Welcome to the weekend – and a weekly recap of the best blogs, videos, and stories that I read and enjoyed. Since many of you aren’t immersed in the world of politics, news and theology, hopefully this serves as a helpful summary:

Let’s start on the President. Here in Ohio John Kasich announced his bid for president. The Wall Street Journal Editorial is here. While he was doing this, the Donald was giving out Lindsay Graham’s cell phone to a crowd of raucous supporters. The follow up interview with Anderson Cooper is the stuff SNL cast members long for. Hilarious cover on the New Yorker aptly sets the scene – not that I actually read the story…after all, it is the New Yorker!

Another big topic in the news is this deal with Iran that John “flip flop” Kerry negotiated (not sure if there’s a more accurate adjective for his effort…). Kerry was on the Hill getting absolutely grilled by GOP senators this week. Some Senators said Kerry walked out of Iran like a guest leaving a hotel with nothing but his bathrobe! Here’s the AIPAC overview of the (terrible) deal. Even the Daily Beast is saying its a “win win win” for Iran. Mitt Romney has a brutal op-ed in the WSJ on the thing.

You’ve heard about the planned parenthood fiasco, well it looks like CNN eventually reported on the matter. 

I love Gifs, don’t you?  I guess so does John Boehner?

I told you last week about the new documentary re: Martyn Lloyd Jones – well now it’s on sale (good thing too, it was ridiculously expensive, I mean $40 for a dvd???)

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse (or better depending on your party affiliation) for Hillary Clinton, there’s more email issues. That whole pesky classified communications and personal email thing is still dogging her precious presidential campaign. Funny thing is that the NYTimes actually softened both the story and the headline after HRC campaign flacks moaned and groaned – I know, you’re shocked.

Tim Challies posted some video of lightening at a really slow exposure rate (at least I think that’s what’s going on here). After the nasty lightening storm we dealt with in Dublin last week this one appealed to me.

Interesting perspective on how millenials need a “bigger God” and not a “hipper pastor” when they go to church.  Lots of truth in here. (h/t Tracy L)

It seems like every day I am reading about how drones are being used to do new things…even if not terribly efficiently. This week saw the first monitored government red-tape approved drone delivery flight. 

There’s a cool(?) new service that chefs around the world are providing for adventurous eaters. It’s called ‘Eat With’…check it out! (h/t my Kate)

Maybe you’ve been hearing about all the shark attacks along the atlantic shore? Well, with a vacation to the Carolina coast in the foreseeable future, this has been on my radar. However, concern has completely melted away now that Parris P. has located the perfect solution…

Best blog of the week: From Nathan Shurden for Ligonier. on simply tips to get started talking to your kids about sexuality. He especially takes into account the SCOTUS decision’s after affects, and how to get conversation going in the right direction.  (h/t my Kate)

Speaking of stuff from Ligonier, this week marked 50 years of ministry for R.C. Sproul, and Kate pointed out that there’s a new website to celebrate. 

How many of you have gone to church only to find that the music is just, well, not very well done. Like a bad 90’s mix tape, songs don’t flow well, keys aren’t singable, and music quality is just, well, lacking. Ya I thought so…well Challies re-posted an excellent starting point for those of you are are serving in this area. While some of this is admittedly above my head, there are many great points here that even this neophyte music lover could appreciate.

The Hill had a story about Edward Snowden this week – well, more about what Fmr. US Senator Saxby Chambliss said about him, “We need to hang him on the courthouse square as soon was we get our hands on him.”

That’s it!  Enjoy your weekend!

PJW

Welcome to the weekend! There are only a few stories to draw your attention to today, and since you’ll be watching the British Open (right?) there won’t be much time for reading.

Might as well start with The Open – simply because there was a crazy story about how Nick Faldo accidentally impaled his hand on a deer antler...no joke!

The big story of the week was really horrific. It came to light that Planned Parenthood has been selling off body parts of aborted children to the highest bidder. Russell Moore fills you in here, Tony Perkins here.  Remember – this is an organization that the President of the United States fully supports…seriously. This is simply reprehensible.

