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Why it Matters That I Just Made Partner on YouTube
In a world where people like MrBeast has hundreds of millions of subscribers and makes millions of dollars, hitting the 2000 subscriber mark might seem like small potatoes, but it’s actually an important digital ministry milestone. I’ve been creating content online for a lot of years now and released hundreds of videos, but it’s…
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The State of Things (XN Update)
A while back, I shared a story with my stream community and want to share it with you, too. It was something of a spiritual “vision” I had one day while praying for direction. (I’m a pretty conservative guy, but I’ve been learning more about listening to God, and He has only done this,…
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A Year of Contrasts (2025 XtianNinja Year-In-Review)
Reflecting on 2025 is complicated because it has been a year of profound contrast. In the same year, I’ve spoken on global stages and sat alone with a heavy, broken heart. My channel started the year with great momentum but ended with the lowest numbers I’ve seen in four years. At the beginning of…
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I Went to the Most Important Creator Event in the World (ReachConf Recap 2025: What Happened and Why It Mattered So Much)
When I first heard about ReachConf, it sounded almost too on-the-nose for what I care about: a conference for Christian gamers, streamers, cosplayers, and content creators, hosted in a church, built around the gospel, and unapologetically nerdy. Thanks to an absurd amount of generosity from my community, I actually got to go and was…
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Public Message About Ending Dragon Roast Partnership
I want to give a quick update for transparency’s sake. You might’ve noticed that I’ve quietly stepped away from my partnership with Dragon Roast Coffee. This wasn’t due to any drama or disagreement. The folks at Dragon Roast have been absolutely fantastic to work with. They’re kind, generous, and passionate about what they do.…
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Reach Lore Talk
Merging who God created you to be with who God called you serve,through the content God wants you to create MotherGoose Opens & Introduces Topic Briefly XN STORY: I remember when I first started as a pastor, straight out of seminary, I had no idea what I was doing. And that’s not an…
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Family Update: Thanksgiving & Life 37 Days In
For those who haven’t been following along, Anita entered a residential treatment program a little over a month ago to work through some serious mental health challenges. It’s been 37 days as of today, and she’s really been getting a lot out of the program—especially the individual counselling. I’m going to keep this update…
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Personal Update: Reflections on My Sabbatical & a Brief Delay
I’m writing this personal update with those who’ve been walking with me for a while – leadership team, supporters, donors, volunteers, viewers – but a lot of people have discovered me through this crisis. If you’re new here and wondering who I am and what this is all about, check out my Digital Missions…
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An Important Update About My Work with TACO and XtianNinja Online Missions
To my donors, friends, prayer partners, subscribers, and the whole of TACO and the XtianNinja FamSquad: Right now Anita is in a highly structured residential setting receiving focused, specialist care. It’s the kind of environment hospital models haven’t been able to provide, and it is giving her a real chance to stabilise with dignity.…
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Family Update: Processing the Goodbye
If you’d rather watch than read, I shared this update in two places: a shorter 17-minute edited video on YouTube (link) and a longer 34-minute version on Twitch (link). Both cover the same heart I’ll share here, but if you prefer to listen, those are ready for you. The Story So Far For four…
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Descheneau Family Update: A Miracle of Provision and the Next Step in Anita’s Care
Over the weekend, God provided in ways I can hardly believe. In just three days, we raised over $17,000 of the $27,000 needed for Anita’s treatment. That’s nothing short of miraculous. It means we’re able to secure her place at Valiant and she moves in tomorrow. An unfortunate surprise came when I was told…
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My Family Is Breaking: We Need Urgent Help
You’ve seen my struggles on stream. What you haven’t seen is the hidden battle my wife Anita has been fighting for years. Now her doctors say there’s one chance left for real healing. We need urgent help: https://www.givesendgo.com/GJNMD
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Torture for Views: The Death of Jean Pormanove and What It Teaches Us About Streaming, Exploitation, and Digital Missions
This article is about the on-stream death of French streamer Raphaël Graven. It covers what’s known (as best I could learn of Aug 20, 2025), the warnings that were ignored, and the wider culture that turns suffering into spectacle. Strong content ahead. You can also watch my full breakdown and reflections on YouTube here:…
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“They Told My Friend to 💀 Themselves”
Ministry isn’t just happening in counselling offices and churches anymore—it’s happening live, online, in real time. During one of my livestreams, a viewer came into chat, shaken and angry. They had just witnessed something heartbreaking—a classmate had told their friend to end their life. They had spent 20 minutes trembling in fear and frustration,…
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Overworking and Burnout: What Are the Signs? (Plus Practical Steps and Biblical Wisdom)
Burnout. It’s a word we hear often but don’t fully understand until it hits us. For me, this subject is deeply personal. In 2009, I hit a wall—a wall I didn’t even see coming. I was pastoring at a church that could only be described as abusive. Weekly meetings stretched into the early hours…
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“I’m Just Not Okay” – What to Do When You, Someone You Know, or Your Favourite Content Creator Is Not Okay (Wednesday Check-In)
Introduction This week for the Wednesday Check-In, I want to focus on a deeply personal message that someone shared in our Discord’s prayer channel: “I’m just not okay.” Many of us have felt this way. Whether you’re a content creator struggling with burnout, a viewer battling anxiety, or someone feeling lost and disconnected—this message…
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Big News: My Bookshop Is Open With Exclusive Discounts!
