The Wired Word for 8/23/2026  🔗 **Source:** [The Wired Word for 8/23/2026]() > [!note]+ Document Notes > > [!info] Generated analysis — not the author's words. Sections below are machine-written > > from the captured source. Only text inside `> [!quote]` blocks is verbatim from the author. > > Do not quote or attribute any other line to the named author. > ## 🏷️ Title > People Weigh Pros, Cons of Data Centers — The Wired Word for the Week of August 23, 2026 > ## 🧭 Table of Contents > 1. References > 2. Summary > 3. Main Content > 4. Paraphrase > 5. Newsletter > 6. Action Items > 7. Hypotheses > 8. Methodology > 9. Questions > 10. Future Research > 11. Implications > 12. Learning Styles Assessment > 13. Accessibility Assessment > 14. DEIB Assessment > 15. Logical Validity > 16. DARVO Analysis > 17. Conclusion > 18. Refactor Appendix > 19. Template Library > ## 🔗 References (in-page) > - Fortune — "Meet the 82-year-old Kentucky Grandma Who Turned Down $26 Million to Turn Her Farm Into a Data Center: 'I Don't Need Your Money.'" > - The Conversation — "Underground Data Fortresses: the Nuclear Bunkers, Mines and Mountains Being Transformed to Protect Our 'New Gold' From Attack" > - Reuters — "U.S. Data Center Protests Go National as Backlash Grows" > - Tom's Hardware — "California's Largest AI Data Center Project Suing for Access to 287 Million Gallons of Colorado River Water" > - Futurism — "Texas Data Centers Suffer Brutal Collision With Reality" > - Forbes (quoted at length in For Further Discussion) > - Reuters/Ipsos poll (June 2026) > - Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:19,21 & 19:14; 1 Kings 21; Genesis 26:19-22,25 (with 13:5-12, 21:25-31); John 12:4-6; Hebrews 13:5-6,8; Philippians 4:11-13; Psalms 27:1,14 & 56:3-4; 2 Samuel 10:12; Daniel 10:19; 1 John 4:4 > - Wo​ody Guthrie, "This Land Is Your Land" (full lyrics); Antônio Bispo dos Santos > ## 📝 Summary > A weekly adult-education Bible lesson built around the AI data-center land rush — unusually substantive for the devotional genre, and directly relevant to this vault's AI-infrastructure and commons-governance threads. The news hook: Ida Huddleston, 82, turned down roughly $60,000/acre (over $4 million) for her 71-acre Kentucky farm; her daughter Delsia Bare initially agreed to sell 463 acres at $48,000/acre (over $22 million) before withdrawing. Context that makes the numbers land: going rate for farmland in Mason County is about $6,000/acre — so offers ran **8–10x market**. The extended family holds ~1,200 acres; the buyer was unnamed, operating under NDA. The local planning commission has since rezoned 2,000+ acres across ~28 tracts for a data center adjoining the Huddleston farm. Huddleston's stated reason for refusing wasn't valuation — "Money couldn't move what all I've got put in place here" — and she explicitly noted she could afford to refuse while neighbors in worse circumstances might not. TWW team member Mary Sells (who lives near Maysville) supplies the structural pressure: farms that shifted from tobacco to food crops, export income lost to recent tariffs, and a next generation leaving agriculture — against which tax abatements, NDA-shrouded deals, and "free utilities (paid for by area homeowners instead of the data companies)" make selling look like the only option. Bare also initially feared that refusing would just mean worse terms under eminent domain. Public-opinion data: a June Reuters/Ipsos poll found only a third of Americans approve of rapid data-center construction, and **only 14% would welcome one in their own community**. The lesson catalogs opposition concerns (water diversion/depletion/contamination, air pollution, wildlife harm, 24/7 noise and heat, strained grids, higher consumer utility bills, few permanent jobs after construction, lower property values, and lack of transparency/accountability) alongside the industry's economic-development case — then, notably, refuses the easy anti-tech conclusion, acknowledging data centers as "the backbone of the modern digital economy" and framing the real problem as how to keep the benefits while minimizing harms. Joseph Bowring (Monitoring Analytics, independent market monitor for PJM, serving 67 million people across 13 states) supplies the sharpest policy claim: data centers should pay their own power-infrastructure costs rather than externalizing them onto other ratepayers. Scriptural treatment centers on boundary-marker and covetousness commands (Deut. 5/19), Ahab and Naboth's vineyard as the might-makes-right archetype (1 Kings 21 — explicitly linked to "manifest destiny," "eminent domain," and "survival of the fittest"), Isaac's serial displacement over contested wells (Gen. 26), and — the most interesting move — a deliberately charitable rereading of Judas that asks what circumstances might drive someone to a sale they'd otherwise refuse. Bottom line: a genuinely useful lay-audience framing of AI infrastructure as a land, water, and power justice question rather than a purely technical one, with an unusually fair-minded treatment of the tradeoffs. > ## 📖 Main Content > ### 🗒️ Notes > **The core anecdote and its economics.** Ida Huddleston, 82, Maysville KY, 71 acres, offered ~$60,000/acre (over $4M) — against a county farmland going rate of ~$6,000/acre. Her daughter Delsia Bare, 54, had agreed to $48,000/acre for 463 acres (over $22M) before pulling out of the contract. Extended Huddleston family holds ~1,200 acres; buyer wanted roughly half and remained unnamed. Bare's stated reason for withdrawing: "I never wanted to leave my land." Her initial reason for nearly selling: fear that eminent domain would produce worse terms if she refused. The Fortune headline the lesson links calls it "$26 Million" turned down, aggregating the family's exposure. > **The structural squeeze (via TWW team member Mary Sells, local to the area).** Farms transitioned from tobacco to food crops over decades; export income (soybeans) hit by recent tariffs; next generation leaving agriculture seeing no future in it. Against that, the inducement package: "tax abatement, secret deals under non-disclosure agreements, free utilities (paid for by area homeowners instead of the data companies)." The lesson's implicit argument: the offer isn't landing on a level playing field, it's landing on an already-destabilized one. > **Scale of the local commitment.** Local planning commission approved rezoning of 2,000+ acres of agricultural land across ~28 tracts for a data center directly adjoining the Huddleston farm. County officials cite employment and economic growth. > **Public opinion.** June Reuters/Ipsos poll: only ~one-third of Americans approve of rapid data-center construction acceleration; **only 14% would welcome one in their own community** — a striking NIMBY gap, and the single most citable statistic in the piece. > **Catalog of stated concerns** (the lesson presents these as critics' claims, not established fact): water diversion, depletion, and groundwater contamination (especially in already-warming regions); air pollution; environmental damage and wildlife harm; public health and quality-of-life impacts; 24/7 noise pollution and heat generation; aging/strained power infrastructure unable to meet round-the-clock demand; higher consumer utility bills; loss of long-term well-paid jobs as land shifts from food production to low-headcount industry; lower property values; and lack of transparency/accountability from government and business leaders, with local voices unheard or dismissed. Representative quote from an Archbald, Pennsylvania protester: "We are essentially being asked to give up all of the land, the energy and water, so that developers can come in here and exploit us and then send their profits someplace else." > **The cost-allocation argument.** Joseph Bowring, president of Monitoring Analytics — independent market monitor for grid operator PJM (67 million people, 13 Eastern/Midwestern states) — argues data centers should pay the costs of their own power-infrastructure development and usage rather than imposing them on other customers. This is the piece's most policy-actionable claim and comes from a genuinely independent, technically credible source rather than an advocacy group. > **The industry case, presented fairly.** The Data Center Coalition and other lobbyists cite economic development, construction j Dear Class Members, Since data centers are in the news, this week we will consider a story about setting priorities, making courageous and wise choices, and acquiring and managing resources with equity and care.  **People Weigh Pros, Cons of Data Centers** ***The Wired Word*** **for the Week of August 23, 2026** **In the News** Last spring, farmer Ida Huddleston received an offer of about $60,000 per acre (over $4 million) for her 71-acre spread outside Maysville, Kentucky, where she has lived for nearly seven decades. Her daughter, Delsia Bare, 54, initially agreed to sell her own 463 acres for $48,000 an acre (over $22 million), before getting cold feet and pulling out of the contract. Members of the extended Huddleston family own approximately 1,200 acres altogether. The unnamed company hoping to purchase about half of their property to build a data center were prepared to pay much more than the going rate of $6,000-an-acre for farmland in Mason County. "Money couldn't move what all I've got put in place here," said Huddleston, 82. She didn't need the money, but she felt sorry for neighbors whose circumstances might lead them to different decisions. "I live in Ohio, not far from Maysville," wrote TWW Team Member Mary Sells. "There are many farms in the area that used to grow tobacco and transitioned to growing food crops over the decades. Governments and big tech companies offer many tantalizing benefits to encourage property owners to sell their land to companies to build data centers: tax abatement, secret deals under non-disclosure agreements, free utilities (paid for by area homeowners instead of the data companies), etc." Farming has never been easy, Sells says, but with the loss of income from exports such as soybeans due to recent tariffs, and the next generation leaving the homestead to pursue other types of work because they see no future in agriculture, selling off land that has been in the family for generations may seem like the only option available. At first, Bare felt pressure to sell, thinking that she might be forced into a less favorable contract if the land was taken under eminent domain. Ultimately, Bare's attachment to her property led to her withdrawal from the sale. "I never wanted to leave my land," she said. The local planning commission has approved the rezoning of more than 2,000 acres of agricultural land, from almost 28 tracts, for the construction of a data center right next to the Huddleston farm. County officials believe the project will boost employment and economic growth. But the two women are skeptical. They're worried the water shortages and groundwater contamination occurring near data centers elsewhere will happen in their community, too. "You can't get food out of a data center, and everything coming out of the data center is going to be poison and destructive," Huddleston said. Opposition to the explosive growth of data center projects, due to what some are calling an "AI (artificial intelligence) gold rush," is evident in angry town hall meetings throughout the country, as citizens seek to understand the potential benefits and harms of the industry. According to a June Reuters/Ipsos poll, only a third of Americans approve of the rapid acceleration of data-center construction in the United States, while only 14% would welcome the building of a data center in their own community. Critics of data centers cite concerns about diversion, depletion and pollution of water resources (of particular concern in regions already struggling with rising temperatures); air pollution; damage to the environment and harm to wildlife; negative impacts on public health and quality of life; 24/7 noise pollution and heat generation; aging and strained power infrastructure incapable of providing the round-the-clock energy needs of the industry; higher utility bills for consumers; loss of long-term, well-paid jobs from disappearing businesses as land is repurposed from food production to industries requiring fewer employees; lower property values; lack of transparency and accountability from government and business leaders, combined with worry that the voices of local residents may be unheard, ignored, and dismissed. As [one unnamed person protesting a proposed data center in Archbald, Pennsylvania](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2B535ZsDt7dex5AxC0bQAd1I3UBVM9kJ0w9FGPyAnXKAA3aOmnoJ7u0KDXJgLU4YDZKr-2BjSawHBOFfRQzYpxa-2F8w-3D-3DqEIL_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCIBMGBkiQwfPR-2F-2FC8wYALUg1V9aqz-2FV2c8-2Ff1l2-2F3iB4aUHv3gfBNZg15vLua4GaELZ5zu99vaqN2dIlysXI8hkPNXsa2cElcbhhoTulLWblHtedFYGWxNON3oc59j-2BBvuXOjXTHvXhfTCunc5YF-2ByvfdQbQIeDdquxQkl4NvPCo-2FHlonZiL64tuDGb7RLq1TOl1YEwqohcoX0tVUIkOSA-3D), put it, "We are essentially being asked to give up all of the land, the energy and water, so that developers can come in here and exploit us and then send their profits someplace else." Joseph Bowring, president of Monitoring Analytics (MA), an independent market monitor for grid operator PJM, which serves 67 million people in 13 Eastern and Midwestern states, said that data centers should pay for the costs of their own power infrastructure development and usage and not impose those expenses on other customers. The Data Center Coalition and other lobbyists for data centers argue that the industry sparks economic development, new construction jobs and higher property and sales tax revenue to benefit local communities. Opponents say most new positions end after the initial construction, while few permanent employees are typically required to operate data centers. But the reality is that data centers increasingly serve as ["the backbone of the modern digital economy,"](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPMqBIxvpVTfYxYEWj9-2BBPWvMVWoD-2B1iCKI7uVaKx5lo9URdgRrM3zWFWqvGSI1VbhB2k4SqCFue-2FSngIMIOWyplhHaARAyxPeUS1nqoDJJ7iHEL1qgyuDZGs7syMcfcd7DZVoZkMMEBMZH8yRW8FEMA-3DczIG_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjHeAxLUba4FyvlDr-2BuBb0-2FZ-2Bzsiww6k578kHMjKD0QJ1aFTZ4JK5z9hh8RaTHmOLwb49VM5QJbbTiB2sFV-2B3-2B-2BBSlttcW1YP1UWv2m6mum2RKJNuLoZ1cnOaiohrPkoWXkv3FlO-2BIsua-2FmisbyMterM-2F72KrWK8kXH-2FL-2FbelcM-2Fr2V2OZdo44bCcOT8vUc1QUM4bZdXXIWNdfhSlAVyjeto-3D) supporting systems we use daily to travel; provide health care; ensure food safety and national security; conduct business; communicate; make connections and plans; exchange currency; access information, education and entertainment; create art; engage in commerce; protect and preserve data; take inventory; keep supply chains running efficiently, and more. The challenge we face is how to keep the benefits data centers provide while minimizing the negative outcomes associated with this new technology. More on this story can be found at these links: [Meet the 82-year-old Kentucky Grandma Who Turned Down $26 Million to Turn Her Farm Into a Data Center: 'I Don't Need Your Money.'](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPEPLORNsUUBTDPrvECKPAHmNUat1BYja9JEBIjrODob4d-2FKD-2FxcxwBq9Jtsru5gmm91-2B-2FsveuMfTBclSx4W7hIjcHELYoCSLJs4q1ySEtQCzIPtL4-2BbOsF2X4DYo5iRRoA-3D-3DDamM_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjFVDsgPKEJ7JnGDQ7A8Su-2FUYBzKHL0s19iht5CtAq83CSRyVYCJuDhAtA453eQLxPMeDgJt4UjMQhBsAg1YjpTj85JqwGv5RAEkWttq-2FN169MfhR5c7zAixMpT6Rx3ddH6qF-2Fg6iVg1HsMzwJc41PhuJ3gVzoxQ4eH7B3CVl-2FGwNG-2BBpVzHfYQvSEZEaj3q1STOl8agcRkIlzrK1T2Zj-2FDw-3D) [*Fortune*](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPEPLORNsUUBTDPrvECKPAHmNUat1BYja9JEBIjrODob4d-2FKD-2FxcxwBq9Jtsru5gmm91-2B-2FsveuMfTBclSx4W7hIjcHELYoCSLJs4q1ySEtQCzIPtL4-2BbOsF2X4DYo5iRRoA-3D-3DLGfM_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCWTjSjFvvvDSECrmdKlooL3iCwb8VYXu5mJikNAhtsMp3eQEGtuMtdKBRbO1A85f1uV-2B6-2FratZXe7shi05M8FmLGpUdwYyqVDxvJ-2Bjp1E3y8zRKzXDt3XlC10EUgo01unTibSEMx2wMtBhcFzE29AC1mHdiceD3xgEebGF6hmbLIKS7j1pnY5t8Rfeky3YABg8dkK1rkHooyBvKNLFrJ-2Fk-3D) [Underground Data Fortresses: the Nuclear Bunkers, Mines and Mountains Being Transformed to Protect Our 'New Gold' From Attack.](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPMqBIxvpVTfYxYEWj9-2BBPWs9W-2FJrA6-2FjMfP0A5APgkndIhY4ornVBdQs2W3de9ba5RfYLQ1k7ZtSRvFmYg4vclFsmhTWA9Dntq-2BhbtqEWXkL3E22BZm6CKtLSP1q1qZOpLkfW-2FZapOTTb-2F3O-2BLrZNGC9G2T4yWS3qCo1OrCqPLttSCSAAB29Lj-2FysMyJFoa20kfnKaBgCo56kTmIQf8D9uY-3D_736_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjESPeiGifVwEr-2Fu14vrNYzd-2FxF-2FgHdrn-2By3x4BE-2F1Vt-2FcW582NqLQNNyw9Q9qkzAV-2B9JhwTHZQ5vTb90ryRzkUgZPyfZHpzxZXi6edBt8nTAIX-2BCTWTs3fG6lHEn9ngvXVK7DAmu4KJVVLCTSG8GKSXNT5TT-2FYRLkCdp7mOAu5QX18-2FA-2F4G-2Bbf8-2FmlUbzgvj-2Fws1pamhxJ-2Biwy-2FeRnGOEdI-3D) [*The Conversation*](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPMqBIxvpVTfYxYEWj9-2BBPWs9W-2FJrA6-2FjMfP0A5APgkndIhY4ornVBdQs2W3de9ba5RfYLQ1k7ZtSRvFmYg4vclFsmhTWA9Dntq-2BhbtqEWXkL3E22BZm6CKtLSP1q1qZOpLkfW-2FZapOTTb-2F3O-2BLrZNGC9G2T4yWS3qCo1OrCqPLttSCSAAB29Lj-2FysMyJFoa20kfnKaBgCo56kTmIQf8D9uY-3DX4dm_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjOfyg9h4gePgzFWEDKJg22a67kbj34pg-2FS5wcazmD5MuPgPyvWOjVu5BBjy5hlJAr36DccJovyCSQ93gN549XcJw5eWSK8YxxnOM-2BeE-2FVYtIQJu-2F9X2ipOZAH02o9eVc6jdoj8Vc-2Fco7L2iHenHGmzqSOZ84RAlMP3qqdFUyyP-2BdcDrgKws1Rrsm3USxGmST1qLwYsBqCDneNfy5XlBJwYg-3D) [U.S. Data Center Protests Go National as Backlash Grows.](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfK44d-2FJ4t0RCxbqUs48Njz9ffodyIDg6DcBjyKvY0ctNeYJj63z2aG-2BR5e43QKqC5GK5jfTP1yR7FSvomJW2NLAr1lfrJ2n4MJvSDCIuY1X2A-3D-3DcrDu_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjJ-2B9BwSwBzBIElkqcQ6Ac9hkbRDWmeeHjmXjRJ5BBOaxZsQ9yabqysRpXcSzwQFo522uO3bJZb2-2B-2FfRsy7bTqeHAQJaY1Z-2BAnJ9g8T-2B1omjawQynisZNPPM-2Bmd0jRJBy3MZ7X3JNfO-2F6299APoJSYBas5KNYM-2ByidafOJYUGnNfhP20dl66n4p6lYVNqeesPywbdjqrLfaa8pCye8de8kxo-3D) [*Reuters*](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfK44d-2FJ4t0RCxbqUs48Njz9ffodyIDg6DcBjyKvY0ctNeYJj63z2aG-2BR5e43QKqC5GK5jfTP1yR7FSvomJW2NLAr1lfrJ2n4MJvSDCIuY1X2A-3D-3DTrvF_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjOMSx-2FLwz1sviyykLZ7G9ZXyS2CxFdh1bQGgrP7rGJ3fhEioeEnLcHP-2F6u8SNyFycNzs7rjNlaunD1bkbNfbJas7KmAcb4DMO96Tfi9oiIrf3ucPNC22VWd9gEl5g28GHguVrdwpniKVZgpNDI6kJLiW2o04SmVJgPaWHakV8Tn-2Bb5TAsWcmpapuGqOGG2AjtqHisEXG08zfGWKt9MFDNvo-3D) [California's