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It’s a “yea” from the House on limiting President Trump’s war powers in Iran.

The GOP-led House voted 215-208 Wednesday to direct Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or seek congressional approval to continue. Four Republicans joined the Democrats, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who recently lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger. The largely symbolic measure would still have to pass the Senate and survive a veto from Trump—who called the vote "unpatriotic”—but signals waning GOP support as the costly war drags on.

Outside the House, the U.S. brokered an Israel/Lebanon ceasefire Wednesday—contingent on Hezbollah, absent from negotiations and operating outside Beirut’s authority, halting attacks and withdrawing from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah rejected the deal Thursday and pledged to keep fighting after continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed at least four.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
The frustration and exhaustion we may feel as war news keeps progressing, retreating, or pausing is a sign that we long for something better. Befriend that longing. It’s a holy ache for God’s Kingdom and the eternal peace it will bring. And one day, that ache will be answered. 

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits​—​we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” 
Romans 8:22-23 (CSB) (read full passage)

SpaceX has jettisoned the IPO rulebook.

Wednesday, the rocket-maker declared a $135/share price for its stock-market debut, a virtually unheard-of Wall Street move. Companies typically set a preliminary range to gauge investor interest (read: let investors haggle).

If successful, SpaceX stands to raise ~$75B after its June 12 blastoff—more than every U.S. IPO in the last two years combined—claiming the title of history’s largest public offering. It puts Elon Musk, who holds over 80% of the voting power, on trajectory to become the planet’s first trillionaire. SpaceX’s proceeds will launch out-of-this-world expansions, including Mars missions, AI datacenters in space, and satellite networks. 

In a downturn of events, Bitcoin dropped to $64,721.39 Wednesday to its lowest level since February. The slide follows weeks of outflows, with investors pulling as much as $2.8B from Bitcoin funds.

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A verse to consider when you’re considering how the Lord might have you invest your time, money, or energy… “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.” 
Ephesians 1:17-19 (CSB) (read full passage)

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A 15-hour hostage siege in California ended with all ten hostages freed and unharmed. 

Police responded to a bomb threat around 1 p.m. Tuesday at a Bakersfield building housing a bank and school district offices. A 41-year-old man was holding ten school employees inside and claimed explosives were strapped to himself and some captives. During the incident, a livestreamer captured someone waving inside (see here). Two hostages were released during negotiations before FBI agents fatally shot the suspect at 4:20 a.m. Wednesday. 

The suspect was a registered sex offender and had a “criminal history of using weapons to commit violent offenses.” During the siege he expressed grievances on a prior legal case; specifics haven’t been released yet. Investigators have since cleared the building of all explosive devices, but have not yet publicly stated a motive.

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PRAY WITH US
God of Mercy, come near. Come near to the victims as they are shaken up from this experience. Come near to us as this act of fear and violence unravels the sense of security, and disturbs the sense of peace.

Emmanuel, You entered a violent world and suffered at the hands of violent men to buy a costly redemption. You have come near in bitter darkness. We cling to You. We depend on You for justice and for hope. Amen.

Ohio State has settled a decades-old sexual abuse case. The board of trustees approved a $100M settlement with 279 former students alleging abuse by a campus doctor between 1978 and 1998. Previously, OSU paid 317 other survivors a total of $61M. In 2019, an independent investigation found coaches and administrators knew about the violations for decades but failed to act.

Protests erupted in southern England Tuesday after bodycam footage showed police handcuffing a dying 18-year-old. The student had been stabbed and said he couldn’t breathe; the student’s killer had falsely told officers he was a victim of racist assault by the teen. The footage, released after the attacker was sentenced to life, has sparked national debate over police bias against white victims.

Time ran out for 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, who was fired Tuesday after accusing CBS chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the show. Weiss said Pelley violated a foundation of trust. Pelley was the latest fired staffer to accuse CBS management of political interference; his exit letter claimed the network is overhauling itself to “curry favor with the Trump administration.”

Walmart and California have been dethroned. The annual Fortune 500 rankings of top U.S. corporations by revenue dropped Wednesday (read the full list). Amazon knocked Walmart out of No. 1, ending the retailer’s 13-year streak despite Walmart hitting its highest revenue on record. And Texas took California’s crown as the capital of Fortune 500 headquarters, beating the Golden State 57-56.

Tariffs take two: Tuesday, President Trump proposed new levies on 59 countries and the E.U., citing failure to ban goods made with forced labor. The new taxes come after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s previous tariffs in February. The rates—expected to start in July—range from 10%-12.5%, with higher rates for those making no effort to address forced labor.

Watch this pool… change colors.

What We’re Gifting Newlyweds
This helpful book for year one*

The first year of marriage is amazing… and also full of surprises no one warned you about. Author Mike Novotny has been there. 

In Newlywed, Novotny teaches young couples how to step gracefully into the realities of marriage and love their spouse as God intended. He applies timeless biblical principles to common struggles in early marriage: communication, intimacy, finances, in-laws, and more. Couples will learn to root their marriage daily in their faith, seek God together, and ultimately, love the first year. 

Gift the newlyweds and engaged lovebirds in your life something they’ll love, come back to, and pay forward. Grab them a copy today!

What We’re Using
With the Healthy Church Assessment from Ministry Brands*

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