Friday, August 30, 2013

The Nightly News

I heard a radio program the other day encouraging Christians to follow the news. They talked of the importance of knowing what is going on in our world and being able to engage in conversations with others about it. They talked about listening to or reading "the news" from a variety of perspectives, both those from a Christian worldview and those from a secular worldview.

The topic resonated with me, because quite frankly, I don't have a clue what is going on in our world. Oh, I hear murmurings about conflicts or other world happenings, but when it comes right down to it, I would have a hard time conversing with anyone about what is going on outside my neighborhood.

So I decided to start DVRing the nightly news.



I figured we could fit twenty minutes of news-watching into our typical nighttime routine, between a Parks and Rec and Jimmy Fallon.

It's been an interesting experience. Honestly, it has been gut-wrenching at times. The story of the gun-man entering a school in Georgia made me panicky (thankfully no one was hurt). The images from Egypt and Syria have been disturbing. I have teared up and felt nauseous all within the span of a few minutes. I have questioned whether this is something I really want to watch.

And then as the twenty minute broadcast moves on, I hear stories of heroism. Stories of people working together in community and by the end of the newscast I have been reminded of the good in people, along with the bad and evil.

A part of me would like to stick my head in the sand and forget that bad stuff happens. Who needs to be reminded on a nightly basis, right? But a bigger part of me wants to know, to pray and remember in the midst of ALL that happens, my God is sovereign. He sees the good, the bad and the evil and He is in control and working in the midst it.

How about you? There are so many avenues to keep up with world happenings these days. Do you and if so how? I'd love to know!

2 comments:

J and A said...

I'm a news junkie. :)
It can definitely be overwhelming, but I do agree that there is a need for Christians to know what is going on, both to be watchful and alert, as well as to pray for our fellow believers being persecuted. Joel subscribes the World magazine so I can get my news fix from a Christian perspective. I love it, even if the news is often almost 2wks old (it's a bimonthly mag)... There is always something I had not heard/read, and I appreciate their editorials.
For my secular new fix, although I will occasionally go to CNN, my main source of information is fox, because I feel as though they don't have as much of an agenda (or arguably a conservative one, which is why I'll see what CNN has to say). I try to just stick to the headlines however, because unlike newsprint or tv, you can keep going link after link on the pc.

emilykate said...

I came across this post from another blog I read and it immediately interested me. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I don't like having the TV on a lot in our home, but when we watch a show and the news follows I immediately shut the TV off because I do not want to hear more bad news about our city and the world.

And then my sister, who lives in the middle east, makes a comment about embassy closings and I have no clue what she's talking about. And I think I should. I finally starting reading about Syria yesterday because if I don't know what's going on, I can't pray. This is long-winded. Anyway, I appreciated your thoughts and have been feeling convicted about not trying to pretend things aren't happening. It's much easier to watch Parks and Rec. :)