Largest AI Data Center Project Suing for Access to 287 Million Gallons of Colorado River Water.](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2BDtq-2BRV-2B873izwgGzjIZoxLT95O9YPjqn2Jjz4pG5RBRcfaqRnpKCx4M0iMlA-2BfhkGThGEsN2jRWetQ1Ue9sCrA-3D-3Dzdr3_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjI9HxTYCXNEMH-2BVavCEDwyO-2BlHOqaAsbmdsFKus3T1FX4PCyqgJ5XGeCHEpq-2BzHofWTlfocxuzVKWSLibhoifM-2Fm-2FrsfW-2FswkSCZU8dzc4YiulAOTaB94k8ZVfSh3imI0W83ZLNsEZvQvtLVUH4BfqWhbmjOuSzNZGSOMSVouMcPPJzoAv8IxSjZUYuL62bj047omBnxwoc6kBKfTs1fWeg-3D) [*Tom's Hardware*](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2BDtq-2BRV-2B873izwgGzjIZoxLT95O9YPjqn2Jjz4pG5RBRcfaqRnpKCx4M0iMlA-2BfhkGThGEsN2jRWetQ1Ue9sCrA-3D-3Dz63u_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjDWT-2BgSqXaJ9dU3EIkEKtdib04aWSdW40RNCFHdW2DzuSHYI-2BsEbX-2Bi7d4N6IlYo-2FnRYnHgqjbjkqKci32SsbyoLs7YNrPW1-2FeOUMDfTYa0PlYuCw5EDcZJB87Teh-2F1O0kMt6GPLKiVHe1WNLhrxaBeV3lED19VSxSXd3rmZG5-2BtNQmbiw4z1-2FG1MK7rHYQedGjS-2FjQonL-2BvzPO9q-2BmmYck-3D) [Texas Data Centers Suffer Brutal Collision With Reality.](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2BuUljaOyeo04taeab3VJ-2FoZJSx6sFhDDDwZdpxYk0hqpbMvo5-2Fil4Rfdt1w76FnxHDQaw_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjKflSaRYVooSeTA1FVThGjPTDFJKqGo6WZSzd0ApP-2BLqIdfiydkF-2F2lEiw89cU8NJ6l8g3o3eyDlcds473SS8dVTyAmpadVP9wtXTyov44FssAYzjpatBLi-2B5tmMFhJ0FnkbjBzVTxz4x9RMXc5TusCtKVodpQWhzeJqnUYfSycsQl1g3l1sVYY3zi7yGzUPORLCPkQcE5kNW82bULQN0xg-3D) [*Futurism*](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2BuUljaOyeo04taeab3VJ-2FoZJSx6sFhDDDwZdpxYk0hqpbMvo5-2Fil4Rfdt1w76FnxHB3Ok_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjGf0241LqYNq-2FOXdKijODvhWy5voyvhhCB2PyL-2FVBnC8GJH5j9zNbmnsqr0vZT3Zvv2fZv-2BNel1Y82nzCzeZoUF86hLaI-2Bb9sl09Z54ZTBeLTBHUWsWLL2relyVlWfIU4-2FtiDoj0KJ4zzVspQMb-2FFYx0Y2dCivdlq01Nak8MOCvG94oouo1nCEZSntZ-2FzS-2BVlbRkeMS87B-2FdoRToMcYXoVQ-3D) **Applying the News Story** Use this lesson to discuss how our faith can guide our decisions and actions about how we acquire and manage resources. **The Big Questions** 1. How can we negotiate fair agreements when different parties have competing interests? 2. What gives people the courage to stand up and speak up for what they believe is right, when a scary predatory figure makes it seem like giving in is the only option? How did David have the courage to face Goliath? 3. What helpful guidance might the church offer community members facing decisions about the possibility of adding new data centers in the area? 4. What biblical stories or principles regarding resource acquisition and management come to mind? 5. How could you use the Bible as a religious data center to give you energy, purpose and insight for living the life to which Christ calls us? **Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope**Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion: **Deuteronomy 5:19, 21***[Moses said, "The LORD said,] 'Neither shall you steal. ... Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'"* (For context, read [Deuteronomy 5:1-21](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzx8vT-2B4JcJ5j8RqGNYnps4kgjzOFZ1Zd55oixWFsqLWK8WLeaC3ALw1WeFtWlU3YRvFQzF_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCkhJfCTLoTyiuS5kgn-2FfFbQ8JLi8k-2Ff1na-2BXPZE33zK6qMh2vrIxsXz8868Kye-2BBD7jRYYWXynRBpN7XtFuuAC9az5Aujbop-2BgRWbAmYxCL8-2BF8yV-2F-2FmvxlZiioTgA-2FgN5IPf8eWswVv-2F3BLBIoXxELSMWvxjnOcz9YFyY3HOkt5Pw7fHoRZOIjxFnd2vuvAsqsSL5ywLEClagmM3WARwI-3D).) Included in the Ten Commandments are these directives. Later, another command specifies: "You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, set up by former generations, on the property that will be allotted to you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess" (Deuteronomy 19:14). In [1 Kings 21](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxfg8cQo5t8kKCb0xyK-2Be5Cu-2F50Ug1dRLBMDt4X02yJ6dEvBQhg3wA2I8h1MAZClR2GADY_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjBGELMsJs8wMYtCLrwo9vRgllHmYH1cHQgHxNR9poUs1TZbOzfDlG3C80KZtH9iq3Yq9S194idJ-2FObURPM5rrs1w-2FTaMFlI-2BMrzVMUGc5SLj5p3itDDnioY1NIxSftHnIRRzWbMYd7T5Sif6fygzOFQ3F5C6fWqM5vXh4dciDOgtJgjzd-2F6OaNLYv4HH5Gp7t8RWoyIyn-2FMbo6zf7x-2F9CGY-3D), we learn how King Ahab resorted to murder to steal a neighbor's land which he coveted. In his mind, he was entitled to take whatever he desired in the kingdom, by force if he couldn't acquire it through coaxing or enticements. His wife Jezebel promoted the idea that "might makes right," popularized in other eras under different labels, such as "manifest destiny," "eminent domain" and "survival of the fittest." > **Questions:** Why were the Hebrews commanded not to move a neighbor's ancient property line? What are the consequences of disobeying these commandments? How does wanting something that belongs to another escalate to stealing it? How do you guard against covetousness? **Genesis 26:19-22, 25***But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, the herders of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herders, saying, "The water is ours." So he called the well Esek, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also, so he called it Sitnah. He moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it, so he called it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land." ... So he built an altar there [in Beer-sheba], called on the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.* (For context, read [Genesis 26:15-33](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxdxvwvUIbrGNsYJ-2B9LkHJNWAurDozZpKwVJrH4LS7NcMksOAwNA2pB-2B0d9QuFFKIOjPqS_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjAn9Y5zsKqQm7Gr2dpVLF-2F2YOuHSozcSj6-2F-2F31rfugMuMUtcmYM1dxDgTUf3i0wA366hcJs9kCl-2BSDNpQ91xRTwsFX3YsQ1WYWwRiGXgfCU3JqY514A5DySZlKDsk0TzGfSlQrcE2GKpLhRBPX3bShRDbMKPyOEU6dzEycL8-2FFmfm6TLf7qFmlXSPpXh6A-2BGlhO-2FYugGek2yvBJpzR1ts2o-3D).) Competition for resources of land and water is nothing new. Abraham and his nephew Lot both had so many flocks, herds and tents, that "the land could not support both of them living together because their possessions were so great that they could not live together" ([Genesis 13:5-12](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxdxvwvUIbrGNsYJ-2B9LkHJNXmH8XmXREFf2mlQqJvLGiwFx0jReuaDNGU78dSRWO-2F5JF8n_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjOKAZ6H33tkhYuZvVn2ZKJCGaBs4UHA-2FhT7CGSRyR2-2FGGNQBC-2FLz8b-2BF0lEwh-2B72V4v5zVz9cRQ4s7ardKxbcdTWb-2BP7XLHJoQmILRJbjcK4a2KLdpr6rqcOt1OC3i6KikQr9540GbuFW6BlPV1-2BDAyWyzTFhiMPFL-2BRbjY-2FCyxTtJvxefNVvP-2BO3mmhWBWOkPgKbh1rtF9raIOlE5AfeWs-3D)). To avoid strife between their workers, they decided to separate. After Abraham dug a well in Beer-sheba, the servants of Abimelech, King of Gerar in Philistia, seized it, without his knowledge ([Genesis 21:25-31](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxdxvwvUIbrGNsYJ-2B9LkHJNcxwAt-2BMgQsvZ7EqFmhq7qtWU4CtVLVPluFxAgqkCG6e3e3-_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjFll6Y9nZfaMIrjkZNEqkNiIhmuCfK3BgiZpYrtoTMMDZw5-2FuGHcyehuRdWUahPYUfL54YorsFlR5RUuIcYwVXQiyPdNzLk96C6a93yk1ObzJAQLZVeZbLvWdCrXLAeiVHqAVvdPnE7JdGO9OHrYSYg53ghCKT6CrxnRsqBGtNSPp73w7ccgWXVg5BnzUg9AewbB3u3bF2gDwifYgpvwTs4-3D)). Abraham complained to Abimelech, who acknowledged that Abraham was in the right. They left on good terms with each other. But the thirst for water in a dry land persisted. Abimelech asked Abraham's son Isaac to leave the area, because the land couldn't support them all. Isaac faced repeated attempts on the part of the Philistines to stop up the wells Abraham had dug (vv. 15-18) and appropriate wells Isaac dug to provide water for his family and his animals (vv. 19-21). The herders of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herders, arguing that the water belonged to them. Isaac kept moving until he found a place the herders of Gerar didn't seem to want, where he dug a well over which they didn't quarrel. Finally, he felt at peace. He testified that God had made room for them and provided for their needs. > **Questions:** What happens when people are pushed out of so many places so often, until there are no more safe places left to go? Does there come a time when it's not possible to keep pulling up stakes and moving on? When the only option seems to be to stay and fight? Does God always "make room" for God's people? How do we keep hoping and trusting in God when it seems like we may never find a place to call home? **John 12:4-6***But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)* (For context, read [John 12:1-8](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxWzCM7rK3UCEzv-2BibnX7LZQOwczIz6hzj7K1WDLLS2osARVg5u9I3utjAQA-2FG-2F9Sci74d_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCsmkXyfmkfLhibzkIj9c0DGyjqbiA4-2BmxyPWTqfh3HIy-2FnqdbTTkh4iZ-2FPVRTrB6j7QTYen4dd22rD8C5xldTG9QV-2FVw-2BgWsNcOfuZggaS66ZBGD65MzYJshWzo0STN1DZPyLEPKY-2FCTZT0-2BMXjd-2FkE1Sy5DgMib88ojNDk-2BsD-2BFm9vdhesrIhfy61Lfwx2KxFYY0VlY9xz1phHpt6QZ4o-3D)). Shortly after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus came to Bethany, where they threw a dinner in his honor. Mary, no doubt full of gratitude that her brother Lazarus had been restored to them, anointed Jesus' feet with an expensive ointment, and wiped them with her hair. Judas Iscariot criticized her for her action. It's tempting to dismiss Judas as a two-dimensional figure, consumed by greed and selfishness. But what if there is more to his backstory? While nothing could justify his betrayal of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, we really don't know what prompted him to act the way he did. Was it simply a love of money? Or might he have had hungry children and a sick wife at home, a pile of bills he couldn't pay, loan sharks breathing down his neck, or any number of other overwhelming challenges? While the farmer in the news article did not feel compelled to sell her property to a big tech company, she said she felt for neighbors who didn't have the security she had. > **Questions:** What would it take to convince you to give up something or someone you loved dearly, even at the cost of betraying your own ethical standards or beliefs? Would you be willing to do something abhorrent in order to save a loved one's life, for example? What "30 pieces of silver" might persuade you to betray Jesus? **Hebrews 13:5-6, 8***Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" ... Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.* (For context, read [Hebrews 13:1-8](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxfhOLPuUklFplPPD2VWbSPEba0whOpEBHuE5N-2Bq0j3Qa95NBV0PhoFG1-2BXUuP8zNu_Xaj_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjJETFQQKRCt-2Fh3iy6uBRIM3f8T65t6sB9zhK5rrEYxmS0pCuGmzyHKuszxLIE3T-2B4dwCzm2LVUnPQhoJ7UuaHKRJnsKCpsX4F7XH-2BUcFfiA-2FfpkGzOGUsggubKjk8fQ6ThGJGWlsi-2BJTm5UXdBT22hxKbC2RNCDFHJlKVSDrS-2FEHu8aWWEbWKcXT0GNo0OKZe2elRKOXEhlpQJpq-2F3ELR5g-3D).) At a time when the world seems to be spinning so fast, it makes our head spin, with crisis after crisis, new technology that appears to be outpacing our ability to comprehend and properly manage it, it wouldn't be surprising that many look for quick and easy fixes: More money! A strong leader to solve all our problems! A secure place in society! Tenure! A partner who won't let us down! But our faith offers us the changeless Jesus Christ, and him alone. Paul wrote, "I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" ([Philippians 4:11-13](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxzNGX396sVFOaUcnbldjl-2BCtWfRxQBGxrAWWG2fGlDMRTGhkvm-2Fz8o7powZD4qiIs2_ZF_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjMSmseOKzNpDBoDyeux1WDxFUfcwbt1Ew0axC5XRuOAS3SLST4BoIKz7CMh9KMw-2FjG7O22CtQfiydSq-2BprPSaveQugPOu76JIe-2FG71nbm-2F8TJxnf9n24gwQQjj4ZGdztKMC9i4XZPCPbllWC2FYZ0H43sdqlbUmWJZ-2BQFt7iioWnJGJXMnWfDPhaJjeQubVbLVkqzQj9tqa0lyh8Fs8pikI-3D)). > **Questions:** What is the secret to being content in any and all circumstances? Where do we find confidence and courage in all things? **For Further Discussion** 1. Discuss this: According to [*Forbes*](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPCd3Up9fU37SvtB3IfEcqzRWYR-2F-2FhiUuMouhkWwYgrbi2NT86DX4nYcUQo-2Bpx2JxeVmZnEZ-2B9Az5TLNVgp2Wm-2BQtdJbKEnkp3Lm5YeTc2Fz-2FS8lH4v9YFo1pRLsdXLcQCw-3D-3DGfcv_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCAOSDzZAdYPoKuREi8pPDNiti4EM6CbDtD7L3BXBmHlAqGC70q-2BsqEECPa7Aoq7u1NRaW9F-2FQxjeqVf2hT-2FpIo5dwVlp-2FA7-2FLLnTWvTpuCqqTxYiUC-2FqPgiZsADbXlYsSfiYd7L4BoaHVMWQGMJxRPPwZGA7LnZbmE9OZOHyaW1tFeoPQCnK1zQOG5K-2Bxi-2FT7iI-2FvP-2FPoV4fKQjLV6m8vw-3D)*,* "tech giants ... are quietly sparking the most resource-intensive industrial land grab of the post-war era. ... Reconciling the insatiable appetite of AI with the physical limits of our power grids and water basins requires a hard shift from unchecked expansion to strict resource accountability. If the tech industry wants to claim the future, it must pay the true cost of its physical footprint today. ... "Every megawatt a data center pulls off a constrained grid is a megawatt not available to a new factory, a new housing development, or a hospital expansion. We cannot protect the American economy by letting one sector cannibalize the power grid at the expense of domestic manufacturing, housing, and commercial development. We must face the structural macroeconomic tradeoffs of this resource competition." 2. Many people who sing Woody Guthrie's classic, ["This Land Is Your Land,"](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPLa00hR0P47n6MpDegAHB-2Bzgb52CT0KW2SAFvqNB3wiLg7-2F-2FbSzWnhdaAPfpXtLUbg-3D-3DdHrA_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjB6HyBhNRHEgLm6eNJ3NyCV-2Bbg0ExC4PjiDCZYpC32rHeJuJWXHRQtSvWe2bjUCkLyLCFCshzSOZPXi6f8nTfOZhQrtMCihAiPOtNxHmnsNlcTF4DQX5oqpfvHmJhQH7UKamzh4wuXPnQeYE1XUB6fRl9SHcEZmecMere1mSkxpGVm1N5gwFP5cGgIpNCk2tmYJh-2FSH2hR5kf8tqFJZXzG0-3D) have never actually heard all the lyrics the singer wrote. It sounds like a happy song celebrating the idea that we own the land, until you dig deeper. Guthrie actually questioned that concept. Compare his sentiments with this assertion from Antônio Bispo dos Santos: "The land did not belong to us; we belonged to the land. We did not say 'this land is mine'; we said 'we are this land.'" What is the difference between the idea that we own land or that land belongs to us, and the idea that the land owns us or that we belong to the land? 3. Each generation may value their own ways and hope the next one follows in their footsteps, but often there are transitions to something different. How do families and churches manage "hand-off" of the old ways? **Responding to the News** Here's [an article](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2B535ZsDt7dex5AxC0bQAd1ApdFxFsnFrPrUBDznqWyBNaT5S-2FQ-2Fa3jhu4K4gxFXFWDKTbpHmZjPSYLJU8U58Ejg-3D-3DZs_O_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjNf1KIC2rOirHTr9T0P1g-2BaCY0Yzl1QyNY6Yb5TQczOzczKBRVYIidjtVqbKZ3ca2-2FrCzasuBlpFYTunMRPL9R4G7BWoEMj-2Fq5kiPeuz5V8oqG4mRZItAB8wLO7TxpbXmUlnqb4665S9PHNdzNC-2BGJBWRh8h-2BpN7sWNB0B0gRZKuofWs6Nqo4-2BmeBYMkf-2FHrlh3h9WfSH58kRQUzACWIYac-3D) about how communities in one state are working to mitigate negative consequences and maximize benefits of building data centers in their region. **Prayer** Suggested by [Psalm 27:1, 14](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxT-2BiCkaOHe-2BRXIb0HX8dfQWs9jm-2FjOTMyG3Qs3dAFgoGo2ILNd8-2BA2Pvt7e4s-2FP-2BJ37RG_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjNhACJuAv5ImkgZYl1pT8sFsOGSPfYWA4bKZX-2Fy0j-2FKL6jYym7-2F8qi1JhauFCHF02mLVqf7ZuPfx0Qe7Mwj4cLbd42AJphiyvLsBfVZG-2BRQdtiUwdfxOsQSDBAI78xKa4eUKUjq42M-2FFk0QrTI40CkEKZKnmVLaWJbFQirThHe7TBJ3CPxH9Ns4qMc6dEayfaMd7a-2FVZDipAYyG2ddl2Qjk-3D); [Psalm 56:3-4](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxyE6EDi1TZabubAPw5afH1WT-2FTCeLsky5w7bf5W2Dl-2FavSptG2yQLjB2OwtdAVPiz_fx1_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjHMWlM7Ru8B7nC8H2yVMoBx6n2ZsvPY6ADW1SjqujE5LCXxXQeKlKTKYtQXq9rUIOw8cJXFPya6aIrm5mytGWI1vEnAry-2B41QxaS5-2BA-2FjNrzKk4cb3Lmjn3Rm3GIpC9izLvbKDchBFLAvC8NuhmjVfDg1VnxWUbYYfsZf9ZXsvmDPyTfQWO-2ByvKZfh3P-2BvQeMp98-2Fsh85FyGDffqlK2YrmU-3D); [2 Samuel 10:12](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxlvjJW5fipliacJeM-2BZO3ImN3pB6ExP1czjaxNVBqhzAkePkt3L9jLYBDcEkzy76VSBg2_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjMIQ-2F9K2wVOTjke-2F07Rj3PGXVYkSejkDbRHSKEEf00pQHIUjxG3GsA7iRSkUfd9Xzj3M8yxYCw4WZ5-2B5VVFGKFWVC4d0E94aZl5z4cqI1wD28DdN8Pn84eZlBPeH0awkWNdezXe9drm1iqPEQCEYwIuiY0YSW09FhrNGfn9wtFCZCd3-2BLPbfzYvLSibB52SGZAVm0gPMpljYj9xTTOg48cM-3D); [Daniel 10:19](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxCoWZoCj-2ByEHJoxvCznhwxtd8WmKYuwdaVnbeVY-2FHBiedF3cz9ROEHtI4FnrVC0h8E8XC_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjBjGBEkbZ-2Fjfg2nG5fK0VW9ui4KAjzkfu9c0vr-2BsCink1rm5idsTF-2B4OepWQMxu-2BalBvLpBJR9l7mTajCXVnmNm3xCiJmNwkcJAt9YdiNNTEAYk-2BAvhbs-2F41RoD9re5V-2FESa29-2B9ol-2BY0xt2cbyuafo2lHx3zQLdjQhkGzWZ28-2BurLd3f1f2LklikJSuV3KKA6Q2vo4NlzZ7GprUOrw-2FxUw-3D); [1 John 4:4](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxgb98dt-2BAwcnX5I0t2fHJjNKrN-2B40OYGoIefjSDcSOugP5Js35kiLfkhC-2BVjyFBGORHj__-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjELzrKL49cSVDU8XaLbGgQEkdhrAbiX3gw6tj1E952bmlBfWSBsQ3ezp-2BTqqy-2BuKFK7Kgf5yYzlkHHagFb7DDTkuwy0glG7YVYHxxmBEffRm4T08lx2dQKy6leu4fHiRrxs17eUtzPerqR-2FeObLg2HGTjSIzJTRu8ZaB8c79gGaZYhgDqyVSgz-2BKD4Z4KCos0WwhP2XYe3y1Zkq0KZ6ZXW8-3D) O God, strengthen us and give us courage, as we wait on you. We will not fear, for we trust in you. Amen. ****Copyright 2026 Communication Resources**** [Unsubscribe From This List](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/asm/unsubscribe/?user_id=14323725&data=dwP-8grO3SDnegfZCUAyFPSi2ayWuaPYJE576XDi1l9oMDAwdTAwMHmnQTVg_6kuHNGeBGANAXF7Bp01hg7CnIDYogA3uxXlUWg_oKTmKSI38Tkg5aBkjX557gkuq_Pc7P6q0YeicyNoEyVLX0LcyYbERVqAWW2JBdUtqCGrDiZgG9FSbsfzmodm850Dn7YlzwTAa-z3LmOIfop7PmwEIBohHYa3pvPXbxZkppRD8StCn4Yhk5mfp3HxQdWzgT0oIGEuYxFuePN56VBvk3nkYQhHO69zyb4QyK5F79IiwecKO3pi1XKPcNC51W7Y5GMqR6PkkGeIZZgGSHLSwu4cMmmTz1KyKpu12Cv2ljde5yezYwPfZrgCLRyGyhHkGiZWvr4PoWKbWQSFihL--qrxf6nX-bonaBOQkaUFFae8PHWFz8zWAFKypARvY7IG-IzzU9I1BjpZYbOgkUZ-Ju6y-4U3cQ0O5PpGtY0d5CxYspz0JBaO3-qXqE6DSb3dZ9FtfOUDZ-SvJZz2bBOKazOMAUKFhSCk6qiQPs9Oul8nKcQfAKfHyGmJOzEK2BuYcKCmJS1yS-9_whcIHb4RK2TOVQ0sqrpZE82rJCHNccA34GJhvzXzfFn3L1o17YPRMj5OTcVwqa1gwIc=) <div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Dear Class Members,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;">Since data centers are in the news, this week we will consider a story about setting priorities, making courageous and wise choices, and acquiring and managing resources with equity and care.