by William Upton, The National Pulse: New survey data suggests a significant number of noncitizens are voting in American elections in contravention of federal law. According to Rasmussen Reports, 97 percent of noncitizens polled acknowledged having voted for a candidate in the 2020 presidential election. Additionally, 79 percent of those unsure of their citizenship status said they voted for a presidential candidate […]

Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Doc Mack who currently is displayed on card number 483, from the Superstars of 2013 Collection.  Doc is the owner of an arcade in Brookfield, IL called The Galloping Ghost Arcade.   This is not your ordinary arcade of today; Doc has over600 arcade machines up and running for all to play.  It is the biggest arcade to date in the United States and has just broke the Guinness Book of World Records of most arcades in a single location.  You can play old classics such as Galego and Pac-Man or play some games of today such as The Grid, or Mortal Kombat X.  Doc is also the owner of Galloping Ghosts Productions which is currently working on the arcade game Dark Presence.  His company designs and builds arcade games for other arcades in his area.  Doc is a huge supporter of local and out of state video game events brining his personal machines for people to enjoy and try to break records on. Do you remember your first video game / arcade you played and what do you remember about it? I remember the first day my Dad brought home Pong and playing it for hours and hours.  In the arcades, Asteroids was the first game I ever played.  I remember being amazed to be out of the house playing and able to play video games. Did you ever think when you were younger you would be on a Video game Trading card? While I always knew I wanted to be in the gaming industry, I never thought I would be on a trading card for it.  It’s an honor for sure. When did you first meet Walter day and where was it at? We had met at the 2013 Iowa Icon event.  It was really an amazing day. If you could describe Walter Day in one word, what would that word be and why? Amazing – He has done so much for competitive gaming and is always such a positive and inspirational person. Are you still involved with gaming today, and what role do you play? Yes, I own Galloping Ghost Productions & the Galloping Ghost Arcade.  With Productions we get to create video games, and with the Arcade, we get to see thousands of people every week enjoying rare arcade games! What is your favorite portable gaming device? I’ve never been into portable gaming in general, but even though I haven’t played one in decades, I guess the Sega Nomad. Do you prefer PC or Console gaming and why? While I prefer arcade gaming, I like playing PC and console gaming equally.  I do tend to play a bit more console than PC though. What games today do you play and what are your favorite genres of games? From Classics to shooters or fighting to action platformers, or puzzle games I’m pretty diverse as far as what genres are of interest.  With the arcade it makes it hard to not play something different every day. If you could own one arcade game or pinball game, what would it be and why? I guess it would be NARC.  It was the first arcade game I ever bought.  Fortunately with the arcade I’m not limited to just having one! Growing up were you team Sega or Nintendo and why? SEGA!   It just had more games that appealed to me. Are video games aimed mainly at children, adolescents or adults? Games are designed for everyone and each game targets different audiences.  I think people lose sight of that sometimes and sometimes just make comments thinking that every game should be good for everyone.  It’s just not the case. Do you believe some Video Games are too violent and lead to violence in America today? I do not believe games are too violent.  I think every has their own levels of what they want to see, and if a games violence level is too much, than they should just not play it.  Violence has always been around long before video gaming.  To think that video games are a major cause of violence is a skewed response usually propelled by the media as it’s an easy way to push the blame from people.  If games weren’t targeted it would be something else like movies, or book, religion or emotions or anything. Do you prefer playing video games alone, against friends or online against the world and why? Personally, I like playing alone for console games.  I tend to spend a lot of time exploring and trying to figure the game out on a technical level.  For arcades, it depends, if I’m trying a game out the first time or going for a score, I prefer solo.   If I’m playing just for fun than with friends is always a good time. Which company makes the best games and why? Sega has always made so many great games for the arcade.  They usually brought a good level of innovation and always had very memorable characters. Do you learn anything from playing video games? Absolutely.  Gaming has taught me great levels of problem solving and patience.  Playing video games pushed me to start my own video game production company.    From that, I need to learn all aspects of development.  Graphic work, video work, photography, music, web design and much more.  Also because of the arcade, I’ve learn great communication, marketing and business skills.  Video games have opened up paths and reasons to learning that I am forever grateful for. Are video games good for relieving stress? I’d say so.  It really depends on the player.  While playing in itself may not always be a stress relief it is an amazing distraction.  I’ve seen player get stressed while playing in competitions and going for high scores.  I’ve seen people use gaming in so many ways to not only be a stress relief but to also help with tough times in their lives.  People, who are dealing with issues or are sad, can turn to gaming as a great outlet. Do you like it when Hollywood makes a movie from the video game? Not particularly.  I think the games themselves are capable of telling the same story the movie is trying to tell.  The stories in games can be so developed and you can see strong character development and it’s not confined to a 90 minute movie time frame.  Elements are so build up by gaming, usually the Hollywood adaption just can’t even come close.  When watching a movie based on a game I usually am so critical on it that questioning “Why did they do that?” or “Why did that get changed”, that I would probably be better off going and playing the game more than finishing watching the movie. http://www.gallopingghostarcade.com This is one of an ongoing series of articles based on the Walter Day Collection of e-sports/video gaming trading cards – check out more information at thewalterdaycollection.com. The post Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Doc Mack appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

