What would you do... I'd go to a different house...

Both Telly and I grew up before there was cable, I remember the days of 4 channels and really hating the idea of a Presidential address where he would be on every channel.  That was back when the national anthem played at midnight most nights and went to static after '...home of the free.'  Truth is I'm not all that old, but old enough to remember that.

Now, we have 24/7 ~ 200+ channels in HD and with DVRs to catch it all anytime.  We pay about $120 per month <PER MONTH for DirectTV... that's the HD / DVR  mid range package <MID RANGE.  Four separate rooms each with a DVR - TVs most always on (even when no one is watching in some cases.)  

Not just that, I spend anywhere from 15-20 hours per week watching TV.  Some of it is worth watching (sermons, educational, or news), but admittedly most of it is at best empty and at worst negative.  I really enjoy some programs that are not productive and even destructive to my spiritual and family life, examples: Big Brother, Warehouse 13, Rescue Me, Eureka, the Closer, Deep Blue, Burn Notice, and so forth.

I am becoming increasingly convicted of this draw on time and money in our home.  We were beginning the discussion with each other and the children about what it might mean to have less TV (basic package on one box with time / programming limitations) or even no TV.  I began that conversation one night with the girls over dinner.  It went like this...

Do ya'll know how much money we spend on TV?  

  {BAILEY: Like a $1,000}

Well, on a yearly basis about that much.  

  {BAILEY: Wow, that's alot Dad.}  

What about how much time we spend?

  {BAILEY: It's all we do Daddy.}  

Do ya'll feel like that is a good thing?

  {AVERY: You're talking about turning them off aren't you!}  

Maybe, but we're just talking now.  What else do you think we could do instead of watching TV?

  {BAILEY: We could play a game or listen to music or read a book or go outside.  We could spend more time as a family.}

 Avery what would you do if we didn't have a TV in our house?  

  {AVERY:  I'd go to a different house.}

I think the truth for most of us is closer to the seven year old's response...  I've seen in it families being broken over personal demands, churches left or even divided over preferences & personalities, and lives even more thrown away in selfishness.  We know God's way for us, but if it doesn't fit my desires, my wants, my so called 'needs' -- well then I think I'll just go to a different house.

Speaking wholly from the heart, it is painful to be confronted with those things I have made into objects of worship with my time and money.  It hurts, because I have a very tight grip on them because I like them, I mean I really like them - I don't want to let go, but I know I should.  I can walk out the door and go to another house or I can stay and face this, who knows I might even grow from it.

And this thing I cling to so tight, maybe my fingers will tire and my grip will loosen ~ maybe He will pry it from my hands.  Maybe, just maybe I will sacrifice it as an act of worship.

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<This was originally written in September 2010... update February 2011: through some negotiation with DirectTV our bill is now $65/mo without HD, but everybody still has a DVR in their room... we watch the news, Jeopardy, and sometimes The Price is Right together as a family... I've taken to blogging instead of wasting time on empty shows... Avery hasn't gone to a different house, but I'm not sure she wouldn't try if the TVs got completely turned off... in the meantime the Lord continues to work a great work in our family about worship and sacrifice.>


<update February 2012: If you don't know this - our family over the past many months has been called to church planting - we are working our way into this and it has been time consuming for me, hence no blogging for a while.  Last night for the first night in several weeks, Telly an I watched a show other than the news together, other than that all of our family time has been spent around a table eating supper, doing homework, talking, and playing games OR at school activities - lots of basketball lately... life is not perfect, but it seems so much richer when we are doing it together as a family rather than as four separate people.  When we move in the Summer time to the Chapel Hill area, our 'commitment' with DirectTV will be about up and financially, we'll just have to reduce to locals, news, and a few kid channels if even that.>