Rob Bell has ignited controversy among Christians with his new book, Love Wins. Bell has been very influential in the spiritual lives of many people, especially twentysomethings. He is the pastor of a church with an attendance of over 10,000 and is considered one of the most influential pastors in America. While popular and influential, he is controversial and many are leery of his teachings. I believe he has been difficult to criticize because he asks a lot of questions, does not typically give a lot of answers, and has not clearly set forth his beliefs. His newest book, Love Wins, clearly defines enough of his beliefs that many conservative evangelicals determined that his beliefs are wrong, are a re-formulated version of liberal theology, and are heterodox (go ahead a look it up, I had to).
I quickly read through the first half of his book and read a few reviews (I was going to read the second half tonight, but the book is so popular that my local bookstore is sold out). For those unfamiliar with the controversy, Bell claims that God’s love will win everyone over to Him. Even if a person fails to accept Christ during his life on earth, the person will accept Christ in another life. He believes no one will spend eternity in a literal hell.
While many have reviewed the book and given their opinions, I will share a few of my thoughts, which will probably be spread over a few blogs.
First, Bell, in his book and some television interviews, explains that his views are not new but have been taught for over 2,000 years. By making this claim, he tries to give credibility and authority to his beliefs. While I not an expert on church history, I believe that others have taught these same views for 2,000 years. However, that does not mean his beliefs are true. Rather, it simply means that these false teachings have been in existence for 2,000 years. The fact that others have taught the same thing does not mean that it is true. In fact, we know that false teaching existed 2,000 years ago. Paul, in his epistles, was constantly attacking false teaching and encouraging people to guard the truth. In my view, Bell has just joined a 2,000 year line of false teachers.
Second, I think Bell refuses to believe that a loving God could send people to a place of eternal fire and pain. So, he has re-imagined God, the Bible and the gospel. Since hell is too cruel of a fate for anyone, Bell created his own doctrine in which no one suffers eternally and God accepts everyone into heaven. His doctrine certainly does not come from the Bible, but is his own creation.
Third, I am amazed at the relevancy of 1 Timothy 1:3-7. Independent of the Bell controversy, my Bible study led me to these verses. In these verses, Paul tells Timothy to charge people not to teach a “different doctrine”. In explaining the different doctrine, he refers to “myths and endless genealogies”. One commentator says false teachers were using the Old Testament Law and genealogies to make up all kinds of new doctrines that lead people astray. Bell is doing the same; he is making up his own doctrine, which leads people astray.
While I have not read everything that Bell has written, I have always been frustrated with him because he asks a lot of questions but rarely, if ever, gives definitive answers. I think his questions, without answers, lead people astray. Interestingly, Paul, in verse 4 says that the “different doctrine” leads to speculations. The false teachers raised questions, but provided no answers. These questions had no spiritual value, but led people into arguments. Rather than provide clarity, false teaching leads to confusion and obscures God’s truth. The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out that God’s plan is not implemented by human imaginations, but by faith. Wow, what an accurate depiction of Rob Bell – speculations, questions but no answers, confusion, and replacing faith with human imagination.
Bell’s supporters denounce his critics by claiming the critics hate him. In reality, love should motivate people to criticize Bell’s teaching. In verse 5, Paul explains that love motivates him. Rather than hate Bell, love causes people to signal warnings against Bell’s errant teaching. How can it be loving to support Bell’s teaching when it is wrong and leads people to hell? Instead, love demands a warning against his false teaching and challenges people to read and study the Bible so they can discover the truth. No one gets a second chance, for “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
A Day With My Wife's Schedule
I believe that men are fairly simple creatures and women are very complex. This belief was very evident today as I tried to keep part of my wife's schedule. On a normal day, I leave the house as the children are getting up. I get to the office early while it is quiet and I get some work done. I have to make sure that projects are done on time, that I remember appointments with clients, I attend business development meetings, and I appear in court when necessary. At times, my schedule may seem complex, but, in reality, I just have to take care of myself. Occasionally, I will help Sandy with the kids, but, generally, I only have to care for myself.
