"Social" Salt & Light

Three areas/categories I am tackling that this issue directly affects:
(meaning:  This is what the Lord took me through years ago when I first got saved.  I am sure there are MANY other areas that these social issues affect.  These are just the 3 that the Lord brought to my mind as I was studying)

1- Is it God centered or man centered?

2- How is it digested?

3- What fruit is produced?

First I am going to pray that all who read this will allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to YOU what YOU read and study from God's word.  Don't take my word for it!  Read the Bible for yourself and ask, seek and knock!  He will answer :)

As disciples of Jesus Christ and parents of 2 small girls, my husband and I are extremely careful about what we allow to come in to our home through television and radio.  I will tell you that we do not have cable, satellite, dish network, etc.  We have a TV, DVD player, and a VCR - yes we do and we still use it :).  We do have local channels, but have an intenna and can only get channels 12, 16 & 29 - if the weather is good!  I am not saying all this to boast, but that when you don't have the "options" it is MUCH easier to aviod all the "questionables". 

A little testimony as to how we as a family came to be a "no cable" family:
When Katie, our youngest was a newborn, and we were really still newlyweds (married for only a 1 1/2  years), we beagn to kinda "grow apart".  Most of you know the stress of a newborn, especially your first, and we were building a house, selling our house, and still trying to get to know one another!!!  Well, to shorten the story, we started really praying for help, and direction.  What is this parenting/marriage stuff all about?  What did the Lord desire from us?  Through that we felt strongly that  He was asking us to purify.  Which led us straight to our TV (other areas followed, but that was the first).  I can say that even though we weren't watching those things considered "terrible",  we were spending our time soaking in things that 1- were not lifting up the name of Jesus 2- not drawing us closer as a family 3- keeping us from being together.  And so that is what we were doing - growing apart from each other and the Lord.  So, we called the cable company and had them turn it off.  I will not lie and say that it was easy.  And for several weeks I really felt like we were missing out.  But as time went by, we started spending our time together, and found a Bible teaching church, and really seeking the Lord as to what He desired for our life, we knew we had done the right thing.
Fast forward almost 4 years, we have been cable TV free and only use the local channels for news, really only during football season :),  weather and I allow the girls to watch a FEW shows on PBS.  If you know us and our children, we are not socially deprived or lacking in any way!!!  My kids love life and have not missed out on a thing!!  And not to mention we save $$$$$  too!! 
 Matthew 6:24 says, "Noone can serve 2 masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and mammon (spirit of materialism)."

Well, the children are waking, so I will have to continue later......