSIVE endeavor, but I've been able so far to run a session with my family and girlfriend over Christmas as well as began a session that's ongoing for my friends here in Magnolia. 

In case any of you would like specifics, we're playing 5th Edition and I am creating a brand new setting and campaign. So far I've been able to purchase The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, and Volo's Guide to Monsters, as well as SEVERAL pdf's from the DungeonMastersGuild.com. I've also bought SO MANY DICE!!!!! I've also been hand-making "maps" (or scenes as my Dad called them) but fortunately I found D & D official Tile's over Christmas (Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Thank Ya Jesus!).

It's been a lot of fun! It's also been stressful (as far as hoping that I meet everyone's expectations and being prepared. I have't received any stress from my family and players). The session in the on-going campaign lasted over 6 hours 😬 The session with my family wasn't as long, but it still took quite a while, and everything that could've gone wrong seemed to have. "The Magnolia Campaign" as I call the ongoing campaign with my friends, is made up of all relatively new players (including a DM, being myself). The "Christmas Campaign" had new players, experienced players, and my Dad, who is not only new to playing, but also not a "geek" at all, but everyone claimed to have had a good time! 

Overall, it was a blast,and I can't wait for the next game! (Which is Tuesday, and I've got to start getting ready!)

4) POP!'S!!!!!!!

Pictured above is my Pop! collection in my office, which currently sits at 120. I received 8 as gifts over Christmas and purchased 16 with Christmas money. My goal was to reach 100 before the new year, and it's safe to say that I crushed it! 

It's honestly become a re-occurring thing to walk by office at the church on Sunday's and Wednesday's to see some of the younger boys gazing up at them and then turn to ask me questions like, "Who's that?" or "You have that one?!?" 

I know to most it seems silly, but it's important to mo to make the office a reflection of myself. I'm a "Geek Under Grace" and I want everyone to know it.

3) I Saw Rogue One Twice

I'm sure that anyone who would read a blog entitled, "Geekery" has also seen Rogue One by now, probably even multiple times. It was a great movie!!!

The reason why I list this in my top geeky things list is because I'm working on making a two-parter lesson series for me teens on Wednesday Nights! We've taken our teens to see all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films since Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as Rogue One and the Force Awakens. Since the Force Awaken, I've prepared lessons for every movie that we take them to see.

Without getting too preachy, I believe it's important for me as a Youth Pastor and us as a Youth Group to keep God the center of everything we do, even when it comes to seeing movies together. I also have a Major passion for reaching Geeks through Geek Culture. I may make an entry on my other blog, "It's Dangerous To Go Alone! Take This." about why I feel passionate about it, but for now, I definitely think that preparing youth group lessons about a Star Wars movie definitely fits the bill for this list.

2) New Year's Eve = Board Game Night!

So, typically, on New Year's Eve, I put on a Lock-In for the teens at the church, but seeing as how New Year's Day was today on a Sunday, I told them I wasn't about that life. Instead, my brother Joel and I got together with our buddy Adam and played board games! It's literally one of our favorite things to do!

We played some Catan and attempted to play the Steven Jackson game Illuminati. Unfortunately our friend was having some health issues and had to leave early. 

OK, so it wasn't the craziest or geekiest night in the world (Heck, we were done playing at around 11:30). But we get together several times through out the year and play board games like crazy. Adam has gotten us into lots of obscure games like Elder Signs, Boss Monster, Zombie Fluxx, and more, as well as more classic games like Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Forbidden Desert. Last night didn't exactly pan out, but we'll have more awesome board game nights in the future!

& lastly

1) I Started Blogging Again!

I really am sorry that I haven't been active (in over a year as Adam pointed out last night). I'm sure most of you understand and the rest probably don't care one way or the other, but this blog meant, and still does mean, a lot to me. I won't make any promises, but I'm going to make it a priority at least once a week to have something to share, on this blog as well as on the Dangerous Alone blog. But if I don't, know that I truly appreciate all of you and that I'll get to it as soon as I can.

In closing, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas (and Holiday Season in general) and that you all have a Happy, Geeky, and Blessed New Year. God Bless the Geekery!

