We don't need more entertainment

I recently saw a picture on my Facebook page that had the caption "Ditch the man cave and bring back the study." I don't have a man cave, but I do have a study so that post really spoke to me.

Personally, I have nothing against man caves. The only problem I see is that they are primarily about entertainment. I also have nothing against entertainment except I think we spend too much time pursuing entertainment and too little time thinking and studying. I also think this is why our nation and many of our churches are in the trouble we are in.

For several decades now we've seen this nation continue to go down morally, ethically, financially, relationally, and just about any other way you can think. As we've taken this downward plunge it seems we've also seen an upswing in entertainment. We now have 24/7 television programming, professional sports seasons that seem to last longer and longer, computer games that can quickly become addictive for many people, social media, and other sources of entertainment that seem to keep us from thinking about what's really important to the future of our nation and our families.

Man caves are just the latest symptom of this "entertain me" society with its media areas, various gaming systems, wet bars, and whatever else some wants. Rather than spending time with good books and thinking about important things, we numb ourselves with our toys and entertainment.

Pastors are not immune from this either. As a judicatory leader for 14 years I had the opportunity to be with many pastors in their studies and was often shocked at the lack of good resources they had available. Few lacked the latest in computers and other electronics, but many did lack serious books and other resources they would need for effective ministry. Some may question if they had these resources on their computer. Certainly, there are some excellent resources available for computers, but many of these pastors were unaware of them or didn't invest in them. I know because I asked.

If we are serious about wanting to turn this nation (and our churches) around it may be time to get rid of our toys and begin to read and do some serious thinking about what's really important. Maybe if we begin to do that we'll quit drinking the Kool-Aid our politicians are trying to give us and begin to demand the quality of leadership our nation deserves. If we continue our current pursuit of entertainment then we are probably already receiving the quality of leadership we deserve.