Boardgame Jargons

Since I've recently been doing a whole lot of write-up on boardgames, I thought maybe it would be practical to give people a heads up on some of the terms I might be or have been using recurrently. Some of these lingos may initially appear confusing, but all are used freely in the creepy world of boardgames. As always familiarity comes with practice so use them often even when you're not gaming and before long you'll know them like the back of your hand.

Analysis Paralysis (AP)
n. Overanalysis increasing the downtime in a game beyond a desirable level. AP can potentially spoil the game for everyone.

Downtime
n. The time that a player spends doing nothing while waiting for other players to complete their turns.

Games with (potentially) high downtime - Tikal, Power Grid, Caylus, Age of Steam. This usually involve games in which players are presented with a myriad of options, setting the stage for AP to set in.
Games with (potentially) low/no downtime - Diplomacy, Apples to Apples, King Me, Shadows Over Camelot, Santiago. In these games though your turn don't always come by quickly, you ALWAYS have something to do in between them e.g. table talk, trash talk, discussion of strategies/alliances.

'Potentially' refers to the nature of individual players. E.g. a single player with AP will significantly increase the downtime for everyone, without it neccesarily being due to the design of the game.

Non-gamer
n. A person that does not spend every waking moment thinking, talking, playing, and breathing games a.k.a. a normal person.

Newbie
n. Someone who’s new to gaming. These people are generally very welcomed at boardgaming circles, and are expected to pick up a game or two of their own after a couple of sessions.

Kingmaker
n. A player, with himself in a losing position, and having the power to decide who wins a given game, especially if the decision is made irrationally or unjustifiably.

Example of games with possible kingmaking elements: Age of Steam, El Grande, Intrige, Modern Art, Struggle of Empires. These are games with high player interactions, where the actions of one player can potentially result in a significant shift in other player's position. Kingmaking can potentially spoil the game for everyone and is a reflection of poor game ethics.

Metagame
v. To use reasons not strictly related to the game at hand to change one’s playing style and attitude towards other players. Choosing to attack player A instead of player B simply because player A owes you money (in life, not within the game) is an extreme example of
metagaming. Metagaming can potentially spoil the game for everyone and is a reflection of poor game ethics.

Family Game
n. game that typically has simple rules, a short playing time, relatively high levels of abstraction and player interaction, and requires three or more players. A large percentage of these games originate in Germany.

Example of family games: Carcassone, King Me, Settlers of Catan

Party Game
n. A game that is designed for large groups of people and emphasizes social interaction, creativity, and/or volubility.

Example of party games: Apple to Apples, Taboo, Cranium, Pictionary

Gamers' Game
n. Refer to games which are heavier, more mathematical, or otherwise less accessible (longer playtime, more fiddly, complicated rules) than standard games.

Example of gamer's game: Age of Steam

Fiddly
adj. Requiring lots of turn-by-turn maintenance which tends to bog down the ebb and flow of the game.

Example of fiddly games: Power Grid, Age of Steam

D6
n. Common abbreviation for 'six-sided die'. Similarly D8 refers to 'eight-sided die'. d10, d12, and d20 are also common terms.

Dice-fest - YUCK
n. 1. A game that uses a whole bunch of dice to determine game outcomes.
2. A game that has a very random nature because of die results.

Example of games where dice-fests are present: Risk, Snake and Ladders, Monopoly, Ludo. These are broken games in which the outcome is so random it doesn't matter how the game is played.

Broken
adj. (usually applied to a game) Having problems that result in a disappointing play experience. A game might be considered broken if even poor play can lead to victory, if it frequently ends in a stalemate, or if one strategy invariably wins.

Example of broken games: Monopoly, Snake and Ladders, Ludo

Random
n. –ness adj. When events or players’ actions in a game are very unpredictable. Often players will have little, if any, control over the elements that control their performance in the game.

Randomness is almost as bad as dice-fests, and fortunately I don't own many of these.

Example of games with randomness: Tikal, Carcassonne

Replay Value
n. A game’s capacity to remain entertaining after several playings.

