I’m going on a brain-candy fast…

Monday, March 22, 2010 - Comments 4

I know way too much about Jesse James right now. I know that his alleged mistress is covered in tattoos. I know that in spite of his unfortunate choice of hairstyle, he is apparently chased by women everywhere he goes. I know that he’s still wearing his wedding ring (as of a few days ago at least) and that he feels remorseful for what he’s done. And I even know that he’s lost his dog a couple times through all of this, but luckily he/she/it was found and has returned home. Which is good, because he needs a friend right now…

And there are other, really important things I know. Like that Corey Haim’s funeral was last week and that someone said the city of Toronto would pay for it but then the city said, “um, no…”. And that his Lost Boys pal Corey Feldman got a tattoo in remembrance of him the week of his funeral. Or was it Corey Feldman who died and Corey Haim who got the tattoo? That sounds cold, I know. But I have no true connection to these people (do you?) and it’s all starting to run together.

The ugly truth is that for the last half-year or so I’ve stayed pretty tuned in to my People Magazine i-Phone app. And on my flights to and from speaking engagements I’ve also stocked up on hard copies of the mag, along with my favorite guilty pleasure, Vanity Fair. On one hand, (I tell myself) it’s good for me to be in touch w/ the media, particularly for my work with the True Campaign. But recently I’ve been feeling a little challenged about how I’m spending my time. And, more important, what I’m feeding my brain.

All this stuff about who’s carrying what handbag, who’s lost weight (or gained it), what color Katherine Heigel’s hair is now and how her dress strap fell down at a recent awards show, not to mention how much money Suri, Shiloh and Violet are worth sells billions of dollars worth of magazines. But what does it really do for any of us?

Are we better people for knowing facts (and more often fiction) about people we think we know but really don’t? Does knowing how much someone’s kid is worth do anything to make us feel better about our own? I get why we want to see the stars that gained weight – that makes most any woman feel good. But should it? And when we see them shrink smaller, what message are we telling ourselves?

Beyond all of that, what are we NOT feeding our brain when we’re cramming it full of this sugary, non-nutritive stuff? It’s like surviving on cotton candy and never getting a real meal. Eventually, the effects of malnutrition begin to show.

I’ve been feeling pretty dry inside lately. There have been seasons in my life where I literally felt God’s truth hitting me from every angle, in a good way. But it’s been a while since I felt that. And as much as I don’t want to give up my brain-candy, I think I’ve got to get into a healthier balance. So on Sunday night I decided to go on a fast of sorts.

Now, I know that you’re not supposed to brag about going on a fast. But I’m not telling you this so that you’ll think I’m some ultra-spiritual person, but rather to get it out there and lock myself in. So here goes…

Until April 30 I’m going to stay away from all mags (and iPhone apps) and also books that are not specifically focused on some area of spiritual growth. And since I love to read so much, I know that this will push me toward the reading I really need to do. I’ve gotta fill myself back up with good stuff – God’s word and the understanding of it.

The rest is just fluff. Like cotton candy, it looks good, but under a stream of water just turns into a tiny, dripping, food colored mess.

Which is ok if you’re eating it once in a while. But it’s not enough to live on. And certainly not enough to grow on.