iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 25/09/2026

Apparently I played 24 hours of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave in one week. Also: Princess Mononoke made me accidentally write an essay, I’m still trying very hard to understand why everyone loves Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I’m already on Volume 62 of Bleach. This week’s Watch, Play, Read is up now.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 04/09/2026

One of my favorite ways to check in on what’s going on in my life is pretty simple: What am I watching? What am I playing? What am I reading? So, here’s what I’ve been nerding out about lately. gamesthatmatter.substack.com/p/im-b…

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 29/08/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 22/08/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 15/08/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 08/08/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 25/07/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 18/07/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 17/07/2026

What exactly is Checkpoint Church? A new series on To The Checkpoint, our blog. open.substack.com/pub/tothepointnew…

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 11/07/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 27/06/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 17/06/2026

Saw a video of a guy saying Next Fest was bad this year because they already know about all the exciting games. Hey uh No, you don't There are thousands of games. Be more curious. Or don't. But don't let your limits dictate the quality of the work of thousands of developers. 💜

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Reposted by Nerd Pastor Nate

Jason Schreier @jasonschreier.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

A friendly reminder that Double Fine's Psychodyssey is one of the finest pieces of media ever created, and a must-watch for anyone who cares about video games, yet somehow it's also completely free www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

youtube.com

Double Fine PsychOdyssey - YouTube

2 Player Productions and Double Fine Productions present Double Fine PsychOdyssey, an unprecedented documentary experience seven years in the making. Ten yea...

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 14/06/2026

Just did an actual spittake listening to Into the Aether at @stephenhilger.bsky.social asking if Final Fantasy Rejoice would be too churchy, when the game is literally named the same as the last book of the actual Bible 😂

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 10/06/2026

I wish the real life algorithm was as good as Tomodachill. People get likes for *nothing* #coffeetalktokyo

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 10/06/2026

Gotta love when someone appreciates a good bit 🤣

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 06/06/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 30/05/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 18/05/2026

also lowkey just remembered bluesky exists, hey everyone

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 18/05/2026

My headcanon alternative title for Obsession is (500 Days of) I Know What You Did Last Summer

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 09/05/2026

Here's what we're watching, playing, and reading this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 25/04/2026

Here's what we're playing this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 04/04/2026

Here's what we're playing this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 28/03/2026

Here's what we're playing this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 21/03/2026

Here's what we're playing this weekend. What about you?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 12/12/2025

Happy for Clair Obscur, bummed for everyone else. Sweeps are no fun. Please research and consider playing the games that got no screen time. I'd bet that's what the passionate gamers who made Ex33 would want you to do, too.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 02/12/2025

I’m launching a new Substack focused on how games matter. Checkpoint is a community for nerds, geeks, and gamers; Pixel & Pulpit is a community for digital pastors — now I am creating a new third space: where we explore the art that is video games. www.videogamesmatter.com/p/your-favor...

videogamesmatter.com

Your Favorite Game Matters

Why this exists and what to expect

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 17/10/2025

Algorithms may guide attention—but compassion sustains community.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 16/10/2025

I do not need another gaming themed mug. I do not need another gaming themed mug. I do not need another gaming themed mug.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 15/10/2025

A chat log is a prayer list. If I’m not circling back on names, I’m not pastoring—I’m just posting.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 14/10/2025

Not everyone meets grace in a sermon. Some meet it in a midnight reply, a remembered username, a check‑in after the thread cools. Don’t apologize for where the holy shows up online.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 13/10/2025

We don’t need a bigger stage; we need a longer table. Care less about reach, more about who stayed long enough to be known. Build rooms the algorithm can’t fake.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 10/10/2025

Games don’t just distract—they disclose. A choice you didn’t expect to make is a mirror. Pay attention to what it shows you.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 09/10/2025

I don’t want fans; I want neighbors. If a post can’t become a conversation, it doesn’t ship.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 08/10/2025

We’re not building content. We’re building rooms where names matter more than impressions. Homes the algorithm can’t counterfeit.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 02/10/2025

Games let us pick “easy,” “normal,” or “hard.” Faith doesn’t always give that choice—life sets its own difficulty curve. Discipleship means adjusting posture, not difficulty: learning to play faithfully no matter the setting.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 01/10/2025

In games, checkpoints ground us—safe spots to rest, save progress, and prepare for what’s ahead. Sacraments serve the same role: not an end, but a rhythm of return. What if we saw Eucharist or baptism as divine checkpoints?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 30/09/2025

Pixel Pilgrimages (our latest experiment) aren’t just fun events—they’re modern reimaginings of ancient practices. Traveling through sacred spaces in games shows that pilgrimage isn’t about geography, but about intention and presence.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 29/09/2025

Game music often carries more theology than we notice. Think about laments, battle hymns, and themes of hope woven into soundtracks. What would it mean if churches curated worship like composers score a game?

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 19/09/2025

Quite excited for this new take on our newsletter - less fluff, more substance. Starting with a story of how our nerdy ministry is helping shift people’s faith lives. www.tothecheckpoint.com/p/checkpoint...

tothecheckpoint.com

Checkpoint Church is changing lives!

A monthly roundup of stories, support, and spiritual journeys.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 08/09/2025

Something I’m musing on as I grind for prayer beads in Silksong. Grinding in RPGs feels repetitive, but it builds strength for the big battles. Spiritual habits—prayer, rest, service—can feel the same. Boring in the moment, essential in the long run.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 05/09/2025

In games, a death screen isn’t the end—it’s a chance to try again with what you’ve learned. Sanctifying grace works the same way: every failure can become a next step forward. (Can you tell I started playing Silksong? 🫣🤣)

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 04/09/2025

Games save progress at checkpoints. Ministry has them too—moments where we pause, breathe, and take stock. They don’t erase what came before, but they prepare us for what’s next.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 02/09/2025

Game devs publish patch notes—small tweaks, bug fixes, balancing changes. What if we thought of spiritual practices as patch notes for our souls? Small adjustments of sanctification, version after version, refining us.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 01/09/2025

Failure in games isn’t the end—it’s an invitation to learn, retry, and respawn stronger. Faith works the same: resurrection is baked into the system.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 26/08/2025

Some say video games are escapism. But I’ve seen them become cathedrals—where grief gets named, joy gets shared, and grace respawns daily.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 25/08/2025

Every time one ministry amplifies another’s work, the Kingdom grows louder than the platform wants it to. Collaboration is resistance. Celebration is strategy.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 21/08/2025

Our competition isn’t First UMC—it’s the infinite scroll. Build homes that outlove the algorithm: trust, belonging, transformation.

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Nerd Pastor Nate @www.pixelandpulpit.com · 19/08/2025

Practice Sabbath in your settings. Turn off autoplay, schedule DND, leave one hour unposted. Rest isn’t absence—it’s resistance to the scroll.

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