Greetings!
I’m blogging from one of my favorite places in the whole world—Falls Creek. I never feel more refreshed than when I am in this blessed place in the Oklahoma Arbuckle Mountains.
I’ll mention later why I am here, but once again, here’s six timely topics for this week. Thanks for reading!
1. Supreme Court to hear sex interpretation cases
Earlier this week, reports were made that the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing three cases that challenge the interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Basically, the highest court will interpret what the grounds are for the workplace in relation to employees’ sexual orientation and gender identity.
This is another conflict involving religious liberty and the sexual revolution. “If the Court deems it reasonable to use ‘sex’ as synonymous with transgenderism and homosexuality,” Joe Carter wrote, “federal agencies will be able to override the will of the American people on these issues.”
Carter, communications specialist with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, offers a great FAQ article that explains what is of issue with these three cases and how critical they are to evangelical Christians.
These Supreme Court rulings will be extremely critical.
2. Bice for Congress
Stephanie Bice, an Oklahoma state senator, announced she is planning to run in 2020 for the 5th District Congressional Seat, which is currently held by Kendra Horn who was elected last year.
From what I have read on Bice, I would definitely support her. Horn has not been vocal on liberal causes, but she has not been demonstrating support on issues that relate to the Sanctity of Life. Horn won the election fair and square, and it appears she has been handled with kid gloves by the local media.
However, she will stand in the way for pro-life causes and other issues that relate to Christian values. Bice would be a great candidate to challenge Horn next year. Check out the Oklahoman’s article announcing Bice’s plan to run for U.S. Congress.
3. Thunder evaluation
The Oklahoma City Thunder ended its season in a disappointing fashion for the third straight year.
This is difficult for me to write, and I’ve gone back and forth whether or not I would write at all. The biggest reason is many will disagree with me on how I feel.
But here it goes… I don’t think the team needs to go through a major renovation. I don’t think they should trade key players—Westbrook, George, Adams or other rotation players. I don’t think Billy Donovan should be fired.
The reason I believe nothing major should be done to change the team is any major change would mean the Thunder are planning to rebuild and no longer intend to challenge or seriously compete. The reason that could be a mistake is it’s possible that the NBA West could be going through a change soon. Golden State may not be the dominant force it has been the last three years, which means the title may not have an outright projected favorite in the coming seasons.
As ridiculous as it may sound, doing some minor tweaks and allowing younger players to get better would be a better route for the Thunder to go than choosing an extreme overhaul.
That’s all I will say for now. Let’s see what happens in the next couple of months. The best news is the Thunder don’t have to worry about a major free agency decision this summer, which is different from the setting for the last few offseasons.
4. College game improvements
I got into a social media discussion with some friends a few weeks ago while watching the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The issue I had was the team foul rules implemented in the college game compared to the NBA.
Lo and behold, I found a great article that was written last year by Tim Bontemps. He gives a great assessment that would help improve the college game.
Check out Bontemps’ second proposal “Change the fouling rules to get to the penalty quicker.” This is exactly my thoughts.
5. Avengers has closure
I got to see Avengers: End Game Thursday night. I thought it was fantastically done and completed well the last 10 or so years of Marvel movies involved in the Avengers series. I told somebody the closure that was demonstrated in the movie was like the closure demonstrated in Toy Story 3 times 10.
For those who would like a great review without any spoilers, please check out Michael Foust’s review here on WordSlingers. Not only does he share a great diagnostic on the movie from a parent’s perspective, he gives great Christian insight, as well as relevant questions to ask after watching the movie.
6. Men’s Rewired
I wrote this DHD rather quickly, and I apologize if it reads like I rushed. I’m in the middle of covering the Men’s Rewired Conference at Falls Creek. This is such a great annual event that has made a major impact on many Christian men over the years. Many men have made professions of faith at Rewired, as well as made commitments to be more faithful to their families and to their churches. I look forward to what will happen to the men who are here.
Have a great weekend!