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OLYMPICS

Go For Gold

The Olympics kicked off with style (and arson and controversy).

Friday’s Opening Ceremony featured performances from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, and others while each country’s athletic delegation floated down the rain-soaked Seine River toward the Eiffel Tower (which put on a light show). One segment included drag queens appearing to mimic DaVinci’s “Last Supper” painting, sparking criticism and an apology from Olympic organizers, who said it “was never an intention to show disrespect.”

Hours before the Olympic cauldron was lit (it was a giant hot air balloon—see pictures), arsonists attacked the Paris train system disrupting travel; suspects have not been identified.

Team USA won the first gold of the Games on Saturday in the men’s swimming 4x100 freestyle relay, and Simone Biles battled through a calf injury to post the best all-around score in yesterday’s qualifiers.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Getting the gold gives athletes a taste of glory, but it’s a temporary delight that can have a bitter aftertaste. But God’s glory will never be challenged and it never ends. Jesus is the center of a glory powerful enough to light the new heavens and new earth eternally.

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:23 (CSB) (read full passage)

WORLD NEWS

Rocket Strike

Violence in the Middle East rages on.

On Saturday, rockets hit a soccer field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 children and injuring another 44 people. The United States and Israeli authorities have blamed the attack on the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which “firmly denied” responsibility in a statement.

Just hours after Israel’s PM Netanyahu vowed the group would “pay a heavy price,” the Israeli Air Force conducted retaliatory airstrikes on seven Hezbollah targets “deep inside Lebanese territory” and along the border. The “terror targets” included “weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure.” 

Israel and Hezbollah have been returning rocket fire almost daily since Hamas’ October 7 attack. As the tensions have grown increasingly volatile, concerns are rising that the conflict between Israel and Hamas may lead to a broader regional war.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
War is heavy and ugly, and reminds us of the need for redemption through Christ. Jesus came to lighten our burdens and bring us unexplainable peace. Pray that the Middle East would experience the peace that comes through Christ alone.

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB) (read full passage)

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U.S. NEWS

Kingpins Caught

The FBI nabbed two of Mexico’s most powerful drug lords on Thursday.

In a dramatic betrayal, Joaquin Guzmán López—the 38-year-old son of infamous cartel boss “El Chapo”—handed over himself and the co-founder of his father’s Sinaloa cartel—Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García (76)—to U.S. federal agents. Possibly hoping for sentencing leverage, Guzmán López told El Mayo they were flying to look at real estate, but their plane continued north to agents waiting in El Paso, TX. 

Guzmán López will appear in court in Chicago next week; El Mayo pleaded “not guilty” in El Paso Friday.

While the high-profile apprehensions are a victory for U.S. law enforcement, experts don’t expect significant disruptions to the decentralized organization that brings in billions of dollars annually trafficking cocaine and fentanyl into the U.S. and elsewhere. 

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
As we work to promote accountability and redemption here on earth, we can rest in the knowledge that a day is coming when drug addiction will be impossible, violence will be no more, and injustice will be a distant memory.

“Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself. So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.” 
Philippians 3:20-4:1 (CSB) (read full passage)

From the campaign trail: VP Harris received an (expected) endorsement from the Obamas, the latest major Democrats to support her presidential bid. Meanwhile, former President Trump headlined the largest Bitcoin conference of the year, promising to “ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet.” Polls suggest 20-30% of voters care about candidates’ crypto views.
 

The DOJ is saying Left isn’t right. Andrew Left, a prominent short-seller (an investor who bets against companies), was recently charged with securities fraud. He’s accused of making inflammatory comments about companies like Tesla, GameStop, and Peloton through his company Citron Research, and then benefitting from the stock swing his influence created. If convicted, he could face decades in prison.
 

Deadpool & Wolverine is slashing records with (crude) wisecracks and adamantium claws. The Deadpool threequel raked in $438 million globally, a record for an R-rated film and the 8th largest box office opening in history. Disney’s first-ever adults-only also received a stellar 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
 

Millions of people are under air quality alerts as wildfires rage across the Western U.S. and Canada. As of yesterday morning, the Park Fire had burned more than 550 square miles (that’s 1,430 square kilometers for our Canadian readers) of northern California. Reinforcements are now relieving local firefighters, some of whom have been working nonstop since last Wednesday.
 

California Governor Newsom (D) is cracking down on homeless encampments, ordering agencies to remove them from state land. The issue follows a SCOTUS ruling that allows cities to ban people from sleeping outdoors in public. Newsom described his executive order as a way to "move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them."

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Usain Bolt vs. regular people…

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