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To The Point is a weekly newsletter distributed through our email chain, website, and podcast.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

The holiday special is a lost art, but this year, Marvel brought the world a special treat with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It’s no masterpiece, but it does what it needs to do and doesn’t overstay its welcome. We can all agree that we need more Drax in our lives, and Mantis is undoubtedly one of our less-known background characters, so an adventure with the two of them feels like a great use of 45 minutes. 

My favorite part of these holiday specials is that they don’t need to go above and beyond with some ephemeral narrative; they can keep things grounded and remind us of the more straightforward message of being better people. Is it cheesy? Yeah, but I write nerdy sermons on pop culture. I’m cheesy. 

For this nerdy sermon, we’re going to talk about how Drax and Mantis, and the crew help illustrate one of the lasting truths of the Christmas season. Maybe they even prove you never needed to abduct a celebrity to find happiness. Let’s talk about it.

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/t3zUeLqa05s

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

0:53 - Welcome!

1:57 - Scripture

2:22 - What is the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special?

4:25 - Why This Movie Matters

4:58 - Scripture Analysis

6:11 - Parallels with GotG

7:21 - Holiday Traditions

8:33 - What does this mean for us today?

9:53 - Thanks for Watching!

10:36 - Quick Question

10:55 - Three Things

12:17 - Twitch Clip!

2022 was a pretty fantastic year for gaming - as most years have been for a while now - but perhaps the two hallmarks of the year capped the beginning and end quite nicely. We started 2022 with Elden Ring and wrapped it up with God of War Ragnarok. God of War has been hotly anticipated since the 2018 smash hit, and folks were waiting with bated breath to see just how many times Kratos would say, “Boy!”

But the best bit of the game for me was knowing what we were in for by the title alone: Ragnarok. And this game did not disappoint in exploring all of the complexities of the archaic term. If Kratos’ story since the refresh has been one of redemption, then Atreus’ story has been one of destiny… or rather, defying that destiny. 

For this nerdy sermon, we’re going to explore how the relationship between purpose and destiny relates and how Kratos & Atreus’ story can teach us how to focus on the right stuff as we move forward toward whatever is ahead. Let’s talk about it. 

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/Pobwy_es2uc

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

1:03 - Welcome!

1:37 - Scripture

3:21 - What is God of War Ragnarok?

4:58 - God of War Ragnarok & Destiny

6:03 - Scripture Breakdown

7:42 - Eschatology of Jesus

10:10 - Perspective Shift of Destiny vs Purpose

12:00 - What does this mean for us today?

14:02 - Thanks for Watching!

14:44 - Quick Question

15:14 - Three Things

15:58 - Twitch Clip!

Take the quiz for yourself: https://apps.quanticfoundry.com/surveys/start/gamerprofile/

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The LVL2 Podcast is a monthly, community-driven podcast distributed through our podcast hub.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

RSVP PLEASE! https://bit.ly/checksmas2022

Join the convo on our Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7

Respond to this blog here: https://www.checkpointchurch.com/post/better-begins-with-you

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://bit.ly/tothepointnews

Follow the blog: https://www.checkpointchurch.com//blog

To The Point is a weekly newsletter distributed through our email chain, website, and podcast.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet hit the universe two weeks ago, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that it’s all I want to play all of the time. And yet - it seems impossible to go anywhere without hearing complaints about the game. It’s the frame rate, the bugs, the raid issues, the botched this, or the broken that. But in essence, Game Freak kind of gave Pokemon fans precisely what we’ve been asking for for generations now… but it came with some costs that made the game overall suffer. 

Given that this is a nerdy sermon, it shouldn’t shock you to hear that this is a pretty human conundrum to find ourselves in. We face this pressing reality as people, and we’ve done it since the beginning. I’d wager this won’t be the last time a video game fails to live up to expectations.

In this nerdy deep dive, we’ll highlight one particularly overused piece of scripture to reveal some of the secrets of expectations and look into ways to help ourselves out of the rut of disappointment in our favorite things. 

