Do you ever feel that society is whirling out of control? I feel that way sometimes when I read about what's on television. I say "read about" because I don't want to see most of what's on.

For example, TV talk shows have sunk to such depths that hosts are bringing young teenagers on to talk shamelessly about their sexual exploits. And prime-time comedy programs, which in the past would never allow even a hint of profanity, are now filled with sexual innuendo and immorality.

A group known as the Media Research Center monitored the so-called "family hour" and concluded: "The family hour's decreasing respect for parental authority and traditional values has been troubling, but the deterioration of standards has been most noticeable in two areas: language and sexual content."

We may not be able to do much about television programs from the creative end of things, but we can surely do something from a personal perspective. We can take a look at our viewing habits. We can evaluate whether we have become desensitized to what we see and hear. We can let God's Word, not the world, control what we see (Eph. 4:17). That's the best way to gain control of the tube.  — Dave Branon