The Experiment...

For several months my family and I have been doing an experiment… No, this is not a pyramid scheme to get you to buy in to the program but I would love to tell you very briefly about it and what I’ve learned.  Essentially, it is giving up specific things each month for seven months so you can learn more about yourself and the abundance of excess in our lives (It all started with a book and now there’s a study too)!! 

Courtney and I have gone through several months at this point and have learned a ton each month, and this month has been no exception.  For the past 24 days the Berg household has given up all media items… That’s right: Movies, TV, Music, Apps, Yahoo News, ESPN and, outside of professional use, even: Cellphones & Computers!!  Though it most definitely hasn’t been easy, down right awful at times (missing the BCS Championship games and now the Super Bowl this Sunday), with only a handful of days left I’m kind of sad that it’s drawing to a close.  I’ve come to greatly enjoy “the silence” of my home (well, after the kids are in bed), the incredible conversations while just doing the day-to-day errands without the radio, the fact that the kids come home and immediately want to play a board game or shoot some hoops and “the honeymoon” period my wife and I have found again with card games, reading together and even just talking!!

Rereading the paragraph above I realized that just those things could be the focus of this post:

• Turn off the TV and get on the floor with your family
• Dust off the board games (or go get a new one)
• Schedule a mandatory date night once a month
• Maybe even power down the cell phone once a week

BUT that wasn’t why I started this post… The biggest thing that has happened this month of “no media” was my eyes being opened AGAIN!!  Ten years ago Courtney and I made goals for our family of two: No TV in the bedroom, Leave the cellphones in the car on dates, Buy a new board game once a month, etc.  But over the past decade we lost focus and became desensitized to the world around us!!  Many “what ifs” (what if there’s an emergency, a crisis, a disaster) in our lives seemed to demand our constant attention and connection to technology and not meaningful connection to each other and to our family.

So with our fast winding down I’m praying for a couple specific things, will you join me?

• May I take a little time and evaluate where I am right now in my walk…
• May I be honest with myself and God, asking His Spirit to give me great leadership in making new boundaries (or even old forgotten ones)…
• May I set aside time for faith talks and even provide uninterrupted time so faith walks can happen with my family…

May Jesus bless your discipline and our community here at New Beginnings!!

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” Psalm 139: 23-24

What is one adjustment you could make in your day-to-day to open up a little more time and focus for your family!?