To make sure we wouldn't learn anything useful throughout summer, we watched tons of TV. I'd channel surf so long that my thumb would twitch during the night while I slept. This was with me because I usually slept in front of the TV with the remote control in my hand.

This provided a great security system for our house. If a burglar looked through our window at night he'd see a sun-deprived boy in front of a TV with the channels blinking so fast it looked like a strobe light. No burglar was going to break into a house with a crazy ghost boy already in it!

My friends and I would also talk on the phone a lot. I'd talk on the phone so long that I could actually let go of the phone and it would stay suction-cupped to my ear. I had the first hands-free phone in my neighborhood. If my mom ever needed to tell me something, even if we were in the same room, she'd pick up the phone. Periodically she'd say, “Bob, you need to get some sunshine!” I always obeyed her by quickly flipping over to the vacation channel and scooting closer to the screen.

There were repercussions living this way, however. When school started, my mind was empty. My teacher would ask really hard questions such as “When was the war of 1812?” and “What's your name?” and my mind was completely blank!

* * *

I've found that faith is the same way. If we don't keep exercising it, we forget how to use it. Faith is our greatest shield when bad times come. So keep exercising your faith throughout the summer. With homework out of the way, it's a great time to dive into the Bible and learn more about how to fight the good fight.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go look up a few state capitals.