BrianHimes.com » Culture

Politics and Sin

Brian — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:57:54 +0000

I’ve been wondering…

Why are politicians encouraged to leave office when they are caught in adulterous relationships?

Does that affect someone’s ability to govern? Perhaps it can be argued that dealing with personal issues can distract from the job of governing our country, but I’m not really sure that’s the reason our leaders step down when faced with these issues.

I think there’s a public perception that these politicians have committed the unforgivable sin. And yet, it’s a sin that is so rampant across our culture that in one way or another it touches almost everyone. I’m not trying to justify it. I just think it’s interesting that sexual sin is one of the lines we draw in the sand for our politicians. If they cross that line they are out. Why do we do that? Why do we pick that sin?

Grace Cafe

Brian — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:34:00 +0000

This weekend we had a great event at my church called Grace Cafe. We converted our multi-purpose room into a coffee house complete with Starbucks coffee, wifi and live performers. It was awesome… so awesome in fact that I drank an unmeasurable amount of coffee which kept me awake all night long. For pictures and more information check out the glendale young adults blog.

How Are You?

Brian — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:17:00 +0000

How are you? It's a simple question, and yet if we were to give an honest answer one word wouldn't suffice. My typical response is "I'm doing well;" however, if I were speaking from the heart my response would be totally different. Today I'm feeling run-down, tired, a little depressed, sore, anxious, overwhelmed, lethargic, unworthy, spiteful, yet hopeful. My list could go on and on for pages and pages, but when confronted with that simple question I clam up and give my stock response. Why do we do that? Why are we unable to share with others how we are feeling? Why can't we be honest and say we are having a crappy day, if that's the case?

If you were to truthfully answer that question what would you say?

What Makes You Happy?

Brian — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:54:00 +0000

What makes you happy? Well, if you're between the ages of 13 and 24 it's probably not money, sex, or drugs, as others might have you believe. It's spending time with family and friends.

In a study that surveyed 1,280 people between the ages of 13 and 24, MTV and the Associated Press asked 100 questions and found that the top three answers for the open-ended question "what makes you happy" were (in descending order) spending time with family, spending time with friends, and spending time with a significant other.

Large House vs. Small Condo

Brian — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:19:00 +0000

The wife and I have been doing a little house hunting as of late. We aren’t in a position to buy yet, but we like to look and see what’s out there. Something that has struck me as odd during our search is that in our area there were a lot of little, 2 bed, 1 bath houses built in the 1930′s and 40′s. I understand why they were built then, according to the history of the area, but what I don’t understand is why houses that size were adequate for families then, and aren’t now. Why are houses today being built 5 times bigger than houses 50 years ago?

There was an article in the LA Times today talking about repealing some of the zoning restrictions in Los Angeles so that smaller, more affordable, apartments and condos could be built downtown. Some of the builders mentioned in the article hope to build living spaces as small as 250 square feet. Now, that may be a little extreme, but then again maybe it’s not. Why do we need such large places to sleep, cook, and bathe?

I’ll admit, I want a large house with a sprawling backyard probably as much as the next guy, but is it what I need? Probably not. I bet I could be just as happy in a small condo, as I could be in a large house. After all it’s not the stuff that brings happiness. I think we tend to forget that.

The New Hip Thing and You Don’t Have to Choose

Brian — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:51:00 +0000

What is the deal with these new frozen yogurt places that only serve a couple of different flavors? And, what’s wrong with the places that have more than two? Do we just have so many choices in our lives that we need to begin pairing back the possibilities? Maybe movie theaters should only show one movie at a time. Maybe McDonalds should only serve the Big Mac. Maybe Footlocker should only carry Nike shoes. Maybe Ford should only make Mustangs. For a nation that thrives on choice it’s really odd to me that a popular frozen yogurt place can only serve two flavors and still be the new hip thing.

Too Busy

Brian — Wed, 30 May 2007 02:54:00 +0000

I’m noticing something. I first noticed it with my church youth group. Now, I’m noticing it with my church, as a whole. And, I wouldn’t be surprised if I were to begin noticing it in everyone else I encounter. We are all “too busy.”

