I have been focusing on Philippians 4:4-9 for some time now. Being older, it takes me a while to memorize bible verses. Your post serves as a reminder to me to live it in my daily life. Thanks for the kick in the butt.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Wise words and wise actions, Derek. I’m not sure I can totally turn away from news, but I am news-averse - I don’t really enjoy it and never ever watch it on television (regular newscasts/24-7 “breaking” news). But I applaud your approach and you’re right - we can’t do much about any of it beyond the vote (and I’m not even sure that matters in the long run). Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Although in the UK Derek I'm happy to tag along. I've been barely wittingly "consuming" news for some time but like you have drifted a little recently, due to the hate inspired riots in a number of UK towns and cities.
Like you it does absolutely nothing for your mental wellbeing and if it's local and I REALLY need to know, my wife will keep me updated.
I'll stick to my relatively new found faith and continue to attempt to tread the narrow path.
Great! Thanks for joining me, Andrew! I'll pray for you while we take on this fast, and for your new found faith. I'll try to remember to check in with you in here and there to see how your fast is going.
"If you have confessed your sins, asked Jesus Christ for forgiveness, and live in a manner that exalts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of all, then what happens on or after election day is of little consequence to you"
Derek, thank you for this powerful writing. I stay close to God and His Son every single day, seeking Them and asking for help and guidance. I do understand the troubled road of news. I can see the benefit of reducing consumption of it. Realistically, I do know my own writer temperament. I will not be doing a total news fast but I will bring all concerns before God and ask what part I am to play. God bless you, Wendy
Derek, as someone who works in media, I can definitely appreciate your reasons for doing this, and I acknowledge that some folks need to fast from the news. However, I believe that my Catholic background teaches me to work toward healthy integration and not fully unplugging. So, I ingest news pretty much daily, but I choose my sources carefully, limit my time, and think critically. I try to keep it aligned with my goals of being an open minded and responsible citizen.
Then again, I suspect that what you mostly mean by news is really the news-adjacent content that is created by commercial media organizations...
I have been focusing on Philippians 4:4-9 for some time now. Being older, it takes me a while to memorize bible verses. Your post serves as a reminder to me to live it in my daily life. Thanks for the kick in the butt.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
I love this portion of Philippians. Thanks for connecting this to my post. I needed this scripture as a reminder.
Wise words and wise actions, Derek. I’m not sure I can totally turn away from news, but I am news-averse - I don’t really enjoy it and never ever watch it on television (regular newscasts/24-7 “breaking” news). But I applaud your approach and you’re right - we can’t do much about any of it beyond the vote (and I’m not even sure that matters in the long run). Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Although in the UK Derek I'm happy to tag along. I've been barely wittingly "consuming" news for some time but like you have drifted a little recently, due to the hate inspired riots in a number of UK towns and cities.
Like you it does absolutely nothing for your mental wellbeing and if it's local and I REALLY need to know, my wife will keep me updated.
I'll stick to my relatively new found faith and continue to attempt to tread the narrow path.
Great! Thanks for joining me, Andrew! I'll pray for you while we take on this fast, and for your new found faith. I'll try to remember to check in with you in here and there to see how your fast is going.
"If you have confessed your sins, asked Jesus Christ for forgiveness, and live in a manner that exalts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of all, then what happens on or after election day is of little consequence to you"
- Yes. Thanks for this post, Derek.
Thanks for reading and sharing Cork!
You’re welcome. It was a good read.
Derek, thank you for this powerful writing. I stay close to God and His Son every single day, seeking Them and asking for help and guidance. I do understand the troubled road of news. I can see the benefit of reducing consumption of it. Realistically, I do know my own writer temperament. I will not be doing a total news fast but I will bring all concerns before God and ask what part I am to play. God bless you, Wendy
Excellent piece! I’m in!
Derek, as someone who works in media, I can definitely appreciate your reasons for doing this, and I acknowledge that some folks need to fast from the news. However, I believe that my Catholic background teaches me to work toward healthy integration and not fully unplugging. So, I ingest news pretty much daily, but I choose my sources carefully, limit my time, and think critically. I try to keep it aligned with my goals of being an open minded and responsible citizen.
Then again, I suspect that what you mostly mean by news is really the news-adjacent content that is created by commercial media organizations...