Faith Venture

Breaking news is overrated. Receiving a summary the next day is more than sufficient. OK, sometimes immediate news is important—tornado in the area, rising flood waters. 

Breaking news became important, not to us, but to people who make money because of us, thanks to the invention of the 24-hour news channels. Repeating news all day and all night would be boring. But breaking news, ah, that draws our attention frequently. That’s the goal. The news source doesn’t matter. It’s all the same—stir emotions, entice our eyes and attention, show us more advertisements, capture attention again.

Shun that for your mental and spiritual health.

I thought about breaking news in the Christian Bible.

Perhaps the word-of-mouth spreading news of Jesus’s healings. That certainly drew crowds and the interest of secular/religious authorities.

The big one—Mary rushing to report to the other disciples about the empty tomb and meeting Jesus after his very public death. Being a woman, some of the men didn’t believe her rushing to verify for themselves. That one had to be tough to understand.

The two men leaving Jerusalem walking to the village of Emmaus asking the stranger who joined them if he had heard the news.

Develop and apply a filter for news. Develop awareness of what’s important and publishers design in order to keep us tuned in. Perhaps the best “breaking news” is what we call the “Good News” or “Gospel”.

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Vigilance

Beyond focus, it’s a careful watch for possible danger.

But also, it’s a careful watch for movement of the Spirit.

Sustained concentration, although that is impossible for humans.

Vigilance implies alertness, staying awake, not losing attention amidst the endless stream of thoughts.

Vigilance requires mindfulness.

She had me lying face down on the massage table. As her fingers drove deeply into my back, she says, “The world is going to Hell in a Handbasket.” 

I did not want my massage therapist to get worked up enough to press even harder, so I used my calming voice to consider the truth of the opinion.

Of course truth or facts never get in the way of a good opinion. 

The reality is where you decide or default to place your attention.

Turning off CNN or Fox (whichever poison you’ve chosen) is a great start. Then deciding not to continue to line the already bulging pockets of Mark Z or Elon M by letting them capture my attention continues the journey on this correct path.

I know there are events in the world. But I don’t dwell on them. I know there are morons in Congress. Nothing I can do about that.

I also know there are many people doing good work in the neighborhood, city, and world. I work with many smart and  dedicated engineers and business people making the world a better place.

In many ways in most of the world, life is better than ever before. Yet, many people feel bad. Why? Expectations, I guess. Or where they place their attention. 

At the end of the day pause and consider, “Where have I allowed my attention to drift today? Toward the good? Toward the bad?”

Carole King put it, “I feel the earth move under my feet…”

Jimmy Buffet sang, “Earth she’s movin’ under me…”

These are powerful images. We expect the earth to be solid under our feet. When we teach Mountain Pose in Yoga (standing upright), we lead the students to feel their feet firmly grounded as they lengthen their spine yet relaxing their shoulders. Feel strong and grounded like a mountain.

The relaxation meditation I used last night told us to sit in the chair, place our feet flat on the ground, and feel grounded to the solid earth.

We want our emotions grounded. Not like air, moving randomly this way and that.

Building our spiritual, emotional, and intellectual life upon a solid foundation leads to a stable life ready to grow and serve.

Perhaps Jesus had something like that in mind when he told us, To hear my words and do them is like building a house on a solid foundation of rock where the rains, and the storms, and the winds came and yet did not destroy it.