In a few days, Denise and I are going to make a change in our lives. We're both 52. The kids are gone. No grandkids yet. Thirty years together. We've always had television.

In a few days, we're getting rid of it. Dish TV will unhook the Dish, and we won't have any television reception. It will be gone for good.

Yes, we know what Hulu is, so we'll still watch House M.D., the one show we watch together. Yes, we're thoroughly wired and know where the music, news and podcasts are found. I'm keeping an eye on Boxee. I've thought about Apple TV, but I don't see it at this point.

The biggest sacrifice is that watching Reds baseball has been a huge part of my life; for me, it's a major mental health oasis. Everyone likes me better when I can watch baseball.

Yes, I've already bought a year on MLB.com. Hello, tiny computer picture. And I still know what a radio is, both internet and the real thing.

I was born in 1956, so I grew up with television. It's been a background to my entire life. I've seen historic moments and lived in the stream of popular culture, courtesy of television. I've had dozens of favorite shows. I've watched a lot of sports. Listened to a lot of news. Laughed at some incredibly funny people. I've got a lot of memories that involve television.

In a few days, I'm going to have Netflix and my DVD collection. That will be it.

The personal computer has radically altered my television habits. In the last few years, Denise and I have watched less and less tv. Denise is very "monastic" in her temperament and habits, so time for television is low on her list of priorities. If she never watched it again she'd hardly miss it. (We do have regular movie nights to watch Netflix and other things.)

I'm a bit different. I'm ADD or a great multi-tasker, take your pick. I like to have several things going at once. As I type this, Friendbar is updating Twitter and Facebook. I'm listening to American Routes off the APM page. Soon I'll be listening to adult rock on WUKY. I may chat with someone on Facebook at any time. In a few minutes, I'll go to bed listening to 3 Chords and the Truth while reading a book on Russian Chess. I'll have a notebook nearby in case I get a sermon illustration idea in the night.

But I still like to come in from school, or to take a break from work, and plop down on the couch with a cold drink and turn on the TV. Ten minutes or an hour of channel surfing, or watching this and that. CNN. MSNBC. EWTN. The local news. Local weather. Crazy religious channels. Political talk. Booknotes. And so on.

Sometimes, when there is a Reds game or other sporting event on, I just turn it on while I'm working on other things. When I'm home alone, TV is usually on.

In other words, it's always been there. In a few days, it won't be there. And I can already feel a little bit of the crazies coming on. My brain has figured out what's up. Who told?

What am I gonna do when I want to have the TV on? It's been- let's be honest- a distraction; a drug; a sedative. I'm going to jones for it.

Talk about confessing what a stupid American media addict you've become. Sheesh. It's shameful. But that's me. And it's the only me I know. I'm not monastic. Too much silence creeps me out. This summer when I was on sabbatical, I tried a week at the monastery at St. Meinrad. I've been there for overnights many times. After 3 days, I checked out and headed to my hometown to hang out with my friends. So much for Into Great Silence: The iMonk Chapter.

I've never been one to quibble about pleasures. God isn't into flagellation and petty martyrdom. I'm not a ascetic. I like my stuff. I like entertainment. I like culture, news, events and mental stimulation.

I keep asking myself if this is really worth it in order to put $720 a year back into the budget? (Approximately $60 a month) Without doing any in-depth research, the answer's easy: It is significant for us. Like many people in ministry, 2009 is going to mean finding ways to cut back expenditures, and this is an easy place to start. Denise will barely know its gone, and I can adjust.

I can adjust. I can adjust. I can adjust. I can. I really can.

There will be moments, maybe hours, that I'm going to feel this change. It's going to feel weird. I won't want to read or write. I won't want to listen to music. I'll want the mental and spiritual wallpaper that's been there with television.

Then I'll say: "Spencer, listen. No more Keith Oberman. No more commercials. No more O'Reilley. No more MTV/VH1 reality programs. No more TBN. No more local religious television. No more hyping the weather. No more food porn. No more pretty much might as well be real porn."

I bought all five seasons of The Wire. Time to face the void bravely.

[Discussion: What sacrifices are you considering in the current financial situation? Those of you without TV, what's your experience? Especially those who recently gave it up? What are your thoughts on the effect of TV on your personality? Sense of security? Is it a problem to be "out of touch" with culture?]