I’m excited to announce that my bookshop is officially open! It features a variety of resources, including sermon collections, Bible studies, a devotional, and my newest book, The Art of Digital Influence. Each title is crafted to inspire and equip you on your faith journey. Whether you’re exploring God’s Word, seeking encouragement, or learning to…
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It’s Support-A-Thon Sunday! (Come Join In!)
I’m excited to invite you to my Support-A-Thon happening this Sunday, September 29th, at 10 AM EST on my Twitch Channel! This event is not just about having fun—it’s a chance for our amazing community to come together and help support some really important future ministry goals. What’s the Goal?This Support-A-Thon will help raise…
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A First Responder’s Story of Tragedy and Trauma – Stream Stories
Listen to “Stream Story” Podcast Episodes here: As a digital pastor with a livestream, I often find myself suddenly hearing stories full of real, raw human emotion—that leave a deep impact on both me and my community. Recently, a police officer opened up during one of my streams, sharing the heart-wrenching account of a…
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Why ComicCon Made Me Cry: The Heartbreaking Reality For Some Who Attend (and What We Can Do)
I’ve always looked forward to ComicCon, but this year, it was more than just an event for me. It became a window into a deeper truth. In fact, telling this story has brought me to tears twice this week. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been able to bring some young people with…
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The Role of Prayer in Content Creation: Passion & Pivotal Moments (Series Introduction)
What Do You Do Before Creating Content? Imagine you’re getting ready to start a big creator project – new video, art portfolio, new podcast concept, stream-a-thon. You’ve got your equipment set up, software open, references lined up, and a carefully curated playlist in the background to keep your energy up. You even posted on…
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Can I Ask For a Small Favour That Could Make a Big Difference?
As many of you know, I’ve been dedicated to reaching the lost, lonely, and disconnected through my work as a digital pastor. Whether it’s gamers, remote workers, or those struggling with mental health challenges, my mission is to bring God’s love and connection to those who feel isolated in the online world. Over time,…
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Discover Your God-Given Purpose: 8 Steps to Uncover What You’re Meant to Do
Are you struggling to find your purpose in life? You’re not alone. Many of us wonder how to align our talents, passions, and opportunities with what God has in store for us. In a recent discussion, I explored how to discover your God-given purpose and what steps you can take to uncover what you’re…
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XtianNinja’s Rogue Energy $10 Gift Cards Giveaway!
