Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

[td]

NYC Shooting​

​

[/td]​

[td]

A lone gunman killed four people in Midtown on Monday evening.​

[/td]​

[td]

Surveillance shows a man entering a Manhattan office tower carrying an M4 rifle, opening fire in the lobby, then taking an elevator to the 33rd floor—the offices of the building’s owners. He fatally shot an NYPD officer and three others before turning the gun on himself.​

[/td]​

[td]

The gunman, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas, carried a suicide note claiming he suffered from CTE (a brain disease linked to repeated head trauma) and requesting his brain be studied; the note said, “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.” He reportedly played football in his youth and had a “documented mental health history.” ​

[/td]​

[td]

Authorities believe the gunman drove cross-country from Vegas, targeting the NFL offices located in the building, but landing on the wrong floor.

__

RADIATE HOPE
While mourning with victims, Christians have hope in the face of a violent world. The servant of God, who Himself did no violence, has been afflicted by His Father on our behalf so that we can live in the Lord’s peaceful presence forever. ​

[/td]​

[td]

“Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.”
Isaiah 53:4-5 (CSB) (read full passage)​

[/td]​

 

[beensetfree]

[td]

Hunger in Gaza​

​

[/td]​

[td]

Harrowing images out of Gaza have sparked international outrage… and dispute.​

[/td]​

[td]

Scenes of hunger and desperation have been circling the globe, with the U.N.-backed food security group warning that “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out” in Gaza. The U.N. says 14 people died of starvation on Monday, and the Hamas-run health ministry says the total death toll since October 7 has surpassed 60,000.​

[/td]​

[td]

Israel has instituted humanitarian pauses to fighting and increased food deliveries, though Prime Minister Netanyahu says reports of famine are Hamas propaganda and maintains “there is no starvation in Gaza.”​

[/td]​

[td]

President Trump disagrees, saying there’s “real starvation” and promising the U.S. will “set up food centers” in Gaza to help. The U.N. celebrated “progress” but said only “vast amounts” of aid will prevent famine.

__

CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
The threat of famine in a war zone can leave us feeling heartbroken and helpless. Remember: the God who fed His people manna in the desert still reigns. Pray that Palestinians would hope in Christ, the Bread of Heaven, and that He’d provide their daily bread.​

[/td]​

[td]

“Your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:8-13 (CSB) (read full passage)​

[/td]​

 

[beensetfree]

[td]

Tariffs Take Effect​

​

[/td]​

[td]

Today is Tariff Day 2.0.​

[/td]​

[td]

After a four-month pause, the “reciprocal tariffs” President Trump first announced on April 2 (and paused shortly after) are taking effect. This means the import tax on goods from many countries is jumping from the 10% baseline to a higher number (most are between 15 and 45%).​

[/td]​

[td]

So it’s back to April 2… except for all the exceptions, which include:​

[/td]​

[td]

• New rates for dozens of countries were announced late last night
• a 90-day extension for Mexico
• 25% tariff (plus an unspecified penalty for buying Russian oil) on India
• An additional 40% tariff on any goods “transshipped” to avoid other tariffs
• and an end to “de minimus exemption” (which exempted packages worth under $800 from tariffs)

​

[/td]​

[td]

Uncle Sam has also signed eight trade deals since April, including the E.U. last week and South Korea yesterday.

__​

[/td]​

[td]

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Our hope is never contingent on an economic outcome; it’s much more secure than that. Regardless of whether things get worse or better during your lifetime, everything eventually ends well for followers of Christ.​

[/td]​

[td]

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
1 Peter 1:3-4 (CSB) (read full passage)​

[/td]​

 

[beensetfree]

[td]

Rattled​

​

[/td]​

[td]

The Pacific was a little shook this week.​

[/td]​

[td]

A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday morning. It was the sixth-largest quake ever recorded and the strongest in 14 years, triggering tsunami warnings and orders to seek high ground across the Pacific, including Hawaii, California, Japan, and Chile.​

[/td]​

[td]

The impact proved minor. Hawaii registered a 4-foot tsunami and minimal flooding; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed there was no major damage or injuries in the U.S. ​

[/td]​

[td]

Experts say the relatively calm outcome likely came down to a combination of three factors: Kamchatka—which was hit hardest by a 16-foot wave—is sparsely populated, global warning systems have improved in recent years, and models may have overestimated the tsunami potential by misjudging the depth of the earthquake.

__​

[/td]​

[td]

CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
We can rarely celebrate good news after natural disasters. While creation still groans under the weight of sin, moments like these remind us of God’s mercy and point us to the coming day when all creation will be fully restored.​

[/td]​

[td]

“For the creation was subjected to futility — not willingly, but because of him who subjected it — in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.”
Romans 8:20-21 (CSB) (read full passage)​

[/td]​

 

[beensetfree]

Honesty​

The LORD abhors dishonest scales,
but accurate weights are his delight.

Proverbs 11:1 NIV


__________________

Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

Micah 6:10-12 KJV


__________________

He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;

He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;

He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.




Isaiah 33:15,16 NASB


__________________

So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confident dependence on your God.

But no, the people are like crafty merchants selling from dishonest scales - they love to cheat.

Hosea 12:6,7 NLT


__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.