Happy Sunday,

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:2

Last week, I said your news habits aren't just affecting how you think, they're spiritual habits affecting who you're becoming. That’s because we follow our hearts far more than our minds. You don't start preferring carrots > carrot cake by deciding to do so. You practice eating that way until, over time, your appetite changes. 

The same is true of your heart’s appetites—you train them more than you choose them.

I talk a big game about being a good dad. And yet when I'm playing zoo with my six-year-old, I reach for my phone for a quick hit of dopamine. That’s not a choice I’m making, it’s a habit I’ve honed. And every time I do it, I'm rehearsing a story: I should always be entertained because I am the center of the universe. I’m practicing a story that leads me away from the one I want to live.

It’s the same with the news. Every outlet and algorithm carries a story—heroes, villains, a vision of the good life—and most news companies make more when you’re angry and anxious. 

What happens when you feed your heart that daily diet? 

Unfortunately, we know. You train your appetites away from peace and love of neighbor (let alone your enemy) and away from the fruit of the Spirit. Having given ourselves over to the news cycle’s rhythms and rituals, we quietly train our hearts to define our people, our enemies, and our hope by political tribes—declaring allegiance to Jesus with our mouths, but becoming more like our political parties in practice.

Because what you practice, you become.

What do you think?
Peter Nittler