Set-up
n. The first time period in a game, during which players ready all the components that will be needed for playing.

Games with long set-tup time: Puerto Rico, Through the Desert, Power Grid
Games with average set-up time: Caylus, El-Grande,
Games with short/no set-up time: Blokus, Apple to Apples, Intrige, Ra

Strategy
n. 1. The plan that a player uses in a game. adj –ic.
2. Requiring gaming decisions based on long-term goals.

Example of strategical games: Age of Steam, Caylus, Power Grid, Puerto Rico

Tactics
n. 1. Decisions that are based primarily on current situations and short-term goals. adj –ical.

Example of tactical games: El-Grande, Ra, Tikal, Struggle of Empires, Tigris and Euphrates. These are primarily games with high interaction in which the board can dramatically change from round to round, forcing you to adapt and to change your style of play according to the circumstances and your presently available resources rather than to strictly follow a plan perfectly mapped-out from the beginning.


Example of both strategical and tactical games: Diplomacy, Game of Thrones

Theme
n. 1. The topic or subject matter of a game. adj –atic.
2. Having rules and mechanics based on assumptions regarding the subject matter of the game.

Often considered the opposite of abstract.

Example of games with rich themes: Shadows Over Camelot, Diplomacy, Santiago, Amun-Re, Power Grid

Pasted On (Theme)
adj. A term given to a game where the link between the game's theme and mechanism is weak. Or in other words, the designer created the game's mechanism first abstractly, and then applied the theme afterwards.

Example of games with pasted on themes: Age of Steam, Ticket to Ride, Through the Desert, Tigris and Euphrates, Modern Art

Abstract
adj. Having greatly simplified concepts and actions, rather than strict attention to detail, in order to facilitate game play. Often used as opposite of thematic.

Example of abstract games: Chess, Go, Blokus, Reversi, Checkers

Dry
adj. Overly mechanical or lacking in thematic elements

Example of games with a dry theme: Modern Art

PBEM
adj. Acronym for Play by E-Mail, which is a descriptor of a game system that allow players to play against one another through e-mail. Often these games have graphical user interfaces, and uses e-mail as the only means of communication for their turn-based play.

Example of PBEM games: Diplomacy, Tikal, Amun-Re, Santiago. These games generally (but not always) play within a longer time period and may not always be possible to finish in one (face-to-face) setting.

Balance
n. The way in which elements of a game are equalized relative to each player. Often balance is established by giving all players similar starting positions and maintained by using mechanisms to hurt the apparent leader or help the likely loser if all players start out differently.

Whether each game is balanced or unbalanced is highly contentious, and designers can only go so far in placing perks (whatever they are) to actively compensate for the handicaps faced by each player in their position.

Example of balanced games: Chess, Checkers

Amun-Re vs Santiago

With Tikal out of the picture, the race for my next purchase reaches a show-down between Amun-Re and Santiago. I've played halfway through both games and thus far really like what I've seen. Both games are solid Euros with familiar mechanics that bear rather similar resemblances to some others that I have, and as such might not be completely novel buys. But then again, maybe I just really like a particular group of games. Following is a brief description of both games so feel free to fire away with any suggestion/questions.


AMUN-RE
-A Game for Gods and Other Immortals

Everyone knows of the pyramids on the Nile - eternal monuments of a powerful and beautiful culture that still can take our breath away. Each player as a pharaoh aims to build the most pyramids. To accomplish this he must first acquire provinces where he can trade and farm, with the harvest size from his farm depending on the number of farmers he employ and the offering of sacrifices to Amun-Re. With his profits he can buy new provinces and ultimately building stones to erect the pyramids. At the end of the game, the player who best manages his resources and constructs the most magnificient of pyramids wins the game.

