A Diet

I'm feeling the need to go on a diet. I know what you're thinking--the holidays are coming to an end and I've gained a few pounds from all the sweets and treats of the season.

Wrong.

This is a diet of the mind.

We can renew our mind with the Word of God (Rom. 12:2), but it's also very helpful to deprive your mind of certain things, as well.

Let's think of the body. You can eat healthy food all day long, but it you're ending each day with a big piece of chocolate cake or apple pie, chances are, you're body is not in tip-top shape.

This is what a lot of us are doing, spiritually. We wake up and read our Bible, listen to Christian music during the day and/or some teaching tapes/CDs/podcasts, but in the evening, we want to unwind and relax, so we turn on a favorite TV show--Lost, Desperate Housewives, etc., and fill our minds with junk.

What are these shows doing to our minds? Isn't it just a little harmless fun?

I compare it to the chocolate cake each night. It's not making you sick, if you are eating right all day long. It's probably not affecting your weight too bad, if you are eating right all day long. But it's not beneficial.

I have heard so many good things about the show Lost in the last few years. I don't watch much television, so I didn't know what I was missing out on and I didn't want to try to catch up on all those seasons. Then Netflix came out with a program where you can watch a lot of movies and shows instantly streaming on your television. We signed up for a free trial and ventured to see what everyone was talking about.

We watched the first episode and it wasn't terrible. It wasn't awesome, but it wasn't terrible. (It wasn't nearly as bad as the pilot of Flash Forward!) We continued watching and I was sucked in (my husband was not, he's stronger than I, apparently). It is a show that leaves you hanging each week and I wanted answers! But as I enjoyed this new entertainment, I also noticed an interesting coincidence.

I formed a habit quite a while ago of daily Bible reading in the morning. I was still doing this daily, but once I added Lost into my daily routine, I noticed a sudden lack of revelation. I wasn't even being productive with my blogs. Whenever I was reading my Bible, nothing was really speaking to me. It seemed that all my mind wanted to think about was Lost--Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Charlie, Kate, Locke, and Claire. I started obsessing (I guess that's my personality. Perhaps it's also because of the technology we have now, that I can watch an episode every evening, rather than one per week.).

The thing is, I knew we shouldn't be watching the show. (Not saying you shouldn't watch it. Perhaps you don't obsess like I do.) I knew it wasn't right for me. My husband wasn't that interested, I was the one pushing every few nights to watch another episode. He was even ready to quit and I said I would just watch without him. He said he preferred me not, too. (Another clue I needed to quit--sounds like I'm talking about substance abuse or something!) I was insisting. I knew it was worthless. I knew it was soap opera junk, but I found myself justifying it in my mind. (Another clue, when you are rationalizing or justifying behavior, it's wrong.)

We watched most of the first season and then with my husband's work schedule we knew we wouldn't be able to watch for most of the next month. He got on wikipedia and started reading the episode synopses. I decided to check it out and realized then that I didn't need to continue watching. There is something about reading a plot versus seeing it visually (with all the appealing people and settings) that helps you see through the hype. I still had a bit of an addiction, though, I spent the next few days reading through the wikipedia pages. Finally, I realized the show was not worth my time.

I'm not against television. I watch Survivor, but I have never obsessed about it. I think that's what shocked me about Lost. I hadn't seen a television drama in so long, it was shock to my system. I have been used to watching reality TV, where you get real-looking people, in semi-real situations, not ultra-beautiful people caught in love triangles and each having intense back-stories that intertwine.

So was there any connection with my obsession for Lost and the sudden lack of revelation in my Bible study and fruitfulness in my writing? I think so.

Our minds are powerful things. We can fill them with good things or bad, or a mixture of both. What goes in, is what will come out. Some things are downright wrong, say pornography, for instance. Other things are in a gray area. It is unfortunate, though, that our entertainment is increasingly leaning toward the pornographic. Take this challenge--cut out R rated movies for a period. You will be surprised, after a period of "fasting" from these movies, what is really in them, the violence, cursing, and sex. We say these movies are for those over 17, but really, should adults even be watching this stuff? A few years ago, we made a point to cut back and not watch movies rated R. I think we went almost an entire year without one (that was huge for us, we used to be big movie buffs), then occasionally watched one here and there. We really noticed that we couldn't handle what we thought we could. We realized that we were watching a lot of trash in the name of "art."

But what about those activities that aren't bad? There are lots of gray areas and this is where you have to seek the Lord's will for your life. Some things aren't bad, but they're not good, either. They may just be time wasters or distractions in your life. The question is, what fruit is it producing in your life? Is it a stress-reliever, a way to unwind, or is it keeping you from more important things? Is it something that causes worry (news headlines, for example) or causes you to pray? Is it a fun time of togetherness with your spouse or family, or is it pulling you away from your spouse or family?

This is what I've been thinking about recently. I have certain things that I know I am called to do, some writing that I really need to focus on and in order to focus, I need to cut out those time wasters and distractions. Therefore, I feel the need to go on a diet. I am going to cut out Facebook and my blogs for the month of January. I wanted to cut out email, too, but it is too much a part of life. I will drastically cut back on how often I check it.

