How do you decide...

Movie? TV? Music? Books? Hobbies?

What do you think about as you consider what to spend your time on? Money on? Affections on?

Do you consider a friend's opinion? Or follow the fads and popular tides? Decide purely based on your own personal interests? Do you search the Scriptures?

I ask because I am mulling things over in my mind. This weekend two movies were released at the movie theatre - October Baby and The Hunger Games. I went to one of them. I couldn't even stomach reading the reviews of the other. One movie portrays the value of life and God as Creator. The other glorifies teen killings under the guise of giving a social warning.

When I think about what the Bible says should be guiding principles in making wise, God honoring decisions, viewing them through the light of Scripture, I must be ready to deny myself any "pleasures" that would not be Christ exalting. Consider the verse from Philippians 4:8 which tells us what to think on:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

What do we think about? I, personally, think about those things which I have exposed myself to. When I have been busy with knitting or crocheting on a project, I think on how it will look when it is finished, would I do this project again, I imagine the anticipated joy of the recipient, I think about how by being made in God's likeness He has given man the ability to create and be creative. When I am reading through a book, I find myself remembering the heroism of the protagonist or drawing in my mind's eye the beauty of surroundings described or recalling a humorous or witty line. When I have been studying Scripture, I find myself speaking the very Word of God back into the lives of those around me for the Bible says that the overflow of the heart is from where the mouth speaks, from which our actions come.

So let me ask, what if we pour into our minds gratutious violence? At worst, violence comes out. At best, a desensitization of the value of life, the very life which God created and called "very good". And somewhere in the middle of those two things comes nightmares, polluted thinking, even possibly a desire for more and more graphic media. What if the movie, or book, or TV were heavily steeped in objectionable language or was overly sensual? If we are to be thinking on things that are pure, lovely, and honorable, how can I justify or approve that which God does not approve, by giving my time to it, my money, my mind?

All that to say, I am turning this over and over in my mind. I know that I have a great responsibility to guard my mind, to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. And also within that, I have a calling to raise up children who will, with God's help, be a beacon of His light to a dark and lost world. And I also don't necessarily think all violence is bad, if used to recount a historical scene it could be instructive and provide understanding, or when it is used to show good versus evil with a clear message that evil is evil and good triumphs, that is real life, something that could provoke discussion to point us to the Lord and how He works in the world.

My desire in this is not to stir the pot on a controversial topic but instead, to endeavor do a better job of understanding how to practically apply Biblical principles to my thinking. So, I really want to know, how do you decide? Movies, TV, games, hobbies... What gets in, what is cut out? Why?