Designer: Reiner Knizia (Ra, Tigris & Euphrates, Through the Desert, Modern Art)
BGG Rating: 7.67 (Total votes 2078, standard deviation 1.23)
BGG Ranking: 32
Players: 3-5 (Best with 5, average with 3-4)
Duration: 90 minutes
Complexity: Medium (ala Ra, Modern Art, El Grande)
Theme: Pharaohs competing to erect pyramids in Ancient Egypt
Mechanics: Auction and Resource Management
Player Interaction: Medium - Bidding for provinces, sacrifices to Amun-Re
Player Confrontation: Low - No direct attack on opponents although out-bidding someone can mess with their plans in a big way :))))))) (Cash is an important commodity ala caylus - you can be totally screwed without them)
Luck: Nil (YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Components: Excellent - Good quality board with lots of bits and miniature pyramids!
Comparable Games: Ra, Puerto Rico
Replayability: Medium-High
My Current Rating: 8.0

SANTIAGO
- The Water Flows Where the Money Goes

Several miles west of the African mainland lies the Cape Verde Island of Santiago. The climate is hot and every drop of water is precious. The players are landowners bidding for plantations with specific crops on them (bananas, sugar cane, potatoes, beans or red peppers) and trying to connect them into large plantations. These plantations must quickly be connected to the canal irrigation system or else they will dry up and produce no yield.

To ensure that new canals connect your own plantations to the irrigation system, you have to bribe the current Canal Overseer. The sooner a plantation is irrigated and connected to other plantations of the same type, the more yield – and thus the more money – will be gained at the end of the game. The player who acquires, irrigates and connects his plantations most effectively will win the game.

Designer: Claudia Hely & Roman Pelek
BGG Rating: 7.60 (Total votes 937, standard deviation 1.12)
BGG Ranking: 57
Players: 3-5 (Best with 5, ?poor with 3-4)
Duration: 90 minutes
Complexity: Low (ala Ticket to Ride, Settlers Of Catan)
Theme: Plantation owners competing to farm crops in Africa
Mechanics: Auction and Tile Placement
Player Interaction: High - Bidding for crops, competing to position crops on board and ultimately what makes Santiago a star - Bribing the Canal Overseer!!!
Player Confrontation: Vicious (ala Diplomacy, Intrige) - Players can form alliances during bribery phase pooling their resources together to make the irrigation go one way. Sorry bro if your crops are on the other side of the field...
Luck: Low- Random turnover of crop tiles ala puerto rico
Components: Good - Good quality board with just enough bits to make the game playable without unnecessary distractions.
Comparable Games: Diplomacy, El-Grande, Intrige
Replayability: High
My Current Rating: 8.0

Television

Since I was rating boardgames I figured I might as well ride the momentum and move on to rating other things - such as television shows and characters. Even the elders have to admit we get some pretty good stuff on the tube, but these are admittedly few and hard to come by, and most of them are rubbish. So how do we know which of all the programmes we have on television are worth our time and be able to separate them from those which are not? Well... me make up lists (and so to know you have to read somebody else's list).

I'll have to admit this wasn't easy to generate. It took a few days to come up with my Top 15 , and a couple more to narrow it down to 10. Finally I fine-moved and arranged the various shows on their respective positions until I had before me a list which I was satisfied reliably reflected my relative interest in them. Again I will be audacious and call them the best shows in the world, though they're probably not. So without delay, here is the painstakingly put together list of my favourite television shows thus far:

Best Television Shows In The World
1. Friends
2. Survivor
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. The Oprah Winfrey Show
5. Ally Mcbeal
6. American/New Zealand/ Malaysian Idol
7. Prison Break
8. Lost
9. The Amazing Race
10.Desperate Housewives

Notable Shows That Just Missed The Mark:
Gilmore Girls, The Ellen Show, Hi-5

Favourite Television Characters
1. Michael Schofield (Prison Break)
2. Christina Yang (Grey's Anatomy)
3. Ally Mcbeal (Ally Mcbeal)
4. Bree Van De Kempt (Desperate Housewives)
5. Sawyer (Lost)
6. Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy)
7. Oprah Winfrey (The Oprah Winfrey Show)
8. Monica Geller (Friends)
9. Tweener (Prison Break)
10.Derek Shepherd (Grey's Anatomy)