So, I will see you all in February!

Book Review: Not So Fast

I've seen this book recommended several places lately, but when a friend recommended it, I checked it out. I didn't even feel like I would fit the intended audience, but I like to read books that might help my friends. It never seems to fail, though, that every time I read something with someone else in mind, I'm the one that learns valuable lessons.

I will admit that I proudly felt that I didn't really need this book. I don't fit into the category of families that are running non-stop, children in loads of activities. In fact, I have purposely taken a step back each school year, purposely slowing down and doing less and less. I tell all my friends that they will have a more peaceful life if they will cut back on activities.

I homeschool my two children (10 and 4) and, as such, have field trips and extra-curricular classes. There are so many tempting options, karate, gymnastics, art, music lessons, museums, sports, co-op classes available in our local homeschool group (things like book discussion, composition, biology, latin, drama, etc.), and much more.

When I first started homeschooling my son, he was in kindergarten. We pulled him out of the private school he was attending after about six weeks. In those six weeks, he had become accustomed to the daily social interaction with the 20 other kids in his class. Not to mention, the daily crafts, playground time, etc. He wanted to come home, but once he did, he realized life at home was different, not quite so stimulating. It was an adjustment and I scrambled to offer him a variety of activities. So we jumped on the band-wagon of activities that most homeschool families participate in.

I'm a homebody, I don't like running (and my son is too, he just didn't realize this when we pulled him out of school). After a while I decided we needed to slow it down. We have gradually pulled back over the years (my son's in 4th grade now) and we are really happy (all of us) with our pace. We participate in one weekly activity and a few field trips per year. As such, we are home the majority of the time. So we have a peaceful, relaxed home atmosphere. An atmosphere where my children have plenty of time to be children, playing and creating.

So you can see how I would think that a book about families living the harried, frenzied life would not apply to me. Boy was I wrong!

When I reached chapter six, I knew this book was for me. You see, even though I am a homebody, I have this knack for keeping myself busy. I have this need to do things (often other than housework!). In 2001 I started a candle business (justifying my busyness because I would be bringing in extra money for the household) and then in July 2007 I started a blog (this, too, was justified because I was helping others). So even though I am home most of the time, I am in fact a busy person.

What struck me in chapter six was that the busy life causes us to compromise our values and overlook needs--needs in those around us and even the needs of our children. Struck to the core! How many times do I shrug my children off and say, "not right now, I'm doing ___", or "maybe later, I'm busy."? I know I have improved in this area, but it is something I need reminded of often.

There is nothing wrong with operating a business from your home. There is nothing wrong with a ministry to others. However, when priorities get out of whack and these things take precedence over God, family, or home, they are wrong.

Since I have that knack for creating busyness for myself (I prefer to call it entrepreneurialism), I have to regularly sit down and examine my priorities and make sure I have things in proper order. This book was just the reminder I needed.

Therefore, I highly recommend this book for everyone, whether you think you need to read it or not. Perhaps you're not in any of these situations described in the book, maybe reading this book will keep you from falling into those.

There are probably other great books on reducing stress in your life and lightening your load, but this book sticks out to me because of the nuggets of wisdom included, deep truths based on Scripture. Check it out, I know you will enjoy it.

Christmas Links

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Are we really celebrating the birth of Christ? Read this article about the birth of Christ--very interesting!

And why a virgin birth? Click here to read about that.

The Times We Live In

Proof that we need to be studying our Bibles -

More US Christians Mix in 'Eastern' and New Age Beliefs

When I say "study", I mean more than just devotional reading. This is more than just reading your favorite passages, the passages that make you feel good, Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels. We need more study. Don't know where to begin? Click here.

It seems in our world we live in today, we need to start detailing our faith for people, to set ourselves apart. I was astounded when I read this article - Tulsa Couple Makes Pilgrimage to Mecca - astounded that if you didn't know better, you would think that these people worship the same God I do. There is mention of God throughout the article. There is mention of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Ishmael, and Mohammed, considered a prophet. But what God are they referring to? So when I said we need to detail our faith, I mean, perhaps we need to state which God, specifically, we worship. Is the god of Islam and the God of the Bible the same? Yet another reason to study your Bible.

What's Getting In Our Way?

I'm reading Not So Fast by Ann Kroeker. I really like this quote she includes from The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg -

Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. Hurry can destroy our souls. Hurry can keep us from living well.... For many of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it.

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah started at sundown this evening. This holiday is so much more than latkes and giving gifts. Click here to find a wealth of wonderful information about Hanukkah and other Biblical holidays.

Did you know Jesus celebrated Hanukkah? In John 10:22-23 we see that Jesus was in Jerusalem observing the Feast of Dedication, otherwise known as Hanukkah.

Christmas

I really enjoyed this blog post by Robin Sampson on Christmas -

12 Things I Like and Don't Like About Christmas

If you want to dig deeper into the origins of Christmas, I recommend The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop.