We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.

The Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with The Point.

That's a quote frequently attributed to media theorist Marshall McLuhan.

Certainly true of books, one of humanity's oldest tools.

New research, again, confirms just how good reading books is for you.

It doesn't just teach you new facts.

Instead, it wires various functions of your brain. A new study out of

the University of Rochester confirmed that reading fiction measurably boost emotional intelligence.

Stories about playing tennis, for example, light up that same part of the brain that's used

when you actually play tennis. Extended reading sessions also sharpen our ability to focus and grasp,

complex ideas. The same studies also suggest

a related effect that the less we read, the more those skills dissipate. And to be clear,

scrolling on smartphones doesn't count as reading. Of course, Christians should read books,

not only because of how God made our brains, but because God chose to reveal himself in Word.

Apparently, he really wants us to know who he is.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with The Point.