Turn off the TV fast - part 4

As I have considered what some good reasons for my family to fast from television for the month of August would be, a couple of questions have been meandering through my mind.

When August is done, what will we do then?? I don't want a temporary fix to some legitmate concerns. And that leads to my next question:

What would be good and healthy television habits for my family?? I ask that, assuming that it is "lawful" to watch television, but what parameters should be in place? What accountability should I seek? What questions should I continually be asking??

I guess I'll have some extra time this month to consider the answers to those questions. Until then, let me share my fourth reason for not watching television during the month of August.

The New Testament strongly promotes relationship. We who once were far off have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13), and we now (unbelievably!) live in an intimate Father/child relationship with Him. And that relationship spills over into intimate and loving relationships among believers in the church. We are to actively be cultivating relationships with one another (I'll footnote this with a slew of Scriptures in a comment to this post).

With that exhortation, one thing that can be an obstacle to that is television viewing habits. Television viewing is rarely beneficial to cultivating relationships (if at all).

T. S. Elliot said, “Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome.”Granted, there should be some good conversations that come out of watching certain television programs, but in reality, I don’t need to spend an hour in front of the television as an introduction to that conversation. We are hard pressed to find time to spend adequately with family and friends and fellow believers... imagine how deep relationships could be if we invested the amount of time we do on television into those relationships.

What this means for me is that during the month of August, I should be freed up to cultivate relationships. I should have more time to spend with my wife and kids, to make phone calls and write letters and emails, to invite others over and intentionally visit with people. This is one of the reasons my family is fasting from television for the month of August. May that time be well spent and not hijacked into some other far lesser priority!!

I trust that it is understood that the four reasons I have stated for not watching television in the month of August are for me and my family. Every family unit has its own struggles and temptations they are facing, and for some, television may not be one of them. Yet, growing up in this culture, and knowing the predominance of television in most people's lives, and knowing that the average American spends 170 minutes watching television and movies every day (which is nine times more than the number of minutes spent on all other leisure activities combined), I believe it is an appropriate topic for most to consider. And I trust that for the two or three people who read this blog (my mom is one of the few... thanks mom!), that these posts have been beneficial in some small way.

UPDATE: I was given this link that you might find beneficial. It is an entire list of alternative things to do rather than watching television (HT: Carl & Peggy).