Today, I had to take care of my wife's schedule. She had to take our foster baby for surgery. I had to leave the house at 8:00 a.m. We left on time and things were going well. I got Laura to school on time for her class. We then arrived at my in-laws house where we were to spend about an hour. During that hour, my 2 year old foster son needed a diaper change. My mother-in-law changed him so that I could get some work done. After she took off his stinky diaper, we discovered that we left the diaper bag at home. So, I had to make a quick trip to CVS to get diapers. Shortly after finishing the longest diaper change ever, I had to leave the house to pick up Laura at school and drop Aly off at school. Then, we returned to my in-laws for about an hour and a half. At 10:45, I had to pack the kids back up and pick up Aly at school. Then, we had to go to the orthodontist for 11:15 appointments. Because the appointments were supposed to be short and my foster son can be difficult, I kept him, my 6 year old daughter, and 10 year old son in the van. Unfortunately, these short appointments ended up being an hour long. This was a long hour. Eventually, we returned home where I left the kids with my wife and I went to the office for sane schedule.
This is a fairly typical day for my wife. In comparison to her schedule, my schedule is fairly simple. I really do not know how she is able to care for 6 kids, with 2 in diapers. She is an extraordinary woman. She is capable of handling a complex schedule; whereas, I am too simple to successful handle such a schedule. I am truly blessed to have her as my wife. After living one morning in her shoes, I know that I am not capable of keeping her schedule.
Today, I had to take care of my wife's schedule. She had to take our foster baby for surgery. I had to leave the house at 8:00 a.m. We left on time and things were going well. I got Laura to school on time for her class. We then arrived at my in-laws house where we were to spend about an hour. During that hour, my 2 year old foster son needed a diaper change. My mother-in-law changed him so that I could get some work done. After she took off his stinky diaper, we discovered that we left the diaper bag at home. So, I had to make a quick trip to CVS to get diapers. Shortly after finishing the longest diaper change ever, I had to leave the house to pick up Laura at school and drop Aly off at school. Then, we returned to my in-laws for about an hour and a half. At 10:45, I had to pack the kids back up and pick up Aly at school. Then, we had to go to the orthodontist for 11:15 appointments. Because the appointments were supposed to be short and my foster son can be difficult, I kept him, my 6 year old daughter, and 10 year old son in the van. Unfortunately, these short appointments ended up being an hour long. This was a long hour. Eventually, we returned home where I left the kids with my wife and I went to the office for sane schedule.
This is a fairly typical day for my wife. In comparison to her schedule, my schedule is fairly simple. I really do not know how she is able to care for 6 kids, with 2 in diapers. She is an extraordinary woman. She is capable of handling a complex schedule; whereas, I am too simple to successful handle such a schedule. I am truly blessed to have her as my wife. After living one morning in her shoes, I know that I am not capable of keeping her schedule.
Lasting Marriage
Having been married for over 20 years, I am more convinced than ever that commitment, no matter the circumstances, is the key to a lasting marriage. Prior to, and after, the marriage, the couple are madly in love with each other. The man knows all about his wife, likes most everything about her, cannot imagine living without her, and loves her. Likewise, the woman knows all about her husband, likes everything about him, cannot imagine living without him and loves him. They are in love, happily married, and expect (or at least hope) to stay married to each other forever.
But, something unexpected happens over the years – changes. Over the years, the man changes. The woman also changes. It is impossible for the two people to remain the same as the years pass. In my case, I completed law school, got a job, changed jobs, started my own law office working out of my house, and started a partnership with new offices out of the house. As a family, we have given birth to 4 children and have seen them grow to the point where they are 17, 13, 10, and 6. We have gone through the tragedy of losing children before they were born. We have rented apartments, lived with parents, and bought two houses. We have changed churches once. My wife went from being a school teacher, to being a stay-at-home-mom to a home school-mom who still takes her kids for some classes at a Christian school. We have become foster parents to 2 young children. After 20 years of marriage, we are not the same people. We have changed.
If I was only in love with the person that I married 20 years ago, I would have a problem – that person does not exist. Likewise, if my wife was only in love with the person that she married 20 years ago, she would have a problem – I am not that same person. What keeps us together? Simply, it is commitment and a decision to keep loving the other person. It does not matter how either of us has changed, we choose to love each other. Our circumstances do not matter, we choose to love each other. We are committed to each other.