The second big news story of the week was the Obama Administration’s big nuclear deal with Iran. The deal must be approved by Congress first though and many think there’s no way Congress will approve of the deal. Here’s the AIPAC statement. Here’s Krauthammer’s commentary. 

Earlier in the year R.C. Sproul and Jeff Lippencott released a wonderful album of hymns for the church. This week, Ligonier wrote a short post (audio included) of my favorite song on the album. 

Banner of Truth has just released a full length documentary on the life of Martyn Lloyd Jones. I’m really excited to see this. Very few preachers today value expository preaching, but Jones was a man who felt that the Word was so powerful, that being as true to the text as possible was not only a goal, it was a sacred trust.

I don’t know how this is useful – and I can’t imagine spending time working on this project – but a group of engineers is sending a robot across America…hitchhiking across America, that is. 

There was a well written blog post by Tim Challies this week worth scanning called ‘3 Errors of Musical Style that Stifle Community’

And the Stand to Reason Blog took a crack at the tired old “all religions are basically the same” punt. 

Congrats to my good friends Matt and Lisa Ferris on the birth of their baby girl! 

Some intriguing Easter Island news/photos this week from a recent dig over there (h/t my Kate).

With all the controversial issues we read about online these days, Jon Bloom is right to consider ‘How Should Christians Comment Online?’

Finally, did you know we finally had a spacecraft (of some sort) reach Pluto? What they found was concerning… (h/t Bo)

Quote of the week: “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.” – Martin Luther

That’s it – enjoy your weekend!

PJW

Welcome to your weekend – aren’t you glad it’s here? If you’re getting this email or reading this post for the first time what you’re in for is a selection of my favorite posts, stories, videos, apps and more from the past week. This week I’m going to do a machine gun list of “bests”…enjoy!

Let’s begin with the best blog post of the week. This one by Tim Challies is probably one of his best of the year. Bookmark it, read it, and come back to it again. Titled, ‘The Message the Counters Everything’

Best YouTube Video of the Week: The Origin of the Word ‘Ok’ (h/t tim challies)

Biggest Government #Fail of the week? Meet OPM security hack

Most twisted human being award: Jimmy Carter (I know, easy pickins – h/t Dennis L)

Best App of the Week: Star Wars/Disney – tons of fun here! (h/t my Kate)

Most tempting idea of the week: christian audio book summaries 

Best news of the week? My little brother is running for office! (donate, donate, donate)

Most intriguing new movie: ‘Many Beautiful Things’ (h/t my Kate)

Most depressing story of the week: Gag order on Oregon couple 

Most polemic post of the week: Response to Matthew Vines’ response to Kevin DeYoung’s response to the Supreme Court’s response to the LGBT movement’s response to their sin nature. (h/t Adam J.)

Most hilarious blog of the week: 13 Signs You’ve Crossed Over to the Costco Darkside (h/t my Kate).

And lastly, the best verses of the week (for me): Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end. (Psalm 119:111-112 ESV)

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

Welcome to your weekend!  Here are the best stories, blogs, videos and more from the past week. If you missed something, never fear, just scroll below and catch up on what’s new and hopefully what is thought provoking and edifying for your weekend.

Let’s start with today’s Supreme Court decision. In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court of the United States of America decided to legalize homosexual marriage. This decision is one of a handful of societal and governmental markers that form a common thread with other once-great societies in world history, who subsequently passed into oblivion, now long having been forgotten. It is a sad day, but a day which was bound to happen with the ever increasing immorality and sensuality of our culture. What’s next? Likely a more aggressively (and overtly) targeted campaign at religious freedom. Buckle up…

Interesting how the national GOP responded.  Of course, the President applauded the decision. Incidentally, he said that this was “justice that arrive(d) like a thunderbolt”…I couldn’t help thinking his choice of words were ironic (John might say “antiChrist”) given that the kind of thunderbolt ushering in final justice might not be exactly what the President has in mind (Rev. 8:5 etc).

