While on the red carpet at the premiere for his movie Fences, Denzel Washington was asked his thoughts around fake news. Here is his response:
“If you don’t read the newspaper you’re uniformed. If you do read it you’re misinformed.”
“That’s a great question. What is the long-term effect of too much information?”
“One of the effects is the need to be first, not even to be true anymore. So what a responsibility you all have; to tell the truth, not to just be first, but to tell the truth."
"We live in a society now where it’s just first. Who cares? Get it out there. We don’t care who it hurts, we don’t care who we destroy, we don’t care if it’s true. Just say it, sell it.”
I love Denzel and what he has to say, His response to the question about fake news struck me deep. His words not only apply to the news but everything out there as far as information that we allow to guide our lives. We live in a "I want it now and I want to like it,” society. This mentality can lead us to miss what is true and most important. As I think about the beautiful Christmas season, I don’t want to be first. I want Jesus to be first. I want my kids to watch as I am not in a hurry to consume and receive, but focused on them. I want anyone who I come in contact with to feel important and know that this Christmas season is about a savior who loves them enough for me to value my interaction with them.
I am excited for Cross Culture Church to slow down and spend our time to bring the joy of Christmas to the community of those around us in Green Valley Ranch and beyond. If you would like to join us in serving on Dec. 16th from 3-6pm to bring love and grace email Michael@crossculturedenver.org.
We want people to not worry about being first in line for Santa at the crazy stores. We are going to offer free pictures with a professional Santa. We want people to slow down and listen to our amazing caroling team sing about the reason behind this beautiful holiday. We want children to slow down and decorate cookies, laugh while jumping on bounce houses and make memorable crafts. Let's not worry about being first and slow down to find true worth.
See you Sunday,
Michael Winakur