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WORLD NEWS

Blocked

X was officially X’ed in Brazil on Saturday.

The country-wide suspension follows a months-long feud between X-owner Elon Musk and one of Brazil’s top judges, Alexandre de Moraes. It began when de Moraes ordered X to block dozens of accounts for spreading misinformation; Musk refused, saying Justice de Moraes (whom he called “Dictator de Voldemort”) was giving “illegal orders to censor his political opponents.”

Last month, Musk shut down not-Twitter’s physical operations in Brazil after its only legal representative in the country was threatened with arrest. Justice de Moraes ordered Musk to appoint a new representative or face a shutdown.

Musk didn’t… so Brazil’s telecom agency began blocking access to the social network, removing ~40 million of X’s monthly users until Musk complies. Brazilians who skirt the e-blockade to microblog anyway face a $8,774/day fine.

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ABOVE ALL, LOVE
Jesus showed compassion when people expected rejection, gentleness when people expected anger, and love when people expected hate. Whether you’re in a public feud or a private disagreement, be an imitator of Christ.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.”  
Philippians 2:3-4 (CSB) (read full passage)

WORLD NEWS

From Israel

Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages yesterday. 

The hostages—including one Israeli-American—were found in a tunnel under Rafah, near the Egyptian border. The six were apparently killed “in the last few days.” Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu requested “forgiveness” for not bringing the hostages home alive, and President Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” at the news. 

Frustrated with failed negotiations for the captives’ freedom, thousands protested outside of the Israeli Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem yesterday, and Israel’s largest labor union called for a nationwide strike today. 

Meanwhile, both Israel and Hamas have agreed to staggered pauses in fighting throughout Gaza as international healthcare workers attempt to vaccinate 640,000 children against polio in a matter of days; Gaza reported the first case of the highly contagious disease in 25 years last month.
 
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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Christians should be committed to praying for world leaders to be wise and to work towards peaceful resolutions while simultaneously placing our hope in God, not government.

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (CSB) (read full passage)

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Former President Trump is making it clear he is pro-IVF, promising to have either Uncle Sam or insurance companies cover 100% of the cost of the fertility treatment (typically ~$20,000) if re-elected. Trump’s comments come months after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos are children, prompting several clinics to pause IVF treatments and sparking a national debate.
 

Sports fans are mourning after NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver while biking on Friday, the eve of their sister’s wedding. One day later, San Francisco 49er’s first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall was shot when a 17-year-old attempted to steal his Rolex. Pearsall is in “serious but stable condition.”
 

After over a year of fighting to get onto ballots, RFK Jr. is now suing to have his name removed from battleground states. Last week, North Carolina joined Michigan and Wisconsin in denying RFK’s request to strike his name, saying the ballots were already printed. RFK, who fears drawing votes away from former President Trump, says North Carolina’s refusal to remove him violates election law.
 

Saturdays on the couch with chips and dip are back! This weekend, College Football kicked off a season of change—a 12-team-playoff, $20-million-NIL-rosters kinda change. Georgia displayed its continued dominance with a 34-3 victory over Clemson, and #7 Notre Dame took down #20 Texas A&M in College Station. Week 1 ends tonight with #10 Florida State against Boston College.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Massive home run… lands in a kayak.

How We’re Scrubbing Our Data
With Incogni*

C is for Cookie (the internet kind). It’s a small text file that websites store to remember information about you. Some websites also sell your cookies to data brokers, opening the door for them to learn even more info (name, address, contact details, SSN, and even medical records).

Here’s the thing… it’s your data. And if you ask, they’ll delete it. If you want to do it yourself, here’s how. (TLDR: It’s a ton of work). If you want to save hundreds of hours, do some delegating and have Incogni do it for you.

Take back your data with Incogni. Use code TPO55 and save 55% today.

Where We’d Need a Large Shopping Cart
ChurchSource*

If you need gear for your latest athletic endeavor, you head to a sporting goods store. If you’re (finally) getting started on that house project, you boot-scoot-and-boogie to the hardware store. And if you’re a church leader looking for resources to serve every ministry in your church… you turn to ChurchSource. 

With bulk discounts and a wide range of church resources curated by ministry experts—like Bibles (customizable!), Bible studies, theology resources, and more—ChurchSource is a one-stop shop.

Right now, equip your church for up to 70% less during the semi-annual sale… it ends September 13th, so start filling your cart today!