January 11, 2023 Weekly Update
Last Sunday we kicked off our Good News worship series. I challenged all of us – me included! – to skip our first-thing-in-the-morning dose of bad news via newspaper, TV news, or our phones and instead read scripture and reflect upon God’s blessings in our lives.
One of the quirky things about preaching is that I see your reactions to my sermon and words almost immediately. What I noticed last Sunday morning were wry smiles, knowing head nods, and a few “that’s me” deep breaths and shoulder shrugs. It’s like we all know the epidemic of bad news, and we know what it does to us spiritually, physically, and mentally. And we are almost resigned to those effects, as if it is just inevitable.
But it is NOT inevitable, and there is something we can do. We’re just a few days into the Good News Challenge. If you’re behind or haven’t started yet, there’s time to catch up. If you’ve already started, tell or text your friends or others so that they can check in with you and take note of your progress.
Click the link below for the insert from Sunday’s bulletin with the series of dates, scriptures, and instructions for the Good News Challenge.
Here are some more helpful resources.
One of our church members shared this site. CNN emails a once-a-week newsletter filled with good news and inspiring stories. Click here to sign up: https://tinyurl.com/CNN-the-Good-Stuff
The Good News Network is a great place to read positive news stories. They also have an app you can download on your phone. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
On Instagram or Facebook, follow thew Good News Movement. It’s a journalist-run good news only page. I love the stories they post.