Now, onto other matters…

The State Department now says that Hillary Clinton forgot to turn over 15 or so work emails that were on her personal email server. This turned up after the US House subpoenaed emails from HRC, and, “WOW! where did those come from??!”

For the most part, Buzzfeed is the bottom feeder of all “news” organizations, but what they DO do very well is stuff like this…hilarious!

Wonderful headline here: Lesbian Teacher Shares Her Approach for Indoctrinating 4-year olds (h/t Matt Parker)

The best article I didn’t get to read this week: How the State Serves Salvation. 

Check out Part 4 in John Piper’s look at Romans 9:14-18. This is a great little video, and one that will cause you to stand back in awe of God’s absolute freedom. Ultimately we can claim whatever we want for ourselves, but when confronted by the Word of God we have to bow our hearts and lives before its authority.

Google Maps just enhanced their “street view” feature to include some serious verticals.

The same week the imperial, errr, “supreme” court praised the virtue of sodomy, they also handed the President a major Obamacare victory. Read about the disappointment of John Roberts here.

Obama also announced that the US government is cool with negotiation with hostage taking terrorists. Have international travel coming up, ya…good luck to ya!

And if all that wasn’t enough, the President also declared amnesty for illegal immigrants in jails and prisons this week.  It was pretty much a liberal’s fantasyland this week.

So with all this damage done to our country, who is running on the right to stop it? So many people now its hard to keep track of.  Here’s the list from earlier in the week – now you have to add Bobby Jindal (Guv. of LA) to that list, and soon Chris Christie and John Kasich to the list. Just about all of them dumped on the imperial court’s decision today. And you may not have ever heard of Bernie Sanders, but he’s now coming close to parity with Clinton in New Hampshire…ya…

In more happy news, Christianaudio.com has their biannual (I think?) sale going on jus through tonight. 

And this is pretty cool stuff. Samsung making their semi-trucks safer with “transparent” backs.

And did you watch the U.S. Open last weekend? Man, that coverage was BAD!  How bad? The Times discusses…

Another Times piece about how Taylor Swift basically brought Apple to heel. Pretty interesting stuff.

Final Times piece now (at the bottom of weekend reading where they below), this one on how cruel bosses make life hell (is anyone shocked?) and basically drive folks to an early grave…of course all of this is scientifically worked out…

Interesting inside baseball piece on the new host of Face the Nation – a Christian!

Wonder who was promoting same-sex marriage this whole time? The President’s t-shirt shilling organization. 

Lastly, when helping hurts: Race Relations and Law Enforcement. An essay to stir your minds up one way or another…

That’s it – I know that there is a ton of bad news in this weekend reading. We are living in a fallen, depraved world. And one of the main things we’ll start to hear in coming weeks is the fact that Christians need to “get with the times” and “be on the right side of history” – but the Bible calls us to something else. It unapologetically proclaims that Christ came to call us out of the darkness of sin and into the light of righteousness, and it doesn’t mince words about the nature of that sin. I will just leave you with these verses to ponder:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV)

Welcome to your Father’s Day weekend!  The U.S. Open is in full swing out at Chambers Bay and dads you can catch that here.  Now to some interesting articles, blogs, and videos from the past week…

The Southern Baptist Convention met in Columbus Ohio and issued a resolution on same-sex marriage. 

Donald Trump announced his campaign for President, and in order to gin up enthusiasm he decided to pay actors $50 to clap for him…no, seriously!  And apparently, he really loves the word “great”!

The creepiest story I didn’t get a chance to finish was on how the Mormons are compiling an extremely extensive genealogical database (ostensively so they can make sure parishioners are accurately performing baptisms for long since decayed relatives).

A heartbreakingly revolting story from the New York Times re: an 18 year old transgender boy now a “girl” who underwent surgery and the controversy surrounding these surgeries for adolescents who may regret them later – in fact, this boy already regretted it but had plenty of therapy lined up to convince him it was a good idea. Interestingly, like Jenner, this guy is also still attracted to females…….This is a growing issue though, and we’re going to see more an more stories like this because 1. the liberal media loves perversion and 2. because perversion is becoming more and more prevalent.

