Sarcasm

Just a quick post-election post here:

I am so glad that the election season is finally over. Like a lot of folks, even though I initially resisted it, I got caught up in the whole national election thing. I very frequently had political TV shows on at home, and listened to political talk radio in my car. If I wasn't watching and listening to election stuff, I was online or in magazines and newspapers reading about it - always wanting to know the latest. Most days I'd copy some articles from the internet to keep in my back pocket to read during down times at work. By the end of the campaigning, I was completely obsessed.

At the same time, I was sick of the political ads - this candidate slamming that candidate, back and forth. The right skewering the left, the left mocking the right. Yuk! But like binging on triple fudge delight, I kept taking it in, more and more.

And that's my point: those three words "taking it in". I realize today with the election done and decided that I have been taking some really unhealthy stuff into my spirit. In particular, sarcasm - lots of sarcasm. Whether it was talk radio like Hannity or Rush, or left leaning NPR, or the late night comics, or early morning news shows, or political ads - the dominant "spirit" through it all seemed to be sarcasm.

I don't need to go into detail. We all heard it both from Republican-types and from Democrat-types.

So I'm banning myself from politics for awhile. For a good long while, I hope.

But there's that void to be filled.

I like to have something quick and interesting to read and I like to listen to something interesting when I'm driving.

Luckily, I've discovered the great wealth of free Christian podcasts out there. I download them to my phone/MP3 player or my other little MP3 player and I can easily listen while driving between work sites. Just tonight I downloaded three free episodes of Focus On The Family's daily broadcast, a Phil Keaggy podcast, and one of Steve and Raborn's excellent spiritual conversations (beyondtheboxpodcast.com).

As for something to read, I've re-discovered Christianity Today's great website and found several helpful articles. And I know there's a lot more out there to explore.

I just have to get this lingering sarcastic residue out of my spirit. I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier how listening to, watching, and reading that angry, bitter, sarcastic stuff (from both sides) was effecting me.

I want to fix my eyes, my heart, and my mind on Christ and His kingdom. I want to live in prayer like fish live in water. I want to be cleansed and refreshed.