</p> <br/><center><img src="https://www.thewiredword.com/\_img/tww\_logo\_email.jpg"/></center> <p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">People Weigh Pros, Cons of Data Centers</span></strong></p> <p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">The Wired Word</span></em></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;"> for the Week of August 23, 2026</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">In the News</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Last spring, farmer Ida Huddleston received an offer of about $60,000 per acre (over $4 million) for her 71-acre spread outside Maysville, Kentucky, where she has lived for nearly seven decades. Her daughter, Delsia Bare, 54, initially agreed to sell her own 463 acres for $48,000 an acre (over $22 million), before getting cold feet and pulling out of the contract. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Members of the extended Huddleston family own approximately 1,200 acres altogether. The unnamed company hoping to purchase about half of their property to build a data center were prepared to pay much more than the going rate of $6,000-an-acre for farmland in Mason County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"Money couldn't move what all I've got put in place here," said Huddleston, 82. She didn't need the money, but she felt sorry for neighbors whose circumstances might lead them to different decisions. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"I live in Ohio, not far from Maysville," wrote TWW Team Member Mary Sells. "There are many farms in the area that used to grow tobacco and transitioned to growing food crops over the decades. Governments and big tech companies offer many tantalizing benefits to encourage property owners to sell their land to companies to build data centers: tax abatement, secret deals under non-disclosure agreements, free utilities (paid for by area homeowners instead of the data companies), etc."</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Farming has never been easy, Sells says, but with the loss of income from exports such as soybeans due to recent tariffs, and the next generation leaving the homestead to pursue other types of work because they see no future in agriculture, selling off land that has been in the family for generations may seem like the only option available.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">At first, Bare felt pressure to sell, thinking that she might be forced into a less favorable contract if the land was taken under eminent domain. Ultimately, Bare's attachment to her property led to her withdrawal from the sale. "I never wanted to leave my land," she said. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The local planning commission has approved the rezoning of more than 2,000 acres of agricultural land, from almost 28 tracts, for the construction of a data center right next to the Huddleston farm. County officials believe the project will boost employment and economic growth. But the two women are skeptical. They're worried the water shortages and groundwater contamination occurring near data centers elsewhere will happen in their community, too.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"You can't get food out of a data center, and everything coming out of the data center is going to be poison and destructive," Huddleston said. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Opposition to the explosive growth of data center projects, due to what some are calling an "AI (artificial intelligence) gold rush," is evident in angry town hall meetings throughout the country, as citizens seek to understand the potential benefits and harms of the industry. According to a June Reuters/Ipsos poll, only a third of Americans approve of the rapid acceleration of data-center construction in the United States, while only 14% would welcome the building of a data center in their own community.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Critics of data centers cite concerns about diversion, depletion and pollution of water resources (of particular concern in regions already struggling with rising temperatures); air pollution; damage to the environment and harm to wildlife; negative impacts on public health and quality of life; 24/7 noise pollution and heat generation; aging and strained power infrastructure incapable of providing the round-the-clock energy needs of the industry; higher utility bills for consumers; loss of long-term, well-paid jobs from disappearing businesses as land is repurposed from food production to industries requiring fewer employees; lower property values; lack of transparency and accountability from government and business leaders, combined with worry that the voices of local residents may be unheard, ignored, and dismissed. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2B535ZsDt7dex5AxC0bQAd1I3UBVM9kJ0w9FGPyAnXKAA3aOmnoJ7u0KDXJgLU4YDZKr-2BjSawHBOFfRQzYpxa-2F8w-3D-3DqEIL\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCIBMGBkiQwfPR-2F-2FC8wYALUg1V9aqz-2FV2c8-2Ff1l2-2F3iB4aUHv3gfBNZg15vLua4GaELZ5zu99vaqN2dIlysXI8hkPNXsa2cElcbhhoTulLWblHtedFYGWxNON3oc59j-2BBvuXOjXTHvXhfTCunc5YF-2ByvfdQbQIeDdquxQkl4NvPCo-2FHlonZiL64tuDGb7RLq1TOl1YEwqohcoX0tVUIkOSA-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">one unnamed person protesting a proposed data center in Archbald, Pennsylvania</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">, put it, "We are essentially being asked to give up all of the land, the energy and water, so that developers can come in here and exploit us and then send their profits someplace else."</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Joseph Bowring, president of Monitoring Analytics (MA), an independent market monitor for grid operator PJM, which serves 67 million people in 13 Eastern and Midwestern states, said that data centers should pay for the costs of their own power infrastructure development and usage and not impose those expenses on other customers. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Data Center Coalition and other lobbyists for data centers argue that the industry sparks economic development, new construction jobs and higher property and sales tax revenue to benefit local communities. Opponents say most new positions end after the initial construction, while few permanent employees are typically required to operate data centers.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But the reality is that data centers increasingly serve as </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPMqBIxvpVTfYxYEWj9-2BBPWvMVWoD-2B1iCKI7uVaKx5lo9URdgRrM3zWFWqvGSI1VbhB2k4SqCFue-2FSngIMIOWyplhHaARAyxPeUS1nqoDJJ7iHEL1qgyuDZGs7syMcfcd7DZVoZkMMEBMZH8yRW8FEMA-3DczIG\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjHeAxLUba4FyvlDr-2BuBb0-2FZ-2Bzsiww6k578kHMjKD0QJ1aFTZ4JK5z9hh8RaTHmOLwb49VM5QJbbTiB2sFV-2B3-2B-2BBSlttcW1YP1UWv2m6mum2RKJNuLoZ1cnOaiohrPkoWXkv3FlO-2BIsua-2FmisbyMterM-2F72KrWK8kXH-2FL-2FbelcM-2Fr2V2OZdo44bCcOT8vUc1QUM4bZdXXIWNdfhSlAVyjeto-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">"the backbone of the modern digital economy,"</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> supporting systems we use daily to travel; provide health care; ensure food safety and national security; conduct business; communicate; make connections and plans; exchange currency; access information, education and entertainment; create art; engage in commerce; protect and preserve data; take inventory; keep supply chains running efficiently, and more. The challenge we face is how to keep the benefits data centers provide while minimizing the negative outcomes associated with this new technology. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">More on this story can be found at these links:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPEPLORNsUUBTDPrvECKPAHmNUat1BYja9JEBIjrODob4d-2FKD-2FxcxwBq9Jtsru5gmm91-2B-2FsveuMfTBclSx4W7hIjcHELYoCSLJs4q1ySEtQCzIPtL4-2BbOsF2X4DYo5iRRoA-3D-3DDamM\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjFVDsgPKEJ7JnGDQ7A8Su-2FUYBzKHL0s19iht5CtAq83CSRyVYCJuDhAtA453eQLxPMeDgJt4UjMQhBsAg1YjpTj85JqwGv5RAEkWttq-2FN169MfhR5c7zAixMpT6Rx3ddH6qF-2Fg6iVg1HsMzwJc41PhuJ3gVzoxQ4eH7B3CVl-2FGwNG-2BBpVzHfYQvSEZEaj3q1STOl8agcRkIlzrK1T2Zj-2FDw-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Meet the 82-year-old Kentucky Grandma Who Turned Down $26 Million to Turn Her Farm Into a Data Center: 'I Don't Need Your Money.' </span></a><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPEPLORNsUUBTDPrvECKPAHmNUat1BYja9JEBIjrODob4d-2FKD-2FxcxwBq9Jtsru5gmm91-2B-2FsveuMfTBclSx4W7hIjcHELYoCSLJs4q1ySEtQCzIPtL4-2BbOsF2X4DYo5iRRoA-3D-3DLGfM\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCWTjSjFvvvDSECrmdKlooL3iCwb8VYXu5mJikNAhtsMp3eQEGtuMtdKBRbO1A85f1uV-2B6-2FratZXe7shi05M8FmLGpUdwYyqVDxvJ-2Bjp1E3y8zRKzXDt3XlC10EUgo01unTibSEMx2wMtBhcFzE29AC1mHdiceD3xgEebGF6hmbLIKS7j1pnY5t8Rfeky3YABg8dkK1rkHooyBvKNLFrJ-2Fk-3D"><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Fortune</span></em></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPMqBIxvpVTfYxYEWj9-2BBPWs9W-2FJrA6-2FjMfP0A5APgkndIhY4ornVBdQs2W3de9ba5RfYLQ1k7ZtSRvFmYg4vclFsmhTWA9Dntq-2BhbtqEWXkL3E22BZm6CKtLSP1q1qZOpLkfW-2FZapOTTb-2F3O-2BLrZNGC9G2T4yWS3qCo1OrCqPLttSCSAAB29Lj-2FysMyJFoa20kfnKaBgCo56kTmIQf8D9uY-3D\_736\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjESPeiGifVwEr-2Fu14vrNYzd-2FxF-2FgHdrn-2By3x4BE-2F1Vt-2FcW582NqLQNNyw9Q9qkzAV-2B9JhwTHZQ5vTb90ryRzkUgZPyfZHpzxZXi6edBt8nTAIX-2BCTWTs3fG6lHEn9ngvXVK7DAmu4KJVVLCTSG8GKSXNT5TT-2FYRLkCdp7mOAu5QX18-2FA-2F4G-2Bbf8-2FmlUbzgvj-2Fws1pamhxJ-2Biwy-2FeRnGOEdI-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Underground Data Fortresses: the Nuclear Bunkers, Mines and Mountains Being Transformed to Protect Our 'New Gold' From Attack.</span></a><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPMqBIxvpVTfYxYEWj9-2BBPWs9W-2FJrA6-2FjMfP0A5APgkndIhY4ornVBdQs2W3de9ba5RfYLQ1k7ZtSRvFmYg4vclFsmhTWA9Dntq-2BhbtqEWXkL3E22BZm6CKtLSP1q1qZOpLkfW-2FZapOTTb-2F3O-2BLrZNGC9G2T4yWS3qCo1OrCqPLttSCSAAB29Lj-2FysMyJFoa20kfnKaBgCo56kTmIQf8D9uY-3DX4dm\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjOfyg9h4gePgzFWEDKJg22a67kbj34pg-2FS5wcazmD5MuPgPyvWOjVu5BBjy5hlJAr36DccJovyCSQ93gN549XcJw5eWSK8YxxnOM-2BeE-2FVYtIQJu-2F9X2ipOZAH02o9eVc6jdoj8Vc-2Fco7L2iHenHGmzqSOZ84RAlMP3qqdFUyyP-2BdcDrgKws1Rrsm3USxGmST1qLwYsBqCDneNfy5XlBJwYg-3D"><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;"> The Conversation</span></em></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfK44d-2FJ4t0RCxbqUs48Njz9ffodyIDg6DcBjyKvY0ctNeYJj63z2aG-2BR5e43QKqC5GK5jfTP1yR7FSvomJW2NLAr1lfrJ2n4MJvSDCIuY1X2A-3D-3DcrDu\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjJ-2B9BwSwBzBIElkqcQ6Ac9hkbRDWmeeHjmXjRJ5BBOaxZsQ9yabqysRpXcSzwQFo522uO3bJZb2-2B-2FfRsy7bTqeHAQJaY1Z-2BAnJ9g8T-2B1omjawQynisZNPPM-2Bmd0jRJBy3MZ7X3JNfO-2F6299APoJSYBas5KNYM-2ByidafOJYUGnNfhP20dl66n4p6lYVNqeesPywbdjqrLfaa8pCye8de8kxo-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">U.S. Data Center Protests Go National as Backlash Grows. </span></a><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfK44d-2FJ4t0RCxbqUs48Njz9ffodyIDg6DcBjyKvY0ctNeYJj63z2aG-2BR5e43QKqC5GK5jfTP1yR7FSvomJW2NLAr1lfrJ2n4MJvSDCIuY1X2A-3D-3DTrvF\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjOMSx-2FLwz1sviyykLZ7G9ZXyS2CxFdh1bQGgrP7rGJ3fhEioeEnLcHP-2F6u8SNyFycNzs7rjNlaunD1bkbNfbJas7KmAcb4DMO96Tfi9oiIrf3ucPNC22VWd9gEl5g28GHguVrdwpniKVZgpNDI6kJLiW2o04SmVJgPaWHakV8Tn-2Bb5TAsWcmpapuGqOGG2AjtqHisEXG08zfGWKt9MFDNvo-3D"><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Reuters</span></em></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2BDtq-2BRV-2B873izwgGzjIZoxLT95O9YPjqn2Jjz4pG5RBRcfaqRnpKCx4M0iMlA-2BfhkGThGEsN2jRWetQ1Ue9sCrA-3D-3Dzdr3\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjI9HxTYCXNEMH-2BVavCEDwyO-2BlHOqaAsbmdsFKus3T1FX4PCyqgJ5XGeCHEpq-2BzHofWTlfocxuzVKWSLibhoifM-2Fm-2FrsfW-2FswkSCZU8dzc4YiulAOTaB94k8ZVfSh3imI0W83ZLNsEZvQvtLVUH4BfqWhbmjOuSzNZGSOMSVouMcPPJzoAv8IxSjZUYuL62bj047omBnxwoc6kBKfTs1fWeg-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">California's Largest AI Data Center Project Suing for Access to 287 Million Gallons of Colorado River Water. </span></a><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2BDtq-2BRV-2B873izwgGzjIZoxLT95O9YPjqn2Jjz4pG5RBRcfaqRnpKCx4M0iMlA-2BfhkGThGEsN2jRWetQ1Ue9sCrA-3D-3Dz63u\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjDWT-2BgSqXaJ9dU3EIkEKtdib04aWSdW40RNCFHdW2DzuSHYI-2BsEbX-2Bi7d4N6IlYo-2FnRYnHgqjbjkqKci32SsbyoLs7YNrPW1-2FeOUMDfTYa0PlYuCw5EDcZJB87Teh-2F1O0kMt6GPLKiVHe1WNLhrxaBeV3lED19VSxSXd3rmZG5-2BtNQmbiw4z1-2FG1MK7rHYQedGjS-2FjQonL-2BvzPO9q-2BmmYck-3D"><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Tom's Hardware</span></em></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2BuUljaOyeo04taeab3VJ-2FoZJSx6sFhDDDwZdpxYk0hqpbMvo5-2Fil4Rfdt1w76FnxHDQaw\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjKflSaRYVooSeTA1FVThGjPTDFJKqGo6WZSzd0ApP-2BLqIdfiydkF-2F2lEiw89cU8NJ6l8g3o3eyDlcds473SS8dVTyAmpadVP9wtXTyov44FssAYzjpatBLi-2B5tmMFhJ0FnkbjBzVTxz4x9RMXc5TusCtKVodpQWhzeJqnUYfSycsQl1g3l1sVYY3zi7yGzUPORLCPkQcE5kNW82bULQN0xg-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Texas Data Centers Suffer Brutal Collision With Reality. </span></a><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2BuUljaOyeo04taeab3VJ-2FoZJSx6sFhDDDwZdpxYk0hqpbMvo5-2Fil4Rfdt1w76FnxHB3Ok\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjGf0241LqYNq-2FOXdKijODvhWy5voyvhhCB2PyL-2FVBnC8GJH5j9zNbmnsqr0vZT3Zvv2fZv-2BNel1Y82nzCzeZoUF86hLaI-2Bb9sl09Z54ZTBeLTBHUWsWLL2relyVlWfIU4-2FtiDoj0KJ4zzVspQMb-2FFYx0Y2dCivdlq01Nak8MOCvG94oouo1nCEZSntZ-2FzS-2BVlbRkeMS87B-2FdoRToMcYXoVQ-3D"><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Futurism</span></em></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Applying the News Story </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Use this lesson to discuss how our faith can guide our decisions and actions about how we acquire and manage resources.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">The Big Questions</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">1. How can we negotiate fair agreements when different parties have competing interests?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">2. What gives people the courage to stand up and speak up for what they believe is right, when a scary predatory figure makes it seem like giving in is the only option? How did David have the courage to face Goliath?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">3. What helpful guidance might the church offer community members facing decisions about the possibility of adding new data centers in the area? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">4. What biblical stories or principles regarding resource acquisition and management come to mind?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">5. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">How could you use the Bible as a religious data center to give you energy, purpose and insight for living the life to which Christ calls us?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope<br/></span></strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Deuteronomy 5:19, 21<br/></span></u></strong><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">[Moses said, "The LORD said,] 'Neither shall you steal. ... Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'" </span></em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(For context, read </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzx8vT-2B4JcJ5j8RqGNYnps4kgjzOFZ1Zd55oixWFsqLWK8WLeaC3ALw1WeFtWlU3YRvFQzF\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCkhJfCTLoTyiuS5kgn-2FfFbQ8JLi8k-2Ff1na-2BXPZE33zK6qMh2vrIxsXz8868Kye-2BBD7jRYYWXynRBpN7XtFuuAC9az5Aujbop-2BgRWbAmYxCL8-2BF8yV-2F-2FmvxlZiioTgA-2FgN5IPf8eWswVv-2F3BLBIoXxELSMWvxjnOcz9YFyY3HOkt5Pw7fHoRZOIjxFnd2vuvAsqsSL5ywLEClagmM3WARwI-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Deuteronomy 5:1-21</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">.)<em> </em></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Included in the Ten Commandments are these directives. Later, another command specifies: "You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, set up by former generations, on the property that will be allotted to you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess" (Deuteronomy 19:14).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">In </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxfg8cQo5t8kKCb0xyK-2Be5Cu-2F50Ug1dRLBMDt4X02yJ6dEvBQhg3wA2I8h1MAZClR2GADY\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjBGELMsJs8wMYtCLrwo9vRgllHmYH1cHQgHxNR9poUs1TZbOzfDlG3C80KZtH9iq3Yq9S194idJ-2FObURPM5rrs1w-2FTaMFlI-2BMrzVMUGc5SLj5p3itDDnioY1NIxSftHnIRRzWbMYd7T5Sif6fygzOFQ3F5C6fWqM5vXh4dciDOgtJgjzd-2F6OaNLYv4HH5Gp7t8RWoyIyn-2FMbo6zf7x-2F9CGY-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">1 Kings 21</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">, we learn how King Ahab resorted to murder to steal a neighbor's land which he coveted. In his mind, he was entitled to take whatever he desired in the kingdom, by force if he couldn't acquire it through coaxing or enticements. His wife Jezebel promoted the idea that "might makes right," popularized in other eras under different labels, such as "manifest destiny," "eminent domain" and "survival of the fittest."