Update
It’s been an interesting week. If you haven’t been following along on this blog, I’ll give you the quick run down. After I wrote the “Lightning Strikes” post below about my weekend in Vegas, I got to hang out on Sunday with an old friends who’s a professional poker player. I hit a milestone which I wrote about. Potentially being able to make a career and ministry out of this game.
But the rest of week was filled with ups and downs. It all culminated today with what I wrote about my experiences. After winning a big hand online with 95 off suit (a really crappy hand for you non-poker players), here’s what I wrote:
…upon putting the right read on my opponent, I was able to play the rest of the hand well. Probably the best I’ve ever played a hand to date.
But now I think I’m getting a little too sucked into the game, the competitiveness, the adrenaline, the roller coaster ride, and the deception. I’m pretty laid back and its not in my nature to be this way.
I need to find a little perspective as to whether all this stress is for me or not. I can see how this could affect relationships with friends, family, and one’s outlook on life. So I may take a little break from the game to figure that out. Either I’ll come back refreshed and renewed, or decide that this is not for me professionally… just something I do for fun.
I wrote that about a week ago. And with time to reflect, I ask myself the same question again… Can poker as a ministry work? My maybe-yes answer from before is now leaning towards a maybe-no. Yes, loving on these folks is easy, and building solid relationships will take time which is true in any area. That is the nature of living your life out in faith.
But that’s contradictory to the nature of the game as described above. It sucks you in. It sucked me in for the short time that I played seriously. If you don’t have that accountability with others who share your perspective, it can be a long dark road to find your way back. I’m glad there those that’ll keep me on the right track.
So where does that leave me? Still on a poker hiatus except for our friendly Monday night games. And probably on a path back to a “real” job. Hopefully something to do with design, photography, travel, new media, non-profits, ministry, or any combination of the above.
