Archive for Top 5

2012 Top 5 – #1: #259 – Star Wars Porn

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on December 28, 2012 by scotthiga

Unfortunately it’s not all that surprising that this year’s most popular post on TheChristianNerd was about porn. The Internet is a great source of information but it’s also home to some unseemlier material. I wish the most popular post wasn’t so shady but maybe God used this post to shine a little light on someone Googling some darkness.

One of my major reasons for starting this blog was because nerd culture has recently been going mainstream. Nerdclinations are no longer the domain of socially awkward teenagers huddled in the basement with their 20-sided dice. The popularity of franchises like Harry Potter, Call of Duty and The Avengers have made nerds out of almost everybody

Unfortunately nerd culture isn’t the only subculture that has become more mainstream. With the advent of the Internet and the ease of its proliferation, pornography has also gone mainstream.

And these two worlds have collided with the release of Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody. Read more »

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2012 Top 5 – #2: #391 – YOLO

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on December 27, 2012 by scotthiga

I originally published this year’s second most popular post after coming home from Las Vegas. I’m actually in Las Vegas again for the week to spend time with Alycia and to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday. YOLO took the world by storm, justifying stupidity at every turn. Hopefully, as the New Year dawns, we can move beyond YOLO and start living with more purpose.

I work with high school students so I hear a lot of youthisms. One of the most popular ones is “YOLO”, which stands for “you only live once”. The phrase inspires people to do the most with their lives because they only live once. Unfortunately, in my experience, YOLO is merely used as a justification for unwise behavior.

“Should I get trashed at this party? YOLO!”

“Should I live my life like a Katy Perry song? YOLO!”

“Should I do whatever feels good? YOLO!”

I just spent a weekend in Las Vegas, a city that exudes YOLO. I’ve been going to Las Vegas a couple times a year since I was 5. As I’ve gotten older and spent time outside the arcades, it’s easy to see people getting all YOLO in Vegas. People stumbling down the streets at 2:00 in the afternoon or piling into a cab to head to a strip club.

It’s true that we only live once, so shouldn’t we want to do more with our lives than waste them on poor decisions and sensual living? Read more »

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2012 Top 5 – #3: #308 – Book Review: The Hunger Games

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on December 26, 2012 by scotthiga

May the odds be ever in your favor! I thought the odds were good that my book review of The Hunger Game would garner a lot of views, but I didn’t think it would end up as the third most popular post of the year. The book was all right, but I ended up liking the movie a lot more. The book had a lot of Katniss thinking about Gale and Peeta, while they movie thankfully left that inner monologue on the cutting room floor.

Less than a week ago I wrote a post about how I was going to read The Hunger Games because a large percentage of the students in our high school ministry have. Since publishing that post I’ve found the time necessary to work my way through Suzanne Collins’ novel. Overall I thought the book was all right. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read but not nearly the best, either. Below are some reflections I had while reading the book. Read more »

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2012 Top 5 – #4: #372 – Best Nerdy Vacations

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on December 25, 2012 by scotthiga

Mele Kalikimaka!!! In case you weren’t aware, that is the Hawaiian way to say merry Christmas to you. Six months ago today I was heading home from a family vacation in Hawaii. Not only did I have a great time in the Aloha State, but it was also the impetus for this year’s fourth most popular post. I love Hawaii and wouldn’t mind going back. However, I also wouldn’t mind a vacation at one of these nerdy spots.

I’m on vacation this week in our nation’s 50th state. My family and I are on the island of Oahu visiting my grandma. I’m so excited to be on vacation with the chance to get away and find a rhythm of rest. I’ve scheduled posts throughout my vacation so there will be new content while I’m soaking up the sun. If you comment, though, I may not respond as quickly as I normally do.

Here are some of the best nerdy vacation spots.

Naboo

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2012 Top 5 – #5: #305 – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on December 24, 2012 by scotthiga

This year I finally got around to reading the Harry Potter series. I’ve never had anything against Harry Potter but understand that some people do. I really just wanted to read the books and see what connections there are to the Christian faith. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets isn’t my favorite book in the series but it introduces a number of important characters including Tom Riddle and Ginny Weasley. This post kicked off my second foray into J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world and was the fifth most popular of the year on TheChristianNerd.

A few months ago I began my first foray into the world of Harry Potter. Until this past January, I had never read any of the books or seen any of the movies. In order to get rid of that glaring blind spot in my nerdiness, I decided to read and blog through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I finished the book and the blog posts a month ago and have decided it’s time to move on to book two: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Read more »

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2011 Top 5 – #1: #130 – A Lighter Faith

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

This is another post that benefited from Google Image search. I wrote this post on the night before our high school group went home from summer camp. Of all the posts I wrote this year, this one may have had the greatest personal impact on me. When I think about my own life with God I don’t want to have a lighter faith; I hope to have something more.

Today we’re leaving camp and heading home. It has been an awesome week spending time with students and seeing God work in their lives. I’ve spent a lot of weeks at a lot of different camps, though. I’ve seen God work in students’ lives, I’ve seen students make commitments and I’ve seen those commitments fade as time moved on.

That’s a lighter faith and God has called us to so much more.  Read more »

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2011 Top 5 – #3: #54 – Unholy Breakfast Cereals

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on December 28, 2011 by scotthiga

I remember I wrote this post while in Las Vegas visiting my grandma. It’s another post that benefited from Google Image searches. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think people mainly used the Internet to find pictures of Dig ‘Em Frog.

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a time to celebrate, eat corned beef and break off all communication with any friends that pinch you for not wearing green. It’s also a time to reflect upon how our culture and society have been influenced and shaped by the Irish. That influence can be summed up with one image.

That’s right. The Lucky Charms leprechaun, Lucky. Read more »

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#78 – Nerdy Church Buildings

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

George Lucas is building a new home for the Singapore-based LucasFilm Animation. Below is an artist’s rendering of what that building will look like.

 Most. Awesome. Building. Ever.  Read more »

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