When safety becomes a god: Christopher Cook warns, “We’re living in a cultural moment where safety has been enthroned as the highest virtue. You hear it everywhere: “I need to feel safe here.” “I need to feel seen.” “I need to feel welcome.” On the surface, these phrases sound kind. Compassionate, even. But beneath the sentimental polish, there’s often an unspoken expectation: ‘Don’t challenge me.’”
A biblical pathway to emotional wisdom: Dan Brewer says, “Our emotions are not a flaw in God’s design. They are not a curse either—they are a gift. All our emotions are an essential part of bearing the image of God, even the troubling ones. But like any other good gift from God, we must steward our emotions with great care; otherwise, we will end up stuck in an emotional ditch.”
The true paradox of faith: Kristen Black begins, “I come from a family comprised mostly of adventure seekers. Whether it be parachuting from a plane or hanging from the side of a mountain on a Via Feratta, the search for the next rush of adrenaline is often on their minds. The day God was handing out adventure genes, however, I was given a significantly diminished portion.”
From sticking out tongues to sniffing cheeks, here’s how people around the world say hello: I didn’t know about several of these customs. For instance, in Tibet, “Blame this greeting tradition on a cruel 9th-century king named Lang Darma, who killed his older brother, suppressed Buddhism, and was eventually assassinated. He was known for having a black tongue, so monks began sticking out their tongues to show that they came in peace—and weren’t the reincarnation of Lang Darma.”
All the dogs, explained: Fun little video for the dog lovers out there.

Photo by Samrat Khadka on Unsplash