Hello friends, supporters, and fellow nerds! As a token of appreciation for your amazing support, I’m giving away three $10 Rogue Energy gift cards! Whether you’re a stream viewer, a loyal supporter, or a new newsletter subscriber, this giveaway is for you! Why Rogue? Here’s an article I wrote recently explaining why I partnered…
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A Police Officer’s Struggle with Taking Lives: Overcoming Moral Injury
During one of my recent live streams, I had the profound opportunity to speak with a female military police officer from Turkey who is also Muslim. She shared her deeply personal struggle with guilt after taking lives in the line of duty. This courageous officer opened up about the immense weight she carried and…
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XtianNinja’s Story: From Traditional Ministry to Digital Outreach (My Testimony/Biography)
In crafting this comprehensive story, I drew from a multitude of sources, including personal experiences, podcast transcripts, interviews, and testimonials. With the assistance of ChatGPT, I’ve been able to weave these elements together into a cohesive narrative. This is the story of my journey, from traditional pastoral ministry to becoming XtianNinja, a digital missionary…
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Conference Recap: Fellowship, Inspiration, and New Connections
I just got back from the conference and wanted to give a quick report while it was fresh in my mind. This is a brief summary of what happened but if you’re curious about some more details (including pics and videos!) check out my channel on the TACO Discord. Day 1: Arrival and Initial…
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The Biggest Frustration & Hurdle to Leap as a Digital Ministry
Digital ministries are beset with a myriad of challenges. Ever-changing technology, high-level skillsets, creative thinking, long hours, fighting algorithms, making high-quality, competitive content, counselling and community building through text, following up with vulnerable viewers, and more… but when I think about the most difficult thing I’ve had to face in my two years in…
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2022 XN Year in Review: From Foundation to Framework
Introduction Like many others, 2022 was a year of ups and downs for me and my ministry work. It began with the sudden death of my second-born son which led to a series of difficult months, but throughout them all, my local church and online communities were there with support and encouragement for my…
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My All-Time Favourite Non-Fiction & Fiction Books (Two Top Tens!)
‘Tis the season for Top 10 Lists, so here are two of them! My favourite non-fiction, Christian books – and my favourite fiction books. I take time to explain why I chose them, what they mean to me, and a little about them. Here’s the lists: Non-Fiction List: Fiction List I Need Your Support…
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A Very Personal Video – Why Streaming is So Important to Me
In this very personal video, Al (XtianNinja) Descheneau shares his heart, story, and reason for working so hard to bring the gospel to people who can only be reached through online ministry. You will learn why he has such a special concern for the lost, lonely, and disenfranchised on Twitch and what you can…
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Twitch Chat Tips: How To Keep the Conversation Going
Despite how critical it is to consistently engage with people in chat, especially when newcomers drop in, it’s not always easy to keep a conversation going. Here are some helpful tips to keep the banter moving! I Need Your Support I’m doing this full-time and the only way I can keep it up is…
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Start Here! (Intro & FAQ)
Hi! I’m Al (known on Twitch as XtianNinja), a pastor and full-time streamer and content creator from Canada who is working hard to serve the online community by mentoring content creators and building a meaningful online community through entertaining content, real talk, and teaching God’s truth. My heart is filled with excitement and thanksgiving every day because…
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Insane Christian Blogger Tries to Prove The Smurfs are EVIL!
Buckle up folks because this gets certifiably crazy as XtianNinja walks through the hilariously bonkers blog post “The Smurfs are Satanic!”. Come laugh along with us as we mock this insanity – and join us for stream sometime to watch this crazy stuff live!
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Is AWANA a “Christian Nationalist Child Indoctrination Cult”
@Ex-Fundie Diaries released a video outlining how the AWANA Clubs program isn’t just a fun church group, but a nefarious “Christian Nationalist Child Indoctrination Cult”. Is she right? What defines a cult? What’s up with all the weird stuff that goes on at AWANA anyway? XtianNinja, a pastor and former AWANA leader (and clubber)…
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Crazy Amazon Products, Insane Cakes, Wild Hairstyles! It’s Weird Wednesday!
Every Wednesday I seek out the craziest stuff on the internet, share them with the Twitch chat, and come up with hilarious comments! Check out this video and then come join us! I split my YouTube channels, so if you’re looking for the fun and games, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC68gTkrvhX5MG0nzrpPtFKw I Need Your Support I’m doing…
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So Many Wonderful Things Happening! (Come Check Them Out!)
It’s been a while, so I thought it would be ok for me to update you on what’s been happening with my endeavour to serve and reach the lost, lonely, and disenfranchised locally and around the world through live streaming and content creation. With all the incredible things happening, I felt it was time…
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We’re Putting Together a New and Different Kind of Christian Creator Network!
