This is the Truth Network. Manger and Danger. A pastor has invented an amazing Christmas board game, and he's a Truth Network pastor, and we're in a coffee shop. It feels like I hop from coffee shop to coffee shop.
Sometimes I gotta get decaffed faster, but you're fully caffeinated when your wife came up with this idea. What is this? board game and how can listeners have some fun with this over the holidays? Getting back to the true meaning. Yeah, I'm glad you clarified that my wife invented it, but yeah, I know.
You credit where credit's due, right? Exactly. Maybe five years ago, you know, Elf on the Shelf was all the rage, and we wanted to develop Christmas traditions. And my wife was like, You know, I don't want to do elf on the shelf, not that we're against elves or anything like that, but we said we wanted to do something that put Christ at the center. And so that Christmas, she said, Hey, let's play a different game.
Let's play a game called Manger in Danger. And she was playing off that whole period where Herod the Great just heard from the Magi that there was a king in Bethlehem and he killed all the children under two years old seeking to kill the Messiah. And so my wife explained that to our children. And using that story said, the manger's in danger. And hid the manger, and our kids were out of the room.
And you know, just loved trying to find the manger and just. It interwove the whole Christmas story into our lives. And so we built a devotional. that uh teaches the kids The entire Nativity story through the month of December as they play the game.
So the whole family gets involved. It's fun, but there's also a redemptive component, and almost like everyone has these Advent devotions, Advent meditations.
So it's really connecting, leading up to that Christmas time where we really are celebrating the real meaning. Yeah, that's right. And so we play the game.
So the kids love finding the manger.
Sometimes it's like, I mean, we do it like 20 times a day because, you know, each kid will, you know, so-and-so found it. I want to find it. And so we'll hide it. And, you know, it just goes on and on. But then at night, What I do is I take the devotion.
I said, you know, last night I sat all the kids down. And the devotion is pretty short, it has scripture. Last night we were studying Isaiah 9 and the four titles that Isaiah gives to Christ. Wonderful counselor. Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
We were going through those four titles, and the kids are studying that, interacting with it. And we're just studying how all of the Bible points to the incarnation of Jesus.
So, yeah, it gets the gospel to the kids.
So, we were fortunate enough two years ago. A publisher said, Hey, we want to make this available to families everywhere. And so the Lord did it. And so, yeah, you can buy it now on Amazon. You're like a redeemed Willy Wonka out here, brother, with this cool Christian board game.
Great timing for Christmas. He is Pastor Grant Castleberry. He's got a great radio program. Many of you may have heard it on different stations that are listening to this program right now. It's called Unashamed Truth.
He loves Jesus. He's written a new book called The Honor of God, which is really a blessing, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. What is it about? A pastor being involved with a board game. I mean, what's that like?
Just give us some kind of raw. Like, have you ever pinched yourself? Like, what am I doing? This is kind of cool, but it's different. Never imagined it.
But I will say One of the things that has brought me the most joy in doing it is I love families, they will text me pictures. Of their kids playing the game and their families doing the devotion. And it just brings me so much joy to see children. Learning the truth of Christ, the most important truth in the world. I mean, there's nothing better than that, than reaching the next generation.
So I love it. I love it. I know it, and I've been in your home, and as a pastor, You're big on discipleship, but that's got to start in the home.
So, anything like this, maybe, can help stimulate that. Mentoring discipleship, pointing your kids in the direction of Christ instead of just handing them a device and saying, Okay, go to the next room. Mom and I are tired of you screaming. Yeah, I mean, all it takes is 15-20 minutes. and each devotion that I that is in the book.
has the scripture Maybe three or four paragraphs, 300 words, and then discussion questions.
So it's basically dummy proof. And so you can do it. And I will say it's probably age. Four to five. And our our kids are 2 to 14.
And I've got a six-year-old. And, you know, so last night, though, he's there, he's listening, and my six-year-old. And, you know, they love it. How can people get this game in a book or a game, or is it kind of like a little bit of both? It looks like a box.
Okay. But inside the box comes the manger that you can hide. Super durable. They tested it, they dropped it from like different heights and things like this. A kid can't swallow it.
So it comes with a manger, a background, and then it comes with the devotion book that you can use along with the game. And it has instructions and all of that. Pastor, how do people get a hold of this book? I never thought a pastor would be sharing information, but I think this is kind of cool. Like, I'm thinking about my.
Five-year-old grandson, he would probably go nuts over this thing. What's the best way for folks? Like me, who I might not be the brightest knife in the drawer, but I sure would like to find out more and get a copy, get a game.
So we have it at unashamedruth.org, so you can order it straight from us. You can also order it from the publisher 316 Publishing.
So just search 316 Publishing, they have it. And it's on Amazon as well. Unashamed Truth.org. And they also listen to your great sermons. And that's a good way to support your ministry.
I've heard in the past where you say, hey, you know, send us a ministry gift, send us a couple hundred bucks or 10 bucks or whatever, and we'll send you this as a little expression of thanksgiving. A lot of folks at the end of the year are trying to donate to ministries like yours that are truly preaching the gospel. What's the website, Unashamed Truth? Is that what you said? Unashamed Truth.org.
You can get the game there. And then I would also say we do a quarterly magazine called Logic on Fire. It's a hat tip to Martin Lloyd-Jones, and it promotes truth, experiential Christianity.
So subscribe to the magazine. That would be a huge help to us. And you get something in return. What's your word out there to a lot of folks? You know, it's very.
In vogue to get so caught up in all the materialism and all the nonsense and the chaos. Even the church sometimes caters and does more entertainment than we do solid gospel presentation. What's your challenge to keep our eyes on Jesus, to keep our eyes focused? I think it's the goal of the game anyway, but what is your challenge, Pastor, from your heart to all of our listeners? How can we focus on what's really important this time of year?
A lot of folks are hurting too, you know, so what's your word? I mean, the greatest joy is in Christ. the greatest joy. Yes, yes. Yeah.
Peace on earth among men.
So the real The real blessing. Is in Christ at the end of the day, and I think we have to convince ourselves of that. I think sometimes we do get caught up in all the trappings of Christmas. and we enjoy giving gifts and we enjoy Christmas parties and there's a lot to enjoy. But the spiritual vitality is in Christ.
John 1:16, from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. And so the more that you can set your mind on things above, set your mind on the wonder of the incarnation, that Jesus is truly God, truly man, there's mystery there, but it's wonderful. Think about the different aspects of the Christmas story that Caesar Augustus issues a decree for millions of people in order to send one family to Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5:2 that he would be born in Bethlehem. It's just amazing, all the different components to think about.
So the more that you can sit down, think about those things. I mean, my heart is filled with joy thinking about the peace that Jesus Christ brings with God, that I have a relationship with him. And um Just amazing what God's done and how God has called me to be a Christian. I've never got over that, and Christmas is a wonderful time to think about that. Wow, the birth of Christ, and as Oswald Chambers says, our new birth in Christ because of Christ.
What a blessing. Thank you, Pastor, for making this game available for all you're doing and preach the word at the King's Church, right? The King's Chapel in Raleigh, North Carolina. Fantastic. Yeah, thank you.
And we're in Jubila. Shout out to them, Coffee Shop. And I guess this is North Raleigh, and that's why it's a little bit loud, but it's cool to see a bunch of people.
Some people are studying the Bible together in here. It's kind of cool doing this interview, celebrating the real meaning. And the website again is unashamedruth.org. Support his radio broadcast, but get this board game. Order it kind of quick here because we're getting closer to Christmas and enjoy with your family.
And enjoy it to tell the other source of great joy, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you, Stu. Truth to the. Why?