(pictures were all taken by myself with the exception on:

Title Pic- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO1fnUpn-ZE

D&D Logo- http://engl393-dnd5th.wikia.com/wiki/D%26D_5th_Edition_Wiki

Background Image- 

http://mythcreants.com/blog/5th-edition-dungeons-and-dragons-hasnt-learned-from-its-mistakes/)

The Top 5 Responses I Get When I Tell People I'm A Minister & A Geek

So, as I've several times in my posts, I'm a Christian. I'm a Missionary Baptist. To be even more specific, I'm the Youth/Assosciate Pastor at Calvary MBC in Magnolia, AR. I'm also a geek, obviously. I rep my Geekery proudly. That's the premise of this post: how people react to me being both a geek and a preacher. You can't even begin to imagine some of the responses I get when people find out that I teach Sunday school AND lead a crusade against the blight in Dragon Age; that I do puppet shows for the church youth AND got my Blastoise up to level 75 on Pokemon X; that I take the teens to camp over the summer AND that my DVR is full of The Walking Dead, Once Upon A Time, The Flash, Arrow, Marvel Agents of Shield, Gotham, Girl Meets World, and The Five Year Engagement (ok, those last two may have revealed TOO much about myself...... I'm so ashamed). People seem almost appalled sometimes when they find this out and I would wonder why? However, at the same time, people's expectations of Pastor's are set so high, it's a wonder anyone ever lasts in ministry. All of that being said, let's get into it, shall we?

The Top 5 Responses I Get When People Hear That I'm A Geek & A Minister:

5) "You Must Be A Youth Pastor." Why yes, actually, I am. This is the one I get the least. As a youth pastor, I do kind of have an excuse to still be quote "childish". As a youth pastor, it is important to stay up to date with what the youth is immersing themselves in. Video Games, Juvenile Fiction Books, TV Shows and Movies are what they're into, and it's what you can use to relate to them. The Gospel is meant to be spread, but it's also meant to be shared in a way that people can understand, and being a geek and witnessing to other geeks, it's my job to reach them in a way that they can better come to know Christ. Being a youth pastor means that I am trying to lead kids to Christ, and I can't do that unless I can be on their level. I have to be immersed into what they're always around. 

4) "Does The Church Know About This?" Ask anyone at my church, and they'll either tell you that I'm weird, eccentric, a geek, a nerd, or that I'm "crazy" as the kids in children church say. Yes, the church knows that I'm a geek. They know that I'm odd, and a goof ball. All of these blog posts are "advertised" on my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I'm not ashamed of showing people who I really am. I'm 100% saved. I love Christ, with my whole heart. I'm also a geek. I am who Christ made me. I believe that I am upfront enough that I'm a Christian and that everything I post you can see that. Is every church member thrilled by all of my decisions? No. Everyone will NEVER be pleased with Everything you do. That's a fact. So I'm me. I never try to be anything other than me. As long as I am right with God, what other people say or do or feel, doesn't matter. Bottom line. 

3) "Don't You Have Better Things To Do?" Ok, ....... sometimes, Yes, there are other things I could be doing. There's ALWAYS something the everyone could be doing more productive. So honestly, I can't really argue my way out of this one. Nor could anyone. I could try to bring up the fact that at-least I'm not doing this or this person does that or blah blah blah. That's called justification. I'm not gonna justify the fact that sometimes I geek out on things when I should be doing something else. I'll simply say this: I would never let my Geekery become a problem. If it ever gets to the point that my geekiness overshadows my Christianity, then I'm doing something wrong, and I'll do my best to change it. 

2) "Isn't That Sacrilegious?" Is what Sacrilegious Having a hobby? Being passionate about something? No! Of course not. Being a geek/games/movie enthusiast/nerd/whatever isn't sac-religious. Some of the options that are available to get passionate about are, yes. But loving video games and watching movies aren't sacrilegious, no. We have to guard our hearts and not give in to temptation. We have to be selective when it comes to choosing what we Geek out on. That should go without saying, but unfortunately it has to be repeated constantly. We have to look past stereotypes and get into the nitty gritty, but for most people, it's easier to judge things as a whole. Being a geek doesn't make you sacrilegious. Being sacrilegious make you sacrilegious. Going against what God has said is right and wrong for us, that's the problem. 

& finally, the response I get the most

1) "Grow Up." I'll admit, this one does tend to get under my skin. How do you respond to this? What do you say? When people say this, their minds are pretty much made up about what's "acceptable" to them. Being a geek isn't about age appropriate-ness, it's a lifestyle. It's something that transcends age. It's also something that has to be carefully entered into. Again, as I've stated in the other points: we have to be careful about what we Geek out on. Some things, the world has deemed wrong, or unacceptable, or childish, and we live in that world. Honestly, what we need to do is pray. Pray about whatever it is we want to be passionate about. See what God's Word has to say about it. Most people go to the passage of Scripture in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 where Paul said, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child:but when I became a man, I put away childish things." But that's taking the verse out of context. That entire chapter is about how we love as compared to God's love. God's love is patient and understanding, and when people try to tear us down or make fun of us for our interests and hobbies, then they aren't being very understanding or patient with us. Grow up. I am a grown up, and I have interests. I have hobbies. I have things that I am passionate about. I have grown up, and as a grown up, I don't demean others for what they care about.

