Weekend Reads 7/30/16

The Big Read: The devil inside Pastor Olivier

And then, the pastor asked: "Are you suggesting I give away some of [my wealth]?" Well, yes. Many of us do, it is expected from Christians to do exactly that and it would have a powerful, conciliatory meaning if a white man did that in a poor and unequal country after apartheid.

What you read matters more than you might think

Deep reading occurs when the language is rich in detail, allusion, and metaphor, and taps into the same brain regions that would activate if the reader were experiencing the event. Deep reading is great exercise for the brain, and has been shown to increase empathy, as the reader dives deeper and adds reflection, analysis, and personal subtext to what is being read.

10 Extremely Precise Words for Emotions You Didn’t Even Know You Had

The odd thing about writing a book about discrete emotions you never knew existed is that you start to experience them — or is it that you were already experiencing them, and it’s just that now you know the name?

10 Cliches Christians Should Stop Saying

I think people who say these cliches are mostly trying to be kind, grateful, and even humble when they say some of them. But if we really do want to be kind, grateful, and humble we need to think about these sayings a little more – and then stop saying them.