Religion « BrianHimes

Remember Last Week? Things Have Changed

May 6th, 2010 § 2 Comments

Remember that post I wrote last week?

Oh my, how things have changed.

And, the thing that scares me most is that, in a way, I may have asked for this.

I ended that post saying I was going to try to work through everything and avoid the desire to retreat when faced with tough times. Well, times have only become tougher. And, I want to retreat more than ever now.

However, with that said, I’m still trying.

I’m exhausted physically and emotionally. And, I’m still fighting the urge to retreat.

It’s not easy, but through all of this I’m reminded of the passage in the Bible that says God will not give you more than you can handle. I know that’s a loose translation of 1st Corinthians 10:13, but I really think it’s true. The trick is that with God we are able to handle a lot more than we think.

It’s kind of funny how that works.

God’s going to let us go through tough times. He never promises that he wont. He simply tells us that if we lean on him we will get through it, because he’s never going to give us more than we can handle.

It’s a pretty amazing relationship we have, if you really think about it.

So, here I go again. I’m going recommit myself to facing these trials. And as I said last week, hopefully I’ll be better for having lived through it.

A Million Miles… Quotes and Thoughts

April 20th, 2010 § 1 Comment

I had considered writing a few more posts about Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, but instead I think I’ll just share a couple more passages that jumped out at me as I was reading.

Here’s the truth about telling stories with your life. it’s going to sound like a great idea, and you are going to get excited about it, and then when it comes time to do the work, you’re not going to want to do it. It’s like that with writing books, and it’s like that with life. People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain. (pp. 99-100)

This really hit home. It’s really easy to have grand plans, but it’s tough to actually follow through with them. I usually get lost somewhere between planning and implementing.

I was watching the movie Star Wars recently and wondered what made that movie so good. Of course, there are a thousand reasons. But I also noticed that if i paused the DVD on any frame, I could point toward any major character and say exactly what that person wanted. No character had a vague ambition. It made me wonder if the reasons our lives seem so muddled is because we keep walking into scenes in which we, along with the people around us, have no clear idea what we want. (p. 113)

This also hit home. It’s a question I’ve been pondering quite a bit lately. What do I want? What is my story? What is my ambition? I’ll probably explore this more in a future post because it’s something I’ve been struggling with for a while.

If these thoughts intrigue you at all, I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book. It’s a really good read. And, it’ll challenge you to take a look at your life and the story you’re living.

Volunteers Make Church Work

April 19th, 2010 § 2 Comments

Did you know that this is Volunteer Appreciation Week? In my line of business volunteers are extremely important. I work for a small non-profit and we use volunteers to help us with our jobs every day. I have a wonderful volunteer here this morning helping me with some data entry. It’s great that there are people out there willing to serve in any capacity needed.

As I was thinking about volunteering, I realized that the church is also an organization that heavily uses volunteers. At my church, I’m in charge of running the worship ministry. That means I rely on the help of others each Sunday to fill a variety of roles to make our worship service actually happen. If there were no volunteers, the only person leading our service would be our minister. He does a great job, but he can’t run the sound, lights, pass communion trays, lead singing and preach every Sunday. That would be insane. Truth is, volunteers make the church work.

So, today, and this week, if you volunteer somewhere I want you to give yourself a pat on the back. You really are making a difference. And, if you utilize volunteers, please let them know they are appreciated. They deserve a pat on the back for their hard work.

The End of the Emergent Movement?

April 14th, 2010 § Leave a Comment

There's an interesting article over at Relevant Magazine titled The End of the Emergent Movement?.

I've always felt as though the Emergent Movement got a bad rap. If you dared to utter the the word emergent in the wrong crowd you could risk beheading, and that never seemed fair to me. Where's the honest discussion? I hold the term in the same esteem as the word Emo. Both were over-used and relatively undefinable. But that's really beside the point.

My opinion on the matter is that we should always be on the lookout for the best way to apply Christianity to our ever changing culture. That's what Paul did when he addressed the churches of the New Testament and that's what we should be doing today. What we call it doesn't matter. And, there will always be people who disagree with the change in approach, but that's their hurdle to get over. The point is reaching people with the message of Christ.

Freedom in Christ

April 10th, 2010 § Leave a Comment

I’ve been thinking lately about the phrase “Freedom in Christ.”

In the context of Jesus’ teachings it makes sense. He came and turned everything upside down.

He ate with sinners and tax collectors.

He said the first shall be last, the meek shall be strong… and a lot more.

He told the religious elite that their “religiousness” had gone too far.

He gave people freedom. Freedom to be more.

It’s pretty amazing.

Now, if you look at the phrase “Freedom in Christ” in the context of how we Christians portray Christ today it doesn’t make any sense.

Have we forgotten?

BrianHimes

Remember Last Week? Things Have Changed

A Million Miles… Quotes and Thoughts

Volunteers Make Church Work

The End of the Emergent Movement?

Freedom in Christ

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