Absolutely amazing how badly Hillary Clinton’s campaign is going thus far. New research out shows that a majority of voters in three swing states say she isn’t trustworthy. What would lead them to think that???

Speaking of HRC, here’s some bathroom reading for you – best to read in the W.C. since its sure to turn your stomach in disgust…

And, for a laugh, this dude parodies the many bandwagon gluten-free fans out there these days (h/t Kat B. and my Kate)

Serious food for thought: should you let your kids play sports on Sundays?  I don’t know I’m 100% there with Mark Jones on this, but this is something that definitely needs discussed. Coaches these days have no regard for that sacred time and that means parents need to grow some backbone and help shepherd their kids by setting an example of right priorities. This isn’t an isolated case either. There are myriads of families who simply elevate sports above worship, and I really can’t think of a single good reason for it. I can totally see some afternoon sports, but in my view, if you can’t carve out that AM time to worship your maker once a week, then you have some serious parental (and spiritual) examination to do.

This past week saw the passing of Elizabeth Elliot. John Piper has a nice tribute to her impact. 

And the Cavs lost the NBA finals…or maybe it was the Warriors who won the finals. Either way a team known to have the best defense in the league was the team that prevailed. Ya. Go figure!  And hey, while you’re at it, check out this Newsweek story about how lazy NBA refs have gotten about not calling the Traveling violation (h/t Dave Clementson)

If you like great cars, you won’t be able to resist this bit of click bait re: the new BMW i8.

Really interesting story from Politico about how the Pentagon is using YouTube to digitally hold the Russians to account.

Another interesting pair of articles, but on completely different topics. The first is from the Gospel Coalition. They ask: What is up with the Witch of Endor? (from 1 Samuel).  The second is from John Piper who answers the question: Can a Woman Preach if Elders Affirm it?

Finally, if you’re looking for a summer book to read, Tim Challies has some variety for you to check out. 

That’s it!  Enjoy your weekend!

 

Welcome to your weekend – almost! This week I read a ton of interesting articles, blog posts and the like.  Here are the best of the best from the world of politics, government, culture, and Christianity for your enjoyment…

Let’s start in the world of sports. There’s a team from Cleveland very close to winning the first major sports championship for that city in 50 years(!). Some are beginning to speculate (again) if LeBron really is the best of all time. His stats seem to indicate this is the case, but I just don’t think you can compare Golden State to the competitors Jordan faced in his day (plus Jordan was, well, Jordan).

In the world of politics, Lindsay Graham introduced a new abortion bill that conservatives like, the NY Times’ “investigative reporting” on Marco Rubio generated outrage that he had speeding tickets…and also generated a hilarious sketch by Jon Stewart.  The New Republic wrote an article about how Bernie Sanders’ hippie roots. The Federalist says that the climate change debate is over, and the environmentalists have lost.  Donald Trump seems to be serious about running for President, and heck, why not?  National Review published an interesting breakdown of how Presidential candidates spend their campaign money. And in advance of (yet another) relaunch of Hillary Clinton’s flailing campaign, the RNC (national GOP) has released an amusing document on all things HRC from failed 2014 book tour to shady associates.

On the lighter side, Thursday was seersucker day in Washington. Doesn’t it make you happy to know our elected officials are spending your money in style?

If you travel at all (as I’m writing this from an airport) you’ll enjoy this article called ’12 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Airports’ (h/t Tim Challies)

The most interesting post I didn’t get to read this week: A Dinosaur infographic. 

Read a classic article from R.C. Sproul on how Christians ought to view history. Very good stuff here.

And Tony Reinke wrote a challenging blog about how most of us reach for our phones in the morning, and perhaps we should start the day in another way…

When Napoleon Met His Waterloo, He was Out of Town…

I didn’t get to post this last week, but John Piper wrote a great little message called ‘Unless God gives you God’ that is worth your time. Key line, “You have to slay that promise of pleasure with the promise of a superior pleasure. And in the end, the highest pleasure is knowing, loving, and delighting in the glory of God manifest in Jesus Christ, which means it has been liberated from sin.”