That's my list. These things are almost always said to me when people find out what my interests are and consider what my profession, or really calling, is. What do you guys think? Is it wrong to be a Geek and a Preacher? What are your opinions on the matter? Let me know in the comments below. And remember, never let your Geekery outshine God and what He's doing through You!

5 Of Some Of The Geekiest Things I Do

Some of you may actually reading these posts, and for that I appreciate it. A lot. Some of you may even be "subscribers" and read all of my posts. It's unlikely, but again I appreciate it. But some of you may be wondering, "What makes him an 'expert'?" "What qualifies him as a geek?" Well, I will GLADLY tell you. So, without further ado:

5 Of Some Of The Geekiest Things I Do:
(From eh to woah!)

5) I Named My Car Carol. So, my first ever vehicle was a Jimmy that I called Jimmy (I know, lame). It was awesome, but, I was NOT used to maintaining vehicles. So, I never changed the oil, ...... and...... kapoowie. No more Jimmy. So I saved my money and got myself an '05 Nissan Altima. It's a great car, and i tried so hard to keep it in good shape. But, I have a brother, Joel Campbell (Twitter: @JoelCampbel17 and Youtube: Far From The Tree Productions please check out his content) who, I love him to death, I do, but he isn't the most graceful and/or cautious of drivers. Joel backed in to my Nissan the DAY BEFORE my first payment! HUR MA DUR! Then, one morning I get woken up by my mother telling me that Joel backed in to it, AGAIN, trying to get to school. This car has been viciously abused everything, including a dog, my best friend Dean (Twitter: @bubbadean11), and a pillar of a carport (ok that last one was me, but it was just a scrape, I promise). But the two biggest and most noticeable impacts on my car was from Joel. Now with me being the Walking Dead fanatic that I was, decided to name my car Carol, because she's been abused by men, but she's a valuable asset and get's me where I need to go.

4) I Still Have (and want to buy and play) Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards. I fell in love with Yu-Gi-Oh! growing up. I LOVED Pokemon, and wasn't very athletic or studious in elementary/middle school. My cousin Will introduced me first to the show. I was at first confused, but the more I continued to watch, i became enthralled. Growing up I got a weekly allowance of $5, which was perfect because the local Movie Gallery weekend rentals were $4.99, and so were a pack of Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards. I collected and collected and traded and traded and really spent WAY to much of my parents money on them. Dean and I loved to play and would Duel each other all the time.  One year for Christmas my aunt and uncle actually got me my own Duel Disk! It was AMAZING! Another awesome thing was that when I got into Jr. High, everybody at school played, even the faculty! We had a club at school on Saturdays. I eventually got to where I had two awesome decks: one that was Dragon, Wizard, Warrior based, and the other was an Elemental Hero Deck (I know that most people think that the elemental hero cards are overrated, but honestly it works, and it if it didn't it wouldn't make people as angry). So I kept them. I have an urge every time I go to Walmart to go look and buy. I have no one to play with anymore, but whenever a challenger ever comes my way, I'll be ready to use the "Heart of the Cards!"

3) My Current Voice Mail Is Me Imitating The 11th Doctor. I've mentioned in previous posts that I've recently this year been introduced to Dr. Who and am Obsessed! Well, a few weeks back one of the younger kids at church were messing around with my voice mail and I was like, "Hey, I do a mean Matt Smith.... I'ma make a Dr. Who voice mail!" So I did....... And it's stayed that way out of sheer laziness. I've gotten a lot of calls since then..... including calls from my parents, my pastor, church members, and I wanna say an actual preaching appointment (this is meant to be funny, but some of you are just gonna be all shake my head this is so sad). So..... yeah......

2) Explain to People Why My Social Media Alias is 2nd Tier Guardian. This is something that i get asked fairly regularly "Where did you come up with the name?" "What does it mean?" I am a huge Guardians of the Galaxy fan (yes, even before it came out as a movie). Rocket Raccoon has been one of my favorite Marvel characters for years now. So when I found out about the movie, I was PUMPED! I saw the movie and absolutely LOVED IT!!! So beautifully made. I had also been having problems with my first twitter account. I for some reason was continuously and involuntarily following Hebrew-posting people for some reason, and I couldn't make it stop, so I deactivated the account. However, I have an addiction to social media, and needed a new account. This was shortly after watching Guardians, so it was fresh on my mind. Thus, 2nd Tier Guardian was created (Twitter: @2ndTierGuardian). The idea was that whenever the Guardians of the Galaxy are busy and someone still requires aid, they can just call me, 2nd Tier Guardian. After I made the new account, I later started this blog, and soon I just replaced all of my social media accounts with the name (except Facebook, I have to keep more professional looking for work).

