Well it’s the weekend again (almost), which means you’re getting the Weekend Reading email. Below are my favorite videos, news articles, blog posts and more from this past week.  There’s a lot of interesting stuff to sort through, so grab your coffee and some eggs and enjoy some of this week’s most interesting reading:

Apple’s big iphone announcement should come next week. The biggest cultural shift expected from the announcement will involve how consumers pay for stuff – think NFC tagging/leaving your wallet at home.

Probably the most alarming story of the week comes out of Eastern Europe where Russian President Putin said ‘I can take Kiev in two weeks’.  The Washington Post has an excellent opinion piece that I consider a must-read. 

Football season is here and the Wall Street Journal has an interesting graph which charts football success with academic capability. Lot’s of California schools in the right spots, along with some Big 10 appearances.

Nikki Daniel wrote an encouraging blog post about sex and marriage aimed at Christian women that’s worth skimming through. (h/t Challies)

Speaking of sex, quite some time ago Al Mohler wrote up a nice column on how J.R.R. Tolkein’s letters to his sons explains the birds and the bees. Definitely worth reading. (h/t Rod Kinsey for reminding me about this)

Joan Rivers died this week and Time did a piece on her. Best quote: “‘I succeeded,’ she said, ‘by saying what everyone else is thinking.’ Everyone else, that is, with a wicked mind and an agile tongue.”

Scientists are sifting through old ship’s manifests in order to determine climate history and stumbling on interesting stories on the way – unfortunately its an NPR story, and somehow they can make even the most fascinating story sound boring!

R.C. Sproul wrote a good article entitled, ‘Are Those Who Have Never of Christ Going to Hell?’ 

Potential 2016 Presidential Candidate Sen. Rand Paul wrote an Op-Ed this week defending his foreign policy views, and slamming President Obama for his disjoined (if non-existent) foreign policy.

Speaking of foreign policy, Michael Youssef has an excellent 5 min video explaining who ISIS is and where they came from. (h/t Tracy Lear)

Take a look at this excellent little article from Thom Rainer on why churches are moving away from “contemporary” and “traditional” style services and simply having one style of music/service.

Now before you get up to refill your coffee, check out this little video titled ‘Your Brain on Coffee’…and no, this won’t stop you from finishing the pour.

Speaking of food, if you don’t already know about PBS’s ‘The Mind of a Chef’ show, you might want to check it out on Netflix/Amazon.  We watched a few episodes at the recommendation of family (h/t Lindzey Gray and Shana Wenzel).

The Times of Israel posted the top 10 places to visit when you visit Israel – I saw 6/10 when I was there. Neat pics here. (h/t Uri Goldflam)

Heretical “Pastor” Olsteen was in the news again, this time it was Victoria Olsteen who gained some attention for proclaiming more unbiblical nonsense. Mohler’s take here, and a funny video with Bill Cosby’s reaction here. 

Speaking of funny videos, here’s a film company whose made the infamous Leroy Jenkins youtube sensation into a short film with real actors.

Clint Archer over at The Cripplegate has a fantastic article relating to Labor Day and how Christians should think about work. 

I had a wonderful time hosting my whole family over the holiday weekend, but sadness set in when they left. Here’s a post I wrote on the weekend and its aftermath titled ‘Renewing the Old Toyota.’

Speaking of holidays and school being back etc., Tim Challies wrote a funny little blog post about how he’s ready to welcome back his old friend Routine.  He also posted an interesting little video called ‘Making a Case for Books’ that’s fun to watch. 

Tim Keller discusses the disappearance of American normative Christianity, or “conservative christianity” – what Al Mohler might call “cultural christianity”. (h/t Gary Marx)

Of course one of this week’s biggest news stories was about how Hollywood A-listers and Playboy models got their iCloud photos hacked and distributed around the web. National Journal piece here on why Congress won’t get involved, and CNBC piece on how it could affect Apple. 

Speaking of hackers, Home Depot announced this week that their credit card system/database was compromised. 

If you’re into Christian reading and have never heard Francis Schaeffer, here’s your chance. Schaeffer is widely considered one of the 20th century’s greatest Christian philosophers/thinkers. He founded the L’Abri Fellowship where many other great thinkers, authors, and theologians studied or found rest for a time. Schaeffer’s grasp on art, culture, history and philosophy in addition to his sharp theological soundings make him a delight to read/listen to.

Lastly, here’s an excellent little devotional from D.A. Carson to round out your weekend!

Have a great weekend!

PJW