Along equally good lines, Tim Challies posted his 10 favorite quotes from Sproul’s ‘Chosen by God’.

Erik Erikson wrote an interesting and really thoughtful post about the ‘doing the right thing’ when it comes to student debt (and other things).

Best video of the week HERE.  Love our Piper prizes the Word. (I read a fair bit of sproul and piper this week, can you tell??)

And your watchword for the week: Don’t drink Camel Urine!!! 

Fascinating rundown of the long history of Seal Team 6 (take with a grain of salt…it is the NY Times…)

Fascinating story 2 re: future events predicted by the way atoms move (or something like that?) h/t Paul Crawford

And…why does the cable bundle even exist??? The Wall Street Journal has the answer and the history behind it.

That’s it!  Now go enjoy your weekend!

PJW

Welcome to the weekend! It’s Friday and there’s a lot going on in the world. If you’re new to Weekend Reading, then what you’re about to get is a list of the most interesting articles, blogs, videos and more that I consumed during the week. All compiled in one place, with a side of commentary!

Let’s start with the big news of the week.  First, the US Gov got hacked. Initial officials are blaming China, but who knows.

And Bruce Jenner was (once again) the talk of the town (country…world??) with the Vanity Fair cover shoot featuring his new transgender look.  Jon Bloom over at DG offers insight on how Christians ought to respond to such depravity. The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution on this type of thing a while back, and the Gospel Coalition had a post on the 9 things you should know about Transgenerism (is it even an “ism”? Thankfully my spell check tells me no…I’m sure that will change soon).

There’s a rather interesting piece on FP.com that discusses how ISIS is turning Humvees into “hell on wheels.”

If you’re in Columbus this weekend (and why wouldn’t you be?!), then you’ll want to check out the Memorial Tournament pairings. 

Ever wonder how artists and their labels make money from Spotify? The Wall Street Journal has a story on just that (paywall…oh the irony).

Stephen Nichols attempted to give an overview of the entirety of Christian church history in only 5 minutes. It’s part of a celebration of his 100th episode of ‘5 Minutes in Church History’ which is a podcast that gives little blips of church history in 5min.

Big expose this week on the Red Cross’ work in Haiti. I honestly didn’t read all of this, but a skimming should do…

Maybe you’ve noticed the difficulty of singing on a Sunday morning. It sort of hits you that “hey, no one else is singing either…” here’s a little blog that got attention this week on why this might be...(h/t Shannon C and Matt R – this was a popular article this week!)

I think it was Challies who linked to this post a few days ago. The author decries the famous personality tests you’re all familiar with – not simply a slam job here, but a thoughtful reasoning on why we shouldn’t make them the be all end all.  I really have to agree. Mostly because 1. They are so general and 2. People learn you’re an “ENTJ” (or whatever) and suddenly all the judgments are made and they start acting like they know all about you and drawing conclusions on your behavior like they’re social scientists from the Ivy League! “Oh ya…well that totally makes sense that Jim said that – you know he’s a choleric, right?” The same can be said for these Christian “spiritual gifts” surveys to a degree. Here’s my point: they are helpful to a degree, but overall they really just give people less reason to get to actually know one another and use their own discernment and analysis based on what they know. (okay, soapbox put away…)

You have kids? Well, this might make you laugh (h/t my Katie)

And did anyone notice that cappuccinos have disappeared off the Starbucks menu? Here’s the likely reason why… 

The WSJ also looked at why people seem to be scoring higher and higher on IQ tests as the decades progress…interesting stuff, though the article ends on an oddly inconclusive note (might be a paywall…)

Another reason to subscribe to the WSJ: Great write-up this week on the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta!

Here’s a write up on a new hymnal that’s been assembled. I just received my copy and the kids are really enjoying it – as am I!  Well put together, and really a cool compilation.

All I can say to this is…wow

Lastly, a hilarious tongue in cheek tweet from Pastor Jared Wilson…

We can fake a convincing moon landing but we can’t make a Capn’ Crunch that won’t lacerate your mouth. Get your act together, science.

