I can tell you what I think about your product and what would make it better but when it comes to creation I am less than inspired. And I wish it weren’t that way.

In all honesty, I figure I have very few original ideas. I like [...]]]> I’m a consumer with a desire to create.

I can tell you what I think about your product and what would make it better but when it comes to creation I am less than inspired. And I wish it weren’t that way.

In all honesty, I figure I have very few original ideas. I like to stand on the shoulders of others and take the next step (adaptation of a line from Jurassic Park).

I have tried to be creative in the past in many different arenas. Something that had come quite naturally to me is my appreciation for music. And since any fool can pick up a guitar and play… I thought it would be an easy transition to creation.

The problem is I lack the discipline and concentration to progress enough to ever play the guitar confidently. For 15 years I have been a mediocre beginner. I’m not sure that will ever change.

And as a mediocre beginner I have tried to write music and poetry, but I have never been as happy as I am when I hear the latest release from (insert musician here).

I guess I am writing this in an attempt to validate this existence. Is it ok to be a consumer?

Is it a creative art in and of itself?

I’m not sure.

All I know is that I have a desire to create… and have yet to find an outlet for that.

The book was called Love & War by John and Stasi Elderege. And, the only catch was that you had to agree to write a review of the book on your blog.

Since I like to read, and [...]]]>

So, a few months ago a friend passed along a link for a free book on marriage.

The book was called Love & War by John and Stasi Elderege. And, the only catch was that you had to agree to write a review of the book on your blog.

Since I like to read, and write, I signed up.

It wasn’t too long before the book arrived in the mail. Upon opening the package I was surprised that it was, in fact, an actual hard-cover copy of the book. It wasn’t a cheap paperback edition, or a photocopied pamphlet. It was an actual book.

A couple days later I started reading.

The book was a team effort written by a husband and wife who obviously have a few years of marriage and ministry under their belt.

It began pretty much like any marriage book, and it wasn’t until page 24 that something jumped out at me. Here’s what they wrote.

The bible begins and ends with marriage.

Simple.

And yet profound.

Maybe I’m the dumbest guy to ever get a degree in religion from a Christian, liberal arts college but I had never really thought about the Bible beginning and ending with the image of marriage.

Interesting stuff.

And, upon further reflection, and reading, I came to the realization that the entire Bible is filled with the imagery of marriage.

Quite interesting when you consider how messed up marriages are in today’s society, especially in Christian circles. You’d think that with all of the time the Bible devotes to the concept of marriage Christians would have it down.

Not so.

Throughout the rest of the book the couple goes on to discuss what that means for our marriages and our relationships with God. I won’t go in to any more details because this is already getting long but I will say if you’re married, and a Christian, you should pick a copy of this book up.

Prior to getting married I read a lot of books regarding the subject and I thought I was pretty well prepared. But, I have to say that I definitely didn’t really understand everything I read then. And, I’m sure I’ve forgotten a lot of it. Today, more than 5 years into my marriage, I had new insight and life experiences to bring in as I read Love & War. I’m sure you will to.

Posted via email from brianhimes’s posterous

He was an incredible man of God and a loving family man, both of which can be evidenced by his 6 children and [...]]]>

The past few weeks have been pretty rough for me with the hospitalization and passing of my grandfather.  

He was an incredible man of God and a loving family man, both of which can be evidenced by his 6 children and 25 grandchildren.

When he was in the hospital I spent a few days traveling back and forth between my home in Burbank and the hospital, which was down in La Jolla. Many from my family made the trek, some coming from as far away as Colorado, Texas and New Jersey, but there were still those who were unable to get away. I am lucky to live relatively close and have an understanding boss who allowed me to take a few days off work.

It was during that time that I made an interesting, but not very profound, observation. My observation was that social media and mobile technology are amazing tools for communication.  I told you it wasn’t very profound. 

This was one of the first times in my life that communicating with other family members on a large scale was necessary and useful. It wasn't just about sharing what I ate for lunch.

I have always been a huge fan of social media and am usually one of the early adopters of new social media fads, but this was the first time it had REALLY been useful.  One of the tools which I found most useful was, believe it or not, Facebook.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not the biggest Facebook fan. I much prefer to blog or tweet. However, Facebook allowed me, and others, to post updates that the entire family could see and comment on. And, since I have it available on my phone it was super easy to send out updates while in the hospital.

Now, I feel as though it is important to say that Facebook cannot replace the personal nature of a phone call or an in-person conversation; but, it can be a very powerful and useful tool in all types of situations.  I am grateful to have had it as a communication tool over the past few weeks. It’s made things a little easier.

Posted via email from brianhimes’s posterous

It’s good.

Over the course of two relatively short lunch breaks I’m 70 pages into the 250 page book.

It’s kind of a funny book.  It’s a story about a guy trying to tell a [...]]]> Well, I jumped on the bandwagon. I’ve started reading Donald Miller’s latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

It’s good.

Over the course of two relatively short lunch breaks I’m 70 pages into the 250 page book.

It’s kind of a funny book.  It’s a story about a guy trying to tell a story. Obviously there’s a little more to it than that but that’s the basic premise.

It’s a book about story.

As I was reading today I came across a passage in the book that I wanted to share.  I thought it was kind of interesting so here it is.

I wonder then, if when people say life is meaningless, what they really mean is their lives are meaningless. I wonder if they’ve chosen to believe their whole existence is unremarkable, and are projecting their dreary life on the rest of us.

It’s an interesting point to ponder.

Do the people who think life is meaningless really just lead unremarkable lives?

I realize this is probably a gross over-generalization; but if he’s right, Christians like me need to address the”life is meaningless” people from a different perspective. We need to help them live remarkable lives.

We need to help them live better stories.

We need to show them that there are better stories out there to live.