Poker Day 574: Race Day

Monaco had Formula 1. Indianapolis had IndyCar. Suburban Charlotte had NASCAR. And we had our own version of racing today - at the Jack Casino poker room. In fact, several races were in the cards....

BLINDS: 600/1,200/1,200 ante (Big Blind only)

IN THE POCKET: Q of hearts-Q of clubs

The Sunday brunch poker tournament has a deep stack - 25,000 chips for early birds. We built ours to 28,200 in the early going. But then setbacks knocked us down to 12,200 at the 90-minute first break. Now we have only 7,600 left, and are looking for something to start a rally. With players to our right at this table of eight raising to 3,200, this had better be it.

"I'm all-in," we say; "76 trombones led the big parade."

This reference sparked a discussion of Broadway musicals. We performed in this one in high school. A young man to our right knew right away it was The Music Man, because he'd seen the movie on cable TV.

But oh yes, the hand: two men across from us call. But the man to our immediate right then goes all-in as well - with a lot more chips than we have! This doesn't look good. A man across from us thinks for a long time, then folds. The musical buff to the right ponders, then calls.

Now it's show-and-tell time. The big re-raiser has.... 3-3! The musical fan went for it with 8-10!

"You mean I'm in the lead?!?!" we say with surprise as we show our cards. Suddenly this feels good, but anything could still happen....

ON THE FLOP: As-6s-9c

Thankfully, no one has an Ace. But the Music Man has a straight draw.

ON THE TURN: 4s

 This is more trouble, because the opposing pair includes 3s. Can we dodge all the bullets?

ON THE RIVER: 2c

We do! The "76 trombones" turn into a full, quadrupled-up big band of 35,200 chips!

That started another of those amazing second-hour rallies for us. An all-in gamble with pocket 5's won a race. Q-7 in the Big Blind brought a 6-10 straight on the river. Add a heart flush, and we survived to the final table at 24,300!

Patiently waiting for good cards paid off there. A push with A-7 looked bad against A-K, but a 7 on the board brought a gain to 84,000. A-Q led to two pair on the flop, and he jumped to 208,000. A Big Blind win made our high chip mark 249,500!

With 28 people playing, the top three would earn money. With four players left, we still had 155,500 amid massive blinds and antes. All fours agree to pay a "Bubble Boy" $20 - and the ma who appeared likely to take that title then hit a series of big hands, to eliminate someone else.

After a few more minutes of play, that man suggested a three-way chop of the prize money. The man with a huge stack had been gunning for the win, but after some setbacks was ready to settle. Of course, we accepted as well.

After more than four hours of holiday weekend "work," all three of us took home $560. That's our biggest one-day payoff since 2015, our second cash in a row and our third in 11 tournaments this year. We praise God for the success He's providing!

MINISTRY MOMENT: We were saddened as we drove to the casino, due to news this weekend that a familiar voice from our old home area had died. Rod Bramblett of Auburn University sports was killed with his wife in a Saturday night SUV crash.

"The good news," we told a woman sitting next to us, "is that I believe in a resurrection of the dead."

The woman indicated she believes in that as well. We let it go there - but perhaps we should have probed deeper to see if she believes in Who will bring it.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies...." - John 11:25

At the time when Jesus Christ walked the earth, many Jews (but not all) believed in a resurrection of the dead:

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." - John 11:23-24

But Jesus went farther - declaring He was the resurrection. He did it in this section of the Bible with Lazarus (verses 43-44). And He plans to do it on a grander scale when he returns to Earth....

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. - John 14:3

Where will Jesus take the dead? Contrary to what you may have heard, it's not a place in heaven:

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem... Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. - Zechariah 14:3-5

Some believers in God had an understanding of His plan to save humankind, even before Jesus came the first time. The next time, there will be no doubt:

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.... - Revelation 1:7

If you're feeling down or depressed as the U.S. marks Memorial Day over the loss of a loved one, consider these Bible promises carefully. Jesus will come again, bringing a resurrection (actually more than one - check Revelation 20 for more about that). The dead will live again. What a wonderful time that will be!

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 220 final tables in 574 games (38.3%) - 48 cashes. Since we passed the 500-tournament mark in April 2017, we've made exactly half of our final tables!