Notable Characters That Just Missed The Mark:
Isobel (Izzie) Stevens (Grey's Anatomy), Fin (Grey's Anatomy), Joey (Friends)

And in no particular order, television programmes I am planning to watch and in all probability will during my holidays:
1. One Tree Hill
2. The OC
3. Dawson's Creek
4. ? CSI

P.S. Lol I don't know if anybody realized but looking through the list I noticed there's a common theme that runs through most of them. Romance and tragedy. I absolutely adore programmes that make me cry (Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, Ally Mcbeal, American Idol, The Contender, Amazing Race) and those in which love and adoration runs thick (Grey's Anatomy, Ally Mcbeal, Desperate Housewives, Lost, High School Musical). Oh and by the way feel free to recommend programmes you believe I might like based on what I already do like. I don't plan on wasting my holidays doing nothing :))

Tikal

I have managed to play my way through 3/5 of a game of Tikal by e-mail and I've got to say I'm not impressed. Perhaps the fact that I was tied for last place clouded my judgement (I was tied at 24-24-29-35). Well not really because the game wasn't over yet. Well maybe just slightly. Anyway. To briefly describe the game; Tikal is a game of exploration within the Central American jungles in search of lost temples and the treasures within. Players (up to 4 each game) send their team of explorers into the jungle (the board), uncovering more and more of the terrain as the game progresses. Along the way you find temples which require further uncovering and treasures. Players attempt to score points by occupying temples and holding onto treasure.

Sounds simple. But how does the game play? Let's start with the board; I don't know how big it is exactly in life, but from what I see on the geek the board is beautifully detailed with tons of nicely coloured bits and when completed can be somewhat pleasing to the eye. Each player gets standard wooden markers in their own colour comprising explorers, leaders and camps. And as they track about exploring, the wooden pieces are easy to keep track of and stands out from the background without being drowned by all the intricate details of the board.

Each round players choose to perform actions:
1. Bring Workers To Camp (1AP)
2. Move Workers (1-6AP depending on terrain)
3. Explore Temples (2AP)
4. Uncover or Trade Treasures (3AP)
5. Build Camp (5AP)
6. Guard a Temple (5AP)

Players can choose one action repeatedly or a combination of actions. Once a player uses up his action points [(AP) 10 each turn] his turn is over and the next player goes. The game continues until the whole terrain has been uncovered and a final scoring takes place.

So how is the board explored? Each round before a player decides on his actions, a tile is drawn from a stack randomly and placed on the board. Problem 1. Ouch - Random Tile Placements. It isn't hard to imagine one player consistently coming up with good tiles, while someone else draws crap ones all the time. I for one do not want to be the latter. Granted you can put the crap tiles near you opponent's camp to mess with their plans, but having said that you're not exactly doing something to directly help yourself.

Among the stack of tiles are 3 volcano tiles that if drawn would initiate scoring. It would follow that scoring is random, and they can be as closed to one another or as far apart as the total number of tiles in the stack. And you have absolutely no way of knowing. Minor problem 2.

Problem 3 would be the manner scoring is conducted. Players score points for the temple they are on if they have the largest expedition force around it. In our game this lead to a build up of forces (along the lines of an arms race - up to 9 explorers each around one high scoring temple) between 2 players leaving the other 2 to roam freely around the board racking up majorities with a single explorer. In a game where players own only 15 explorers, that doesn't leave you with very much to do elsewhere on the board, except to look on in horror at what your competitors are unearthing while you struggle to build up a majority around your temples. Although to be absolutely fair, I could possibly see this one diminishing with experience, once you're able to balance beforehand the number of explorers worthy of a temple and the total number of points you could acquire from it. Know when you're outnumbered early and get out so you're still in a position to dispute the majority of the other temples.

Currently Tikal is in 52nd spot on the geek, with an average rating of 7.50. It has been rated by 2726 users with a standard deviation of 1.18.