</span></p> <blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Questions:</span></strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;"> Why were the Hebrews commanded not to move a neighbor's ancient property line? What are the consequences of disobeying these commandments? How does wanting something that belongs to another escalate to stealing it? How do you guard against covetousness? </span></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Genesis 26:19-22, 25<br/></span></u></strong><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, the herders of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herders, saying, "The water is ours." So he called the well Esek, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also, so he called it Sitnah. He moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it, so he called it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land." ... So he built an altar there [in Beer-sheba], called on the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well. </span></em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">(For context, read </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxdxvwvUIbrGNsYJ-2B9LkHJNWAurDozZpKwVJrH4LS7NcMksOAwNA2pB-2B0d9QuFFKIOjPqS\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjAn9Y5zsKqQm7Gr2dpVLF-2F2YOuHSozcSj6-2F-2F31rfugMuMUtcmYM1dxDgTUf3i0wA366hcJs9kCl-2BSDNpQ91xRTwsFX3YsQ1WYWwRiGXgfCU3JqY514A5DySZlKDsk0TzGfSlQrcE2GKpLhRBPX3bShRDbMKPyOEU6dzEycL8-2FFmfm6TLf7qFmlXSPpXh6A-2BGlhO-2FYugGek2yvBJpzR1ts2o-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Genesis 26:15-33</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Competition for resources of land and water is nothing new. Abraham and his nephew Lot both had so many flocks, herds and tents, that "</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">the land could not support both of them living together because their possessions were so great that they could not live together"<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;"> (</span></span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxdxvwvUIbrGNsYJ-2B9LkHJNXmH8XmXREFf2mlQqJvLGiwFx0jReuaDNGU78dSRWO-2F5JF8n\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjOKAZ6H33tkhYuZvVn2ZKJCGaBs4UHA-2FhT7CGSRyR2-2FGGNQBC-2FLz8b-2BF0lEwh-2B72V4v5zVz9cRQ4s7ardKxbcdTWb-2BP7XLHJoQmILRJbjcK4a2KLdpr6rqcOt1OC3i6KikQr9540GbuFW6BlPV1-2BDAyWyzTFhiMPFL-2BRbjY-2FCyxTtJvxefNVvP-2BO3mmhWBWOkPgKbh1rtF9raIOlE5AfeWs-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Genesis 13:5-12</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">). To avoid strife between their workers, they decided to separate.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">After Abraham dug a well in Beer-sheba, the servants of Abimelech, King of Gerar in Philistia, seized it, without his knowledge (</span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxdxvwvUIbrGNsYJ-2B9LkHJNcxwAt-2BMgQsvZ7EqFmhq7qtWU4CtVLVPluFxAgqkCG6e3e3-\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjFll6Y9nZfaMIrjkZNEqkNiIhmuCfK3BgiZpYrtoTMMDZw5-2FuGHcyehuRdWUahPYUfL54YorsFlR5RUuIcYwVXQiyPdNzLk96C6a93yk1ObzJAQLZVeZbLvWdCrXLAeiVHqAVvdPnE7JdGO9OHrYSYg53ghCKT6CrxnRsqBGtNSPp73w7ccgWXVg5BnzUg9AewbB3u3bF2gDwifYgpvwTs4-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Genesis 21:25-31</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">). Abraham complained to Abimelech, who acknowledged that Abraham was in the right. They left on good terms with each other.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">But the thirst for water in a dry land persisted. Abimelech asked Abraham's son Isaac to leave the area, because the land couldn't support them all. Isaac faced repeated attempts on the part of the Philistines to stop up the wells Abraham had dug (vv. 15-18) and appropriate wells Isaac dug to provide water for his family and his animals (vv. 19-21). The herders of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herders, arguing that the water belonged to them. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Isaac kept moving until he found a place the herders of Gerar didn't seem to want, where he dug a well over which they didn't quarrel. Finally, he felt at peace. He testified that God had made room for them and provided for their needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></p> <blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Questions: </span></strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">What happens when people are pushed out of so many places so often, until there are no more safe places left to go? Does there come a time when it's not possible to keep pulling up stakes and moving on? When the only option seems to be to stay and fight? Does God always "make room" for God's people? How do we keep hoping and trusting in God when it seems like we may never find a place to call home?</span></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">John 12:4-6<br/></span></u></strong><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)</span></em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> (For context, read </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxWzCM7rK3UCEzv-2BibnX7LZQOwczIz6hzj7K1WDLLS2osARVg5u9I3utjAQA-2FG-2F9Sci74d\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCsmkXyfmkfLhibzkIj9c0DGyjqbiA4-2BmxyPWTqfh3HIy-2FnqdbTTkh4iZ-2FPVRTrB6j7QTYen4dd22rD8C5xldTG9QV-2FVw-2BgWsNcOfuZggaS66ZBGD65MzYJshWzo0STN1DZPyLEPKY-2FCTZT0-2BMXjd-2FkE1Sy5DgMib88ojNDk-2BsD-2BFm9vdhesrIhfy61Lfwx2KxFYY0VlY9xz1phHpt6QZ4o-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">John 12:1-8</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Shortly after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus came to Bethany, where they threw a dinner in his honor. Mary, no doubt full of gratitude that her brother Lazarus had been restored to them, anointed Jesus' feet with an expensive ointment, and wiped them with her hair. Judas Iscariot criticized her for her action.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">It's tempting to dismiss Judas as a two-dimensional figure, consumed by greed and selfishness. But what if there is more to his backstory? While nothing could justify his betrayal of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, we really don't know what prompted him to act the way he did. Was it simply a love of money? Or might he have had hungry children and a sick wife at home, a pile of bills he couldn't pay, loan sharks breathing down his neck, or any number of other overwhelming challenges?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">While the farmer in the news article did not feel compelled to sell her property to a big tech company, she said she felt for neighbors who didn't have the security she had.</span></p> <blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Questions: </span></strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What would it take to convince you to give up something or someone you loved dearly, even at the cost of betraying your own ethical standards or beliefs? Would you be willing to do something abhorrent in order to save a loved one's life, for example?<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;"> What "30 pieces of silver" might persuade you to betray Jesus?</span></span></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Hebrews 13:5-6, 8<br/></span></u></strong><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" ... Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. </span></em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(For context, read </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxfhOLPuUklFplPPD2VWbSPEba0whOpEBHuE5N-2Bq0j3Qa95NBV0PhoFG1-2BXUuP8zNu\_Xaj\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjJETFQQKRCt-2Fh3iy6uBRIM3f8T65t6sB9zhK5rrEYxmS0pCuGmzyHKuszxLIE3T-2B4dwCzm2LVUnPQhoJ7UuaHKRJnsKCpsX4F7XH-2BUcFfiA-2FfpkGzOGUsggubKjk8fQ6ThGJGWlsi-2BJTm5UXdBT22hxKbC2RNCDFHJlKVSDrS-2FEHu8aWWEbWKcXT0GNo0OKZe2elRKOXEhlpQJpq-2F3ELR5g-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Hebrews 13:1-8</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">.) </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">At a time when the world seems to be spinning so fast, it makes our head spin, with crisis after crisis, new technology that appears to be outpacing our ability to comprehend and properly manage it, it wouldn't be surprising that many look for quick and easy fixes: More money! A strong leader to solve all our problems! A secure place in society! Tenure! A partner who won't let us down! But our faith offers us the changeless Jesus Christ, and him alone.