We are bombarded with news and information from all directions. Often this news causes us to become overwhelmed at the inability to fix any of it. What’s a follower of Christ to do?

The Rev. Dan Marotta (rector of Redeemer Anglican Church in Richmond, VA) encourages us to focus less on “in-actionable news” and instead search for hyper-local news that presents us “with an opportunity to love, to pray, to serve, or to celebrate at the human level.” The only way to find this “news” is by engaging in conversations with our neighbors, friends, and family. (See excerpt below.)

Read more in his article here that first appeared on the Gospel Coalition website on Feb. 25.

Here is an excerpt from Dan’s article:

Your opportunity for obedience to God is a local opportunity. Therefore, the primary news that should matter to a Christian is local news. By local news I don’t primarily mean news about city or state government. I mean something more intensely local, what some thinkers call “hyper-local”:

• News about a neighbor with a cancer diagnosis

• News about the young couple down the street having their first child

• News about someone in the church who’s lost a job

• News about someone’s coworker visiting church for the first time

This is news for the average human. This news presents you with an opportunity to love, to pray, to serve, or to celebrate at the human level.

As you respond to such local news, a different kind of formation will work within you. Anxiety will be replaced with confidence, helplessness with initiative, anger with delight, hate with love.

You will not find such hyper-local news in daily papers or TV reports. Rather, you will likely discover it the same way people have for generations: through ordinary conversation.