1. Are the Five Love Languages real? Researchers say, maybe not so much, but they can still be helpful. “For example, people will choose a preferred language if forced to in a quiz. However, researchers found that if asked about all five love languages on an individual basis — people rate all of them highly. The researchers also found that some important ideas, such as supporting a partner’s or spouse’s goals, don’t fit in the five love language model and that people who have the same love languages aren’t happier than other couples.”

2. How not to be a grumpy old woman: Melody Richeson begins, “My ninety-eight-year-old mother recently passed away after living with me for three years. When I spoke at her memorial service, I said, “You could not do what I did for an easier person. She was grateful, cheerful, and never complained.” Watching her made me wonder what sort of old person I will be. Churches hold parenting retreats, marriage conferences, and seminars on managing finances, but have you ever heard of a church that offered a seminar on how to grow old?”

3. How digital apps are changing the way we read the Bible: John Dyer concludes, “The point here is not that Bible apps are bad or that we need to go back to print (or back to exclusively encountering scripture through public readings). It’s to recognize the very subtle ways that mediums we use shape and form our encounters with content. Neither print nor screen are neutral. Both form us and our communities, shaping what we see and don’t see in the text and about God. As we seek to encounter the one true God, let us continually be thankful for the good gifts of technology, but also mindful of its power and peril.”

4. The atlas of emotions: A helpful tool to better name your emotions.

5. The Nature Photo Contest winners: How about that “Plant Life” shot? 

Photo by alpay tonga on Unsplash