As I said, people change. Our circumstances also change. Through all the changes, a married couple should choose to stay committed, stay in love, and stay married. I found an interesting study conducted by the University of Chicago. The study examined married couples who described themselves as “very unhappy”. After five years of remaining married, 77% of those “very unhappy” couples described themselves as “very happy” or “quite happy.” On the other hand, those “unhappy couples” that chose divorce remained unhappy even 5 years after the divorce.
The message is simple, couples should choose to remain in love and be committed to each other no matter what. We all change, but that is no reason for a divorce. Even bad circumstances are usually temporary and change. Stay committed during the hard times, things will probably change for the better; you just need to outlast the bad circumstances.
NOTE – Do not think that this writing means that I am not happy and am merely staying married because I am committed. I am madly in love with my wife. She is the most wonderful person in the world. While this is true, she is not the same person that I married. I love her anyway. In fact, I love her more today than ever before. Twenty years of marriage has taught me how to love. While I am much better at loving my wife today than I was 20 years ago, I expect to continue to grow and love her more, and better, as the years pass.
FINAL NOTE – I did not write the Note because my wife would read the blog. I wrote it because it is true and because my wife will read the blog.
But, something unexpected happens over the years – changes. Over the years, the man changes. The woman also changes. It is impossible for the two people to remain the same as the years pass. In my case, I completed law school, got a job, changed jobs, started my own law office working out of my house, and started a partnership with new offices out of the house. As a family, we have given birth to 4 children and have seen them grow to the point where they are 17, 13, 10, and 6. We have gone through the tragedy of losing children before they were born. We have rented apartments, lived with parents, and bought two houses. We have changed churches once. My wife went from being a school teacher, to being a stay-at-home-mom to a home school-mom who still takes her kids for some classes at a Christian school. We have become foster parents to 2 young children. After 20 years of marriage, we are not the same people. We have changed.
If I was only in love with the person that I married 20 years ago, I would have a problem – that person does not exist. Likewise, if my wife was only in love with the person that she married 20 years ago, she would have a problem – I am not that same person. What keeps us together? Simply, it is commitment and a decision to keep loving the other person. It does not matter how either of us has changed, we choose to love each other. Our circumstances do not matter, we choose to love each other. We are committed to each other.
As I said, people change. Our circumstances also change. Through all the changes, a married couple should choose to stay committed, stay in love, and stay married. I found an interesting study conducted by the University of Chicago. The study examined married couples who described themselves as “very unhappy”. After five years of remaining married, 77% of those “very unhappy” couples described themselves as “very happy” or “quite happy.” On the other hand, those “unhappy couples” that chose divorce remained unhappy even 5 years after the divorce.
The message is simple, couples should choose to remain in love and be committed to each other no matter what. We all change, but that is no reason for a divorce. Even bad circumstances are usually temporary and change. Stay committed during the hard times, things will probably change for the better; you just need to outlast the bad circumstances.
NOTE – Do not think that this writing means that I am not happy and am merely staying married because I am committed. I am madly in love with my wife. She is the most wonderful person in the world. While this is true, she is not the same person that I married. I love her anyway. In fact, I love her more today than ever before. Twenty years of marriage has taught me how to love. While I am much better at loving my wife today than I was 20 years ago, I expect to continue to grow and love her more, and better, as the years pass.
FINAL NOTE – I did not write the Note because my wife would read the blog. I wrote it because it is true and because my wife will read the blog.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Cutting the Cable Update
Readers of my blog know that I recently decided to save money by no longer subscribing to cable tv. I cut the cable about 3 weeks ago, so I thought I would share my experience.
I really have not missed cable tv. If I had cut the cable years ago, I probably would have missed it, but with so many shows on the internet, I have not missed a single show that I wanted to watch. Every show that my wife and I watch is on cbs.com or hulu.com. When we had cable, we usually recorded shows on the DVR and watched them later, after the kids were in bed. Now, we basically do the same thing. The only difference is that, instead of using the remote control for the DVR, I have to plug my laptop into the tv/monitor, find the show on the internet, and click play. If I needed to control something, I initially missed the remote. After a few days, I discovered that my USB wireless mouse will actually work from the couch while the laptop is on the table by the tv. The wireless mouse makes a great remote. The bottom line, I have not missed any shows that I like to watch and the inconvenience is minimal. To me, cable is not worth the money.
