No TV! I can't believe I'm writing this. No TV! Aside from a Christian film/documentary, sermons, or a church movie night...shutting down the tube...and tubeatory type things...meaningless web surfing and also social media (whose Borg-like assimilation I've so far resisted LOL), etc. Thankfully, I'm not a "gamer" either.
This feels like the final frontier to a life I've wanted for awhile. As I consider the evidence of the damage TV does physically, metabolically, socially, relationally, and spiritually (reading a book on this right now), how many YEARS we spend watching (12.5 FULL years for the average American), how many books I want to read, how much I want to do in discipling others and showing hospitality, how much there is to do on the missions field, how badly I want my kids to know and love God's Word, how much I want to live purely before God without having to hollar "shields" every commericial or dive for the remote before my 5 year old sees something impure, and how I want to grow as a husband, father, and pastor...ol girl (the TV) has got to go!
Or at least I'm going to try.
Now for me, this process of weaning myself off TV has come in stages. First, it was getting rid of cable 4 or 5 years ago. And each year, we've watched less and less TV. But this year as we've focused on family discipleship and sharing our faith, the burden to use my time more wisely is stronger than ever.
There is so much I want to learn and do: Learn more about church history and the lives of important leaders and early church fathers, start playing an instrument, get in better shape, get more active in the community, learn more about the revolutionary history of our area, be more hospitable, play more family board games, pray more, read more, finish writing a book, plant churches, spend more time with my wife...and the list goes on! :)
Just getting back those 3 or 4 hours each day (instead of news, golf and football, PBS, and Cosby Show reruns) would be a real blessing. (I had already dumped the network shows...too much filth.) I want to live life not watch it! (Hey, maybe this is my midlife crisis. If so, this ain't too bad!!!) :)
And there is this little tidbit...I wonder if I can do it. I've been watching for as long as I can remember. But I love a good challenge and I cannot stand being "mastered" by anything or anyone but Christ.
You guys hold me accountable....ok? LOL
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**Disclaimer 1: This is a personal conviction, not something I'll ask my church to do. LOL
**Disclaimer 2: I reserve the right to watch the new movie coming to theaters in 2011 on godly fathers. LOLOL!
