Welcome to your weekend reading!  If you’re new to this email, then what you’re in for is the best blogs, articles, videos and more of the week. Most people don’t have time to digest all this info during the week – so I take the best everything I’ve read, seen or heard and pass it off in one fact-packed email for you to skim through as you sip your coffee.  So sit back and enjoy the weekend!

Let’s start with something positive – Condi Rice (an amazing pianist) has recorded a version of Amazing Grace in honor of Independence Day with an award winning violinist for your enjoyment and remembrance. It’s a fantastic rendition.

And with the 4th upon us, I found Jon Bloom’s post on ‘Loving and Celebrating a Defective Nation’ one worth digesting in light of last Friday’s Sup. Ct. ruling. Best quote: “They may be more free in the American sense, but not in the most important sense. They are freer to pursue their internal desires, but they are not free from them.”

Speaking of the Supreme Court, there are a few articles you need to read. first is one I didn’t include last week from John Piper, in which he “laments” the decision. Another is a take on why the ruling is incompatible with freedom of religion, and the third is a collection of quotes from Justice Scalia on the Obamacare ruling, which came last Thursday.

One of the best posts of the week came from Kevin DeYoung, writing for the Gospel Coalition, he penned a blog called, ’40 Questions for Christians Now Waving Rainbow Flags’. Having seen several of my so-called (likely confused) Christian Facebook friends doing just that, I thought this apropos. Read. Digest. Repent. (h/t Matt P.)

And from the sadder/cruder side of things: What happens when Gay activists hang out at the White House? 

And, this is funny, someone over at The Kuperian snatched a C.S. Lewis quote and posted it as a response of sorts to the SCOTUS decision. 

In a similar line of thinking, Tom Schreiner posted a blog on DG this week called ‘You Will be Persecuted with Words’ – when Schreiner (a brilliant baptist academic) writes a blog (as opposed to an 1100 page Biblical Theology), its worth taking note.

Tim Challies had three really worthwhile posts this week. First,  a thoughtful and worthwhile post about how you don’t really know who your friends are until (fill in the blank). Second, he is reading through another classic right now, and this week’s post was very helpful – even for those of us not reading the book with him. It’s all about ‘Why God Makes Your Wait’.  Third, he has a great post called ‘When God Flops That Switch’ which is all about Ephesians 2 and is really good!

What is NOT helpful or worthwhile is the teaching of Andy Stanley. He’s taken to trashing expository preaching, which is not surprising because he’d rather people just memorize his slick sayings than the Word of God. I know a lot of good church going folk who have read Stanley books and just love them. Maybe its time to stop reading his tripe and pick something up with a higher quality rating – maybe, say, Tom Schreiner! (h/t Parris P.)

You may have seen this, but Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight is finally retiring. And, the hot story on the web this week was how an amateur golfer shot an astounding 57 – including 3 holes in 1!! I talked to a bunch of people about this today, and no one is sure what to make of it…can it be true?? (h/t Rod K.)

And big thank you to Matt Parker who sent along what is definitely the app of the week. ‘Dubsmash’ basically lets you mouth (dub) lines from your favorite movies or commercials. It was only a matter of time before my brother received a rant from the French Knights of Monty Python. Check it out here. 

Also, R.C. Sproul, Jr. has a free series on parenting et all for a short time. 

Finally…is nothing sacred?!!!  (h/t my Katie)

That’s it!  I know there’s more going on, but these were my favorites! So enjoy and stay safe on your 4th!

PJW