We’ve been thinking and talking about this for months now, but it seems to be time to start making this idea become a reality. If you’re tired of dead discords and pointless partnerships, give this a watch and then come chat about it with us. You can help us build the greatest Christian Creator…
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When Jesus Was Attacked by an Angry Mob! (Passion Week: Tuesday)
The leading men of Jerusalem took turns attacking, arguing, and trying to discredit Jesus, in hopes He would fall for their trap so they could accuse and kill Him. It didn’t work. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Jesus-Faces-an-Angry-Mob–Passion-Week-Tuesday-e1h6t0e I Need Your Support I’m doing this full-time and the only way I can keep it up is through…
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Cursing Figs & Flipping Tables: Passion Week Monday
What do a dead fig tree and overturned tables have to do with worship? And what does it mean for us today? Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Cursing-Figs–Flipping-Tables-Passion-Week-Monday-e1h3psl I’m doing this full-time and the only way I can keep it up is through support from folks like you – so please consider supporting me on Patreon. There…
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Talking God, Games, Streaming & Nerds with FrostByteIV
FrostByteIV (from Love Thy Nerd) and I sit down to chat about what it means to be a Christian nerd, streamer, and gamer – and a dozen other nerdy things – in this extended conversation. It was so interesting, people kept subbing just to keep the conversation going! Watch Frost here: https://www.twitch.tv/frostbyteiv Podcast Version:…
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How Helping Me Can Help You (and Your Church!)
One of the most difficult parts of being a “pioneer missionary” is getting support through traditional channels. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “We recognize your call, love what you’re doing, and want to support you – but we have nowhere to officially plug you in. Sorry!” So, it occurs to…
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A Very Personal Update (& Devotional)
If you’re looking for it, I deleted today’s very personal stream VOD, but if you’re a supporter and are curious about what was up, I’ve put it up as a Patreon exclusive. Just FYI.https://patreon.com/xtianninja
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Twitch Pastor Reacts to JaidenAnimation’s “Being Not Straight” Video *Mature Content*
JaidenAnimation’s “Being Not Straight” video lends itself to a lot of topics for discussion and XtianNinja takes on all of them in this 2-hour video. He talks about his own “asexual/aromantic” experiences, human sexuality, LGBTQ+ and the church, and more. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Reacting-to-JaidenAnimations-Being-Not-Straight-Video-Mature-Content-e1g3n87 I’m doing this full-time and the only way I can keep…
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Why I Gave Up Everything to Stream on Twitch (Reflections on my First Year as an Online Missionary)
This week I celebrated my very first “Streamiversary” and reading the parable of the two debtors had me thinking about why God called me away from church work into full-time online missions. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Why-I-Gave-Up-Everything-to-Stream-on-Twitch-Reflections-on-my-First-Year-as-an-Online-Missionary-e1fvdt4 **When God called me to this new frontier of global missions, I knew that it wasn’t just for me…
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Videos You May Have Missed!
Sometimes I’ve got so many videos to edit and post that I forget to put the links everywhere – so I need to make this little post to remind you to subscribe to my YouTube channel and tell you about some of the videos I forgot to post on the blog here. Tomb Raider…
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Fear, Uncertainty, and the War in Ukraine (incl. a note from someone in Ukraine) Devo & Discussion
I have a lot of viewers from Europe so it was only fitting that we would take time to talk about the situation in Ukraine, how to deal with worry, and read a note from someone who actually lives in Ukraine right now. Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/xtianninja/episodes/Fear–Uncertainty–and-the-War-in-Ukraine-incl–a-note-from-someone-in-Ukraine-Devo–Discussion-e1euavr If you’d like to help me stay full-time…
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When an Agnostic Muslim Asked: “Where Do You Think I’ll Go When I Die”, I Said This…
New Video: An agnostic person, raised Muslim, came into my chat during a live stream and asked “Where do you think I’ll go when I die?”. This was my answer. Hopefully, it helps. This is exactly the kind of moment I hope for as a full-time streamer! If you’d like to help me stay…
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Join XtianNinja’s Christian Creator Mentorship Program
On Feb 4 I’m launching a program to help Christian Creators use their skills and passions in the most effective and God-honouring way possible. To register or for more info DM me or join my Discord https://discord.gg/G95bAGYf9K The Vision: To help Christian Creators use their skills and passions in the most effective and God-honouring…
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Operation Christmas Child Variety Show Fundraiser with Theseus! VOD
In Dec, Theseus and I put together a super-fun variety show fundraiser for Operation Christmas Child If you like games, jokes, challenges, weird internet stuff, and sharing God’s love with kids – this VOD is for you!