Avoiding the news is important. I get downright argumentative about it with my friends occasionally! It's a waste of time, it's impossible to truly care about things we can't control, and it's bad for mental health. When the October invasion of Israel occurred, I decided to just read books and material from at minimum a decade ago to try to get my head around it... Ended up reading a lot of Chomsky and Wikipedia pages. Definitely more informative and less divisive than the nonsense in mainstream media.
Anyway, I encourage you to keep up the distance from news. It's worth it.
Overall I agree. This is why I've decided to keep news consumption local for now. Just read about my town. Outside of that, I'll just pray to the Lord for His will to be done.
I agree, keep it local, in the sense of keep it within your physical reach so that should the need arise, you can actively involve yourself and do something in this world for those in your community.
It's much better on all levels than getting into arguments about things outside of our control!
Like you I've been national/International news free since last Christmas. It has helped me hugely on my journey into Orthodoxy as I now have the time to pray, read and contemplate like never before, without neglecting my family.
Thank you for your article! It spoke directly to my heart, and was both sobering and yet comforting. Glory to Jesus Christ! God bless you and your family.
I have been praying for a greater awareness for the times when I could "act", allowing the Spirit to breathe through me, overcoming the rituals of daily life, and opening my eyes to the needs of those around me. The spiritual journey is never complete but, when the spirit guided action begins to happen, it is a sign that you are indeed maturing. Great article, Derek.
Hey Derek, I hear you. I've backed off considerably on all that, as well. It is provoking, and keeps us off balance, reacting to anything/everything. Rome was pretty rough, back in the day. But Jesus remained undistracted. Keeping it simple, seems like a plan. Appreciate your voice.
Lovely post - your comment on being an “Ecumenical Mess” gave me a chuckle! I feel the exact same way in this season of my life, and I completely understand the feeling.
Evangelical Protestantism’s apparent obsession with eschatology and end times in general has always been a pet peeve of mine. I find it funny that if we look back over the history of talk about End Times, we have been “on the verge of the second coming” since Martin Luther, as he believed that Jesus would be returning in his lifetime. Nothing has really changed...
Amen. (From Woodstock, GA)
Avoiding the news is important. I get downright argumentative about it with my friends occasionally! It's a waste of time, it's impossible to truly care about things we can't control, and it's bad for mental health. When the October invasion of Israel occurred, I decided to just read books and material from at minimum a decade ago to try to get my head around it... Ended up reading a lot of Chomsky and Wikipedia pages. Definitely more informative and less divisive than the nonsense in mainstream media.
Anyway, I encourage you to keep up the distance from news. It's worth it.
Overall I agree. This is why I've decided to keep news consumption local for now. Just read about my town. Outside of that, I'll just pray to the Lord for His will to be done.
I agree, keep it local, in the sense of keep it within your physical reach so that should the need arise, you can actively involve yourself and do something in this world for those in your community.
It's much better on all levels than getting into arguments about things outside of our control!
Like you I've been national/International news free since last Christmas. It has helped me hugely on my journey into Orthodoxy as I now have the time to pray, read and contemplate like never before, without neglecting my family.
Amen.
Thank you for your article! It spoke directly to my heart, and was both sobering and yet comforting. Glory to Jesus Christ! God bless you and your family.
Thank you for reading. It's wonderful to hear this resonated with you! I pray you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.
A convicting and challenging post, Derek. Thanks for putting what really counts into perspective.
And thank you for your continued kindness, Cork.
Beautiful, Derek - I always find that everything gets distilled down to Micah 6:8.
Yes! He’s told us! Thank you, Kristin.
I have been praying for a greater awareness for the times when I could "act", allowing the Spirit to breathe through me, overcoming the rituals of daily life, and opening my eyes to the needs of those around me. The spiritual journey is never complete but, when the spirit guided action begins to happen, it is a sign that you are indeed maturing. Great article, Derek.
Thanks Kevin!
Hey Derek, I hear you. I've backed off considerably on all that, as well. It is provoking, and keeps us off balance, reacting to anything/everything. Rome was pretty rough, back in the day. But Jesus remained undistracted. Keeping it simple, seems like a plan. Appreciate your voice.
Lovely post - your comment on being an “Ecumenical Mess” gave me a chuckle! I feel the exact same way in this season of my life, and I completely understand the feeling.
Evangelical Protestantism’s apparent obsession with eschatology and end times in general has always been a pet peeve of mine. I find it funny that if we look back over the history of talk about End Times, we have been “on the verge of the second coming” since Martin Luther, as he believed that Jesus would be returning in his lifetime. Nothing has really changed...
Well said Derek!
Thank you!
For some reason when I think of what to do when the Antichrist comes I think of Pinky and the Brain:
Pinky: What are we doing tonight Brain?
Brain: Same thing we do every night. (Grow closer to God)
What else is there to do, right? Haha.