Lately I have become fascinated ("addicted" is too strong a word) with
"reality shows" on TV. Some I have sampled, and instantly press a
mental "DELETE" button in my brain. Some I have considered in the same
way that one considers something on a menu but never actually gets
around to ordering. Others I have tasted warily and found not to be to
my liking. There are a few I fully intend to try. One of these
features a fearsome long-haired, almost bare-chested, bounty hunter
named DOG. Before he sets out to apprehend escaped felons, he joins
hands with his team and equally eccentric wife, and they pray for
success in their ventures. He ends his prayer "in the name of The Lord
and in the name of the law." One rainy, cold day I intend to curl up
under a duvet and watch Dog go about God's business as a 21st century
lawman.
I enjoy watching Judge Judy dispense her own brand of justice, which
seems to consist of her making up her mind about the verdict before
ever entering the courtroom. She is everyone's nightmare - a very
vocal mother clad in a judge's robe, a gavel in hand, with full
authority to tell you to keep quiet while she is speaking, and with a
burly officer of the court named Bert, who enforces her commands to
escort any unruly person out of her presence. She is sharp-tongued,
incisive, opinionated, and a pleasure to watch. The only downside
would be if you were on the receiving end of her wrath.
I was coaxed into watching Hillbilly Hand-Fishing by our worship
leader, who had watched it with her son-in-law. Jane gave me such a
lifelike demonstration of city dwellers immersing their hitherto clean
bodies in muddy water, feeling cautiously along a rock overhang until
a gargantuan catfish fastened itself onto their fingers while everyone
applauded, that I HAD to watch. I cried with laughter. She is still
trying to get me to watch Swamp People. I have become a fan of "Come
Dine With Me", especially the South African version, where amateur
chefs host dinner parties in the hopes of winning R10000. The one
requirement apparently needed to be accepted as a contestant is to be
prepared to be presented as obnoxious or dysfunctional by selective
editing and sarcastic narration. Nice, normal people don't make it
onto the show.
I have been equally entertained and repulsed by "Here comes Honey Boo
Boo". This redneck family consists of Mama, aka June, who is obese,
uncouth, but intensely devoted to her family. She has three teenage
daughters, one of whom has recently given birth to a baby girl who has
two thumbs on her right hand. The family are unperturbed about the
extra little thumb attached to the main thumb, and happily draw around
her hand in crayon, proudly displaying the extra digit, and calling
her thumbs her little lobster claw. Then there is Honey Boo Boo, whose
real name is Alana. Her father is known as Sugar Bear by the entire
family. He appears to be the father of Alana, while the other three
girls have a different father or fathers. June is only 33 years old.
Alana is now 7, very plump, and enters pageants. Uncle Poodle, June's
gay brother, teaches Honey Boo Boo how to present herself on stage.
The repulsive part of the show is the family's habit of burping
loudly, not to mention other personal habits that are not normally
spoken about, let alone demonstrated, in polite company. Despite their
unhygienic lifestyle these people love each other deeply. Sugar Bear
thinks that June is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
I have been lured into watching Gypsy Weddings, where the wedding
dress is THE THING. It has to be lavish and huge. I had no idea that
there were modern day "Travellers", which is another name for gypsies,
in virtually every country in Europe, in America, and even in South
Africa. This is a culture unlike anything we have experienced, and
where their language is peppered with Traveller terms that are
unfamiliar to the rest of us. We are known as "Settlers", and it is
considered ALMOST taboo for a Traveller to marry a Settler. It does
happen though, even though such marriages are heavily frowned upon by
the broader Traveller community.
I had seen one of the shows advertised as "I didn't know I was
pregnant!" Before I finally got around to viewing an episode, I made
my own judgments on these women. They must be ignorant, naive, or
liars. To my shame I have discovered that these women are educated,
normal, many have had children already, and they are as shocked as we,
the viewers, when they discover that their bad tummy ache is not the
result of food poisoning, but is, in fact, full on labour. One woman
lay on the floor in the bedroom so as not to disturb her husband by
her agonized thrashing around, only to deliver the baby on the floor.
Her husband was awakened by the baby crying! Oh yes, this is one I
look forward to.
