Just sharing.

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35 Days and Counting​

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The government shutdown will officially be the longest on record, and Americans are feeling it.

The food assistance ~42M people rely on is still delayed, but now halfway funded. The Department of Agriculture will empty a $4.65B contingency fund to cover lapsed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (full November assistance costs ~$9B), but the partial assistance could take weeks to arrive. (Some states are making up the difference; check the map here.)​

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Education and transportation are also feeling the pressure. Head Start preschools are missing federal grant payments, forcing some to close, while TSA and air traffic controller staffing shortages spell long security lines and delayed flights.​

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Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) said he’s “optimistic” about reopening this week… but yesterday Republicans were six Democrats short in their 14th vote to advance a shutdown-ending continuing resolution. ​

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(We’re covering this story at a 7th-grade reading level with biblical reflection and response in Decaf: TPO for Families. Sign up for free to get it in your inbox tomorrow!)

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BE DOERS
Hard national headlines can leave us feeling helpless. But 1 in 8 people across America losing food assistance means there will be a surge in the needs of many in our own backyards. Reach out to churches and food banks to see how you can give sacrificially, generously, and cheerfully.​

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“The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (CSB) (read full passage)​

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UPS Plane Crash​

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A fiery plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, has left at least 13 people dead, 15 injured, and nine still unaccounted for. ​

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The UPS cargo plane was departing Muhammad Ali International Airport Tuesday evening, loaded with 38,000 gallons of fuel for its Honolulu-bound flight, when its left wing caught fire and one of its three engines fell off. The 34-year-old aircraft struck multiple businesses before landing in a massive fireball, spreading the blaze nearly a mile into a nearby industrial area (see the crash path).​

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Louisville’s Worldport, the largest UPS air cargo hub, suspended operations through Wednesday, and a shelter-in-place was issued as far as Southern Indiana. ​

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The plane’s black box has been recovered, but investigators are still probing the crash’s cause. Authorities are still searching for those missing, but survivors are not expected.

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PRAY WITH US
Heavenly Father, our hearts are hurting for the city of Louisville. Great Comforter, You are well-acquainted with our deepest griefs; be near to those who are mourning. Faithful Rescuer, bring home those who are still missing. Wise Counselor, give knowledge and discernment to first responders, investigators, leaders, and authorities. ​

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Our Sovereign God, remind us that even the most tragic accidents are not outside Your hand. We weep, knowing this world is not as it should be. Help us remember that death and destruction do not have the last word. Strengthen our weary hearts as we pursue You today and await tomorrow’s restoration. Amen.​

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Tariffs in the Balance​

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Lady Justice has President Trump’s tariffs in her balance scale in one of the weightiest political-economic cases in decades.​

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POTUS’s global taxes came before SCOTUS in a two-and-a-half-hour hearing Wednesday, and the noble nine seemed skeptical of the tariffs’ legal basis. The Trump administration argues that the sweeping levies are authorized by 1977 emergency powers allowing the president to regulate imports without Congress’s go-ahead. A group of businesses and Democratic states say Trump exceeded his authority, and lower courts largely agreed. ​

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If the Supremes overturn Uncle Sam’s tariffs, he’ll have to refund the ~$90B in revenue collected so far this year and will have less trade talk leverage.​

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President Trump said he “heard the case went well” and that it’s “life or death for our country.” A decision is expected in the new year.

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Verse to consider whether your economic prospects are rock solid or hanging on by a thread… “Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food… yet I will celebrate in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! The LORD my Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!”
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (CSB) (read full passage) ​

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“His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.”

Isaiah 33:16

Do you doubt, O Christian, do you doubt as to whether God will fulfil his promise? Shall the munitions of rock be carried by storm? Shall the storehouses of heaven fail? Do you think that your heavenly Father, though he knoweth that you have need of food and raiment, will yet forget you? When not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father, and the very hairs of your head are all numbered, will you mistrust and doubt him? Perhaps your affliction will continue upon you till you dare to trust your God, and then it shall end.




Full many there be who have been tried and sore vexed till at last they have been driven in sheer desperation to exercise faith in God, and the moment of their faith has been the instant of their deliverance; they have seen whether God would keep his promise or not. Oh, I pray you, doubt him no longer! Please not Satan, and vex not yourself by indulging any more those hard thoughts of God. Think it not a light matter to doubt Jehovah. Remember, it is a sin; and not a little sin either, but in the highest degree criminal.

The angels never doubted him, nor the devils either: we alone, out of all the beings that God has fashioned, dishonour him by unbelief, and tarnish his honour by mistrust. Shame upon us for this! Our God does not deserve to be so basely suspected; in our past life we have proved him to be true and faithful to his word, and with so many instances of his love and of his kindness as we have received, and are daily receiving, at his hands, it is base and inexcusable that we suffer a doubt to sojourn within our heart. May we henceforth wage constant war against doubts of our God — enemies to our peace and to his honour; and with an unstaggering faith believe that what he has promised he will also perform. “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”

 

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Breakthrough​

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Uncle Sam appears poised to reopen his doors.​

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Last night, the Senate passed a bill to provide stopgap government funding through January and fully fund a few key areas, including: veterans affairs, military construction, the legislative branch, and the Department of Agriculture (think: SNAP). It’s a major breakthrough, but the bill still needs to pass the House and be signed by President Trump to end the shutdown. ​

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Meanwhile, air travel has become… turbulent.​

