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The Supreme Court kicked off its 2025-26 season by deciding that a few high-profile cases would not be on the docket. 

On Monday, SCOTUS:

Yesterday, the High Court began hearing arguments on whether states can prohibit counseling services designed to change a child’s same-sex attraction (often called “conversion therapy”). Major medical groups say the practice can be harmful; a Christian counselor says her talk therapy is protected free speech.

Other cases this term include challenges to President Trump’s ability to impose tariffs, limit birthright citizenship, and fire Fed Board member Lisa Cook. 

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Verse to consider if your to-do list is as long as a Supreme Court justice’s robe… “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.”
Colossians 3:23-24 (CSB) (read full passage)

Promising peace talks continued yesterday on the second anniversary of the Gaza war.

“Shuffle meetings”—indirect talks between Israel and Hamas with Egyptian and Qatari officials acting as go-betweens—began Monday in Egypt. The warring parties are hashing out the particulars of President Trump’s proposed peace deal, focusing on phase one: “creating the field conditions” for a hostage-prisoner exchange and detailing Israel’s military withdrawal.

The plan calls for Hamas to release all 48 remaining hostages (20 are believed to be alive) in exchange for the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel.

Hamas still hasn’t responded to several other key deal terms, including its disarmament and role in Gaza’s governance, but negotiators are optimistic about Hamas’s willingness. President Trump said on Monday that there’s a “really good chance” of making a “lasting deal.” 

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RADIATE HOPE
Our world is overwhelmed by violence and loss and swirling anxieties. Turn your hearts and eyes to God, in whose presence peace is found. Pray that He would quiet this conflict, win the hearts of Israelis and Palestinians, and help you to rest in Him alone. 

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. For I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”
Isaiah 41:10-13 (CSB) (read full passage)

Interested in better understanding the basics of the Israel-Palestine conflict? We created a high-level timeline to skim the surface for you. See it here.

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President Trump’s troop moves are facing legal hurdles.

On Monday, President Trump claimed an “insurrection” is underway in Portland amid immigration enforcement protests and “lawlessness” and told reporters he was willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, but “so far it hasn’t been necessary.” A federal judge blocked his attempt to deploy any Guardsmen in Oregon until at least October 18, calling the administration’s justification “untethered to the facts.” The White House has appealed. 

In Chicago, federal agents are continuing a large-scale immigration crackdown, saying they’re targeting the “worst of the worst.” Trump activated 300 Illinois Guardsmen—plus 400 from Texas—to support the effort. Illinois and Chicago officials have sued to block the deployments, arguing they’re unconstitutional. A federal judge allowed the troops to deploy for now but ordered the government to file a response by midnight.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
There may be good reasons to be worried about this day, month, or year. God does not promise good days, but He promises a great eternity in His presence. Stay focused on Him; it changes everything.

“Therefore we do not give up... For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (CSB) (read full passage)

France is looking for a new Prime Minister again (again). Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned Monday after just 27 days in office—France’s third PM to bid adieu this year. Hours after his resignation, President Macron asked him to stay on two more days in a last-ditch effort to chart a path out of France’s deepening political crisis. 

There’s a new editor-in-chief in town. Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, became the new leader of CBS News on Monday after CBS-parent Paramount acquired her 4-year-old digital media outlet for $150M. Weiss, a former NYT writer, has criticized mainstream newsrooms for succumbing to “liberal groupthink” and promised “fair, fearless, and factual” journalism from CBS. Critics say the “polarizing” 41-year-old lacks experience.

It’s Nobel week! On Monday, American and Japanese scientists won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their immune-system work, which opens new cancer and autoimmune disease treatment possibilities. Yesterday, three U.S. professors received the prize in physics for making principles of the subatomic realm observable to the naked eye. Still to come: the awards in Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Economics.

OpenAI just made a deal to challenge Nvidia’s AI-chip dominance. The maker of ChatGPT announced a multi-billion-dollar partnership with chip-maker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to collab on AI data centers that will run on AMD processors. Sam Altman’s company said the six-gigawatt computing boost is imperative for OpenAI’s mission to “reach all of humanity.” AMD’s stock soared 23.7%.

It’s Day 8 of the government shutdown, and President Trump has cracked open the door to negotiating. #47 said he’s open to working with Democrats on healthcare subsidies but only after the government reopens, while Democrats insist healthcare subsidies must be part of any reopening deal. Republicans have a 53-47 Senate majority; a bill to end the shutdown needs 60 votes.*


*We’re covering the government shutdown 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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