7th Heaven

Okay, I have a new guilty pleasure - the TV show, 7th Heaven. It's not a guilty pleasure because there's anything wrong with it; In fact, you'll be hard-pressed to find another show as squeaky clean as this one. It's a guilty pleasure because I don't normally enjoy such squeaky clean shows with so much dramatic "cheese".

I never watched an episode while it was running for 11 seasons on network television (making it the longest running family drama in TV history). I've only recently discovered it through my daughter, Mollie, who watches it religiously in syndication on The Hallmark Channel. At first, I was annoyed by the cheesy theme song and often silly plotlines. Then I would occasionally listen in on the show as I worked from my desk. Now I have to admit that I really like this show. Here are just a few of the reasons why I like it.

• The show is about the Camden family, a pastor's family in a fictional California town. That alone makes me glad my daughter watches. I love that there's a TV show that might help her feel that the pastor's family she's growing up in is a little bit normal. I didn't have anything like that growing up.
• The family patriarch, Eric Camden, honestly makes me want to be a better pastor. He is a genuine Godly man with integrity and compassion. I would honestly put him up on the same level as Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) as one of the great heroes/men of character that Hollywood has ever produced.
• The show teaches great values, but isn't afraid to deal with messy topics or portray people with messy lives. It's also a great show about second chances.

Anyway, I know it's not a perfect show and not necessarily an award-winning show, but I really like it and I'm glad it's Mollie's favorite show.