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[COLOR=revert-layer]Economic uncertainty and rising energy prices can’t keep the labor market down. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]The Labor Department reported Friday that job growth crushed economists’ expectations for the third straight month—employers added 172,000 jobs in May, lapping the expected ~80,000. Unemployment held its ground at 4.3%, and revisions added a combined 93,000 jobs in March and April, with sectors like leisure, hospitality, and local government experiencing outsized gains ahead of the World Cup.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]Some analysts are concerned about how well-paying these new positions are, as average hourly earnings (+3.4%) are not keeping pace with rising costs (3.8%). [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]All three stock indexes closed sharply lower on Friday, with tech stocks suffering their largest daily decline since April 2025. The chip-heavy selloff was driven in part by fears that the labor market’s heyday will push the Fed to raise rates.
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[COLOR=revert-layer]CHRISTIAN RESPONSE [COLOR=revert-layer]Regardless of whether the broader economy is struggling or thriving, Christians should seek to give generously of our time, talents, and resources to those in greater need. Reach out to your local church to see where help is needed. [/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer][COLOR=revert-layer]“Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”
Hebrews 13:16 (CSB) (read full passage[COLOR=revert-layer])[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=revert-layer]Iran and Israel have broken their April ceasefire.
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[COLOR=revert-layer]A missile exchange started when Hezbollah fired on northern Israel, prompting Israel to strike a Hezbollah command center in Beirut Sunday. Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles—the first since the April ceasefire. Israel struck back, hitting targets near Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan. President Trump said he called PM Netanyahu Sunday, asking him not to retaliate, but the strikes were “already on their way.” [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]Both sides pulled back Monday, but promised fierce responses should the other side show signs of aggression. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]After the exchange, Iran’s parliament speaker called U.S. and Israeli bases “legitimate targets”; Washington said it supports Israel’s right to self-defense, and officials confirm American forces are on alert.
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[COLOR=revert-layer]CHRISTIAN RESPONSE [COLOR=revert-layer]War is a heavy burden that impresses upon us our world’s need for restoration. Jesus came to bear that burden of sin, lighten our load, and restore our world. Pray that the Middle East would experience that restoration and glorify the Messiah Jesus. [/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer][COLOR=revert-layer]“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30 (CSB) (read full passage)[/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=revert-layer]The beautiful game’s biggest tournament kicks off across North America tomorrow.
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[COLOR=revert-layer]FIFA's 2026 World Cup is its biggest edition ever, with 48 teams spread waaaay out across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico for 104 matches (see schedule) at record-breaking prices.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]On the pitch, reigning champ Argentina’s Lionel Messi (38) and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (41) will take their final bows, France's Kylian Mbappé needs five goals to break the all-time scoring record, and Norway’s [COLOR=revert-layer]The Terminator Erling Haaland and tournament-favorite Spain's phenom Lamine Yamal (18) make their Cup debut. Christian Pulisic leads the 16th-ranked United States who open Friday against Paraguay.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]Beyond the pitch, Iran's team had its homebase moved from Arizona to Tijuana due to the U.S.-Iran war, and Somalia's first-ever World Cup referee was denied entry due to vetting concerns at Miami International Airport.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]We’re talking World Cup, allegiance to Christ, sore winning, and vuvuzelas tomorrow in Decaf: The Pour Over for Families. Sign up here to get it in your inbox (always free!).
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[COLOR=revert-layer]Verse to consider as countries compete and the world watches: “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Revelation 7:9-10 (CSB) (read full passage[COLOR=revert-layer])[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=revert-layer]The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off yesterday.
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[COLOR=revert-layer]Mexico opened the vuvuzela-fest with a 2-0 win over South Africa in Mexico City following a Shakira-led opening ceremony (listen to the Official Song of the Cup). The U.S. starts kickin’ tonight against Paraguay at [COLOR=revert-layer]SoFi Stadium Los Angeles Stadium after a Katy Perry-led ceremony and a welcome from Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]Meanwhile, Haiti got an early yellow card for violating FIFA’s ban on political imagery with its kits’ depiction of the island nation’s 1803 War of Independence.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]On the court, a star-studded Madison Square Garden watched the Knicks complete the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history (29 points). After OG Anunoby’s last-second tip-in (watch it), the blue-and-orange are one win away from their first Larry O’Brien trophy since 1973. Game 5 is tomorrow in San Antonio.
