OPINION

Spiritual lessons from Pokemon Go

Chris Pugh
This Week in Faith
Chris Hamilton plays Pokemon Go on his smartphone outside of Nintendo's flagship store in New York City.

I have to admit that I haven’t tried Pokemon Go yet.

The new app, which features participants looking for game characters by using a GPS map, has quickly caught fire across the city, state and the world.

An interesting thing about the smartphone app is that it encourages activity.

Chris Pugh/Media Network of Central Ohio

To do well at Pokemon Go, participants need to get out there and go.

Sitting around doesn’t help.

But Pokemon Go has more implications than just physical health.

For those of us who believe in God and have a personal relationship with Him, we’re encouraged to live out our faith by sharing with others.

The fascinating thing about Pokemon Go is that users are encouraged to interact in person.

Although participants still need to look up from their phones, the game encourages in-person connectivity.

Living in faith can’t be an individual action, it needs to be about living in community.

Christianity is about sharing your life with others.

I’m often guilty of this. It’s easier to hide behind the computer and avoid interaction.

But like Pokemon Go, you can’t do well without getting out there.

And sharing with others isn’t about preaching sermons, it’s about showing how faith makes your life different. So my challenge is to get out there and show your faith.

Find ways to actively get involved in your community and share God’s love with others through your life and actions.

POWERFUL SERMON ON RACE - Last week’s shooting deaths by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, following by the killings of five police officers in Dallas, have continued to spark a lot of emotion across the country.

Andy Stanley, a well-known pastor who leads North Point Community Church in Georgia, answered a call on social media for white pastors to address the issue.

Stanley’s sermon on Sunday featured an open discussion with two African-American staff members about race relations in the U.S. The discussion was practical as well as spiritual when Stanley talked about how the Bible talks about the importance of addressing a deep divide over race and social status.

It’s well-worth a listen.

You can access the sermon on the church’s web site at http://www.northpointe.org

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Chris Pugh is a web producer and a faith columnist for the Media Network of Central Ohio. You can connect with him at clpugh@gannett.com, Facebook at Chris Pugh - Journalist or on Twitter @CPugh_Gannett.