The last week I was useless. While it wasn’t swine flu, something had a hold on me and would not let go. My energy was drained. Coincidentally, the family moved the dish receiver downstairs. Here at stately Willohroots Manor that is a big change.
My wife and i were never big fans of TV. We moved here twenty-five years ago and did not have a TV. This so upset some of our friends that there were occasions we would return home and find a TV left on the porch by family or friends. We finally hooked one up to watch videos when the kids came along, but still had no connection to prime time. My girls have told me that this made them outcast at their school. The other children would discuss shows that my kids were ignorant of, and my oldest daughter was scarred by no seeing Travolta in “Grease” until a late age. at least that is what she said.
We had a satellite dish for a while, but it offended me. We were painting No.1 daughter’s room, working late one night. It was around 8 o’clock . The wee bairn was watching Nickelodeon. Seemed safe. As we picked up our paint supplies and cleaned up, she appeared at the door. “Mom, Dad, I need to speak with you. If you are going to have sex, please use a condom, as i do not want you to get sick.” Drop the paint.
I should not have had to explain to my daughter that mommy and daddy were in an exclusive relationship for over a decade, and we would not get sick from making love, as we were doing things by God’s design, and His way is good. I could not bring myself to pay $88 per month to have these little chats.
When the Son in law and No.1 moved into the east wing, they brought TV back to the manor. It was not in my area of the house and I could care less. Somehow it migrated downstairs, but I ignored it, as I am kind of a busy guy. My wife Dawn, wanted to watch a couple football games. yeah I know, we have a lot of role reversal issues, and so put her blessing on the box. Being in no shape or mood to do much else this last week, I did the weak thing, and turned the thing on. I sat down with my Gatorade and crackers and a handful of remotes to be entertained.
I grew up on TV. As an only child TV was my friend. My friend has changed. I thought I would watch a show with Courtney Cox. That nice girl from Friends. I had to google Cougar to find out what the show was about. Not entertaining. There were reality shows that made me very depressed with the shallowness of my culture. About a third of the channels seemed to be infomercials. There are about three TV preachers can watch, but watching them is depressing, it just reminds me I should be doing sermon prep. The History channel had a couple good things, but most was old hat, and they only seem to have a few shows a day, and recycle them, so you can’t watch them all day. The shows on bible related stories are way off the mark.
I like the cooking shows, but being a fat guy, that probably is not good for me. Food porn. And speaking of porn. I am not a prude by any means. I live in a rough world and grew up in a rougher one, but in the 10 years of my absence from the viewers seat, things have really slid.
Thank God for healing! I am up and able to do again. My thought of this experience is this, I get people’s attention 1 hour a week. That thing is 24/7. The battle is quite lop sided. We had a child in Sunday school last week that was very upsetting. He was about 5 or 6, and told the teacher that his heroes were Jason and Freddie, and that he loved to kill, and would like to kill himself one day. This was very upsetting to the teacher, who shared with me. I went to the adult who brought the child to inquire about this travesty. I was told the boy’s dad watches slasher films almost exclusively, and when the child is in his custody that is what they do together. How is that for quality time?
Back back depression! I guess it is good I know what is out there, but I do not have to be pleased about it. If we were judged by our broadcasts, what sinners we would be. Praise God he looks at the heart not our watching history, or does He?
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Willohroots 
TV is like everything else , best taken with moderation
Comment by M November 24, 2009 @ 16:34M, sometimes the dosage is too lethal to be diluted. Mercury comes to mind. You can have my share.
Comment by willohroots November 25, 2009 @ 13:58When I think of some of the things we let the kids do before….I could kick my own tail.
There is hope, but they need at least one good godly person who is not afraid to speak.
Comment by Shawn W November 24, 2009 @ 20:33Who do you speak to? Who wants to hear? Don’t get me started on movies, they have really gone sour. what would you watch with a family? The offerings are few.
Comment by willohroots November 25, 2009 @ 14:00Let us just speak to our kids.
It sure ain’t “Leave It To Beaver” anymore!
Few things in our culture are more spiritually numbing than the television. Even the so-called “good” shows are by and large banal and low-minded and anything but cultivating of a rich, deep capacity to enjoy God. And when you add to that the barrage of suggestive advertisements that accompany virtually every program, I do not wonder why so many of our professing Christians are spiritually incapable of experiencing high thoughts and deep emotions.
Of course….this does not apply to Penn State and the Philadelphia Eagles:-)
Comment by Ike November 25, 2009 @ 00:34The best example brother, is “Father Knows Best”, now it is father knows nothing. there is a vast unknowing conspiracy to twist our minds in an un-Godly direction. There is no denieing that the thought exposed on the set today are not the thoughts of the Way.
Comment by willohroots November 25, 2009 @ 14:03A very good article from someone who doesn’t want to be entertained. Praise God! First time I hear the expression “food porn” and I will be using it.
I teach English and most of my 11 and 12-year-old female students would love to have a romance with a vampire because of all the vamp films aimed at them. God’s grace is needed in our lives more than ever – both parents and children.
Comment by Lora November 27, 2009 @ 16:04We went a year without TV and lived on Netflix–mostly cartoon DVDs. There is nothing that we look forward to watching. We would watch Lost but we gotten so use to waiting a year for the next season to come-out on Netflix we watch that program that way and avoid all the advertisements. I mainly have satellite because I like to watch the Red Wings and Tigers.
Comment by Jason November 29, 2009 @ 18:20I gave away my TV when I was 21, mostly just because I was moving and didn’t want to be bothered with it. That was one of the best things I ever did; I didn’t miss it, and so never got around to replacing it.
I too have seen some TV lately, and the lack of intelligence on these shows is amazing. These characters may possess impressive stockpiles of factual knowledge (if the plot requires it), but none of them understand how to reason. TV characters act on emotion, and on the theatrical need to look cool. Here in the real world, things don’t work that way. Problem solving requires careful thought and reflection, and disputed issues need to be reasoned out slowly and thoroughly. Watch the supposedly smart characters on a show like “House MD”, and it is little wonder that our country is in collapse. If Gregory House is what passes for an intelligent man these days, then people no longer know what smart looks like.
Kill your television, that’s what I say.
http://alamanach.com/2009/01/03/kill-your-television/
Comment by Alamanach December 24, 2009 @ 23:51