What Do I Put in My Mind?

What do I put in my mind? Although I could look at this question in terms of dvds, video games, or other forms of entertainment, I will answer in terms of books. Books are my primary source of entertainment, so while there are many similarities between these forms of entertainment, the wording of this post will be asking about books.

A lot of us tend to view the world in terms of black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. Sometimes, especially it seems, when it comes to entertainment, there are a lot more shades of gray than we are comfortable with.

There are multiple categories of books and not all should be read. We may be used to viewing books in two categories (good or evil), but more categories are needed to fit all the different types of books in the world. Today, we will look at three categories (good, garbage, and fluff).

Good, pure wholesome fiction or non-fiction: These books challenge you and spur you on to be more Christlike as you continue to follow His way. Some of these books encourage you to look back at how far you've come, to give you strength to keep running the race ahead of you. These are the best books (in my completely unbiased opinion).

Garbage fiction or non-fiction: These books are filled with trash, due to their language, explicit content, and ungodly examples. Garbage books make you want to take a shower after coming into contact with them. These books urge you to leave the racecourse in the name of your freedom and blaze your own trail through sin-soaked land. The path you are leaving behind is the godly path. These books are better left on the shelf or better yet, in the trash.

Empty, fluff fiction or non-fiction: These books have none (or few) of the negatives associated the garbage books, but neither do they have (many of) the positives associated with the wholesome books. I think of these books like cotton candy or a sleeping potion. They congratulate you for being such an awesome person and give you the impression that you have arrived, that you are done changing and growing.

There's a lot of confusion over the empty, fluff books. A lot of us read them and think that we are reading good books. Yet, instead of challenging you and spurring you on to go deeper into your faith, these books placate you and subtly imply that your race is done. They feed you the lie that you do not need to keep changing and for that reason, they are highly dangerous books.

I do enjoy a good fiction book, but I don't like a lot of contemporary fiction, even those sold in Christian bookstores! Books like Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys, Pollyanna, An Old-Fashioned Girl, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, and more along these lines are fiction, but they still challenge me to conquer my little vices along with the characters in the books. I love fiction books that teach great Truths so subtly through their pages so that I can see Jesus just out of sight on the page. Sometimes, I'll even stop reading to join the characters in making a change to my life or house!! At the end of the day when I read this kind of book, I feel pleased with how I spent my time. It was relaxing, profitable, and challenging all at the same time.

On the other hand, when I read fluff books, I read and my life stays the same. I am not inspired to grow and change with the fictional characters. After reading this type of book, I end my day feeling mentally bloated from too much reading and dissatisfied from wasting my day. I am not a better person or more Christ-like after reading a fluff book, and that spoils the enjoyment I get from reading.

So my question for you is this: what kind of books do you read: wholesome books, fluff books, or garbage books?
What books (fiction or non-fiction) challenge you and spur you on in your efforts to be more Christ-like?
What books hold timeless truths and glimpses of the divine on their pages?
What books do you go back to reread when you need encourage to keep in the race?
What books do you recommend to others?