tuesday things: newsletter edition

I’m kinda embarrassed to admit it, but I usually reach over and grab my phone in the morning before even saying “good morning” to Whitney.  I’m not the only one, right?

I do a pretty good job of keeping spam to a minimum (I’m liberal with the unsubscribe link), but no matter how low I get my inbox before I go to bed, it always feels like it is overflowing in the morning.

But there are seven emails that I really do look forward to… and I think you should know about them all too!  Here’s a quick peek at what I’m reading in the mornings:

News Digests

theSkimm
theSkimm is a daily (Monday-Friday) e-mail newsletter that offers a breakdown on 5-6 trending news items, with background to get you up to speed and clever commentary.  

Even if I’m in a rush and don’t read any of the other news digests in the morning, I still don’t skip theSkimm.

Quartz Daily Brief
Quartz Daily Brief bills itself as the best morning briefing for smart, busy people. Their global team of reporters catches you up on news from around the web and prepares you for the day ahead. Three editions are curated by region: Americas, Europe and Africa, and Asia.

It is mostly politics- and market-focused.  I especially like the “Matters of Debate” and “Surprising Discoveries” sections.

NextDraft
A digest of the top ten most fascinating items of the day, delivered by Dave Pell with witty commentary. I read somewhere that its a mashup of The New York Times, The Daily Show, and Twitter — and I totally agree.  Well worth reading.

Now I Know It
This doesn’t really fall into the news category — it is basically a couple of paragraphs about a topic that you probably never knew you even wanted to know about.  You’ll learn things like: Abraham Lincoln created the secret service – on the day he was shot, how Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck is made, that carrots used to be purple, and how turkey got its name.

Devotionals

She Reads Truth
She Reads Truth is an online movement of women committed to daily reading and being changed by God’s Word. Every 1-3 weeks, SRT starts a new reading plan with a different focus — sometimes it is a book of the Bible, sometimes it is thematic (such as ‘justice’).  The daily emails (Monday-Friday) include a few scripture references and a devotional.

If:Equip
If:Equip is a Bible reading plan.  The daily emails (Monday-Friday) contain a passage of scripture and focus questions.  The questions are always the same: if you believe this to be true… then what does this mean about god? what does this mean about you? what does this mean about the world?

I like how the questions take the focus off of always trying to decipher a personal meaning in all of scripture.  True, the Bible is meant to illuminate our individual lives, but it is an ancient text written in many different contexts, to many different people and communities.  Asking what the scripture means about the world and about God helps me to step back and refocus on the greater community.

Red Letter Wake Up
Red Letter Wake Up will help you start your day with the words of Jesus! Each morning you’ll receive a short email with a quote from the body of Christ, the “red letter” words of Jesus, and one tangible thing you can do to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today.