But the reality show that got me thinking is a show called HOARDERS.
From the advertisements I gather that certain people hoard everything
imaginable because they can't bring themselves to throw away anything
that could conceivably ever be used again. Eventually they become lost
among mountains of possessions that make their houses a health hazard.
Teams of cleaners and fumigators have to come in to try to clear the
rubbish out and make the place liveable once more. It is pathetic to
see what has been accumulated over the years. This is one of those
shows that I will not be watching. Just watching the advertisement
nauseates me. So what thought was inspired by this show?
I have been teaching off and on over the years on REAL LIFE. Paul gave
instructions to Timothy in the first letter he wrote to his most
faithful follower.
1 Tim. 6:17-19 J.B.PHILLIPS
"Tell those who are rich in this present world not to be contemptuous
of others, and not to rest the weight of their confidence on the
transitory power of wealth but on the living God, who generously gives
us everything for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in
kindly actions, to be ready to give to others and to sympathise with
those in distress. Their security should be invested in the life to
come, so that they may be sure of holding a share in the life which is
real and permanent."
Isn't it amazing that pathological hoarders give us a glimpse of how
God must view those of His children who hold on obsessively to their
possessions. They are really piles of rubbish that are going to be
burned up. Only that which is sown into the kingdom of God, into
people's lives, into fruit that will last, is of any good to us. The
rest is just a decaying heap of rubbish if it is hoarded and not used.
Our REAL life is still to come. This is where the Travellers can teach
us a thing or two. They look down on those who settle. We should live
in this life as if we are Travellers passing through. Instead we get
settled in our minds and hearts as if this is our permanent home.
What about the rest? God loves us all equally. He made us all in His
own image, so whether we find our fun in a muddy river, catching fish
with our hands as bait, or feel called to go out bounty hunting in the
name of The Lord, or any of the other vast variety of human
behaviours, we are not to be contemptuous of other people. We are,
instead, to love people as He does, and look for every opportunity to
tell them about a God Who loves them.
God bless you as you find enjoyment in this wonderful world we are
travelling through en route to our real life.
"reality shows" on TV. Some I have sampled, and instantly press a
mental "DELETE" button in my brain. Some I have considered in the same
way that one considers something on a menu but never actually gets
around to ordering. Others I have tasted warily and found not to be to
my liking. There are a few I fully intend to try. One of these
features a fearsome long-haired, almost bare-chested, bounty hunter
named DOG. Before he sets out to apprehend escaped felons, he joins
hands with his team and equally eccentric wife, and they pray for
success in their ventures. He ends his prayer "in the name of The Lord
and in the name of the law." One rainy, cold day I intend to curl up
under a duvet and watch Dog go about God's business as a 21st century
lawman.
I enjoy watching Judge Judy dispense her own brand of justice, which
seems to consist of her making up her mind about the verdict before
ever entering the courtroom. She is everyone's nightmare - a very
vocal mother clad in a judge's robe, a gavel in hand, with full
authority to tell you to keep quiet while she is speaking, and with a
burly officer of the court named Bert, who enforces her commands to
escort any unruly person out of her presence. She is sharp-tongued,
incisive, opinionated, and a pleasure to watch. The only downside
would be if you were on the receiving end of her wrath.
I was coaxed into watching Hillbilly Hand-Fishing by our worship
leader, who had watched it with her son-in-law. Jane gave me such a
lifelike demonstration of city dwellers immersing their hitherto clean
bodies in muddy water, feeling cautiously along a rock overhang until
a gargantuan catfish fastened itself onto their fingers while everyone
applauded, that I HAD to watch. I cried with laughter. She is still
trying to get me to watch Swamp People. I have become a fan of "Come
Dine With Me", especially the South African version, where amateur
chefs host dinner parties in the hopes of winning R10000. The one
requirement apparently needed to be accepted as a contestant is to be
prepared to be presented as obnoxious or dysfunctional by selective
editing and sarcastic narration. Nice, normal people don't make it
onto the show.
