News feeds are full of fighting. Families are already split over politics, and group text threads are heavy with tension about who to avoid at upcoming holiday gatherings. Even in our neighborhoods, where we once waved and said, “Hey Bob, how are ya?”—now we avert our eyes, hurry to our cars, and escape into the next thing.
Across America, people are dodging personal connection out of fear of conflict—yet at the same time, we dash to our phones to fire off opinionated comments at strangers on social media. In a world pulling apart, what if the Church led the way in pulling chairs closer? Remembering Connection Before ScreensBefore social media, I had to ask my parents or friends about everything. By the time dial-up internet connected, I could’ve already gotten an answer from my mom and hopped on my bike for a neighborhood ride. When my perspective was off, someone who loved me corrected me and steered me straight. Now, we carry lightning-fast computers in our pockets. Any question, any opinion—seconds away. Then we curate feeds that echo back what we already believe. Before long, we’ve built an entire worldview reinforced not by people who know us, but by algorithms. And here’s the problem…
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As I began this September blog and podcast theme centered around transition and becoming, I never could have predicted the massive shift our culture would witness.
This past Sunday, at the memorial service for young conservative activist and outspoken Christian Charlie Kirk, hundreds of thousands—possibly millions—heard the Gospel proclaimed. They were invited to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and they witnessed Erika Kirk publicly extend radical forgiveness to the gunman who assassinated her husband. Yes, there was political messaging, but above all, the banner of Christ was lifted high. For nearly twenty years, my mom worked as a media librarian at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte, NC. Whenever I visited her, I would wander the hallways, studying the photos of crusades Billy Graham led across the world. Thousands upon thousands of lives were changed by the Word of God and the love of Jesus at those events. I remember quietly praying in my heart, “Lord, do it again.” The idea of America coming back to Jesus became deeply imprinted on my heart, and I began to write the word revival in my prayer journals in middle school—a practice I’ve carried into adulthood. God and I have been having conversations about revival for decades. And there, on my television screen, I witnessed a memorial service transform into a mighty move of God. The scene wasn’t so different from the BGEA photos I once studied. It made me ask: Is this America’s transition into a season of revival? |