Poker Night 570: Club Crackers

Many poker rooms have cash game "bad beat jackpots", by the hour or based on a particular combination of cards. Players in tournaments usually don't qualify for them. That's too bad - because we were in the middle of one Wednesday night at Hollywood Casino Indiana:

BLINDS: 75/150

IN THE POCKET: Ace of clubs-7 of hearts

The dealers have not been kind to us so far. Few quality cards have come, yet we bluffed two of them into a modest pot at one point. This Ace is worth trying, especially with no one at the table of eight raising. We call, and about four players get in.

ON THE FLOP: 6c-8c-As

There's the top pair, right there! The play checks to us, and we bet 250. Two players call - and as they do, we note those clubs. If more of them, we feel secure with the "nuts" card.

ON THE TURN: 7c

There's a fourth club - and while we don't notice it right away, we have two pair. We check to see if our opponents are trigger-happy. Sure enough - a man to our left bets 550. Then a man to our right raises to 1,500! What's going on here? Does someone have a pocket pair which turned into three of a kind?

We ponder this a moment, then consider we have about 11,000 chips. It's our biggest risk of the night so far, but decide it's worth taking. We call. So does the man who raised first.

ON THE RIVER: Ad

Yes!! Our persistence leads to a full house.We check once more. So does the man to our left. But the player to the right goes all-in, for 4,550! This is the moment we've been waiting for.

"I'll call," we say with no hesitation.

"I'll fold. Your full house is good," says the man to the left.

"I actually have a full house," we say as we show. Surely we've won this big....

"But he has a straight flush," the dealer points out.

WHAT?!?! Sure enough - the man who pushed displays 5-9 of clubs! He won the pot on the turn, and his bet tried to warn us - but we pushed on to our hurt.

That bad beat was a big blow to us, leaving our stack at 4,250. We fought back with some good rounds in the blinds, reaching 7,550 at the one-hour break and surviving to the final table with 5,500. In our first hand after arriving there, we went for the bundle by going all-in with A-J of clubs.

Trouble is, two other players pushed as well - one with A-J, the other with A-K. Another King on the turn secured that other player a huge pot and a double take-out. We finished the evening tied for ninth out of 17 players (officially tenth).

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Welcome to Hollywood, the place where dreams come true. What's your dream?"

Our first dealer said this several times. We thought it was from a commercial for the casino. He eventually explained it's a line from the movie Pretty Woman. But when he asked us that question, we were thrown for a moment.

"My dream is that this is a nice flop," we answered first. (It was the pre-flop bidding.)

After the flop (which, we should note, was not that nice for us), we had a better answer. "I have other dreams, though. I dream of Jesus Christ coming back to set up the Kingdom of God on this earth."

That should be the ultimate dream of a believer in Jesus. Yet this is a "dream" in our modern-day thinking about them. The Old Testament of that Bible talks about many dreams, which were actually messages from God. But there's also this moment....

When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.... - Psalm 126:1-2

Some Bible commentaries indicate this was written to celebrate Israel's return to Jerusalem in the era of Ezra and Nehemiah. We'd call it a "dream come true" for that people.

There are many dreams that only God can bring to pass. Only God can bring back Jesus Christ, although we can pray deeply for it (Revelation 22:20). But sometimes, your dream depends a lot on you....

It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them. - Proverbs 13:19 (NLT)

Could God be blocking a dream in your life, because of your evil ways - or, in old-fashioned language, your sins? This verse certainly indicates that. So do some others....

...You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:2-3

Bottom line: Pray for God to fulfill your dreams - but check your own life first. Is your motive for the dream proper? Or would it take you down a funnel into deeper sin and more trouble? This is a good time of year for "self-examination" (II Corinthians 13:5) of all our lives.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 217 final tables in 570 games (38.1%) - 46 cashes. Since passing the 500-game mark, we've made 34 final tables out of 70 games. That's one game short of 50 percent!

Naming Names

People around our poker tables are speaking well of the new poker-themed movie Molly's Game. It's based on a true story - the sort of story federal prosecutors in Kansas still are writing.

Courtesy KWCH.com

An FBI investigation we first mentioned 11 months ago now has led to indictments in our area. A former state trooper is accused of lying about his involvement in an illegal "home game". Two former police officers are charged with obstructing law enforcement. One man already has pleaded guilty to "operating an illegal gambling business."

The scene of the alleged crimes is described as a place with video surveillance equipment (to spot cheaters, or thieves?), hired poker dealers and a server who provided massages.

While all the suspects are innocent until proven guilty, you'd think the three law officers would have known better. Simply playing such a game was "cheating the system." And the Bible warns against such things....

