Ash Wednesday

I was raised in a Catholic household and in Catholic school, therefore I’m familiar with Ash Wednesday.

Are you familiar?  If you’re not, Ash Wednesday is the Wednesday 40 days before Easter … The beginning of LENT.  And, as the tradition goes, it’s when we give up a certain vice.  Ideally, a vice that’s keeping us from a deeper relationship with God, or that’s destroying ourselves inside … or simply something that, by giving up, will make us better people.

It’s a New Years Resolution, but in religion-land.

This year, I’m giving up streaming video online.  Mostly YouTube, but I’m giving it ALL up so that I don’t find another similar site and create a loophole for myself.

I’m making one exception: www.ch131.com  The reason being that I review TV now, and I need to be able to watch the shows that I review.

The reasons for giving up online video streaming such as YouTube?  Well, I waste a lot of time doing it.  And I want to have control of that time.  But also, there are some pretty girls on YouTube and, as a guy who desires to live above reproach and be a good example to those around me, I don’t want to continue to be tempted to look up videos of those pretty girls.

The Bible says something about that kind of sin:  confessing it, and then fleeing from it.  This post can act as a bit of a confession.  And the YouTube abstaining can act as a bit of a fleeing.  It’s a makeshift adjustment, but it’s an adjustment none the less.  I would appreciate accountability and prayer as I pursue this.

So don’t send me YouTube links.  I won’t watch them.  At least not until after Easter.

And if you know some slick way to block YouTube videos in my browser but not ALL Flash content, then let me know.  I’d love that.

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What are YOU giving up for Lent?

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francy