Is what you're consuming making you discontent?

Hi Reader,

Welcome to Living Contentment - your weekly nudge towards a life of Biblical contentment.

Here are today's three contentment-related things for you to

read | do | pray

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READ THIS

We all know what we consume has a massive impact on our health. What we eat is likely the single greatest factor affecting our physical health. In the same way, the media we consume plays a significant role in our emotional health. For many of us, the way the consumption of processed sugar is the kryptonite for our physical well-being, our consumption of news may be for our contentment.

It's hard to be content when we are constantly told to be afraid and angry, that we are under attack, and that someone is out to get us. It's hard to stay content when we feed on 24-hour news coverage of disasters, wars, famines, assassinations, floods, and tragedies. It's hard to be content when we have a feeling that we never know enough, are never fully caught up on what's happening, and constantly need more information just to stay current.

I would STRONGLY encourage you to listen to: How We Consume News is a Discipleship Problem from the Theology in the Raw Podcast. (Or click on the image below to watch the video)

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Here are some of the key points I took away that really impacted how I think about my consumption of news:

• 10,0000 years from now in heaven - what kind of impact will this event have? As a citizen of heaven, I should have a similar detachment to my own national news, as I do to news from foreign nations.
• Don’t be less informed - be less informed by the news. Do research, talk to people, read a book - just don’t let the news be your source. There is a huge difference between learning about something and being told what to think about something.
• Don't just watch the news to have something to feel angry about. Yes - be politically engaged, and engaged with the news - but show with actions that you actually care.
• Is your news consumption helping to produce the fruit of the Spirit in you - or the opposite? Do you care more about getting ammunition to show others they are wrong?

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No Matter what - we need to think more critically about the news we consume.

What we consume. How much. Where we get it. And perhaps most reflective - why.

DO THIS

If you find yourself acting/speaking/feeling LESS like Jesus after consuming whatever news you consume - DO SOMETHING about it. Take concrete steps towards being intentional about the way you consume the news.

• If you tend to be constantly distracted by news on your phone, shut off notifications and put daily time restrictions on your news apps *
• If watching televised news is what sucks you in - do something physical. Put a sticky-note on your remote with something like "IS THIS GOOD FOR ME?" and take a minute to reflect before turning on the 24-hour news cycle like a reflex.

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I have really enjoyed the 3x per-week news updates from The Pour Over (the organization started by Jason Woodruff who's interviewed in the podcast above). You can sign up here to get their news updates that always have a Biblical/eternal perspective to help keep things in check.

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PRAY THIS

Eternal God,
Nothing that happens is a surprise to you.
Your plans cannot be ruined.
Help us to keep your eternal sovereignty in mind
when the events of the day cause us anxiety.
Give us faith to trust that you have things for us to do,
and lots of things for us to not do.
Help us not be overwhelmed
by feeling we need to know, do, and have an opinion on everything.
Give us peace that as your finite, limited, fallen creatures
we live with limits on what we know, do, and understand.
Help us feel compassion for those we know are hurting,
give us hearts that turn to you in prayer,
and show us the ways we can put your love into action.
AMEN

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Talk to you next Thursday!

~George

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*if you need help doing this - click here for iPhones, and here for Android​