Two podcasts recommended to me this week were very similar in tone and outlook regarding this time we find ourselves. One to the “spiritual” side. The other to the “secular” side. Both were more spiritual in tone as they dealt with practical matters.
On the “secular” side there is The Daily Podcast from the New York Times. (And about half of you quit on me right there.) This episode looks ahead to what is possible in the months ahead for the nation concerning coronavirus. It is well worth the 30 minutes of your time to take it in.
On the “spiritual” side there was this podcast from an interview with Andy Crouch. This interested me because it was done back in March. There is quite a bit they discussed that IS correct as they were only projecting at the time.
The takeaway in each podcast was very similar for me. We can treat this time like a blizzard (where we hunker down for a few days and think the storm is past). We can look ahead and realize it’s not just a blizzard, but it’s winter. It’s a season. We need a longer view and learn to live in some serious changes.
THEN… there is the realization this could be longer. An “age” not just a season. And we need to think about life differently.
In the interview with Andy Crouch, Andy mentioned the need to lament. We NEED to grieve. We have lost a lot in this time and we need to weep over those losses. I find we miss this culturally. It comes out as anger, like those “protests” to “open America again.” It’s unchanneled grief and lament. We need to stop and grieve. Life just may not be the same and we need to learn to “sing” in a new land. God help us!
BOTH podcasts ended in the same place: HOPE. Both offered historical references to bolster their hope for what was ahead.
I listen to learn. I read to learn. I am long beyond trying to filter my learning for my own confirmation bias. I don’t put these out there as something from my own echo chamber. I don’t know that I agree with their assessments. But it is worth listening and learning… at least for me.
Apprentice 2 Jesus 