I hate reality shows. I don’t get into them. I’ve never watched “Survivor” or “The Great Race” or any other reality show. I haven’t watched “American Idol” in years. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that, well, I don’t care.

I have enough reality in my life. I’m a pastor. I deal with people in crisis all the time. When you are in the people business you are always counseling, consulting, or confronting someone. Marriages on the rocks, kids gone wild, job loss–you name it, and eventually a minister has to deal with it. The pews are packed with people who are broken and beaten up.

I don’t need reality shows. I can look in the mirror and know I shouldn’t wear that. I don’t need some fashion expert to tell me. I don’t need to be isolated on an island or in a home with strangers to know there are jerks everywhere.

One such show that has become a joke is “Jon and Kate Plus 8.” The fiasco of this family is sad and depressing, and someone needs to pull the plug. Eight little lives are being documented so they can eventually be in counseling for the rest of their lives because their parents need to grow up.

This happy couple are now living out their separation and pending divorce before the world. Do we really need to know their dirty laundry? If I want to get involved in someone’s divorce, all I have to do is knock on a few doors on the street where I live.

This thing has gotten ugly. They are interviewed separately. He’s out on the town with some chick because he’s having a mid-life crisis in his early 30s. Give me a break. He’s just being a jerk. He thinks more of himself than he does his wife or his kids.

She is just focused on the kids. All she cares about is the kids. Well, and a tummy tuck, makeover, money, and a few other things. The ratings have soared as this tragic story unfolds. Are people so pathetic that they want to watch people’s lives come unglued?

I have some suggestions for Jon and Kate:

1) Get off TV and work on your marriage.

2) Quit talking to the cameras and to us, and talk to one another.

3) Get professional help from a biblical counselor.

4) Die to yourself. Get over yourself. Life is not about you.

5) Buy a copy of The Love Dare, and try it for 40 days.

6) Find a church and get in a support group to help you through this difficult time. 

7) Get off TV. Oh, I already said that. But the reality is that as long as we watch, they won’t stop. So my last suggestion is for us to turn off the TV and stop supporting the train wreck. Get off the couch, work on your own marriage, or help someone you know who is going through a difficult time. It’s better use of your time!