I have been equally entertained and repulsed by "Here comes Honey Boo
Boo". This redneck family consists of Mama, aka June, who is obese,
uncouth, but intensely devoted to her family. She has three teenage
daughters, one of whom has recently given birth to a baby girl who has
two thumbs on her right hand. The family are unperturbed about the
extra little thumb attached to the main thumb, and happily draw around
her hand in crayon, proudly displaying the extra digit, and calling
her thumbs her little lobster claw. Then there is Honey Boo Boo, whose
real name is Alana. Her father is known as Sugar Bear by the entire
family. He appears to be the father of Alana, while the other three
girls have a different father or fathers. June is only 33 years old.
Alana is now 7, very plump, and enters pageants. Uncle Poodle, June's
gay brother, teaches Honey Boo Boo how to present herself on stage.
The repulsive part of the show is the family's habit of burping
loudly, not to mention other personal habits that are not normally
spoken about, let alone demonstrated, in polite company. Despite their
unhygienic lifestyle these people love each other deeply. Sugar Bear
thinks that June is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
I have been lured into watching Gypsy Weddings, where the wedding
dress is THE THING. It has to be lavish and huge. I had no idea that
there were modern day "Travellers", which is another name for gypsies,
in virtually every country in Europe, in America, and even in South
Africa. This is a culture unlike anything we have experienced, and
where their language is peppered with Traveller terms that are
unfamiliar to the rest of us. We are known as "Settlers", and it is
considered ALMOST taboo for a Traveller to marry a Settler. It does
happen though, even though such marriages are heavily frowned upon by
the broader Traveller community.
I had seen one of the shows advertised as "I didn't know I was
pregnant!" Before I finally got around to viewing an episode, I made
my own judgments on these women. They must be ignorant, naive, or
liars. To my shame I have discovered that these women are educated,
normal, many have had children already, and they are as shocked as we,
the viewers, when they discover that their bad tummy ache is not the
result of food poisoning, but is, in fact, full on labour. One woman
lay on the floor in the bedroom so as not to disturb her husband by
her agonized thrashing around, only to deliver the baby on the floor.
Her husband was awakened by the baby crying! Oh yes, this is one I
look forward to.
But the reality show that got me thinking is a show called HOARDERS.
From the advertisements I gather that certain people hoard everything
imaginable because they can't bring themselves to throw away anything
that could conceivably ever be used again. Eventually they become lost
among mountains of possessions that make their houses a health hazard.
Teams of cleaners and fumigators have to come in to try to clear the
rubbish out and make the place liveable once more. It is pathetic to
see what has been accumulated over the years. This is one of those
shows that I will not be watching. Just watching the advertisement
nauseates me. So what thought was inspired by this show?
I have been teaching off and on over the years on REAL LIFE. Paul gave
instructions to Timothy in the first letter he wrote to his most
faithful follower.
1 Tim. 6:17-19 J.B.PHILLIPS
"Tell those who are rich in this present world not to be contemptuous
of others, and not to rest the weight of their confidence on the
transitory power of wealth but on the living God, who generously gives
us everything for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in
kindly actions, to be ready to give to others and to sympathise with
those in distress. Their security should be invested in the life to
come, so that they may be sure of holding a share in the life which is
real and permanent."
Isn't it amazing that pathological hoarders give us a glimpse of how
God must view those of His children who hold on obsessively to their
possessions. They are really piles of rubbish that are going to be
burned up. Only that which is sown into the kingdom of God, into
people's lives, into fruit that will last, is of any good to us. The
rest is just a decaying heap of rubbish if it is hoarded and not used.
Our REAL life is still to come. This is where the Travellers can teach
us a thing or two. They look down on those who settle. We should live
in this life as if we are Travellers passing through. Instead we get
settled in our minds and hearts as if this is our permanent home.
What about the rest? God loves us all equally. He made us all in His
own image, so whether we find our fun in a muddy river, catching fish
with our hands as bait, or feel called to go out bounty hunting in the
name of The Lord, or any of the other vast variety of human
behaviours, we are not to be contemptuous of other people. We are,
instead, to love people as He does, and look for every opportunity to
tell them about a God Who loves them.
God bless you as you find enjoyment in this wonderful world we are
travelling through en route to our real life.
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