Who tells us what to care about?

Internet Monk Michael Spencer has written a challenging article about who tells Christians what to care about. We're surrounded by thousands of voices on both the MSM and Internet telling us what causes we should care about, from Scott Peterson to Terri Schiavo. Michael wonders about those with needs closer to home:

No disrespect to anyone, anywhere who's suffering, but we don't need to be told by the pundits who or what to care about. We need to be part of the relationships and world around us, caring about the people God puts in our "circle of influence."

What, then should we do? Michael's observations here are particularly insightful:

Christians need to step back from the media that tells us what we should care about. Media has an agenda. Always. That agenda is never identical to the agenda of Jesus in my world. No Christian media can take me into the lives of people around me. The example of Jesus does that. I need to listen to him.

True, true. Michael's whole article is worth reading.