An Ode to NBA Jam

I shed a tear when reading this article.

I never had a Nintendo. I think I was the only kid at my elementary school without one. One time, it pains me to confess, I attacked my best friend Mike because he wanted to play outside on a beautiful sunny summer afternoon while I wanted to play Excitebike or RC Pro-Am. That jerk. I think he tried to diplomatically convince me to shoot hoops or throw frisbee, and when I resisted, he went for the power button. I attacked him. My mom made me call him and apologize when I got home, which I did, still in tears.

You see, while all of my friends had the amazing technology of Nintendo at their disposal, I had an Atari 7800. While my friends played the incredible Ninja Turtels game(s), I had Pole Position. While my friends played the amazing Super Tecmo Bowl, I played Asteroids. While my friends played Kung Fu, I was stuck with Pitfall. Ok, so Pitfall is better than Kung Fu, but that doesn't help prove my point. When I got tired of Pitfall, one of my remaining viable options was Atari Tennis. Have you ever played Atari Tennis? It's HORRIBLE. How did I ever survive?

I petitioned my parents for years to improve my lot in life. At some point, memory says Christmas 1995, the folks blessed me with a Sega Genesis. I was so pumped up! I was finally gonna be cool!

I played Sonic The Hedgehog non-stop for the first week or so, as it was the only game that came with the system. The kids at school mercilessly ridiculed me for only having Sonic. Eventually, I ended up with NBA Jam. I think I still remember the codes to enter during the matchup display that would give my players half-court dunking abilities or eternal fire... er... the ability to always be on fire. Yeah.

I could post all day about experiences from childhood that made me feel as if I'd always be a loser because I never had the material things that my classmates had. (My Nike story comes to mind... I should probably document that one sometime soon...) I always had off-brand clothing, my friends all had nicer homes, my friends all knew about the latest trends, and I always felt like I was on the outside looking in.

I just wanted to be accepted. By 9th grade, I was so ripe for a relationship with Jesus. I wanted love, couldn't find it in this world, but there was someone bigger than this world that was offering it. There was a promise from this "God" that I wouldn't be defined by the things I had, but by who I believed in.

I still think it would be enjoyable to have all the "cool" things. I still don't have designer clothes. The shoes I'm currently wearing came from Wal*Mart for $12, and I think they're pretty dang awesome. I still don't have the nicest house. I drive a 13-year-old pimp boat. I have dial-up. I don't have cable TV, let alone satellite. I don't even know what a PSP is, although I'm pretty sure I want one. I buy the Kroger brand instead of getting Tony the Tiger and his special prize at the bottom of the box. And I'm ok with all of these things.

Caedmon's Call has been getting lots of play on my iPod lately. (I thought I was cool when I got an iPod, but now it's just a regular old iPod, not the trendy video one...)

"This world has nothing for me,
And this world has everything--
All that I could want
And nothing that I need."

Store up treasures in heaven. Read the Bible. Love people, not things. These are the important things to do while we are here on this earth. And yet, I still occasionally wonder what ever happened to my Sega. (If you've seen it, please give me a call.)