Every couple months when we sit down to put our Youth Calendar together I am amazed at the lack of time available to hold events. We have a small youth group and if a couple kids aren’t there it’s hard to justify the time spent to plan and facilitate an event so, I have to be flexible and willing to cancel, or postpone, something at the drop of a hat.

Recently, I began teaching the Wednesday night class at my church. At first there was a decent sized class and after a few weeks it dwindled down to only a few. I realize that this downsizing could be due to many factors, such as poor teaching or bad subject matter, but after talking to a few people it became apparent that people are just “too busy” to attend church on a week night.

These two factors have lead me to wonder are people really “too busy?” Is it just an excuse so that they don’t have to feel bad about placing church as a lower priority, or is there really something there? Additionally, are people everywhere “too busy,” or is this only a problem we are seeing in churches?

Community – Part 2

Brian — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:18:00 +0000

Over the course the next few months I am going to lead a discussion on community at my church. If you read my last post, you may have seen this coming. If you didn’t, consider this your warning. I have a basic outline for the discussion, which I am borrowing from a source I happened upon during a recent bookstore expedition, but to be perfectly honest I am not sure where the discussion will lead. I know I have my preconceived notions of what I want to accomplish, and maybe we’ll get there, but then again, maybe we’ll go somewhere completely different, and just as valid. It’ll all depend on who participates in the discussion. Really, I want to address the church, in its current semi-stagnant state, and give it a jump start, which could be dangerous, but then again, that’s part of the excitement.

If you know anything about the recent happenings in my church you might argue that we have already received a jump start, as our minister and us have parted ways, but I think it is what we do now that will really affect what we become in the future. If we are to move in any direction, other than to our doors to close them permanently, then this is the time.

Tomorrow evening, I will introduce the class by exploring what we consider a community, the different communities to which we belong, what we look for in a community, and maybe we’ll even see what the Good Book has to say about the subject at hand. It should be interesting. If you’re in the area, I encourage you to stop by and participate.

If you are unable to stop by Glendale, perhaps because you live in Colorado, Texas, or somewhere just as far, I encourage you to post your thoughts on community here. I’ll do my best to blog about our discussion before and/or after each class.

Here is a sampling of questions to ponder this week.

What is a community?
How/when are communities formed?
What are some communities to which you belong?
What benefits do you receive from those communities?
What do you contribute to those communities?
What do you look for in a community?

Post your thoughts and I’ll bring your input into our discussion at church.

Community

Brian — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:46:00 +0000

I imagine it's been a tough week in the schools, be them high schools, middle schools, or colleges, with the unfortunate events at Virginia Tech. Horrible events like this always cause me to wonder what could have been done reach out to these people who are suffering so much that they feel they must take it out on others. While, I'm in no place to definitively say I have the answer, I can speculate that the people who orchestrate these terrible tragedies don't belong to a loving, nurturing community. It seems they always turn out to feel as if they are alone and unaccepted. We, as Christians, are lucky because we have a place to go where we can feel loved, and accepted. We have a place where everyone knows our name. Now, I'm not trying to idealize what we have because at times it is imperfect and people do fall through the cracks; but, all in all, we have that support system that so many long for. We are lucky. And yet, sometimes I think we take it for granted.

How Rude

Brian — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:56:00 +0000

I'm not saying I'm perfect, but it seems as though some feel it's their mission to be particularly rude to food service workers. Why is that?

Today, while standing in line for my whopper with cheese at Burger King, I witnessed two customers act unnecessarily rude toward the Burger King employees who were taking their orders. I'm sure they hadn't done anything to warrant such treatment, and if you think about it, what could really warrant rude treatment anyway. You're paying $5 for a hamburger, drink, and fries. How does that $5 entitle you to treat someone like they're less of a person that you are?

I think the people who treat food service workers so rudely should have to deal with customers who are just as rude. I'm sure it happens, but it's only fair. So, if you see someone treat someone else rudely it's your duty to follow them back to work and treat them rudely. It's a sort of pass it on thing.

Ok, ok, I'm only joking, but what do we do to combat the seemingly increasing rudeness in our society?