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SCOTUS

Decision

Bump stocks are legal again.

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ban on bump stocks, an attachment that modifies semi-automatic weapons to fire 400-800 rounds per minute (near the rate of machine guns, which are mostly illegal under federal law). 

The Trump Administration banned bump stocks in 2018 following a mass shooting in Las Vegas, where the modification enabled the Vegas shooter to fire more than 1,000 rounds into a crowded music festival, killing 60 people and wounding 413 more.  

In the majority opinion, Justice Thomas said that the ban was illegal because bump stocks don’t convert weapons into what the law defines as machine guns. Justice Alito concurred but called on Congress to change the law and ban bump stocks. The Court’s three liberal justices dissented.

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CHOOSE HUMILITY
Culturally hot topics (like the Supreme Court and gun control) frequently make people think, speak, and act poorly… including us. We can respect others and represent God better if we are quick to listen and slow to speak.

“My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.”
James 1:19-20 (CSB) (read full passage)

WORLD NEWS

Nonstarter

On Friday, Russian President Putin announced his proposal for ending the conflict with Ukraine.

He said fighting could end if Ukraine abandons NATO membership ambitions and cedes its territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, and Crimea. Plus, the West must drop all financial sanctions against Russia.

Kyiv called Putin’s terms “absurd” and “offensive to common sense.” President Zelenskyy’s administration said there will be “no compromise on independence, sovereignty, or territorial integrity,” but he wants to “give diplomacy a chance.”

Putin’s ultimatum came ahead of this weekend’s summit in Switzerland that gathered over 90 countries (including Ukraine, excluding Russia and China) to discuss ending the war. Sunday, participating countries reaffirmed Ukraine’s territorial integrity, pushed for safe Black Sea food transport, and called for a prisoner exchange. The U.S. announced $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid for Ukraine."

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
As nations fight over fleeting power and temporary borders, followers of Christ rejoice in our eternal inheritance: the entire world made completely new, where we will live and reign with our Savior forever. 

“Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.” 
Matthew 5:5 (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)

WORLD NEWS

Royal Appearances

Princess Catherine took center balcony in her first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis in March.

London was all pomp and circumstance Saturday for Trooping the Colour, a military parade held every 15 June in honor of the sovereign’s birthday (regardless of their actual birthdate… King Charles’ is 14 November). The 42-year-old princess was seen smiling with her children in a horse-drawn carriage before emerging on the perch of Buckingham Palace to watch the Royal Air Force fly by.

The Princess of Wales announced Friday that she was well enough to attend and is “making good progress.” She acknowledged having “good days and bad days” and that she “is not out of the woods yet.”

Her presence was a show of support for King Charles, who—undergoing his own cancer treatment—resumed public duties last month.

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Verse to consider whether you’re having a good day or a bad day… “I was helpless, and [the LORD] saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord, rescued me from death… I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
Psalm 116:6-9 (CSB) (read full passage)

On Friday, a judge ordered the liquidation of Infowars host Alex Jones’ personal assets (~$5 million) to pay a fraction of the $1.5 billion he owes for defaming the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. The judge rejected a separate effort to liquidate Jones’ business, believing the families would receive more money if it continued to operate.
 

America’s weather map is looking colorful. Southerners are prepping popsicles for an intense “heat dome” that will boost hurricanes and fuel wildfires, Pacific Northwesterners are digging puffers out of storage for unseasonable cold, and mountaineers in the Rockies are moving their skis to the slopes for late-season snow. Colliding hot and cold fronts could lead to Midwestern thunderstorms and flooding. 
 

Nine people, including two children, were injured in a shooting in a northern Detroit suburb Saturday.  A man opened fire on a park splash pad, shooting at least 28 times. Two victims remain in critical condition. Police found the suspect, whose motive is unknown, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot at the address registered to a handgun left at the park. 
 

Tesla shareholders voted to re-ratify Elon Musk’s pay package, worth $56 billion, which a Delaware judge called “unfathomable” and voided after being challenged in January. This re-approval doesn’t guarantee Musk’s paychecks, but it strengthens his appeal to have the judge’s decision overturned. Shareholders also voted in favor of moving Tesla’s HQ to Texas, away from Delaware (and its pesky judges).
 

Let’s get ready to… debate! The rules are set for next Thursday’s presidential debate hosted by CNN. There will be two commercial breaks (during which candidates cannot interact with campaign staff), no studio audience, no props, and muted microphones except when recognized to speak. It’s “not impossible” for RFK Jr. to qualify alongside Presidents Biden and Trump, but highly unlikely.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

A flock of flamingos on patrol…

What Our Dogs Are Barking About
Sundays*

“Summertime is for attacking sprinklers and chasing squirrels… not waiting for mom and dad to prep my meals.” - dogs everywhere (probably). 

This summer, fetch a better solution with Sundays for Dogs.

Formulated by a practicing veterinarian, Sundays makes ready-to-woof-down dog food from human-grade, naturally nutritious ingredients and slowly air-dries it for shelf-stable storage. It’s a prep-free, mess-free, stress-free way to spend 40% less than you would on frozen dog food (now that’s something to wag about). 

Sundays guarantees you’ll see a difference in your pup within 14 days, or they’ll refund your first order. Use our link and get Sundays today!

What We’re Wondering
Do churches help or harm communities?*

Well… the results are in.

ICM, the global church developer, has helped plant more than 31,000 churches in over 100 countries and has countless stories of God changing communities through churches. 

But they wanted to see if secular research would back up their experience.

Download your free copy of "5 Ways Churches Transform Communities" and see the fascinating ways that Churches are changing communities around the world.