It's Not a Game

In Colossians chapter 3, we see not only a list of sins, but the antidote to walking in their power:  
8 you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.   
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him...
So areas of darkness in which people commonly walk are identified in this passage - in fact, the Bible is replete with a list of activities that do not please God.   This leaves no doubt in so many areas how we should walk - we know what to do, but we don't do it.   Why?   Because we're selfish, vulnerable to temptation, and we live in a fallen world where there are so many factors to lure us away from Him.   But, the hope for our lives lies within our new nature, which has been activated, regenerated by the Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us the resources, including the power of His Spirit, in order to overcome the areas in which we fall.

In James 1, we read:
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

I think that the writer at PCMag.com said it quite well when he wrote that:

Talk Like a Pirate Day, Pi Day, and April Fools' Day are all holidays that were either made up by or adopted by the Internet, big time.

Years ago, April Fools' Day was a day to tie your brother's shoelaces together, or swap the salt with the sugar.  Then the Internet latched onto it...

If nothing else, it gives frustrated creative types a chance to stretch their legs and try to imagine what life would be like if only...this would happen. At its best, April Fools offers a gentle diversion into surrealism, such as audio accessories for cats. At its worst, April Fools is (another) chance for brands to take potshots at one another, continuing the age-old sniping that usually takes place on stage and within the courtroom.  

Of course, Google attempted to reinforce its title as perhaps the king of April Fools Day, with the announcement of Google Nose, which CNN Money says is still in beta mode, but its "aromabase" of more than 15 million "scentibytes" is sure to entertain, featuring such wondrous odors as airport terminal, used napkin and garlic breath.


The company also launched a new version of Maps called Treasure Mode, where people can take part in the hunt for Captain Kidd's long lost treasure. It looks like a yellowed 17th Century scroll, and the usual Street View mode is now equipped with a telescope-like filter.

And, Google made the announcement that YouTube was about to go away, that it was merely to collect videos, which would now be judged by an illustrious panel of judges.

Not to be outdone, Twitter announced its site is now a paid service, and that only "premium" users will get to use vowels. Everyone else will be forced into consonant-only microblogging on its basic service, Twttr, which would encourage an even more "efficient and dense form of communication."

Sony unveiled its new "Animalia" electronics line, designed exclusively for pets.  It includes kitty headphones and a paw-friendly remote control.

And so it goes - well, Mark Hachman at PCMag.com says that "the best April Fools' sendup we've seen this year is the Toshiba Shibasphere, which pokes gentle fun at the Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox peripheral. At this point, a corporate spoof almost demands a supporting video, which Toshiba delivers. Impenetrable jargon? Check. And, of course, killer specs."

The Toshiba corporate page says that:

Extraordinary innovation packed into every spherical inch makes this the most intense game console ever conceived by Toshiba. Forget controllers and cameras. The Shibasphere's 809.3b infrared motion detection captures your every move in incredible high resolution and puts you right in the action. And with Toshiba's exclusive Logical Aggression Monitoring, your gaming experience will be all smiles.

What caught my attention was this Logical Aggression Monitoring, which is designed to keep your anger in check while you're playing the game.   Can you imagine if that concept were transferred to real life?   Strap on this gaming console as you're weaving through rush-hour traffic?   Maybe it gives you a little boost when you're in a delicate situation at the office?   Or you turn it up to extra-sensitive when things wear a bit thin with the kids?   Wow - what a concept.

But, wait a minute, the believer in Christ has a failsafe system already built in to our spiritual makeup.  The Holy Spirit serves as our Logical Aggression monitor - the One who can keep our emotions in check, who can sensitize us when our anger, frustration, or worry levels are about to go into overload.   He can mitigate those stimuli that would cause us to fly off the handle.   Meditation on and application of the Scriptures can help re-wire our emotions, so that we think and act in accordance with God's ways and display the character of Christ.   Who needs the silly Shibasphere anyway - we have the real thing; powerful tools available to us this very moment.