"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the Lord Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations." - Malachi 1:14

OK, animal sacrifices have nothing to do with our story. But take that part out, and these words remain:

"Cursed is the cheat... For I am a great king," says the Lord Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations."

If you break the laws of man, you risk being broken by them. If you break God's law, you should be fearful - because you risk His judgment as well.

Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?.... - I Corinthians 6:8-9

A lengthy, potentially controversial list of "wicked" traits follows - including "thieves" and "the greedy" (verse 10). We get the feeling from the indictment that this home game was for much more than pennies or M&M's.

We've said it before and we'll say it again: if you're going to play poker, do it legally. There are many ways to do it - online or in freeroll events, if you want to avoid casinos.

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. - I Thessalonians 5:21-22 (KJV)

You might not win as much money, but it still will be every bit as fun and exciting (see our most recent post for an example of that). Hopefully you'll leave not only with a clean conscience, but a clean record before God.

In the Presence of a Princess

We don't watch poker movies - to be honest, we scarcely watch any movies - but word came today that another one is on the way.



Courtesy JustJared.com

The trailer was released for Molly's Game, the story of an Olympic skier who becomes a "poker princess." She develops a private poker game with a star-studded clientele of players. The first reviews indicate it's a true story. And the back story is a bit lurid - with one Hollywood star reportedly offering her $1,000 to "bark like a seal."

Would you ask someone from a real royal family to do something like that? Somehow, we doubt it. But what if we said you're walking in front of royalty all the time - every day?

For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. - Psalm 47:7

Ace may be the high card in poker, but God is the highest King of all. And He's paying attention to all of us, whether you want Him to do it or not.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth.... - Psalm 33:13-14

An old song said, "God is watching us from a distance." But it won't be that way forever - because God plans to send a King named Jesus who will get close. Too close for comfort, some might say....

"So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud the laborers of their wage, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the Lord Almighty. - Malachi 3:5

If those traits describe you - perhaps committing "perjury" with your poker hand, or something worse - it's time to "fear God." Here's how you do it, for starters....

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.- Ecclesiastes 12:13

And so we'll conclude our own matter here. Obey God. He's watching. He's planning to testify against your sins. And living as if you're in front of royalty can be a noble thing to do.

A Redeeming Moment

A man at the poker table took a big loss. His stack of chips was quite low. But a few hands later, he went all-in and won. He more than doubled up.

"Redemption," he said with a sigh and a smile.

"Jesus Christ is my redemption," we said quietly in response.

We're not sure if anyone caught what we said. But do you catch it? What sort of redemption are we talking about?

"Redemption" is a big religious-sounding word. But it's an important word, that's all over the Bible in various forms....

Therefore, say to the Israelites: "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment." - Exodus 6:6

The classic movie The Ten Commandments isn't 100-percent Biblical, but it told an ancient story of Israel coming out of Egypt. The nation was "redeemed" from slavery, with the goal of becoming servants of God. And yet the Bible also says....

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. - Psalm 130:7-8

Huh - redemption again? Yes, because this isn't from physical bondage. This is spiritual - about being redeemed from sin. And it's not only Israel that needs it:

...For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. - Romans 3:23-24

We all need to be redeemed from sin. If we aren't, we're doomed to eternal death (Hosea 13:14). But Jesus came to Earth to change all that....

When Jesus came.... he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. - Hebrews 9:11-12

If we might go deeper for a moment: we heard a preacher say recently that God the Father is "the redeemer", with Jesus the Son being "the redemption." And yet....

...Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. - Isaiah 60:16

Both "God" and Jesus Christ are described as "Savior" in the New Testament. So why can't they both be considered "Redeemer" as well? (Remember, Jesus was God who became flesh.)

Parsing of words aside, you can be redeemed from the death penalty through Jesus Christ. Will you accept Him, and take Him up on that great offer?

Even Steven

We'd planned to address a different topic in this post. But we're a journalist by trade, so breaking news always takes top priority. Especially when it's about arguably the most famous poker player in our city.

No, it's not us.

He's Brandon Steven, a Wichita businessman who's had some success in major poker events. Steven disclosed Tuesday he's the target of an FBI investigation - and he thinks his high-stakes poker games are part of the reason.

A lot of rumors are swirling about this case, but we're going to stick to what's on public record. Steven has cashed 13 times at the World Series of Poker, earning close to $2 million. He almost made the November Nine at the Main Event in 2010. And as for high-stakes: he's had two top-ten finishes in the WSOP "One-Drop" - the game with a buy-in of more than $100,000.

