Silencing Sponge Bob

I love the ability of a parent to tune out the day-to-day household din. Perhaps particularly a dad, 'cause guys seem to have an innate ability to do so. There have been instances where the kids may have been out of the house for 2o minutes and my wife and I will suddenly look at each other and realize that the TV has been blaring the likes of iCarly, Sponge Bob, or one of the Jonas brothers. (On a side note, the new Jonas Brothers show is very much like the Monkees of old, and I actually enjoy the nostalgia of it.)

Today I have no noise from Nickelodeon. My wife and the boys have snuck out of town for a few days. This provides me, not only time to crank out a ton of work, but to have some rare time to myself. So last night I enjoyed a few fine ales and fine conversation with a good friend and a new acquaintance. A conversation topic was this clutter of technology and constant entertainment—the "Sponge Bob Effect"—and its affect on our kids. Not that technology, etc. is altogether bad—frankly, it can be a great thing. But I know there is a need for parents to carve out time for themselves and time with the kids (or time for the kids themselves)—away from the iPods, workloads, Nickelodeon, etc. I am glad my wife has carved some out.

I have started a new book. Shaped By God by Max Lucado. Having read the first bit seems like its gonna speak wonders and provide me a lot of "I wonders". Last week I finished Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Miller's book has, and from the looks of it, Lucado's will really challenge me and my life. A Million Miles looks at the "story" of one's life. Asking if we are living a challenging, exciting, wonderful, scary, motivating, etc. life-story. Shaped, I believe, will be taking those deep life-story questions even deeper.


When I was within Lucado's book, my wife texted a black and white picture of the boys standing in the sand, arms around each other, and smiling at me. I gotta tell you this really moved me. Amid my meditation on my life, my life story, and the growth thereof, I am sent an image of two of the critical characters in that story.

Along with, and alongside my wife, I've got to silence Sponge Bob and bring myself, my family and my story to a greater and greater place. To get there, these are some important factors I must continuously nourish:

• My wife and our relationship
• A close and honoring conversation with God
• The wisdom, relationship and support of friends and the body of Christ
• Consistent time in the Word
• Open ears
• A gracious heart
• A gracious tongue
• A servant heart
  
• Availability

My prayer is that I remember these things daily and don't get caught up in my own life clamor.