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[COLOR=revert-layer]CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE [COLOR=revert-layer]Sports can be a field where spiritual fruit grows. Through sports, we experience the thrill of victory, resilience of defeat, the beauty of teamwork, and the delight of play. As you watch, cheer, and discuss sports, keep first-things-first by focusing on growing Christlike character, not just the scoreboard. [/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer][COLOR=revert-layer]“We also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:3-5 (CSB) (read full passage[COLOR=revert-layer])[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=revert-layer]Inflation hit a three-year high in May.
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[COLOR=revert-layer]The Consumer Price Index reached 4.2%—up from 3.8% in April—as an energy price surge from the Iran war rattled household budgets. A silver lining: month-over-month increases slowed, and gas prices have decreased in early June.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]Lasting relief likely hinges on a durable peace deal with Tehran and restored oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—a tall order. Even then, Wall Street analysts warn traffic may only recover to 60-70% of prewar volumes if Iran retains control of the waterway.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=revert-layer]Verse to consider when your bank statement sends you spiraling… “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) ([COLOR=revert-layer]read full passage[/COLOR])[/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=revert-layer]Immigration—one of the most politically fraught issues of today—reentered the national conversation last week. But believers don’t take our cues from deeply divided political parties… our posture toward immigrants is defined by the story of God.
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[COLOR=revert-layer]In part one of that story, God’s people are called to love migrants because they had lived the vulnerability of the immigrant firsthand while in Egypt: “The Lord your God… executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing. You are also to love the resident alien, since you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:18–19 CSB).[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer][COLOR=revert-layer]Let’s pray for that kingdom to come and for our country to catch glimpses of it even today:[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]God of All Nations,
the world’s every inhabitant belongs to You.
You have created a world bursting
with life and beauty and distinction,1
a symphony of cultures that resounds with
the glory of its three-person God.
Thank You for the gifts of immigration—
the new ideas, skills, innovations;
the vibrant traditions, foods, perspectives—
a mosaic of colors and textures pieced together
to make something new,
something beautiful.
But we mourn the hard things that broke each tile;
the struggles and abuses that move migrants
from home and heritage.
God our Refuge,
give immigrants patience and resilience;
meet them in their wandering
and bring them into broad places of refuge and rest.
As migrants search for peace and fruitfulness
across foreign borders,
may they find shelter from the heat,
green pasture, and abundant water.
May they encounter the Shepherd
and thrive under Your care.2
To those who oversee immigration policy and enforcement,
give prudence and compassion.
May there be safety and orderliness,
efficiency and dignity.
Let officials creatively clear obstacles
to welcome the vulnerable and the law-abiding;
and let them build high, strong walls
to keep out those who would do harm.
Give them discernment to tell the difference.
And may Your church be quick to extend
hospitality and friendship to sojourners,
knowing what it is
to live as exiles longing for our home country.
May we model the self-giving humility of Jesus,
who crossed the border between heaven and earth,
not to flee persecution or find prosperity,
but to lay aside His riches and become poor—
not to find a better life,
but to lay His down.3
He became an outsider, a Man of Sorrows,
so that I might be welcomed in.
He became an exile and sojourner,
so that I could find home.
He was persecuted
so that I can be at peace.
Amen.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]And in part two, those who are in Christ become “citizens of heaven”; passing through a foreign land as “strangers and exiles” is core to believers’ identity (Philippians 3:20; 1 Peter 2:11–12). Imitating our Savior—who loved outsiders so thoroughly He left His heavenly home and became one Himself—we extend compassion to outsiders, welcoming the strangers among us. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=revert-layer]What this looks like in practice is messy, but the vision of what it looks like for God’s kingdom to come is clear: multitudes from every tribe finding a permanent home in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 7:9), becoming insiders without fear of threat from those outside.[/COLOR]