— Jared C. Wilson (@jaredcwilson) June 3, 2015

That’s it! Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy your weekend!

The weekend is upon us, which means there are articles and videos to check out.  For every one of these I share, there’s several I don’t. If you stumble on something good, feel free to send it along!

Let’s start with gross immorality. Money corrupts people whose treasure isn’t found in Christ alone (e.g. former speaker Hastert indicted this week). But no one can top the work of Bill and Hillary Clinton. When you have the New York Times decrying your “tacky” behavior you know you’re in trouble. Substitute “tacky” for “flagrantly immoral” and you’re closer to the mark.

In a similar vein, the first of HRC’s State Dept. emails came out this week. Already its looking as if she knew that the Benghazi killings were not caused by protests over an internet video. I began thinking back to that time and wondered how anyone could have believed that nonsense in the first place – why? Well, possibly because radical Islam’s followers have killed for less. So, ya, sounds plausible…just not this time.

In more political news, Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s political team signaled that he’s likely to run for President with an announcement coming later this summer.

Sad news this week that Princeton Mathematician John Nash and his wife were killed in a car accident. This is the couple portrayed in the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind’ with Russell Crowe.

Now for some more upbeat items…

Jared Wilson cited an analogy from John Piper re: the work of the Holy Spirit before the NT Pentecost. 

A nice post by Jonathan Parnell on how he explained the balance of God’s love and His Glory to his son. Is God all about love or is He all about glory? Are the two mutually exclusive?

A helpful post that was linked by Tim Challies this week called ‘Leaving and Cleaving’ with some good tips for young married couples.

Justin Taylor posted an extensive reading list for kids through 8th grade. Lots of helpful direction can be found here for those wondering what kids should be reading and when. (h/t my Kate)

Interesting and helpful post from Nathan Bingham on his first week with the Apple Watch.

Prepare to laugh…if you’ve never seen the Luther Insulter you should…someone then applied that to the Bill Clinton of christianity.

Humorous yet still insightful post over at the Cripplegate this week on minimalism. 

Powerful post by Tim Challies called ‘To the Other Woman’s Embrace’

That’s it!  Enjoy your weekend – and remember, stay in prayer and in the Word, and stay away from banking fraud, Benghazi emails, and Bill Clinton.

Good morning!  Just a few stories and videos for your long weekend here.

This week Jeb Bush declared that there is no constitutional right for gay marriage. Bush, a staunch Catholic, said many things that I think most evangelicals will agree with.

There’s a fascinating story in the Washington Post (of all places) about how the folks in Jerusalem are running out of places to bury their family members. 

No doubt you saw this week that the government (ours) released a categorized list of the books found in Osama’s hideout. Frankly, it’s just the sort of collection you’d expect, almost a caricature you’d see on SNL or something.  One book was ‘Military Intelligence Blunders’ another was ‘Guerilla Air Defense: Antiaircraft Weapons and Techniques for Guerilla Forces’ yet another ‘America’s Strategic Blunders’.

A long-ish article from Bloomberg opinion writers who read the fine print of JP Morgan’s (and other banks) non-apology apology to investors upon receiving a slap on the wrist for defrauding their customers. Basically they’re saying “hey, we’re banks, that’s what we’re in business to do is defraud, cheat and steal!”

You’ve heard of social media shaming, but this takes it to a new (low?) place! DNA used to publicly shame litterers….

Speaking of social media, the latest viral video this week to hit Facebook was of a man (apparently a Brazilian off duty volunteer policeman) who comes home, pulls his car into his garage, and then almost gets burglarized…almost…

Finally, Trevin Wax addresses the question of whether you should run from a bad church situation or not. Not a long column, but a few thoughtful words that you may find useful.

Every once in  while I like to update folks on what books I’m reading or have read. Now that my seminary semester has concluded I’m reading a lot more. Right now I’m reading an interesting book on the Federal Reserve (in all its evilness), a great Biblical Theology from Tom Schreiner, and just finished Nancy Pearcey’s Total Truth. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you will get a kick out of this audible book…