What We Read This Week

Each week, we bring you interesting stories from around the web. Here’s what caught our eye this week!

LIFE

You Need to Stop Ignoring Your Need for Rest 

“You should really just take a break.” I remember when he said those words. Then, I remember the overwhelming urge to punch him… in the face.  “You have no idea how much pressure I’m under,” I thought. “If you carried the weight I carry, you’d never say such a thing.” The call to rest felt like just one more thing to do. Eventually, self-pity and self-aggrandizement partnered together to create a flurry of excuses. Read Full Article

From Relevant Magazine

CULTURE

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?

ENVIRONMENT

My Students Show Me How Climate Action is Better Than Despair

In a cavernous room at a retirement center in North Carolina, I stepped behind the podium to speak with 50 senior citizens about my research on faith communities confronting climate change. Yet when it came time for questions, the audience members wanted to hear about the college students I teach and the uncertain future they face. “How do you talk to youth about the climate,” asked one gentleman, “and give them any hope for tomorrow?” I paused, searching for a meaningful answer. “I’m learning from my students,” I finally said, “that despair is not a long-term strategy.” Read Full Article

From Sojo

FAITH

What is The Significance of Mountains in The Bible?

Mountains are mentioned frequently in the Bible because they dotted the landscape where the stories in the Bible take place. As a result, mountains and hills are mentioned more than 500 times in Scripture. Mountains have a logical religious symbolism for Jewish and Christian cultures since they are “closer to God” who dwells in the heavens (as in the sky). As a result, God often reveals himself on a mountaintop in the text. Read Full Article

From Busted Halo

BOOKS

Author of ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’ Tells Publisher to Stop Printing It

From OC Observer