So the other day I had the news on as we were getting ready for our day, one story after another was flashing across the screen. I will be honest I was not paying much attention to any of the stores, as I was packing lunches and making coffee, honestly I was waiting to see what the weather was going to be. All of a sudden my son said “Daddy this is sad news” my little girl echoed with “it just bad news”.
After that I began paying attention to what the news was saying, I quickly shut it off.
It’s nearly impossible to turn on the TV, open up a web browser, or scroll through Twitter without being assaulted with notifications of a new world disaster (or two, or three…). Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, alerts of shootings, plane crashes, ISIS beheadings, crime, war and human rights violations are constant; it is as if we cannot escape the “bad news”.
According to some psychologists, exposure to negative and violent media may have serious and long-lasting psychological effects beyond simple feelings of pessimism or disapproval. The work of British psychologist Dr. Graham Davey, who specializes in the psychological effects of media violence, suggests that violent media exposure can exacerbate or contribute to the development of stress, anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
So then with that, what do we do, live in a bubble (thought that is tempting at times) is not what the Church has been called to do. Jesus said we need to let our light shine. We cannot hide from the world problems, since we have the very answers to the world’s problems.
I am convinced, if the churches would stop worrying about things that make no eternal difference, and begin to answer the unique problems that their communities have, then the church world would begin to have relevance, impact, and no time to worry about inconsequential things that lead to meetings that go nowhere.
Park View Christian Church, we have a big calling, we cannot run away from the bad news, however, we can run toward it with the good news; to make an impact within our community, and the world around us. God bless you all as we serve together for His glory.
Pastor Tim Campbell
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