After cutting the cable, the next step was getting and installing an antenna. This was a bit more difficult. I found a reasonably priced antenna at "channelmaster.com" While I wanted to install t in my attic rather than the roof, my initial attempt was a failure. The pictures kept stopping; it was not acceptable. Having no time to fix it, I left it for later. I wanted to watch the Daytona 500. So, I worked on it before the race started (not really a good time when the race about to start). I moved the antenna around in the attic, but nothing worked. The race is now starting and I still cannot watch it; I am in a panic. I may have to mount he antenna on the roof, but I want to make sure it works before I go to the effort. So, I get the antenna outside and lay it on the roof. Still bad reception. As I am checking the antenna, the race appears to be more of a slide show (a series of still pictures) rather than a video, and I think a see a still picture of Jeff Gordon sitting in the grass in a wrecked car. Well, it looks like I can't watch the race and it does not really matter because Gordon is already out. I return to the roof to retrieve the antenna and take it back to the attic. Discouraged, I do not even try to get it to work, but just lay it upside down on some boxes of Christmas decorations. When I return to the family room, the reception is great. All of the channels are working just fine. I guess we cannot use those Christmas decorations any more because I cannot move that box with the antenna on it.
Sports will be the major thing that I will miss. I did see the Flyers play the Rangers on NBC. I watched a Temple basketball game on ESPN3, that I get through the internet. So, I will make due.
We are using our free month of Netflix. I do not know if we will keep it, but it appears to be a good substitute for On Demand. At $10 a month, it is not cost prohibitive. I like the fact that it operates through the Wii, so I do not have to use a computer. It has more Bob the Builder episodes than Verizon's On Demand. We found several episodes of Veggie Tales and other kid shows that we like. Past episodes of other shows we like, such as Monk and Psych, are available. The movie selections are better than On Demand. I do not think that I would want to pay for cable and Netflix, but Netflix instead of cable is a possibility.
So far, the experiment of cutting the cable is a success.
I really have not missed cable tv. If I had cut the cable years ago, I probably would have missed it, but with so many shows on the internet, I have not missed a single show that I wanted to watch. Every show that my wife and I watch is on cbs.com or hulu.com. When we had cable, we usually recorded shows on the DVR and watched them later, after the kids were in bed. Now, we basically do the same thing. The only difference is that, instead of using the remote control for the DVR, I have to plug my laptop into the tv/monitor, find the show on the internet, and click play. If I needed to control something, I initially missed the remote. After a few days, I discovered that my USB wireless mouse will actually work from the couch while the laptop is on the table by the tv. The wireless mouse makes a great remote. The bottom line, I have not missed any shows that I like to watch and the inconvenience is minimal. To me, cable is not worth the money.
After cutting the cable, the next step was getting and installing an antenna. This was a bit more difficult. I found a reasonably priced antenna at "channelmaster.com" While I wanted to install t in my attic rather than the roof, my initial attempt was a failure. The pictures kept stopping; it was not acceptable. Having no time to fix it, I left it for later. I wanted to watch the Daytona 500. So, I worked on it before the race started (not really a good time when the race about to start). I moved the antenna around in the attic, but nothing worked. The race is now starting and I still cannot watch it; I am in a panic. I may have to mount he antenna on the roof, but I want to make sure it works before I go to the effort. So, I get the antenna outside and lay it on the roof. Still bad reception. As I am checking the antenna, the race appears to be more of a slide show (a series of still pictures) rather than a video, and I think a see a still picture of Jeff Gordon sitting in the grass in a wrecked car. Well, it looks like I can't watch the race and it does not really matter because Gordon is already out. I return to the roof to retrieve the antenna and take it back to the attic. Discouraged, I do not even try to get it to work, but just lay it upside down on some boxes of Christmas decorations. When I return to the family room, the reception is great. All of the channels are working just fine. I guess we cannot use those Christmas decorations any more because I cannot move that box with the antenna on it.
Sports will be the major thing that I will miss. I did see the Flyers play the Rangers on NBC. I watched a Temple basketball game on ESPN3, that I get through the internet. So, I will make due.
