Rise up! the LORD is calling.
Rise up! this is the day!
Rise up! and seize the moment.
Rise up, O men of faith!
Yesterday, while driving through Houston, Nick and I were listening to Family Life Today with Dennis Rainey. I rarely hear the show...I suspect the radio station I listen to only plays it on Sunday. Anyway, the hosts were challenging their listening audience to use August as a "TV-free" month for their families. Instead of spending time in front of the television set, they were providing an alternative: reading (both alone and with your family). I grinned as I thought that taking a month off from TV would be easy for us...we don't get a single channel of television anyway. I nodded my head in agreement with the various sentiments behind this particular challenge: the television as a waste of time, an over-stimulation of media, and an introduction to various lifestyles/words/actions that we don't really want to infiltrate our homes. I thought the challenge was a great idea, but we don't really fall into the family category that they were addressing, and thus, I would have just let the moment slip by.
Nick, however, was processing everything he was hearing. He was being unusually quiet, but I didn't think much of it. Finally, he reached over and turned the volume down on the radio. He looked at me and said, "How about this: Let's sell our TV and our DVD player, let's get rid of all our DVD's, and let's get more good books instead." Nick has been a huge movie fan ever since I met him. He loves watching a movie at night before bed or during downtime. I understood that this decision was a sacrifice on his part, which he wanted to make on behalf of our family. I was proud, not only because I think this is a phenomenal idea, but even more than that, Nick was exhibiting what so few Christian men display today: He was rising up and being a man's man.
In an instant Nick decided to lead the way for our family in this area. I realize that we are preparing to take on culture. Obviously, going with the flow would entail hours of media usage. However, after I wrote my Mom an email to explain to her that would be going back to the dark-ages, so to speak, I was encouraged when she wrote back:
Just a quick response........we are LOVING hearing Jim Samra at Calvary. Yesterday he spoke about freedom from the law. He just happened to mention that he and his wife, Lisa, have no TV in their home. He was actually mentioning this as an area of Christian freedom......just that they think at this point, it is best for them NOT to have one. So, I guess you can join the Samra's!
It's good to know a few people are on board with us! Mostly, I am just feeling incredibly blessed as I watch Nick making tough decisions in order that his family might be closer to each other and to Christ.
One of my favorite quotes comes from D.L. Moody--I hope it is a challenge to the men (and us women) here in my house:
"The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to Him. By God's help, I aim to be that man."
1 comment:
What a great quote from DL Moody! It's kind of like what we studied in Israel when we repeated the SHEMA each morning and closed our day with it as well: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the LORD is one! Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all of your mind." and then we would add what Jesus did when he quoted this verse, "And love your neighbor as yourself." If we who belong to Christ would live that out in our homes, our churches, our neighborhoods, our work places, our cities -- wouldn't it be amazing to see what would happen?
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