God of the living-room

OK, this is the thing. I am going to pick on the number one god in peoples lives with the exception of themselves, THE T.V. SET.
OH’ no, Monty is going to attack my TV. Yep, Your right, but know this, I speak this way because I have been there, worshiping the TV set like it was some Power to be bowed down to.
We depend a great deal on our little one eyed monster. We look to it for some of the following things……..
1. Entertainment, 2. Information, 3. Gossip, 4. Baby Sitting,
5. Relaxation, 6. Advertisement, 7. To make us feel good about ourselves,
8. Counseling, 9. Shopping, 10. Pornography, 11. Help to sleep,
12. Help to wake up, 13, Politics, 14. To escape reality. 15. To keep us company, and the list goes on and on.
And if that were not enough, we not only watch the silly thing an average of 10.5 hours a day, but we go out and purchase bigger and more powerful ones to not only spend more time watching, but now the thing is filling up 30% of our living room. It is taller than we are and wider than our family car. It’s the first thing we look to when we come home from work, and the last thing we turn off before we go to bed. It spews forth profanity, and promotes violence. It has no respect for our children and demands our loyalty over our families.
The average family spends more than 400.00 per year on the TV in one way or another, from repairs, TV guides, Pay TV and so on. Some folks even spend as much as 1000.00 a year to make the TV the main part of their Home Entertainment System.
If these facts don’t cause you to stop and make some changes, perhaps you have become what I call a “TUBE”. That is a person who is obsessed with the TV.

Application & Implementation

1. If your TV sits center stage in your living room, replace it with a TV half its size and sit it off to one side so it isn’t the center of focus, or the biggest thing in your living room.
2. If you have one of those Big Giant Monsters in your home, sell the silly thing or better yet blow it up, they are a blast to watch explode. Go out and buy a much smaller one to put in another room in your home other than the main room of activity. Take the extra money you’ll save after buying the smaller TV, and take your spouse on a cruise, or your family to Disney Land. Go back packing; donate it to your home group or something. Do something as a family.
3. Disconnect the cable and hook up your VCR or DVD player to the TV set, It makes it a little harder to just plop down and channel surf.
4. And last, don’t watch anything that you wouldn’t let your kids watch. If your kids are grown, use the same policy as if they were still at home. It all depends on how much you want your family home life to change. It won’t fix everything in your family, but it will be a healthy start.
Let God be God and not a box of foolishness.
Oh and if you really must see a show on a big screen, take your family out to see a movie once a week, it cost less than a credit card payment and it’s much more family oriented.
Serenity for You.
~Monty’man

Fixing Others

Fixing Others

We all have those moments when we are completely convinced that we can fix someone and turn them into the person we want them to be. This often starts out with good intentions but invariably turns on us and we begin a process of building a resentment towards those who seemingly will not change.

Though we know that God is the only one that can truly change a person’s heart, we insist on coming to His rescue and instead we get in His way.

When will we ever learn? It’s a continual learning process to master the art of not trying to control others. We must, as the Apostle Paul says “Die to ourselves daily”.

It is only when we place ourselves at the feet of our God that we begin to apply the true humility that is required to love another.

It will save us much grief if we will learn to put aside our own expectations of people and wake up to the fact that we are powerless over the choices they make.

When we learn to “apply these principles in all our affairs” it will always helps us see each other through the eyes of a loving God rather than the eyes of our selfish, controlling nature.

However, if one does insist on attempting control of other people, here are the 12 Steps to do so, but beware of the consequences. It just may drive you insane.

Here’s some food for thought.

The 12 Steps to Total and Complete Insanity

1. We admitted we were powerless over nothing. We could manage our lives perfectly and we could manage those of anyone else that would allow it.

2. Came to believe that there was no power greater than ourselves, and the rest of the world was insane.

3. Made a decision to have our loved ones and friends turn their wills and their lives over to our care.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of everyone we knew.

5. Admitted to the whole world at large the exact nature of their wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to make others straighten up and do right.

7. Demanded others to either “shape up or ship out”.
8. Made a list of anyone who had ever harmed us and became willing to go to any lengths to get even with them all.

9. Got direct revenge on such people whenever possible except when to do so would cost us our own lives, or at the very least, a jail sentence.

10. Continued to take inventory of others, and when they were wrong promptly and repeatedly told them about it.

11. Sought through nagging to improve our relations with others as we couldn’t understand them at all, asking only that they knuckle under and do things our way.

12. Having had a complete physical, emotional and spiritual breakdown as a result of these steps, we tried to blame it on others and to get sympathy and pity in all our affairs.

Meditation:
Dear God, as I sit here with my mind and heart focused on you, I receive your love in my life. I receive your forgiveness and grace and let your spirit and all your attributes flow through me so I may learn to become more aware of my own character defects and less critical of others. I now allow your spirit of compassion to reign in my acts of helpfulness. I listen for your direction and yours alone.

Response to John A

Ebbie actually spoke those words on one of his speaker tapes years ago.
And as far as the God issue. if you read my post on “Other Peoples Higher Power” I would never try and force anyone into believing what I believe.
When I sponsor folks they know I am a Christian, but they have to develop their own relationship with God as they grow in understanding. I don’t try and convert anyone. that’s God’s job.
I really appricate your comment and hope you continue to read the blog.

Swerenity for You!
~Monty’man

Differnt Higher Powers?

At a convention some years ago I was asked this question:

How do you feel about people in 12 Step fellowships with different Higher Powers than yourself?

Simple, it’s their choice and their right within the program to believe as they will. God is a gentleman, and never forces Himself on anybody. As a follower of Christ, and a man wishing to do His will, then I must not force my belief system on anyone either.

The Personal relationship I have with Jesus Christ is available to all who seek him, but an individual has to seek for himself without being Bible thumped. I have a very strong conviction about my Higher Power. Folks know that, because if a person doesn’t believe that his/her Higher Power is the Higher Power then how do they trust that Higher Power as their Higher Power. If they don’t believe that without reservation, then they best get another Higher Power. But one must remember that many folks are still searching and they should never be judged or shamed. Some folks when they first come in to recovery use their group as their Higher Power. It’s not that the folks in the group are a power greater than themselves, but that collectively the bond that is formed between a group of people that have the same focus and desire can be so powerful that it can change and save lives. If I don’t believe that my Home Group is the best Home Group I could belong to, then I had better find another Home Group. -But newcomers are searching that out as well.

It’s all a process of progress. Something we certainly didn’t have when we were out running on self will run riot. WOW, that was a mouth full. It’s not my place to judge peoples choices. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament says…

“…you should not dis-associate yourself with the world or judge those who don’t believe and act like we do. In that case you would have to leave this world, but you should judge yourselves and make yourselves accountable to one another.”

1 Cor. 5:9-11

We should never judge or shame someone for having a different faith than we do. We hold to our convictions without apology, but we give others the same tolerance and respect we would expect from them. In this way the truth of the Lord will shine bright, He will do His work as we step out of the way. Trust God and Love People should forever be our focus.

Wishing God’s Perfect Serenity for You!
~The Monty’man