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The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to cut flights at 40 major airports—beginning with a 4% reduction and ramping up from there—to ease pressure on overworked air traffic controllers. Just this weekend, nearly 4,400 flights were canceled and more than 17,700 delayed (check out the misery map). Transportation Secretary Duffy warned flights would reduce “to a trickle” if the shutdown drags on.​

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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
It’s easy to throw stones at government operations and their consequences… But how are the conflicts and compromises going in your own house? In all your conversations, demonstrate faith in Christ through patience and compromises that outdo one another in showing honor and love.​

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:23–25 (CSB) (read full passage)​

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From the Bench​

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SCOTUS’s November session went off with a bang SNAP.​

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The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court’s order requiring the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits, allowing the administration to continue with its plan of using contingency funds to cover 65% of benefits. The Department of Agriculture said any states that distributed full SNAP benefits were “unauthorized” and must “undo” those payments or face financial penalties.​

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The High Court also affirmed the State Department’s policy requiring passports to display individuals’ “sex at birth.” Lower courts had blocked the policy because of “irrational prejudice” against transgender-identifying passport holders, but the 6-3 SCOTUS majority said “attesting to a historical fact” isn’t discriminatory.​

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Meanwhile, a federal district judge said the DOJ failed to prove protests in Portland required federal intervention, blocking President Trump from deploying National Guardsmen to Oregon. ​

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Verse to consider whether a decision lands in your favor or goes the other way… “Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.”
Proverbs 19:21 (CSB) (read full passage)​

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[td] The government shutdown got real for millions more Americans this week as food assistance funding ran dry for one in eight U.S. residents (read the latest update here and more background here).​ ​ [td] It’s been a stark reminder that all human institutions—broken as they are by sin—are an unreliable source of security. Their motives are mixed, their resources are few, their execution is questionable, and needy ones always slip through the cracks. Compare them with Jesus:​

[td] Pray with confidence that He is eager and able to provide above and beyond what we need:​ ​ [td] [td] [td] God our Provider, You are the One who sees1 and knows— the Lord who dropped manna from the sky in the wilderness,2 who multiplied a little picnic into a feast for thousands, who turned water into wine to delight Your friends.3 Lord of Leftovers, would You provide generously, lavishly, abundantly in this moment of need? Use Your Church to bless the world, to share and to serve, brimming and bubbling over with the grace You’ve poured into us. Soften our hearts to be compassionate and quick to give4— not hoarding out of fear of scarcity, but freely offering what You’ve given today with confidence that You’ll meet tomorrow’s needs just like You met yesterday’s.5 Whether we look to a six-figure salary, a government check that may or may not come, or a kind friend at the food bank to meet our daily needs, we acknowledge that we are utterly dependent on You.6 Your Spirit is life. Your Word is bread.7 Everything we need is in You. Satisfy us,8 through Jesus our Lord, Amen.​

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“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ But Jesus said, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘We have only five loaves here and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.”
Matthew 14:14-20 (ESV)​

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Jesus gives out of compassion. He is not overwhelmed by the needs of the crowds. His resources are unlimited. He involves the disciples (who contribute nothing to the miracle except willing hands with a side of doubt). ​

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And the abundance is stunning. Jesus doesn’t give just enough. Even His leftovers are 12x more than the packed lunch they began with. He’s so generous, and not a single person gets passed over or leaves His presence hungry.​

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Government Shutdown​

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The government’s preppin’ to reopen its doors. ​

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The Senate approved a spending bill Monday to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history, sending it to the House for a midweek vote. White House officials urged speedy passage, and President Trump indicated he’ll Sharpie it once it hits his desk—the final step needed to reopen the government.​

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Here’s what the bill would do:​

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• Provide stop-gap funding for the entire government through January 30
• Fully fund veterans affairs, military construction, the legislative branch, and the Department of Agriculture (including SNAP) through September 30, 2026
• Reverse mass layoffs of federal workers during the shutdown

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Senate Republicans have promised a separate mid-December vote on healthcare tax credits.​

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Meanwhile, Trump floated docking pay for air traffic controllers who missed shifts during the shutdown and offering $10K bonuses to those who didn’t. ​

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(We’re covering this story at a 7th-grade reading level with biblical reflection and action steps in Decaf: The Pour Over for Families. Sign up free to get it in your inbox tomorrow!)​

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Our hope is never contingent on a political 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.​

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“The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all humanity.”
Job 12:10 (CSB) (read full passage)​

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Controversial Coverage​

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The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is in hot tea over its January 6, 2021, documentary.​

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The film, released last October, featured clips from Trump’s speech urging his supporters to protest the 2020 election results; but a recently leaked internal report revealed that BBC had edited out Trump’s calls to march “peacefully.” ​

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On Sunday, POTUS’s lawyers warned the BBC to retract the documentary’s “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements,” apologize, and “appropriately compensate” Trump by Friday or face a $1B lawsuit. The same day, the media giant’s director and news CEO resigned amid the report’s broader allegations that BBC leadership “repeatedly failed” to address systemic editorial bias.​

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BBC Chair Samir Shah apologized for the misleading edit, calling it an “error in judgment,” but denied any allegations of widespread bias.​

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Verse to consider when checking your own heart for bias… “Keep me from the way of deceit and graciously give me your instruction. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set your ordinances before me. I cling to your decrees; LORD, do not put me to shame. I pursue the way of your commands, for you broaden my understanding.”
Psalm 119:29-32 (CSB) (read full passage)​

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