One of the great wastes of time in our culture is that of being constantly updated with news. And many of the sources we go to for news also include – not just world news – but sports, technology, entertainment and a host of other topics. Very often, what begins as a “I’ll just check the headlines” turns into a thirty minute or more surfing trip scanning information that (as Neil Postman wrote) is good only for playing trivia games and Jeopardy.
I once knew a lady who would say to me “Oh, did you hear about that terrible flood in (insert name of a country I’ve never heard of much less could I find on a map)? Those poor people!! Oh, the world is falling apart!” She spend much of her day watching Fox news or some other stations and was constantly upset about the state of the world. Needless to say, I (lovingly) rebuked her for wasting the precious time God had given her.
When I want to catch up on the news I try to do so with discernment. I have found a couple of sources that have been beneficial and efficient. One is Al Mohler’s ‘The Briefing’ – it is a daily ten minute podcast in which the President of Southern Seminary touches on the top issues of the day and then gives an analysis from the Christian worldview.
I suggest that you read the topic(s) of the podcast before you listen as over time (not surprisingly) some topics become a little ‘worn;’ So I don’t listen everyday – just to the ones I believe to be particularly helpful. Here’s the link: The Briefing
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