Many years ago, I went on a news fast. To be more precise, I stopped reading, watching or listening to any and all news from 1988 through 1993-ish. Can’t say I missed finding out about wars, famines, and predictable instances of inhumanity in real time. My biggest shock was learning that Sammy Davis, Jr. had died and Mr. Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. had stepped down from the Supreme Court.
Can’t remember why I decided to get back into the nauseating swing of following the daily news, but that’s what happened during the mid-1990s, although junking my TV set in 2002 helped cut the flow of garbage in. Glory be…
Here it is nearly a decade later and thanks to social media, I’m awash with news in faster-than-real time. And because I focus on news about faith, religion, health and healthcare, I’m generally awash with distress. Still, I continue to read, listen and occasionally watch the news. It serves as a reminder to pray without ceasing; as a call to trust God’s sovereignty and the power of the Holy Spirit. Praying the news serves as a blessed antidote that helps replace horror with hope.