& finally, by far one of the geekiest things I've EVER done

1) Have Sat Down And Have Determined The Best Casting Choice For A Live-Action Pokemon Movie. As those of you that have kept up with these posts can probably tell, I'm big into Pokemon. Now I know that most people are all, "Oh man, first gen or nothing!" I'm not like that, I've quite enjoyed all of the generations. However, if a live-action movie is going to be made (and it should!) then they've got yo start with the first gen. So, being the fan that I am, I teamed up with one of best friends in the world Jared (Twitter: @jaredconatser) one week at church camp, and we have compiled the perfect Cast for a First Generation Pokemon Movie! It is as followed:

Dream Cast for 1st Gen Pokemon Movie

Ash Ketchum-Josh Hutcherson

Misty-Emma Stone

Brock-Taylor Lautner

Professor Oak-Kristoff Waltz

Gary-Adam Scott

Jesse-Chloe Dykstra

James-Chris Hardwick

Meowth-Bill Hader

Giovani-Hugo Weaving

Nurse Joy-Emily Blunt

Officer Jenny-Anna Kendrick

Before some of you get outraged over the whole Taylor Lautner thing: tell me a better choice...... That's what I though. It just seems to make sense.

But there ya go! That's just a few of the geekiest things I do. Let me know what you all think, and please, share if you can out geek-me. And, look forward to another post about more geeky things I do. Continue onward in the way if Geekery my friends!

5 Things Geeks Hate About Going Home

I'm back Dedicated Blog Readers!!! It's been very busy since last I post, and a lot of my time has consisted of me going back to my home town for various reasons. Now I live in Magnolia, AR, but grew up in a very small town called Hamburg. My parents still love there, so I keep in touch with some of the news back home (which is really usually nothing). My trips back recently got me thinking: Geeks must really gage going home. I know I do. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and my family. But as far as being a geek, there's nothing for me there. So here it is:

 5 Things Geeks Hate About Going Home:

5) No One's Read Your Blog. I often post whenever I have a new blog post on my Facebook. It's just a way to try and get more readers. My mom has a Facebook, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, almost everyone; no one has read any if my posts. Honestly I'm not very surprised, they aren't very skilled in the ways of Geekery. But still, you'd think somebody back home would've given if a view. 

4) No Attractions. There is NOTHING to do back home in Hamburg. It's honestly one of those towns where going to Walmart (which is in the town over btw) is an outting because EVERYONE in the county is there. Hanging out in the grocery store parking lot was THE thing to do in High School. The closest movie theater is 30 miles one way, closest mall is an hour, etc.. It's insane.

3) No High-Tech Gear. My parents house holds all of my childhood memories. My old toys, VHS tapes, PS2, Nintendo 64, etc.. You know what it doesn't hold? My DVD collection, Xbox games, Laptop, and anything else that I actually currently use. Granted I don't live there anymore, but still. And believe me, as a gamer and geek, I love old-gen tech, too. But the VCR is broken, there's only one controller for the 64, and I'm not there long enough to play with my toys. 

2) Family Still Doesn't Understand. Now most of my family know that I'm a geek, and that's just that. But there is still the occasional relative that will come up to me, ask me how things are going, and then make the mistake of asking things like so what do you do to entertain yourself or what do you do for fun. I'll start telling them that I'm completely caught up on Dr. Who (from Eccelston I mean, not a all the way back to the original) and am waiting for the new season to start (I know it's started by now) or that I've beaten the elite 4 and am now going back to get all of Eevee's evolutions. I look at their face, and they'll give me either a vacant glance or judgmental glance, and I know not to even try to get into telling them about my speculation as to how the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to introduce the last two Infinity Stones, or ask what they think about the current game at for Dragon Age: Inquisition looks to them. Simply put, they just still don't get it. I think they thought I'd grow out of this phase. Of course they also game me funny looks back when my friends as I used to imagine that we were digimon, and never said anything either. I don't let it bother me too badly anymore. I know they'll come running to me when the Zombie Outbreaks start popping up.

& finally, the absolute worst thing about going home:

1) No Signal/Internet. Like I said, Hamburg is tiny. What makes things worse is that my house is actually about 15 miles outside of town, in the sticks. There's hardly any cell reception at all. And internet? Ha! Don't get my hopes up. That's why I couldn't bog when I went home. I guess it's kind if peaceful (for like 30 minutes), but after a while, you really start to crave checking you Clash of Clans to see how many trophies you've lost. It's a nightmare.

So that's my list! I really did enjoy going home for a visit. My mom will probably gripe at me for this list (if she'd ever actually read me blog). What're things you hate about going back home? Any suggestions on how to make some of these things more bearable? Leave a comment below please, and share this with someone who could use more Geekery in their life!