ISSUES OF THE DAY

“Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4)

Recently, a pastor friend shared with me an issue that has caused him to be at odds with his wife and at times even cause him to exchange tense words with her. The problem is that he likes things TOTALLY quiet in the morning (he’s a senior citizen- no kids or young people are in the home!). This guy savors the stillness and quiet of the morning...just walking around the house, sitting eating breakfast, and maybe exchanging pleasantries with his wife, but not much more. The wife has a habit of flipping on “Good Morning America” as soon as she comes into the kitchen, and she loves to watch the news, weather, and interviews. My friend sees this as a very bad intrusion of the world into their peaceful Christ-centered home. His wife just sees it as a way to stay connected and learn things.

He reports they’ve come to a compromise. When they are actually having breakfast, she turns the T.V. off. It annoys him, however, that when he’s not around, she rushes right to the T.V. and turns it on.

I didn’t say a whole lot to that pastor friend because in my home I’m much more like his wife and my wife is much more like him! I grew up in a home where either the television or the radio or BOTH were on almost all the time. My mother was what people would call a “news junkie”. She completed only one year of college, but when it came to current events,she was as sharp as the panelists on the McLaughlin Group. My Dad enjoyed radio talk shows, especially when they were talking about what was going on with state government. When I was a young kid, we always had a radio going in the kitchen. Then, when I was around 18, my parents got a T.V. for the kitchen. Every night we watched the news on Channel 5 during supper. I know that’s considered a real no-no with a lot of folks, but we did it. On Saturday nights, we’d often be eating hot dogs and beans and watching the Lawrence Welk Show!

As you can guess, I’m one of those types who walks in and immediately flips the T.V. or radio on. During the last year, my wife has had the talk with me that my pastor friend has had with his wife- that she really wants me to turn the media off and focus on her, my kids, and most of all God. I guess part of me feels I DO focus plenty on God and that staying on top of current events is a good thing, but I DO see how things can get unbalanced.

I chose the above verse, because I’ve often used that passage to prove that Jesus DID keep up with and discuss current events. In that passage, he not only talks about the news story of the tower in Siloam falling, but he talks about the Galileans that Governor Pilate had executed, mingling their blood with their sacrifices. So, it’s not wrong to discuss current events, but I guess if it really annoys one’s spouse, then one has to make adjustments in one’s lifestyle.

So, how about you? Are you a news and media person, or do you like things quiet and still? Do you think either lifestyle or preference is any more or less spiritual than the other?