We are using our free month of Netflix. I do not know if we will keep it, but it appears to be a good substitute for On Demand. At $10 a month, it is not cost prohibitive. I like the fact that it operates through the Wii, so I do not have to use a computer. It has more Bob the Builder episodes than Verizon's On Demand. We found several episodes of Veggie Tales and other kid shows that we like. Past episodes of other shows we like, such as Monk and Psych, are available. The movie selections are better than On Demand. I do not think that I would want to pay for cable and Netflix, but Netflix instead of cable is a possibility.
So far, the experiment of cutting the cable is a success.
Monday, February 21, 2011
God's Word
As a child, I remember memorizing a lot of Bible verses. One of the first verses I remember is Psalm 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." I memorized verses for Sunday School, for AWANA, and for school. Adults were making me, and other children, learn verses because God's Word is important. As an adult, I have encouraged kids to memorize scripture because it is good for them to know God's Word.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped memorizing scripture, and I suspect that most adults do not memorize scripture either. What a shame! If I needed to memorize scripture as a child, why not memorize now? If I thought, as an adult, that children should memorize scripture, then why not me? Psalm 119, which is neglected by most people because it is so long, emphasizes the importance of God's law. Verse 97 says, "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day." This is very convicting. Do I really love God's law? If so, wouldn't I spend more time with it and memorize it? Do I really meditate on God's law? Generally, no. But, when I am memorizing scripture, I end up meditating on it. I am constantly reviewing the verses and this causes me to meditate on His law.
Because of the importance of God's Word, I have committed myself to memorizing scripture. For this year, my goal is to learn 2 verses per week. Two verses a week does not feel like very much. It seems to be a very reasonable goal. If I accomplish this goal, then I will learn over 100 verses this year. Two verses does not seem like much of an accomplishment, but 100 verses will be.
As the husband of my wife and father of my children, God has called me to be a spiritual leader in my family. As the spiritual leader, I need to memorize scripture. I cannot expect my children to memorize scripture if I am not setting an example. In addition, I should lead my family in memorizing scripture. So, on a weekly basis, I am giving my children 3x5 cards with verses to memorize for this week. It will be a great opportunity for me to lead my children and for us to memorize verses as a family.
So, where do I start. I decided to begin by building a strong foundation. Navigators has a Topical Memory System with some basic verses that every Christian should know. They have 30 subjects with two selections for each subject. Each week, I will have my family learn both selections for one subject. The first subject is "Christ is the Center" and the selections are 2 Cor. 5:17 and Gal. 2:20. While we may already have some of these verses memorized, there will be some new ones and it will be good to memorize the familiar ones. It is amazing how easy it is to forget even the familiar verses.
While I am looking forward to memorizing scripture, my children are very excited about it. This is going to be a great year.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped memorizing scripture, and I suspect that most adults do not memorize scripture either. What a shame! If I needed to memorize scripture as a child, why not memorize now? If I thought, as an adult, that children should memorize scripture, then why not me? Psalm 119, which is neglected by most people because it is so long, emphasizes the importance of God's law. Verse 97 says, "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day." This is very convicting. Do I really love God's law? If so, wouldn't I spend more time with it and memorize it? Do I really meditate on God's law? Generally, no. But, when I am memorizing scripture, I end up meditating on it. I am constantly reviewing the verses and this causes me to meditate on His law.
Because of the importance of God's Word, I have committed myself to memorizing scripture. For this year, my goal is to learn 2 verses per week. Two verses a week does not feel like very much. It seems to be a very reasonable goal. If I accomplish this goal, then I will learn over 100 verses this year. Two verses does not seem like much of an accomplishment, but 100 verses will be.
As the husband of my wife and father of my children, God has called me to be a spiritual leader in my family. As the spiritual leader, I need to memorize scripture. I cannot expect my children to memorize scripture if I am not setting an example. In addition, I should lead my family in memorizing scripture. So, on a weekly basis, I am giving my children 3x5 cards with verses to memorize for this week. It will be a great opportunity for me to lead my children and for us to memorize verses as a family.
So, where do I start. I decided to begin by building a strong foundation. Navigators has a Topical Memory System with some basic verses that every Christian should know. They have 30 subjects with two selections for each subject. Each week, I will have my family learn both selections for one subject. The first subject is "Christ is the Center" and the selections are 2 Cor. 5:17 and Gal. 2:20. While we may already have some of these verses memorized, there will be some new ones and it will be good to memorize the familiar ones. It is amazing how easy it is to forget even the familiar verses.