My comments: Tikal is a solid 2nd-tier Eurogame. It plays fast (an average game last between 40-60 minutes) and is fun with really beautiful bits, but randomness and flawed scoring drag it down immensely. This is a game I would not buy, and would not ask for it to be brought to the table, but wouldn't refuse either if someone else wants to play. Oh and before I forget, Problem 4 is Analysis Paralysis (AP). Many of you who play games with me know what that means, and we all know who tends to do it. AP happens when players try their best to optimise his/her position each turn, and because there are so many means for them to achieve that (particularly in a game with tons of choices, and nobody could tell what the best move is so they probably can't either, but everyone just moves anyway with what could possibly be their 2nd/3rd best move), they get paralysed running every single option through their head and calculating down to the penny the benefits/detriments of each route to themselves and the other players and in doing so bring the entire game to a standstill for everyone. No its not fun. And its hard to tell AP-ers they are AP-ing because they just don't like it (stop interfering with how I play my game). And Tikal with its 10AP (Action Points) to spend as you will each round may just tip it over for susceptible players.

Final Verdict: 6.5/10 and way out of my Top 10.

************************UPDATE*****************************

I have just completed my earlier game of Tikal, and I'm glad to announce I managed to claw my back and finished 2nd, 7 points behind the leader and 3 points ahead of 3rd place (106-99-96-66). Unfortunately this does not change my opinion of the game, and my comments and rating remains. Below is a link to the finished game though I've no idea how long it'll be there. I will remove the link when the game is removed. Remember the page may take a while to load :)

http://www.spielbyweb.com/game.php?games_id=13920&action=auth

Board Games

Logged on to the geek and finally updated my personal Top 10 games of all time. I have the audacity of calling them the best games in the world and though they're most probably not, I know they're somewhere up there among the world's best. Among the notable entries into the Top 10 include Caylus, El Grande, Age of Steam, and Tigris & Euphrates (all previously unranked) while Modern Art, Through the Desert and Settlers of Catan fell out of favour. Numbers in decimal represent my ratings (out of a possible 10) while numbers in parenthesis indicate their rank on the geek out of approximately 5000 games. I have thus far rated 54 games averaging 6.31/10.00

10 Best Board Games In The World
1. Diplomacy --10.00-- (145)
2. Caylus --9.5-- (3)
3. El Grande --9.0-- (5)
4. Power Grid --9.0-- (4)
5. Age of Steam --9.0-- (9)
6. Ra --8.5-- (7)
7. The Princes of Florence --8.0-- (6)
8. A Game of Thrones --8.0-- (36)
9. Struggle of Empires --7.5-- (27)
10.Tigris & Euphrates --7.5-- (2)

Notable Games That Just Missed The Mark
Shadows over Camelot -- 8.0 -- (72)

Hot Games Soon To Be Rated
Tikal ---- (52)
Santiago ---- (57)
Amun-Re ---- (32)

Falling Stars
Modern Art --7.5-- (22)
Through the Desert --7.0-- (39)
Settlers of Catan --7.0-- (21)

For more information on these games, log on to www.boardgamegeek.com . Search for Stevve15 and I should pop up. Say hi if you do decide to log in :)

Drowsy....

I like med school computers!! Actually I like any computers where part of the deal is not to have to wait for more than a second for any page to load or to consistently view your gmail in html format just because your server wasn't quick enough. And what makes it worse is that it's not even my fault. Just because someone in my building spends half her/his time downloading large files (presumably those of scantily clad people... or unclad....) doesn't mean the rest of us have to slow down. I reckon a room-by-room spotcheck is required, and you just might be suprised what turns up in people's history box (now will someone please remind me to delete some of the stuff on mine when I get back....).

