100 Ways: Media Edition

We're 1/5 of the way through this series!! My goal is to finish it by the end of the year, but we'll see if that actually happens.

The books, movies, music, and other media that you interact with regularly have a profound impact on your life. They influence your thoughts, which influence your actions, and affect your faith. That's why it's super important to be careful with the things that you are seeing and hearing. This is what today's addition to the list will focus on.

The Full List

1. Read your Bible every day.
2. Put a reminder that teens can do great things, like 1 Timothy 4:12, on a sticky note and post it somewhere you see every day.
3. Whenever you get dressed in the morning, ask yourself if you would want to go out to lunch with Jesus in what you are wearing.
4. Memorize Scripture regularly.
5. Make prayer your automatic response to a difficult situation.
6. Commit or recommit your life to God and trust His perfect plan.
7. Commit your work to the Lord and imagine doing it for Him.
8. Speak out as a witness to others.
9. Focus on thankfulness and avoid complaining.
10. Be selfless; think of others before yourself.
11. Go to church and participate in church events.
12. Be productive and use your time wisely.
13. Be diligent, neat, and thorough with your work.
14. Be generous with your time.
15. Make sure your speech honors God.
16. Show love to those around you.
17. Work hard to strengthen your faith and stay close to God.
18. Be careful of the way you use social media.
19. Don't use your phone when people are trying to talk to you.
20. Take a media "fast" once in a while to refocus on what's important.

21. Decide on your standards for media.
Having your own personal standards for media is important. If you know ahead of time what things you are okay and not okay with reading and watching, it will be easier to have self-control when you are tempted.

Start with your parents' standards, and then decide what you are comfortable with. Write it down somewhere. What kind of content in a book or movie will make you decide not to read it or see it? How will you respond if faced with temptation?

22. Make use of online review sites or word of mouth from friends to check content of the things you read or watch before you see them.
There are quite a few sites out there that offer content reviews of books, movies, and TV shows. Do some research and find several that you can use to check book and movie content and see if it measures up to your standards.

If you can't find an online content review, ask around. If the book or movie was recommended to you by a friend, ask them what the content is like. Ask for specifics; people often have different ideas of what "It's pretty appropriate" means. If you can, get several opinions.

I realize you may not be able to do this much research for everything you read or watch (especially if, like me, you read several books every week). If it's an author you've read before or are familiar with, or if the book is a classic, it may not be as big of an issue. But if you're unsure, check before you read.

23. Try to read some solid Christian books that will encourage in your faith.
Amid everything else you read, try to read some Christian books that will keep your perspective in the right place and inspire you in your life of faith. There are many out there; I will share with you as I read more of them.

Also try this page on The Rebelution (hint: read the comments), and for girls, this page on GirlDefined for more book recommendations.

And, of course, if you read an especially good one, please share it with me in a comment! I'm always looking for new books to read!

What do you think?

• Is this an area in your life that needs work?
• What are your personal standards for media? How can you change what you are hearing and seeing on a daily basis?
• Do you have any book recommendations that have helped you in your walk of faith?

P.S. Check out the constantly updated Recommendations page for books, movies, music, and blogs I love!