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WORLD NEWS

Middle East

Conflict continues to crisscross the Middle East.

On Monday, warplanes bombed Iran’s embassy in Syria, killing seven Iranian military leaders, including a general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran blames Israel, which has long attacked Iranian military installations in Syria but never attacked the embassy. Iran has promised “punishment and revenge.”

Also Monday, an Israeli air strike killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in Gaza, which has since frozen operations. The IDF acknowledged the event, saying it was conducting a review of the “tragic incident.”

Meanwhile, Israel faces internal conflict. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s governing coalition — made up of both secular and ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) lawmakers — is threatening to collapse over a disagreement about whether full-time Haredi Torah students should remain exempt from military service. It could force new elections for the vulnerable PM.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
The tragedies of war are a terrible reminder that the world is not as it should be. Be a peacemaker in your corner of the world and trust that the Lord will end all conflict in his perfect timing.

“If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone… Do not avenge yourselves… because it is written: ‘Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,’ says the Lord... Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.”
Romans 12:18–21 (CSB)

SPORTS

Final Fours are Set

Your bracket may be busted, but the basketball has been beautiful.

In a first, two schools (NC State and UConn) have both their men’s and women’s basketball teams in the Final Four in the same season.

The women’s Final Four games tip off Friday, with NC State facing South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ fourth consecutive Final Four appearance. Then, UConn—which overcame five season-ending injuries this season—will play Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, which defeated 2023 champion LSU on Monday.  

The men’s Final Four is on Saturday. After defeating Duke to reach its first Final Four since 1983, 11-seed NC State will play a Purdue team looking to redeem last year’s first-round loss as a 1-seed. In the final matchup, defending champs UConn will play Alabama in the Tide’s first-ever Final Four. 

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Verse to consider whether your favorite team cuts down the nets, went home early, or you’re more of a UFL person… “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (CSB)

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WORLD NEWS

Moscow Syndrome?

A media investigation claims the mysterious illness “Havana Syndrome” has roots in Moscow.

Over 1,000 American diplomats and their families, serving primarily overseas, have reported Havana Syndrome’s sudden onset of debilitating symptoms (like migraines, dizziness, and confusion) since the initial case at the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, eight years ago. Plagued by lack of data, the condition has been met with skepticism… and the U.S. government has found no evidence it’s caused by a “foreign adversary.” 

The new report (a collab between The Insider, Germany’s Der Spiegel, and 60 Minutes) says that members of Russia's elite GRU intelligence unit were often present when people reported experiencing symptoms. It also claims to have uncovered evidence that GRU developed "nonlethal acoustic weapons” capable of inflicting brain damage. 

The Kremlin calls the allegations “unfounded.”

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Be quick to point to God and give him the credit for your hope, strength, and love during times dominated by uncertainty and fear. Even in the midst of chaos, our eternity is secure.

“No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.”
Hebrews 4:13 (CSB)

Florida’s Supreme Court decided 6-1 to uphold a 15-week abortion ban — a ruling that automatically allows a separate 6-week abortion ban to take effect in 30 days. Remarkably, the changes may not end there… Floridians will vote in November on whether to void both laws and enshrine abortion protections through fetal viability (~23 weeks) in the state’s constitution.
 

Turns out just adding a spy hat and glasses doesn’t make something secretive. Google has agreed to wipe billions of “private” browsing records as part of a 2020 class action lawsuit settlement. That lawsuit claimed “incognito mode” was anything but because Google captured much of the same browsing data simply through 3rd-party cookies (which can now be blocked).
 

Heavy rains caused a slab of California’s iconic Highway 1 to collapse into the sea on Saturday — stranding 1,600 people in Big Sur overnight. There were no reported injuries, and motorists were successfully evacuated on Sunday and Monday. Travelers are asked to avoid the area as repairs are being made.
 

The White House proclaimed last Sunday (Easter) as “Transgender Day of Visibility,” drawing criticism from former President Trump and other conservatives. The White House noted that the day has been recognized on March 31st each year since President Biden has been in office, saying it’s a coincidence that it fell on Easter in 2024.
 

The bird flu isn’t just for birds. In a rare case, a human tested positive in Texas less than a week after we learned of the first infected dairy cattle. So far, non-winged creatures appear to have little reason to fear; the human patient’s only symptom is eye inflammation, and some infected cattle appear to have no symptoms at all.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Winners of the 2024 British Wildlife Photography Awards….

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What We’re Loving
Weekly Devotionals from Bible Memory Project*
 
If you've been around for a bit, you've probably seen our weekly verses with the Bible Memory Project (that jumble of letters in the email’s intro that’s actually memorization magic). 

BMP doesn’t just mail acronym wristbands to help make verse memorization totally doable — they also write a weekly newsletter entirely dedicated to helping you understand the weekly verse and draw you closer to Jesus!

Sign up for the weekly devotionals here for free!