Anyway on a completely separate note, we've just sat through our year-end briefing on what is and what's not included in our exams (really important briefing, just got to have it aye). And for my own sake and embarassment, I'm going to put it up so everyone who comes along can have a look at all the stuff I'm expected to know but don't really:

Paper A - Sometime between November and December
Anaesthetics
Cardiovascular System
Endocrinology
Infectious Disease
Laboratory Medicine
Locomotor
Opthalmology
Psychiatry
General Surgery

Paper B - Sometime after Paper A
Behavioural Science
Biochemistry
Dermatology
Emergency Medicine
Evidence-Based Medicine
Gastroenterology
Geriatrics
Maori and Pacific Island Health
Neurology
Palliative Care
Pharmacology
Proffesional Skills
Radiology
Respiratory System
Therapeutics

Anyone reckon its time to do a bit of studying?

Anthony Robbins

Finally made the bold move of asking Anthony Robbins to be my personal guide and tutor. But my hopes for a total life makeover ended after day 1 because of the crazy stuff he asked me to do e.g. waking up an hour before you're supposed to to exercise while chanting 'I LOVE MY LIFE' to psych yourself up for the rest of the day. Sorry Tony. I've no doubt it works, but right now I can't afford a minute less sleep than what I am getting. Guess the bottom line is you can't always trust the tele. Things projecting out of that box might not always be what it seems. Then again, I still want my magic bullet and winsome pilates.

Still I was pleasantly suprised to find some elements of Godliness in his tapes. He mentioned God in more than 5 separate occasions and went as far as to ask the listeners to pray. Well you could argue that praying is general, that it could mean pretty much anything. And I suppose it could, but it still trumps an atheistic view hands down. One main theme I picked up that permeated most of what he said was this: In whatever you hope to achieve, don't just work towards it. Believe you have already accomplished it. And it will be yours.

Sounds familiar? Well it's not too different from what a certain man said more than 2000 years ago.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mid-Week Post

Stayed up till 2am yesterday hammering out my thoughts on whether God wants us to be rich, and fell asleep in class this morning. As you can see I have difficulty sorting out my priorities. But then again child psychiatry isn't really the most thrilling subject either. We did manage to watch a couple of videos from supernanny so that was good. Though I've still got no idea why people voluntarily go on the show knowing full well the country is going to find out what bad parents they were. I talked to my housemate and we agreed it was a sensitive subject. But then I thought somemore and realized... well... maybe these people love their kids so much they don't care what people think of them (or their parenting skills). All they care about is how to bring up their kids so they will be good people. I love my parents :))

I was doing my devotion this morning and came upon this passage that talked about sheeps. And so it said that sheeps need restoration because they have a tendency to stray and wander. They can be very stubborn and strong-willed, and can roam off the trail that the shepherd had marked out for them. When that happens, the shepherd must restore them to the right path. And when a sheep does manage to wander, it is in tremendous danger. But the sheep (being a sheep.....), don't realize how much danger is out there. A wild beast can suddenly turn a sheep into a meal. Or if it wanders a few steps off the trail and continue trudging along, it might soon find itself on a precarious rocky ledge.

Honestly, I can't recall how often I've strayed off the straight and narrow, putting myself in jeopardy without even realizing it. The number of times I've decided to go my own way instead of following Jesus, and became conscious right next moment how complicated and difficult life can get. And then I turn my eyes back to the captain - which I can do because the captain first came looking for me - and I realize that while I'm on God's path, there isn't really anywhere else I would rather be. Because right there is the safest place in the whole world.

Matthew 7:13-14
''Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few''.

Does God Want Us To Be Rich?

I have just paged through the latest edition of TIME magazine (September 18 2006) mentioned by Pastor Paul last sunday in church, and found it to be exeptionally interesting. You don't have to be a TIME fanatic to find the article; Splashed across the front page was a sparkling posh BMW with a cross at the end of the bonnet (the part of the car that extends from the front seat....) instead of the quintessential BMW logo accompanied by the big words: Does God want you to be rich? and a few obligatory short sentences explaining the title: Yes, say some megachurches. Others call it heresy. The debate over the new gospel of wealth.

