How Chess Is Sometimes Like Life!

I am an avid chess player. I did not say a good one. I lose internationally!  I have a number of chess games going on during the day on my computer with people all over the world.  The Brits seem to play a lot of chess.  But I’ve had games with people in Russia, India, Colombia, and . . . America!

What I appreciate about the website I use to play my games is that I can message or text the other player and he me.  I’ve had some amazing conversations about the Lord while playing chess with others.  My “handle” or name I use on the site is “theoprof,” so I get a lot of individuals asking me about . . . THEOLOGY!  I’ve even convinced a few to correspond with me off-site through regular email.

For those of you who play chess, you might be interested in a game I’ve got going right now.  Here the screen shot.  I’m playing black and I’ve just moved my pawn up to E3.  This is a rare move for me.  The pawn puts the king in check but it also opened up my bishop at G5 to threaten his queen at C2.  Unless I’ve missed something, he has lost his queen!

Sometimes I feel that way in life, do you?  My king is under attack and I’m going to lose my queen.  I don’t mean literally.

 

Here’s how I was able to take his queen (picture #2 on the left).  And the last picture is of my taking his queen.

I probably lost that game.  I don’t remember.  But, for me, it’s a fun way to connect with others.

What is one way you connect with others on the internet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Believe? (Part 1)

I met my Canadian friend John while playing online chess.  I have a number of games going — and I lose most of them — but it’s a great way to meet new people.  Occasionally, I get to share a bit of the Good News about Jesus with them.

This is not John’s picture to the right.  But he is a gentleman in his 80’s and comments regularly on my blog.  (You can read his comments if you wish — they are found at the end of several of my blog posts).

John argues against the Christian idea of God, what the Bible has to say about salvation, and, essentially, why we should be religious at all.

Recently John wrote: “In your first reply you stated that we are all sinners and therefore we need a Savior. This has been said so often by so many people nobody seems to question this any more. Is this not also along the line of selfishly trying to make our guilt to be carried by someone else? Shouldn’t we rather be thought that our actions (sins ??) are our own and take responsibility for them, regardless of possible punishments ? Wouldn’t you agree that humanity would be better off with this kind of thinking?”

How would you answer John?  (I’ll post my response in a few days).