Happy weekend! Here are some of my favorite reads from this week. I hope there’s something here that sparks some discussion for you.

• If you haven’t had a chance to pick up Matthew Paul Turner’s newest book, you need to do that right away. But in the meantime you can read a great summary of 5 ways that America has changed God that he wrote for CNN.
• I thought this post by Abi Bechtel about learning to love her own body without guilt is absolutely beautiful.
• Sarah Bessey wrote a stunning piece about the miracle baby who she is pregnant with right now. I bawled reading this, but it’s just straight up gorgeous.
• Zack Hunt wrote an interesting piece about some recent controversial comments made about church service and growth. I’m not sure where I stand on all of that (I have lots of Big Thoughts about some of these things, but that often means that they’re not very coherent), but I think his final take-away is a good one.
• You may have seen the video of the gay teen who was abused by his step-mother, grandmother, and father and banned from their home. It’s appalling and sickening and heart-breaking. There were accounts set up for Daniel Pierce to help him get on his feet after being disowned, and as they quickly grew, this young man asked that donations be made to a home being built for homeless LGBTQ teens. I love that someone who had every right to be selfish chose generosity instead.
• Yesterday we made this Italian Cream cake. It is delicious and if you’re looking for about a perfect cake, have at. (I used cake flour, which made it lighter, and halved the powdered sugar for the icing.)
• I missed posting this last week, so it’s going up today. I ADORED this video with Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the Emmys. When Breaking Bad and Seinfeld are in the same space, my brain just overloads with favorite.
  

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link it up in the comments!