For some reason, I avoided episodes of TLC’s new show “The Monastery” for as long as possible. Perhaps it was the 10 p.m. air time, or more likely I thought it looked boring. But now that I’ve tuned in, I wish I could rewind.

In the show, five men with real life issues go to live with a group of Benedictine monks.

While the men’s stories are interesting, it’s the glimpse into the monks’ lives that I find most fascinating.

Each day, the men must meet with Abbot Philip Lawrence to discuss how they’re doing. In my preconceived notion of what life must be like at a monastery, I figured I would see monks with little to no personality and no sense of humor.

Lawrence is quite the opposite. In his TLC biography, Lawrence explains that he first learned monks really existed at age 13. From then on, he was drawn to the lifestyle and entered the Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon in 1964, when he was 20.

But he, like the others living at the monastery, has experienced life outside the religious community.

When he was younger, he liked Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and the movie “City Slickers.”

He loves food and adores Greta, the chocolate lab who lives at the monastery.

He doesn’t have a television now, but when he’s away from the monastery Lawrence said he likes to watch sports and the news.

He also is an intelligent man, earning a bachelor of arts in philosophy and a master’s in theology with a specialization in scripture. He has also done some graduate studies in philosophy.

In 1974, he entered the Monastery of Christ in the Desert where the five men in the show are visiting in an attempt to discover themselves and God.

The men range from 24-year-old Warren Huber, who hopes one day to become an Episcopal priest, to William Morales, 35.

While Morales was serving six years in prison for cocaine trafficking, his younger brother joined his former gang, and after opening fire on police, was shot and killed. Morales now has plunged himself into working with troubled youth, leaving little time for himself and his family.

To see how the men handle life at the monastery, tune in to TLC at 10 p.m. Sunday.