So what do the captive Israelites have to do with Pocket Mans? Let’s talk about it.

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/calH97ghNqc

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

0:56 - Welcome!

1:39 - Scripture

2:14 - What is the deal with Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?

4:41 - So... it's a bad game then?

6:41 - Scripture Analysis

8:18 - Our Expectations of Jesus

9:05 - Advent & Preparation

10:27 - What does this mean for us today?

12:40 - Thanks for Watching!

13:17 - Quick Question

13:31 - Three Things

14:25 - Twitch Clip!

Fill out the survey here: https://bit.ly/ttpfeedback22

Join the convo on our Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7

Respond to this blog here: https://www.checkpointchurch.com/post/better-begins-with-you

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://bit.ly/tothepointnews

Follow the blog: https://www.checkpointchurch.com//blog

To The Point is a weekly newsletter distributed through our email chain, website, and podcast.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Two years after his tragic passing, we’ve finally seen Marvel’s honoring of Chadwick Boseman and his excellent portrayal as the Black Panther, aka T’Challa. And the pressure was real, I’m sure. The world has wondered for years now how the franchise would adapt and shift with the needed change. How would his legacy be captured? How would the fictional character be lifted to highlight the real one? 

Of equal importance to honoring the life lost, Black Panther Wakanda Forever sought out not only that but also to allow the coping and processing on behalf of Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda. That, in my opinion, was the real crux of this film, and - long runtime and busy script aside - I’m fascinated by the grief processing exhibited in the movie. 

What can we learn from Ryan Coogler’s presentation on grief when there is no one to blame? Let’s talk about it.

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/calH97ghNqc

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

0:54 - Welcome!

1:33 - Scripture

2:53 - What is Black Panther Wakanda Forever?

5:44 - Shuri's Vision

6:38 - Scripture Analysis

7:59 - Reading Ourselves into the Story

9:00 - The Grief of Jesus' Arrest & T'Challa's Death

11:00 - What does this mean for us today?

12:50 - Thanks for Watching!

13:38 - Quick Question

14:05 - Three Things

14:47 - Twitch Clip!

Join the convo on our Discord: https://discord.gg/zUg5sj7

Respond to this blog here: https://www.checkpointchurch.com/post/an-advent-reality

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://bit.ly/tothepointnews

Follow the blog: https://www.checkpointchurch.com//blog

To The Point is a weekly newsletter distributed through our email chain, website, and podcast.

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Sonic Frontiers has officially been out for a few days, but as I wrote this, I still needed to get to play the dang thing because I got the VID. I’m better now, by the way, appreciate the prayers, good vibes, and check-ins. 

By the time this nerdy deep-dive hits the airwaves, I will hopefully have been proven incorrect or correct about my theories in this one on the blue blur’s story in this game, but, in the interest of hopping on the hype, it’s worth noting that the level of Sonic never really changes in any media. Ultimately, Sonic the Hedgehog’s narrative doesn’t revolve around being the fastest - Sonic already is. So it’s instead, ‘who can be the most powerful?’ 

But the result always reveals that the question isn’t what it seems. So this deep-dive will explore the pursuit of power present in one Ivo ‘Eggman’ Robotnik and how he may be treading down a familiar path to the disciples of Jesus. 

Follow Us Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/CheckpointChurch

We stream Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday: https://www.twitch.tv/checkpointchurch

Writer, Filmographer: Nathan Webb

Editor: Niki Turner

Secret Link: https://youtu.be/calH97ghNqc

Checkpoint Church is the place where all people from all walks of life are always welcomed with loving arms. We strive to steer clear from the modern temptations of being too ‘churchy’ or judgmental. We are the safe space for those who haven’t felt welcomed by the church before.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

0:56 - Welcome!

1:28 - Scripture

2:41 - Sonic Lore 101

4:47 - Sonic Frontiers Predictions

6:16 - Scripture Analysis

8:30 - The Truth of Power

9:17 - What does this mean for us today?

11:08 - Thanks for Watching!

11:47 - Quick Question

12:06 - Three Things

12:58 - Twitch Clip!