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#497 – Naughty Christmas Songs

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on December 11, 2012 by scotthiga

naughty-christmas-songs

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of our savior. Our world was trapped in sin and darkness but Jesus came to set us free. Even though Jesus began the process of redeeming the world and putting everything back together, we still see the effects of sin. Our entire universe is broken and that is evident even in Christmas songs.

A lot of Christmas songs are religious and a lot are kid-friendly classics. However, there are a few naughty Christmas songs that remind us of what Jesus came to save us from.

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#496 – White Elephant

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on December 10, 2012 by scotthiga

Star Wars Glasses

We had a Christmas party for our high school students last night and we all participated in a white elephant gift exchange. I walked away with that sweet set of Star Wars glasses you see above. I actually had them stolen from me but one of our staff members had my back and stole them back for me. It was a very nice gesture not at all in line with the normal attitude of a white elephant gift exchange.

I love giving gifts; it’s one of my favorite ways to express love. I enjoy trying to find the right gift for someone, wrapping the gift and then proudly presenting it to the recipient. A white elephant gift exchange, though, does away with that entire process and simply makes it about finding the funniest or the worst Christmas present. And then on top of finding the worst white elephant gift, participants have the opportunity to steal a gift someone else really wants.

Here are some of the worst gifts at our exchange last night: Read more »

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#494 – Christmas Parties

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on December 6, 2012 by scotthiga

christmas_party_venue_bg_tllon_en

I remember reading that executives at the SyFy channel wanted Battlestar Galactica to be a little happier. They thought that Ronald D. Moore’s vision of humanity’s remnant was too dark. The executives suggested that the characters throw a party to celebrate something. Moore acquiesced to their suggestion and some pilots celebrated in the hangar bay after returning from a mission. During the party, though, their ship explodes and the pilots are killed.

Hopefully none of our Christmas parties end up the same way. Read more »

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#491 – Nerdy Christmas Carols

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on December 3, 2012 by scotthiga

Christmas-Carols-Origin-and-History

I love Christmas time. I’m a sucker for all of the traditions, parties and especially the music. I love Christmas music and listen to it as much as I can. I’m a firm believer that Christmas music should only be listened to during the Christmas season. So, to that end, I start listening to Christmas music after Thanksgiving dinner through Christmas day. After that all the Christmas playlists get retired for another 11 months.

There are a lot of great Christmas carols but here are some of the nerdier ones. Read more »

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#250 – Nerdy Toy Giveaway

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on December 23, 2011 by scotthiga

I spent yesterday working at a toy drive in Hollywood with our high school group. We were setting up everything so that thousands of toys and school supplies could be given away to almost 2,000 kids. It’s a great opportunity to serve others and make Christmas possible for some kids who might not experience it otherwise.

Since it is a toy giveaway a lot of the toys are donated by others. Some are great and some are not so great. Here are five toys that piqued my nerdy interest.

The Eye of Sauron

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#248 – Nerdy Nativity

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on December 21, 2011 by scotthiga

As long as I can remember my family always had a nativity scene we pulled out for Christmas. When I was younger our nativity scene had little porcelain figures that all surrounded a little porcelain Jesus. Then we got a more abstract nativity scene with just Joseph, Mary and Jesus that I stole when I moved out, which you can see above.

Most nativity scenes are fairly straightforward with some variation in color or head size, depending on if you have the Precious Moments nativity. Here are some nerdy nativity scenes that don’t exist but definitely should.

Star Wars Nativity Read more »

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#247 – Nerdy Christian Presents

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on December 20, 2011 by scotthiga

When I was younger I would scour the Toys ‘R Us and JC Penny catalogues a month before Christmas, composing a list that would have taken my parents’ combined annual salaries to fulfill. I obviously didn’t think I would get everything on my list but it was worth trying. Come Christmas morning, though, I was usually upset as my parents went off the list and bought me sweaters and shirts instead of G.I. Joes and Ninja Turtles.

Whenever I asked for a Bible, though, I was always sure to get it. Most faith-related presents will always to show up beneath the tree. Ask for a Bible or a Rick Warren book and it will definitely come down your chimney. Here are some nerdy Christian presents guaranteed to fill your stocking. Read more »

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#242 – 700 Miles

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on December 13, 2011 by scotthiga

Nerds aren’t known for their dating prowess and I fulfill that stereotype. Since dating wasn’t my forte, I was pretty excited when I got set up on a blind date. That excitement, though, was tempered by the distance I had to travel to pick her up.

I had to drive about 20 miles in order to pick my date. 20 miles is about the maximum distance I’d travel to meet someone I don’t know. Had my blind date lived 25 or 30 miles away, I might have just said no. The date didn’t go that well so maybe I should have.

I don’t want to travel that far to see people I know, much less someone I don’t know. Yet every Christmas I’m reminded of how far the magi traveled in order to see Jesus. The magi were most likely from Babylon and they would have made a 700 mile journey to Bethlehem in order to see Jesus. Read more »

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#238 – Unjust Christmas Songs

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on December 7, 2011 by scotthiga

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ who described his mission as this:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Jesus came to bring peace and justice; he came to set things right. Some Christmas songs reflect this truth. “O Holy Night” contains this line:

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother.

And in his name all oppression shall cease.

But there are a lot more Christmas songs that reflect injustice and even encourage us to participate in those activities. Read more »

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#233 – Nerdy Christmas Distractions

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on November 30, 2011 by scotthiga

I have been thinking a lot about Christmas. And not just Christmas in general, but the things which distract us from Christmas. This weekend I preached a sermon about how all of the traditions and parties in the Christmas season can blind us to how God might want to work in our lives during this time of year. This is also a problem for nerds and there are some very specific nerdy distractions of which we need to be aware. Read more »

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