Money is now more important to Americans than patriotism, religion, or kids: Peter Weber begins, “A Wall Street Journal/NORC poll released Monday found that "patriotism, religious faith, having children, and other priorities that helped define the national character for generations" have fallen steadily since 1998 and even 2019, the Journal reports.”
Why do I need close friends? Roger Barrier shares, “Now, let me tell you a tragedy. Many people have no intimate friends. They are the loneliest people in the world. There is no one with whom they can open up. That’s why life is so tough.”
The cost of fear: Karen Wade Hayes tells a simple story about baking a cake and fear. “As humans, we can be so impacted by fear that we hide or shrink back when new opportunities arise.”
Five reasons you did not and cannot reinvent yourself: Lots of truth in this post by Brian Rosner. He says, “Human beings are social animals. A growing body of research—some parts surprising, some parts amusing—indicates the extent to which we are profoundly relational creatures and pushes against any notion that anyone is a self-made self.”
An open letter to teens facing doubts about Christianity: Rebecca McLaughlin’s thoughts are winsome and true, “Sometimes you find yourself wondering what is really true. What if modern science has disproved God? What if Christians really are just bigots for not embracing same-sex marriage? What if all religions are equal paths to truth?”

1. Is This the End of Recycling? What a bizarre turn of events: in a day and age with more environmental awareness, recycling is disappearing because of financial realities. Alana Semuels reports, "For decades, we were sending the bulk of our recycling to China—tons and tons of it, sent over on ships to be made into goods such as shoes and bags and new plastic products. But last year, the country restricted imports of certain recyclables... These municipalities have two choices: pay much higher rates to get rid of recycling, or throw it all away. Most are choosing the latter."

2. How to Create a Culture of Happy Complementarians: Whitney Woolard's excellent post begins, "If I were a man, I would be a church planter... But I’m a woman—a woman who believes God has spoken authoritatively in his Word on all matters pertaining to life and godliness."

3. What Should My Sunday Look Like? Chad Asby's article might look simple, but it packs a punch. He begins, " Week after week, many of us attend a worship served not a worship service."

4. Christians More Likely to Have Intergenerational Friendships: Here is an encouraging study by Barna. Aaron Earls reports, "Twenty-six percent of those who have an older friend and 18 percent who have a younger friend say they met them at church. Among Christians, 26 percent say they lack a friendship outside their age group, compared to 41 percent of non-Christians."

5. Americans Less Certain in God's Existence: Aaron Earls reports that, " In the past 15 years, the percentage who say they know God exists and have no doubts dropped from 65% to 53%, according to the latest research from the General Social Survey."