A Prayer for When You’re Facing a Health CrisisBy Amanda Idleman  "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise." – Jeremiah 17:14 Our bodies so often betray us. They are not made to last, and the aches we feel as we age remind us that life here on Earth is short. We wither like the plants, here and then gone. In our fallen world, sickness, pain, and death follow us. Pain reminds us that this body we are given is merely a tent, housing us until the day we are made new in Heaven. This struggle against sickness and death brings suffering and uncertainty. When we find the lump, get the call, or feel the pain, anxiety sets in because we don't know what troubles tomorrow could hold. We often wonder why God! Why did my cells fail me? Why did my organ stop working? Does my DNA lead to suffering? It's impossible to understand why we each suffer in different ways but we do know that God never wastes our pain. In John 11 we read about Lazarus, Jesus' friend. While Jesus was out, Lazarus faced a health crisis that led to the rapid deterioration of his body. Jesus was summoned, but before he made it back to his friends, Lazarus' body gave out, and he died. The community was devastated, and Jesus empathized with their pain. However, Jesus promised that this suffering would be for God's glory! The grief and loss felt by the community would not be wasted; in the end, it would become a powerful testimony that verified that Jesus was the Son of God.  When we are in the place of Lazarus, we may wonder where Jesus is. Why is he taking his time to show up and heal us? Death may even feel like the end for those around us. We may not be able to see how God can make something beautiful out of our suffering. But Jesus sees us. He has not forgotten us. Jesus took his time to return to Lazarus because he knew the end of the story! He knew that not even death would get in the way of God's plan for Lazarus' life, and even in Lazarus' death, God would be glorified. Jesus never wastes our pain when he is our God and King.  We can trust God even when we get bad news or when someone we love is facing a health crisis. Remember Jesus wept for Lazarus and he does the same for us. He empathizes with our pain and promises to use the brokenness of this dying world for God's glory. Even better than that he tells us that he prepares a forever home for us in Heaven where there will be no more sickness, pain, suffering, or loss. No matter what we face today, we have the Heavenly promise that the best is yet to come! Death, where is your sting? The grave has been overcome by our King! If you got the call you hoped never to get, remember Jesus invites us to ask him for everything we need. Cry out for healing, ask him to be present in the midst of the suffering, and remember he is worthy of our praise even when the news is not what we hoped for.  Let's pray:  Jesus, I thank you that you weep with me. You are the God who sees me, and for that, I am so grateful. Even as I face a crisis, I stand on the promise in your word that if you are for me, then no one can be against me. You are a great healer, and I ask that if you are willing, you would take this pain away from me. God, use my story for your glory. Don't waste my pain. Even in this moment of desperation, I choose to worship you, to trust that you hold each and every day you have planned for me in your hands, and I choose to believe that I have hope no matter what the outcome of what happens to my body may be. Let me move forward with eternity in mind, remembering that even as our bodies fade, our soul grows closer to you. Amen.  Photo credit: ©GettyImages/kieferpix Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for My Daily Bible Verse Devotional and Podcast, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, the Daily Devotional App, she has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. She has most recently published a devotional, Comfort: A 30 Day Devotional Exploring God’s Heart of Love for Mommas. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram. Related Resource: Remember God’s Enduring Love for You in this Guided Meditation on Psalm 100! This guided Christian meditation from Psalm 100 will help you experience and praise God for his unending love for you. Become aware of God's presence with you, and praise God for his loyal and enduring love from the beginning of time and into the future. Listen to every episode of the So Much More Podcast on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer for When You’re Facing a Health Crisis – Your Daily Prayer – July 27 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Who are we, exactly? More importantly, who does God say we are?

If you got the call you hoped never to get, remember Jesus invites us to ask him for everything we need. Cry out for healing, ask him to be present in the midst of the suffering, and remember he is worthy of our praise even when the news is not what we hoped for.