The article started with a story about an american who lost his job and then proceeded to move his entire family to a different state just so he could attend a megachurch from which he had heard preached the gospel of prosperity. Inspired by the preacher's insistence that one of God's top priorities is to shower blessings on Christians in this lifetime - and by the corollary assumption that one of the worst things a person can do is to expect anything less - he marched in to the Gullo Ford company in Conroe and demanded to know what the dealership's top salesmen made - he was told that the average salesmen usually notch their first sale after 2 weeks. He got the job and banishing all doubts, he sold his first car within 4 days and was well on his way to buying his 25 acres dream house with horses and ponies, a barn, a pond and some cattles. And therein the principle of the gospel of wealth. Do you find such a view liberating? Or do you find it disturbing?

''Jesus died for our sins,'' he proceeded to say ''And that was the best gift God could have given us''. But is that all he would give us?

Matthew 16:26 asks
''What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?''

But why not gain the whole world plus your soul? Why would an awesome and mighty God want anything less for His children? The article states that for too long Christians have seen themselves as worthless sinners deserving of reprimands, which although is not wrong, sometimes takes us away from celebrating the fact that we are actually God's children whom He wants to bless. Why do some Christians look at the crucifix and mourn Jesus's death for us, while others see an empty cross and rejoice in the risen son of God, who hath takenth away the sins of the world?

Jesus says in John 10:10
''I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly''.
What does abundantly mean? Does it merely mean spiritual abundance? Or did Jesus meant material possesions as well? Would God bless our spiritual lifes abundantly and our physical lifes not so abundantly? Jesus did not die and get up off the Cross so we could live lives full of despair and disappointment. At the same time, I am not saying that we should always get what we ask for. But you cannot give what you do not have. If I am going to aid the impoverished man in getting a home or help the elderly woman feed her children, then I am going to have to have something with which to help.

Of course all Christians believe that wealth of any sort comes from God.
Deutoronomy 8:18 says
''Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth''.

Joyce Meyer (we are all familiar with her, she came to our church a couple of times :)) was quoted as saying, "Who would want to get in on something where you're miserable, poor, broke and ugly and you just have to muddle through until you get to heaven? I believe God wants to give us nice things."

In the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11-27) Jesus upholds savvy business practice (investing rather than saving) as a metaphor for spiritual practice. But immediately before in Luke 18:24-25 Jesus famously said, ''How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God''.

And in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:19
''Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal''.

Was it really wealth that was frowned upon in both verses? Or was it the inability to understand its relative worthlessness as compared with the riches of heaven?

When someone says that God does want us to be rich, others listen with scorn and react ''Well, he's preaching that everybody's going to be a millionaire.'' I don't think that's it. Rather, what was meant was that everybody can improve their lives. I think God wants us to be prosperous. I think He wants us to be happy. God wants us to have money to pay our bills. God wants us to send our kids to college. He wants us to be a blessing to other people. As long as we remember where our wealth comes from and not impart on it a position of greater importance than it deserves, obediently fulfill our duty by tithing the amount (or more) that we're supposed to, never letting money get in the way of our relationship with our Father and going about our Daddy's business with the rest of what we have, why would being rich be such a problem? You don't have to give up everything to be a Christian. Instead, you just see it as a sign of God's blessing.

Malachi 3:10
''Bring the whole tithe into my storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it''

At the same time the bible warns of the dangers of success. What could possibly come from getting all that you want?
Deutoronomy 8:13-14 says
''When your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery''

and again in verse 31:20
''When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant''.

So sadly, success can make dependence on God less of a need in our lives. For this reason, Moses kept urging, ''Remember!''. Remember the days of slavery in Egypt and God's acts in liberating you. Remember the trials of the vast, desolate desert and God's faithfulness there. Remember your special calling as God's own people. Do not forget all of these, now that you are a prosperous nation. And what happens when you remember? When you receive God's blessings and yet still remain faithful?

Luke 19: 26 says,
''I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away''.

Incidentally, one of the megachurches in America that preached the so-called prosperity gospel gave more than $1 million dollars in relief money to survivors after Hurricane Katrina. Now what could be so bad about that?