Last week I wrote about an upcoming move from Fox based on Magic: The Gathering. Writing about the upcoming move brought back fond memories of building decks, buying booster packs and battling my friends. Those memories were fond enough to lead to action. After a 20-year hiatus I bought some Magic cards and stepped back onto the battlefield.
One of the best parts about doing youth ministry is hanging out with our younger leaders. A lot of our leaders are former students and, as they get older, our relationships change. They go from students to friends, people that I enjoy hanging out with.
This reality has also helped my desire to play Magic. I needed some friends with whom I could play Magic. I knew I couldn’t convince my wife. My older, married friends didn’t have time for such juvenile pursuits. Thankfully I’ve got 19-21-year-old friends who were willing to start down the Magic path with me.
We each bought a Deck Builders kit that had nearly 300 cards. From those we assembled our decks and assembled for battle. I also downloaded Magic for my iPad so I could sharpen my skills and get a better sense of the rules.
In the past week a lot of my free time has been committed to playing Magic and I couldn’t be any happier.
I really loved playing Magic and other customizable card games when I was in junior high. All of my nerdy pursuits brought me so much happiness. Unfortunately, my nerdy pursuits also brought me a lot of bullying. So, in order to find my place in the junior high social ladder, I sacrificed a lot of my nerdiness, including Magic.
Like the prodigal son, though, Magic has returned to my life. And, like the loving father, I am welcoming it back with open arms.
What are your experiences with Magic: The Gathering? What nerdclinations did you once abandon but pick up again?
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