While I am looking forward to memorizing scripture, my children are very excited about it. This is going to be a great year.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Cutting the Cable
I think most everyone experiences this feeling, probably several times a week. You are tired and just want to sit in front of the tv and relax. You turn on the set and flip through the channels or scroll through the guide. You browse and browse, only to discover that, just like most other nights, there is nothing good on tv. To add insult to injury, the cost of cable tv is ridiculous.
This caused me to think more about whether tv was worth paying such an extravagant fee. My wife and I enjoy a few shows each week. However, we almost never actually watch them on tv. Instead, we DVR them, watch them at our convenience, and skip the commercials. These same shows are available online to watch for free, most with limited commercials. While it may be a little inconvenient to pull the shows up on the internet, I can watch my favorite shows whenever I want by using the internet. Again, why am I paying for cable tv?
I finally got tired of paying for television that I do not watch. Last week, I called Verizon and canceled my cable tv. To do it, I had to talk to two customer service representatives. They both asked why I was terminating the tv and I said that there was nothing good to watch; they both agreed with me. I kept my FIOS internet, but went with a lower speed (15mbs). I kept the FIOS home phone only because Verizon charges more for the internet if you do not have the phone. By making these changes, I am saving $93.00 per month. I like saving $93.00.
As I said before, I am still watching my favorite shows online. I can plug my laptop computer into the family room tv and still see the shows on the tv. I am going to install an HDTV antenna, so I should get regular broadcast tv. For me, the biggest loss will be sports. That will be somewhat limited since football is mostly on broadcast tv. Since Verizon is my internet provider, I have access to ESPN3, which carries many sports events online. As I write, I can watch the Villanova basketball game (they are losing 9-6) right now. While it costs about $100.00, I will probably buy the MLB package, figuring the cost is offset by one month of savings by cutting the cable. I will miss Comcast Sportsnet since that is about the only place I can watch the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies. But, I rarely watch those games anyway. Often, I will turn on a game and watch a few minutes, but I do not have the time to watch an entire game. The little bit that I watch is not worth $93.00 a month.
My new antenna came today. My first instinct was to install it as soon as I can. But then I thought "Why?" There is nothing good on tv anyway, that is why I cut the cable. My goal is to have it installed by the time they race the Daytona 500; that is something that I want to watch.
I am also curious to see how the change effects my family. The other night, I sat down to feed our baby a bottle. I usually flip on SportsCenter, but I realized I have no tv at all. My world did not end without SportsCenter. The children have not yet missed tv. For some odd reason, they are even excited about cutting the cable (since they do not pay the cable bill, I do not understand their excitement). Two nights ago, Laura brought her guitar downstairs and played while some of the family sang along; I listened since I do not sing. I am trying to read a book for a mystery book club that I am in; now I have more time to read. I helped Matthew with his latest Kinnex project. Perhaps, we will play more games. I am excited to see how the lack of tv changes us.
Has anyone else "cut the cable"? If so, what was your experience. Has anyone else thought about it, but just hasn't pulled the plug yet? If so, why have you kept cable? I am not judging, I am just curious.
This caused me to think more about whether tv was worth paying such an extravagant fee. My wife and I enjoy a few shows each week. However, we almost never actually watch them on tv. Instead, we DVR them, watch them at our convenience, and skip the commercials. These same shows are available online to watch for free, most with limited commercials. While it may be a little inconvenient to pull the shows up on the internet, I can watch my favorite shows whenever I want by using the internet. Again, why am I paying for cable tv?
I finally got tired of paying for television that I do not watch. Last week, I called Verizon and canceled my cable tv. To do it, I had to talk to two customer service representatives. They both asked why I was terminating the tv and I said that there was nothing good to watch; they both agreed with me. I kept my FIOS internet, but went with a lower speed (15mbs). I kept the FIOS home phone only because Verizon charges more for the internet if you do not have the phone. By making these changes, I am saving $93.00 per month. I like saving $93.00.
