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WORLD

Overseas

The U.S. is preparing for things to go from bad to worse.

An aircraft carrier and a guided missile submarine are en route to the Middle East after U.S. officials warned that Iran could wage a “significant set of attacks” on Israel. Still hoping to avoid an escalation, officials said the deployments were intended as a “message of deterrence.” President Biden met with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K. Monday to discuss the growing threat. 

Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating cyberattacks on both the Trump and Harris (and previously Biden) campaigns. Though sources say Iranian hackers are to blame, officials haven’t publicly named a culprit. 

Trump’s campaign reported that it had been hacked over the weekend, with multiple media outlets confirming they received (but didn’t publish) internal Trump campaign documents.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
There may be good reasons to be worried or scared about this day, month, or year. God does not promise good days… but He does promise a great eternity. Stay focused on eternity; it changes everything.

“The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all humanity.”
Job 12:10 (CSB) (read full passage)

POLITICS

The Return

Former President Trump is back on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Monday night, #45 spoke with X’s owner, Elon Musk. The conversational two-hour interview, streamed by 1.3 million people, was delayed 40 minutes due to technical difficulties that Musk said was a cyberattack.

Trump recapped his assassination attempt, promised record deportations, hyped his relationships with foreign leaders, including Kim Jong Un, and slammed VP Harris’s stances on the economy and immigration, calling her “incompetent.” Harris' campaign responded, describing Trump and Musk as “self-obsessed rich guys” who “cannot run a livestream in the year 2024.”

Meanwhile, the Republican nominee says he plans to sue the Justice Department for $100M in damages over the 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago property, arguing it was done with “clear intent to engage in political persecution.”
 
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Verse to consider whether politicians let you down or inspire you… “My days are like a lengthening shadow, and I wither away like grass. But you, Lord, are enthroned forever; your fame endures to all generations.”  
Psalm 102:11–12 (CSB) (read full passage)

SPONSORED

Lacking Daily Food

Somalia is caught in the crosshairs of natural disasters, global conflicts, widespread poverty, and disease outbreaks.   

East Africa is coming off its worst drought in 40 years, which has left tens of millions of people without access to clean water, killed millions of livestock, and decimated crops. They became very reliant on imported food, and 90% of Somalia’s wheat came from Russia and Ukraine… which stopped coming.

Now, two in five children in Somalia suffer from acute malnutrition, and a cholera outbreak is spreading in some areas. The food shortage, coupled with humanitarian aid being focused on Europe and the Middle East, has been the perfect storm and led to an alarming increase in child malnutrition. 

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BE DOERS
We’re asking the TPO Community to join us in partnering with World Concern to help get emergency nutrition packs (a peanut paste fortified with nutrients), water, and hygiene products to those with the most need. 

Every $12 feeds a child for a month. We’re matching the first $2,000; just give through this link.

“If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?”
James 2:15-16 (CSB) (read full passage)

WEATHER

In the Forecast

Summer is bringing the heat.

A wildfire kindled 22 miles northeast of Athens, Greece, on Sunday has turned into a 12-mile wall of 80-foot flames and is moving “like lightning” toward the capital city. At least 25 areas are under evacuation orders as more than 700 firefighters race to tamp down flames fueled by a prolonged drought and gale-force winds.

Down in the Caribbean, tropical storm Ernesto formed Monday and is intensifying as it heads towards the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Locals are bracing for 50-70mph winds and 10+ inches of rain. Ernesto’s expected to intensify into a hurricane tomorrow on its approach to Bermuda.

Meanwhile, the City of Angels was jolted by a 4.4 magnitude earthquake Monday, interrupting several live broadcasts. Thankfully, no Los Angeleans reported major injuries or damage.

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BE DOERS
God has not left us helpless in the face of disasters. He hears the prayers of his people, acting for our good and his glory. This is not a cop-out; prayer is powerful, causing things to happen that would not have happened otherwise.

“Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray… The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”
James 5:13, 16 (CSB) (read full passage)

Ukraine reportedly controls nearly 390 square miles of Russia (see map) a week after its surprise invasion. More than 100,000 civilians have fled Russia’s Kursk region—land which Ukraine says it has no interest in occupying since “unlike Russia, it does not need other people’s property.” Putin, who says Ukraine is simply looking for leverage in peace negotiations, promised to prevail.
 

RFK Jr. has been disqualified from New York’s presidential ballot for using a “false” address on his put-me-on-the-ballot petition. A judge ruled that RFK—who was born and raised in New York but has lived in California since 2014—claimed a rented New York bedroom as his official residence for "political gain." RFK has vowed to appeal.
 

Mars has puddles? Scientists have discovered a reservoir of liquid water deep below the Red Planet's surface. The findings from NASA's Mars Insight Lander were found using a seismometer to measure vibrations (marsquakes!) that revealed "signals" of liquid water. Those "good vibrations" have renewed hopes of finding life on Mars and sustaining future astronauts' stays on the planet.
 

Start preppin’ the buffalo dip… AP’s Preseason Top 25 poll is in. The top five college football teams are #1 Georgia (again), #2 Ohio State, #3 Oregon (Big Ten newbie), #4 Texas (SEC newbie), and #5 Alabama (sans Saban). Week 0 (four matchups that couldn’t wait until the season’s official Week 1) kicks off Saturday, August 24, from Ireland.
 

Brian Niccol is swapping guac for cold brew. In a surprise shakeup, Starbucks announced it’s replacing CEO Laxman Narasimhan with Niccol, who has led Chipotle through an impressive five-year turnaround. Starbucks, meanwhile, has seen sales decline in the U.S. and China. Investors clearly think highly of Niccol; Starbucks stock jumped 22% while Chipotle stock fell 7%.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

We hope your day is this chill…

What We’re Signing Up For
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Waiting stinks. Whether you’re in the drive-thru line that never ends, waiting anxiously for test results, or longing for the end of a challenging season, it’s easy to wish we were somewhere else or further along.
 
Now and Not Yet, a Bible Study from Ruth Chou Simons, is here to remind you that God is faithful and at work right now. 

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