It's a cold, cloudy Sunday afternoon here in Oregon.  I'm sitting in my recliner, involved in my favorite Fall pastime...watching football  (specifically my Dallas Cowboys).  My family's yet-decorated Christmas tree is standing next to me, waiting for the night game to start so we can perform, if you will, the family tradition of adding our ornaments, lights, and more to the Douglas Fir we bought a couple days ago.

I suffer from cliche-dropping at times, so excuse me when I say...I've started down the path I take each year of reflecting on the past year.  Personally, it hasn't been an easy year.  The physical deaths of family and friends (ranging from 30 to 93 years old) marrs the past 12 months.  A few big relationships have died, as well.  My business has really took a hit this year, and that affects my family is multiple ways.  Health issues with my wife brought some fear that I may not celebrate this Christmas with the love of my life and the most wonderful mom any mom could be to our two beautiful daughters.

At the same time, there has been an overwhelming amount of good things/high times/upbeat events in 2009.  One daughter started middle school, while the other started Kindergarten.  Old friendships have been strengthened, new
friendships have begun, and many of us in my large extended family have rediscovered the importance of family.  My marriage is as good as it's ever been, even with all the ups and (recent) downs.
I'm doing some extra work for my vendor and volunteering where I can (like at Emily's Kindergarten class and here at ISI).  My wife seems to have rebounded to 'normal' (still don't have answers).  We were able to purchase our first new car ever, which was major for us.  We have shelter, heat, and food.  We have each other.

Of course, the biggest and best thing we have is the love and faithfulness of our Father, Who has never left us, never stopped loving us, never stopped providing for us.

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Here at ISI...well, there are a lot of parallels that I can draw between what's gone on in my life this year and what's transpired at ISI.  I don't pretend to know *everything* that's gone down, but you'd have to be totally blind not to see that this has been a rollercoaster year.
When you are involved in an online community such as ours, it's SO difficult to maintain healthy relationships.  Not all of us have the benefit of sitting down to dinner with other members, or go out to coffee, or see them in church or at work or school during the week.  (We're lucky to even see pictures of ISI folks in our member's forum.)  The point is...the number of ways most of us can truly connect with each other are so few.

We who call ourselves a part of ISI are in a very unique demographic.  In a time when the media continues to report that the numbers of PC gamers are declining, the reach of Christian gaming clans (such as ISI) seems to be greater than ever, even crossing over to the other gaming platforms.
This isn't because of anything any person or group of people can do on their own.  It's not due to fast servers or playing popular games.  You can't give the credit to the endless efforts of those who try to keep hackers and cheaters at bay.
The credit for any reach or success that ISI can enjoy is due to the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is by His direction that we should do anything in life, and it is by His mercy and undying love for us that we even "live, move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

It is this Man, our Savior, whose birth we celebrate at this time of the year.  It is the gift of Jesus that our God gave to us that we claim as "the greatest Gift of all."  He was given to all mankind, that nobody should have to face life without hope.  He was sent so that all could have eternal life (John 3:16).

Jesus is not only the "reason for the season," but among other things, the reason ISI exists.  Sure, we love to game.  We enjoy the privilege of being able to play on servers where people care about playing fair and by the rules.  We also get to play with others who try to live their lives to God's glory.  But above all, we get to share with others the hope that life with Jesus can bring.  I think we have something special going on here, eh?

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If you're reading this and are in need of some hope, please don't hesitate to make contact, either in the forums, in Vent, or in game.  There is hope!

If you have some hope to give, please give it in some way.  Help at a homeless shelter or do something nice for someone.  In some way, please take advantage of the opportunity to share the hope of Jesus.

Merry Christmas, and may God bless each of us and ISI in 2010!