As I said before, I am still watching my favorite shows online. I can plug my laptop computer into the family room tv and still see the shows on the tv. I am going to install an HDTV antenna, so I should get regular broadcast tv. For me, the biggest loss will be sports. That will be somewhat limited since football is mostly on broadcast tv. Since Verizon is my internet provider, I have access to ESPN3, which carries many sports events online. As I write, I can watch the Villanova basketball game (they are losing 9-6) right now. While it costs about $100.00, I will probably buy the MLB package, figuring the cost is offset by one month of savings by cutting the cable. I will miss Comcast Sportsnet since that is about the only place I can watch the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies. But, I rarely watch those games anyway. Often, I will turn on a game and watch a few minutes, but I do not have the time to watch an entire game. The little bit that I watch is not worth $93.00 a month.
My new antenna came today. My first instinct was to install it as soon as I can. But then I thought "Why?" There is nothing good on tv anyway, that is why I cut the cable. My goal is to have it installed by the time they race the Daytona 500; that is something that I want to watch.
I am also curious to see how the change effects my family. The other night, I sat down to feed our baby a bottle. I usually flip on SportsCenter, but I realized I have no tv at all. My world did not end without SportsCenter. The children have not yet missed tv. For some odd reason, they are even excited about cutting the cable (since they do not pay the cable bill, I do not understand their excitement). Two nights ago, Laura brought her guitar downstairs and played while some of the family sang along; I listened since I do not sing. I am trying to read a book for a mystery book club that I am in; now I have more time to read. I helped Matthew with his latest Kinnex project. Perhaps, we will play more games. I am excited to see how the lack of tv changes us.
Has anyone else "cut the cable"? If so, what was your experience. Has anyone else thought about it, but just hasn't pulled the plug yet? If so, why have you kept cable? I am not judging, I am just curious.
Monday, August 16, 2010
What Is $5.00 Worth?
Last week, our family went to Ocean City, New Jersey, where they impose the dreaded beach tax of $5.00 per person over the age of 12. As we were planning the trip, my mind immediately tried to think of ways to avoid the tax. My 12 year old is small for her age, so I could easily pretend she was 11 and save $5.00.
Suddenly, I realized what I would be teaching my children. My 12 year old knows that she is supposed to have a tag and she would know that I did not buy it. My other children would probably discover my failure to pay the $5.00. I think it is ridiculous that Ocean City charges $5.00 for a 12 year old to spend the day on the beach. But, they do. That is the rule. By not paying the $5.00, I would definitely be teaching my children that Dad thinks it is all right to break the rules.
If it is all right to break the rules for a small amount of money like $5.00, where does it stop? At what point does the rule breaking become so big that it is wrong to break the rule?
In reality, $5.00 is a small amount of money. Is saving $5.00 worth losing my integrity before my children? Is it worth sinning before God? It is only $5.00!
I hated spending the money, but as we entered the beach that day, we spent $20.00 for beach tags for every member of my family that was over the age of 12. I hated doing it, but my integrity, the lessons I teach my children, and my standing before God are worth more than $5.00. Unfortunately, the next time I go to Ocean City, I will probably have to pay the beach tax (I doubt they are going to change it), but I don't think I will wrestle with the decision of whether I should pay it.
Suddenly, I realized what I would be teaching my children. My 12 year old knows that she is supposed to have a tag and she would know that I did not buy it. My other children would probably discover my failure to pay the $5.00. I think it is ridiculous that Ocean City charges $5.00 for a 12 year old to spend the day on the beach. But, they do. That is the rule. By not paying the $5.00, I would definitely be teaching my children that Dad thinks it is all right to break the rules.
If it is all right to break the rules for a small amount of money like $5.00, where does it stop? At what point does the rule breaking become so big that it is wrong to break the rule?
In reality, $5.00 is a small amount of money. Is saving $5.00 worth losing my integrity before my children? Is it worth sinning before God? It is only $5.00!
I hated spending the money, but as we entered the beach that day, we spent $20.00 for beach tags for every member of my family that was over the age of 12. I hated doing it, but my integrity, the lessons I teach my children, and my standing before God are worth more than $5.00. Unfortunately, the next time I go to Ocean City, I will probably have to pay the beach tax (I doubt they are going to change it), but I don't think I will wrestle with the decision of whether I should pay it.
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