No TV?

No TV?
That's right! For a year now Andy and I haven't had the entertainment of TV. It all started when we moved and we couldn't afford cable TV. Then when we got extra money, we went out and bought the cheapest bunny ears, but they still didn't work, so we upgraded to the next and they still didn't work. In the mean time, we were getting used to this no TV thing and were liking it. But for bad summer weather purposes we decided to get the $30 bunny ears. We got channels, but they were still a bit fuzzy. We had it for about a week, but it just didn't seem right. We were watching the news, which was so depressing and shows that we didn't even really like anymore. It was taking away from our family and reading time. Andy would often stay up really late watching it because he'd be into a show, then the next day would be super tired. And the worst, I found myself worrying about a lot more. It was like an on switch button for my anxiety. Watching the news, hearing all the depressing events happening and no positive really wears off on you. So, after seeing all the negative effects of the TV, we decided to return the bunny ears to the store. We've been without TV ever since and its been great. We really didn't see the negative influence it had on us until we didn't have it for awhile and then we got it again. I couldn't believe what an influence it had. And just to think, were just one family. Just imagine all the bad influence it has on millions of kids and we wonder why the world is the way it is... depression, violence, unrealistic expectations, divorce, etc. I'm not saying the TV is a horrible thing and nobody should watch it. It just depends on what you watch and how you let it influence you. For us, we found it was better to just get rid of it all together.
With all this in mind, I wanted to share a new study I'm doing in Mom's group, "Lies Woman Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free." I only read the first 2 chapters and it already is opening my eyes and reassured me why we chose not to have TV in our house. Nancy Demoss states,

"The world's deceptive way of thinking comes to us through so many avenues- television, magazines, movies, music, friends, malls, and catalogs, to name a few. A steady diet of these worldly influences will shape our view of what is valuable, what is beautiful, and what is important in life."

That is so true. Looking back I can't believe of how may struggles I went through were influenced with deceptions from some of these resources. I don't think this book should be just for woman. Andy came home the other day getting down about money and worldly possessions; not having a house, fun toys, hobbies, etc. He was definitely influenced by some of his coworkers. After reading the intro to this book, I was like, WOW, this book should be, "The Lies Men and Woman believe" because everything he just poured out to me was a great demonstration of believing one of those lies.... needing materials to be happy. We have more than that. We have God and we have each other. After sharing the book with him, he got right back on track.
Anyways, all this to say, I'm looking forward to reading this book and more things that God reveals to me in my life. I just thought I'd share my new study with all of you and how God is using it already in my life!