But is Steven playing high-stakes game in our area? In a newspaper interview Tuesday, an attorney had these telling words:

Around Wichita, Joseph said, “It’s not a big secret” that large poker games have been going on.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article132777274.html#storylink=cpy

And that could be the problem. We documented here the Wichita police crackdown on poker rooms last winter. They're all out of business now. And those tournaments were small; we could play on a Thursday night for less than $20. If large games are happening these days outside a casino, they're against the law.

This is why in our state, we only play in tournaments that are above-board - either at casinos, or freeroll tournaments either in person or online. We're reminded....

Everyone must submit themselves to the governing authorities.... it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. - Romans 13:1, 5

We must emphasize here that we don't know if Brandon Steven broke any laws. That will be up to a prosecutor and a jury to determine. But no one is above the law - not even Steven. And that's true in more than a local legal sense:

...For there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted.... - Romans 13:1-2

A song from the last decade encouraged people to "fight the powers that be." But God made those powers "be" by putting them in place. It's far better to stay under them, whether you like them or not:

Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid.... - Romans 13:3-4

An old movie had the title Do the Right Thing. (A friend of ours who saw it told us it was mostly about doing the wrong thing.) Doing what is right not only pleases God, but usually keeps you away from investigations.

We'll keep tracking the Steven case. But in the meantime, as those "gambling help" brochures say, play responsibly - not to mention legally.

The Direct Line

"Do you go to movies?" a man at our poker table asked a man on the other side.  "You should go to see War Room.  That's a good movie."  Others at the table had seen it and agreed.

"It's all about praying to Jesus," the man continued.

Uh-oh.  Do you see a problem with that comment?  Some Christian ministers do -- even ministers who believe strongly in Jesus Christ.  They say you should pray only to God the Father.  Sorting out this question can get a bit complex.

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. - Luke 6:12

Jesus was sent by God the Father to be our Savior.  And the Bible shows Jesus indeed is God (John 1:1).  But when it came time to pray, Jesus did not engage in "self-talk" to pump Himself up -- the way some poker players might before a big tournament.

"My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.  I and the Father are one." - John 10:29-30

We're led to conclude Jesus prayed to God the Father -- and to some extent, He still does today.

Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. - Romans 8:34

So does that mean we should direct our prayers toward Jesus the Son, not God the Father?

And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. - John 14:13-14 (KJV)

The New International Version says this in verse 14: "You may ask me for anything in my name...." - as in asking Jesus directly. Other translations we checked agree. But the King James hints at directing prayers toward the Father. And Jesus recommends this elsewhere:

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" - Luke 11:13  (NASB)

So prayers to God the Father are proper.  Prayers directly to Jesus may be proper at times.  If you have more Bible verses to share to help us sort this issue out, please leave some in a comment.

Whatever you do, though, we do not recommend praying to "the poker gods."  The Bible shows those are not really gods at all:

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. - I Chronicles 16:26

Running for What?



Photo courtesy Washington Post

Have you heard about the next big poker movie?  Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck have a drama coming out in October called Runner Runner.  We'll save details about the plot for another day -- but we're thinking about that title.

Regular poker buffs know the phrase "runner runner".  It refers to the turn and river cards in Texas Hold 'em.  If you have three cards to a flush (let's say diamonds) after the flop, then diamonds are dealt on the turn and river, you hit the flush "runner runner."

We're not sure how that phrase developed -- but if you think about it, all poker players in a tournament are "runners" in a way.  They're in a race to gain chips, as blinds go up and options become more difficult.

And beyond that, everyone is "running" whether they play poker or not.  We're running in a race called life.  A Biblical writer looked at it that way:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize. - I Corinthians 9:24

Yes, there's a prize at the end of the race.  For poker players, the goal is to finish in the money.  What's the prize on the road course of life?

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:14

Really - God's handing out prizes to runners?!  That's what Jesus says....

Behold, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. - Revelation 22:12

Jesus will reward faithful followers when He comes back to earth.  Tonight marks the start of a fall "holy day season" which pictures that return, as well as that reward.

It begins with what Jews call Rosh Hashanah, the "Jewish New Year."  In ancient Israel, it was celebrated by blowing trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-24).  The book of Revelation indicates many trumpets will sound in heaven, right before Jesus comes back.

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." - Revelation 11:15

Jesus will rule the world -- and then His "runners" will receive (at the minimum) the reward of eternal life.

If you'd like to read more about the upcoming holy day and the return of Christ, this study guide provides plenty for you to consider.  Review it with an open Bible.  Then ask yourself: are you really running to win the ultimate "jackpot" God has to offer?

Why We Do What We Do

Regular readers probably have guessed we keep a lot of statistics about our poker playing.  One such stat sparked a conversation Sunday during a National League of Poker tournament....

Me: 　Attendance today 969
Me: 　up 88 from last Sunday
rmwats: 　I thought u meant at church
Dealer: 　PrimeMatador wins Main Pot ($1,050) with One pair, threes
Me: 　No. Here
Me: 　I normally go to church on Saturday
The "attendance" was the number of players in the field.  The day we worship might be surprising -- but it's the day Jesus kept when He was on Earth....

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues.... - Luke 13:10

Jesus met with Jews on the seventh-day Sabbath, since that was His lineage.  He declared the launch of a "church" (Matthew 16:18), but that didn't get going until after the Lord ascended to heaven (Acts 2).  But the chat continues....

Me: 　but tonight is a special Lord's Supper
Me: 　service.
rmwats: 　i see  
Me: 　New Testament Passover
rmwats: 　7 day adventis
Me: 　No. United Church of God
Several small Christian groups held their annual "communion" services Sunday night -- following the traditional Jewish calendar, as opposed to "Holy Week" of mainstream Christianity.  That's not all they do:

Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast -- as you really are.  For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. - I Corinthians 5:7-8

What sort of "Festival" is this?  The answer is found in several scattered parts of the Old Testament.

Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you.... - Exodus 23:15

Long before the Atkins Diet and "gluten-free" menus, worshipers of God went one week a year without leavened bread.  The rest of verse 15 shows it originally was a commemoration of the exodus from Egypt (as in the movie The Ten Commandments).  But in New Testament times, Paul revealed it indicates a switch from sinful behavior (malice and wickedness) to "truth" -- as in....

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

Would you like to know more -- and perhaps try this "one-week diet" for yourself?  This article goes into the Spring Festival in more detail.  We're away from the poker tables in part because of that festival.  But anytime is a good time to put sin out of your life, and draw close to God's truth -- even if your poker style is bluffing.

What (or Who) Counts Most

We started this poker ministry blog in 2008 with big dreams, but admittedly small expectations.  Little did we know there are other Christians with similar ideas, seemingly accomplishing much more.

 

We learned this weekend about a documentary called Holy Rollers, featuring a team of "card-counting Christians."  The group of young men includes at least one church pastor, and their mission appears to be entering casinos and winning massive sums of money at blackjack tables (they succeed often because they can count the cards in the shoe).

 

All we've seen of this film is the trailer -- and just as you can't judge a book by its cover, we realize you can't judge a movie by a three-minute promotional clip.  But based on the trailer and a couple of online reviews, we'll take a stab at "judging righteous judgment" (John 7:24) and making a few tentative conclusions.

 

1.  One review says the "Church Team" tithes on its casino winnings.  That's a proper Biblical thing to do.

 

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

 

The concept of tithing goes all the way back to Abram in Genesis 14 -- giving a tenth of your "spoil" or winnings to God.  If it's considered income, we count it.

 

2. The Church Team gets giddy at times about the massive amounts of money it "liberates" from casinos.  But is that the team's top priority -- and should it be?

Paul warned ministers should have their priorities in order:

 

It is true that anyone who desires to be a church official wants to be something worthwhile.  That's why officials must have a good reputation.... They must be self-controlled, sensible, well-behaved.... kind and gentle and not love money. - I Timothy 3:1-3, CEV

 

We might make hundreds of dollars in a poker room -- but when the game is over, we personally feel guilty if we haven't done the "ministry" part.  And connected to that....

 

3. The documentary shows a baptism (of whom we're not sure) -- but is this "Church Team" doing any witnessing to people inside the casinos?

It's one thing to take thousands of dollars out the door.  But it's another to leave something behind -- at least some kind of gospel message for the casino staff or players to consider.

 

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead.... I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction. - II Timothy 4:1-2

 

Perhaps the Church Team does this when it's confronted by casino security workers.  But talking too much about Jesus at a blackjack table probably would "blow their cover," and perhaps distract them from the card count.

 

What thoughts come to your mind, when it comes to this topic and this documentary?  Leave them in our comments section, and we may address them in upcoming posts.