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Paul wrote, "I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (</span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxzNGX396sVFOaUcnbldjl-2BCtWfRxQBGxrAWWG2fGlDMRTGhkvm-2Fz8o7powZD4qiIs2\_ZF\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjMSmseOKzNpDBoDyeux1WDxFUfcwbt1Ew0axC5XRuOAS3SLST4BoIKz7CMh9KMw-2FjG7O22CtQfiydSq-2BprPSaveQugPOu76JIe-2FG71nbm-2F8TJxnf9n24gwQQjj4ZGdztKMC9i4XZPCPbllWC2FYZ0H43sdqlbUmWJZ-2BQFt7iioWnJGJXMnWfDPhaJjeQubVbLVkqzQj9tqa0lyh8Fs8pikI-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Philippians 4:11-13</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">). </span></p> <blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Questions: </span></strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">What is the secret to being content in any and all circumstances? Where do we find confidence and courage in all things?</span></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">For Further Discussion</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">1. Discuss this: </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">According to </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPCd3Up9fU37SvtB3IfEcqzRWYR-2F-2FhiUuMouhkWwYgrbi2NT86DX4nYcUQo-2Bpx2JxeVmZnEZ-2B9Az5TLNVgp2Wm-2BQtdJbKEnkp3Lm5YeTc2Fz-2FS8lH4v9YFo1pRLsdXLcQCw-3D-3DGfcv\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjCAOSDzZAdYPoKuREi8pPDNiti4EM6CbDtD7L3BXBmHlAqGC70q-2BsqEECPa7Aoq7u1NRaW9F-2FQxjeqVf2hT-2FpIo5dwVlp-2FA7-2FLLnTWvTpuCqqTxYiUC-2FqPgiZsADbXlYsSfiYd7L4BoaHVMWQGMJxRPPwZGA7LnZbmE9OZOHyaW1tFeoPQCnK1zQOG5K-2Bxi-2FT7iI-2FvP-2FPoV4fKQjLV6m8vw-3D"><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">Forbes</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">,</span></em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> "tech giants ... are quietly sparking the most resource-intensive industrial land grab of the post-war era. ... Reconciling the insatiable appetite of AI with the physical limits of our power grids and water basins requires a hard shift from unchecked expansion to strict resource accountability. If the tech industry wants to claim the future, it must pay the true cost of its physical footprint today. ...</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span>"Every megawatt a data center pulls off a constrained grid is a megawatt not available to a new factory, a new housing development, or a hospital expansion. We cannot protect the American economy by letting one sector cannibalize the power grid at the expense of domestic manufacturing, housing, and commercial development. We must face the structural macroeconomic tradeoffs of this resource competition."</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">2. Many people who sing Woody Guthrie's classic, </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPLa00hR0P47n6MpDegAHB-2Bzgb52CT0KW2SAFvqNB3wiLg7-2F-2FbSzWnhdaAPfpXtLUbg-3D-3DdHrA\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjB6HyBhNRHEgLm6eNJ3NyCV-2Bbg0ExC4PjiDCZYpC32rHeJuJWXHRQtSvWe2bjUCkLyLCFCshzSOZPXi6f8nTfOZhQrtMCihAiPOtNxHmnsNlcTF4DQX5oqpfvHmJhQH7UKamzh4wuXPnQeYE1XUB6fRl9SHcEZmecMere1mSkxpGVm1N5gwFP5cGgIpNCk2tmYJh-2FSH2hR5kf8tqFJZXzG0-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc;">"This Land Is Your Land,"</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> have never actually heard all the lyrics the singer wrote. It sounds like a happy song celebrating the idea that we own the land, until you dig deeper. Guthrie actually questioned that concept. Compare his sentiments with this assertion from Antônio Bispo dos Santos: "The land did not belong to us; we belonged to the land. We did not say 'this land is mine'; we said 'we are this land.'" What is the difference between the idea that we own land or that land belongs to us, and the idea that the land owns us or that we belong to the land?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">3. Each generation may value their own ways and hope the next one follows in their footsteps, but often there are transitions to something different. How do families and churches manage "hand-off" of the old ways?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Responding to the News</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Here's </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIKH0aP8wGEF4ljhXMWd-2BfI6GLtGjg0zkpv7xqForJN-2B535ZsDt7dex5AxC0bQAd1ApdFxFsnFrPrUBDznqWyBNaT5S-2FQ-2Fa3jhu4K4gxFXFWDKTbpHmZjPSYLJU8U58Ejg-3D-3DZs\_O\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjNf1KIC2rOirHTr9T0P1g-2BaCY0Yzl1QyNY6Yb5TQczOzczKBRVYIidjtVqbKZ3ca2-2FrCzasuBlpFYTunMRPL9R4G7BWoEMj-2Fq5kiPeuz5V8oqG4mRZItAB8wLO7TxpbXmUlnqb4665S9PHNdzNC-2BGJBWRh8h-2BpN7sWNB0B0gRZKuofWs6Nqo4-2BmeBYMkf-2FHrlh3h9WfSH58kRQUzACWIYac-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">an article</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;"> about how communities in one state are working to mitigate negative consequences and maximize benefits of building data centers in their region. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Prayer </span></strong><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Suggested by </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxT-2BiCkaOHe-2BRXIb0HX8dfQWs9jm-2FjOTMyG3Qs3dAFgoGo2ILNd8-2BA2Pvt7e4s-2FP-2BJ37RG\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjNhACJuAv5ImkgZYl1pT8sFsOGSPfYWA4bKZX-2Fy0j-2FKL6jYym7-2F8qi1JhauFCHF02mLVqf7ZuPfx0Qe7Mwj4cLbd42AJphiyvLsBfVZG-2BRQdtiUwdfxOsQSDBAI78xKa4eUKUjq42M-2FFk0QrTI40CkEKZKnmVLaWJbFQirThHe7TBJ3CPxH9Ns4qMc6dEayfaMd7a-2FVZDipAYyG2ddl2Qjk-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Psalm 27:1, 14</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">; </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxyE6EDi1TZabubAPw5afH1WT-2FTCeLsky5w7bf5W2Dl-2FavSptG2yQLjB2OwtdAVPiz\_fx1\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjHMWlM7Ru8B7nC8H2yVMoBx6n2ZsvPY6ADW1SjqujE5LCXxXQeKlKTKYtQXq9rUIOw8cJXFPya6aIrm5mytGWI1vEnAry-2B41QxaS5-2BA-2FjNrzKk4cb3Lmjn3Rm3GIpC9izLvbKDchBFLAvC8NuhmjVfDg1VnxWUbYYfsZf9ZXsvmDPyTfQWO-2ByvKZfh3P-2BvQeMp98-2Fsh85FyGDffqlK2YrmU-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Psalm 56:3-4</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">; </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxlvjJW5fipliacJeM-2BZO3ImN3pB6ExP1czjaxNVBqhzAkePkt3L9jLYBDcEkzy76VSBg2\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjMIQ-2F9K2wVOTjke-2F07Rj3PGXVYkSejkDbRHSKEEf00pQHIUjxG3GsA7iRSkUfd9Xzj3M8yxYCw4WZ5-2B5VVFGKFWVC4d0E94aZl5z4cqI1wD28DdN8Pn84eZlBPeH0awkWNdezXe9drm1iqPEQCEYwIuiY0YSW09FhrNGfn9wtFCZCd3-2BLPbfzYvLSibB52SGZAVm0gPMpljYj9xTTOg48cM-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">2 Samuel 10:12</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">; </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxCoWZoCj-2ByEHJoxvCznhwxtd8WmKYuwdaVnbeVY-2FHBiedF3cz9ROEHtI4FnrVC0h8E8XC\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjBjGBEkbZ-2Fjfg2nG5fK0VW9ui4KAjzkfu9c0vr-2BsCink1rm5idsTF-2B4OepWQMxu-2BalBvLpBJR9l7mTajCXVnmNm3xCiJmNwkcJAt9YdiNNTEAYk-2BAvhbs-2F41RoD9re5V-2FESa29-2B9ol-2BY0xt2cbyuafo2lHx3zQLdjQhkGzWZ28-2BurLd3f1f2LklikJSuV3KKA6Q2vo4NlzZ7GprUOrw-2FxUw-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Daniel 10:19</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">; </span><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPIPMr3QdAndcnhgARhLxPRBMJBYCTolkbvW-2F0TosyGzxgb98dt-2BAwcnX5I0t2fHJjNKrN-2B40OYGoIefjSDcSOugP5Js35kiLfkhC-2BVjyFBGORHj\_\_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmQeZUDn4-2BksRbgcPmSH8YQOTJjssSC-2Bh-2Fys8KvgzAUPc4fqKapf0a0F1fA-2BK53N-2FjELzrKL49cSVDU8XaLbGgQEkdhrAbiX3gw6tj1E952bmlBfWSBsQ3ezp-2BTqqy-2BuKFK7Kgf5yYzlkHHagFb7DDTkuwy0glG7YVYHxxmBEffRm4T08lx2dQKy6leu4fHiRrxs17eUtzPerqR-2FeObLg2HGTjSIzJTRu8ZaB8c79gGaZYhgDqyVSgz-2BKD4Z4KCos0WwhP2XYe3y1Zkq0KZ6ZXW8-3D"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #1155cc; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">1 John 4:4</span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10.0pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; background: white; mso-highlight: white;">O God, strengthen us and give us courage, as we wait on you. We will not fear, for we trust in you. Amen.</span></p> <p align="center"><span style="font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: medium;"><strong><strong>Copyright 2026 Communication Resources</strong></strong></span></p> <br/><br/><p style="font-size: 11px;"><a href="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/asm/unsubscribe/?user\_id=14323725&amp;data=dwP-8grO3SDnegfZCUAyFPSi2ayWuaPYJE576XDi1l9oMDAwdTAwMHmnQTVg\_6kuHNGeBGANAXF7Bp01hg7CnIDYogA3uxXlUWg\_oKTmKSI38Tkg5aBkjX557gkuq\_Pc7P6q0YeicyNoEyVLX0LcyYbERVqAWW2JBdUtqCGrDiZgG9FSbsfzmodm850Dn7YlzwTAa-z3LmOIfop7PmwEIBohHYa3pvPXbxZkppRD8StCn4Yhk5mfp3HxQdWzgT0oIGEuYxFuePN56VBvk3nkYQhHO69zyb4QyK5F79IiwecKO3pi1XKPcNC51W7Y5GMqR6PkkGeIZZgGSHLSwu4cMmmTz1KyKpu12Cv2ljde5yezYwPfZrgCLRyGyhHkGiZWvr4PoWKbWQSFihL--qrxf6nX-bonaBOQkaUFFae8PHWFz8zWAFKypARvY7IG-IzzU9I1BjpZYbOgkUZ-Ju6y-4U3cQ0O5PpGtY0d5CxYspz0JBaO3-qXqE6DSb3dZ9FtfOUDZ-SvJZz2bBOKazOMAUKFhSCk6qiQPs9Oul8nKcQfAKfHyGmJOzEK2BuYcKCmJS1yS-9\_whcIHb4RK2TOVQ0sqrpZE82rJCHNccA34GJhvzXzfFn3L1o17YPRMj5OTcVwqa1gwIc=">Unsubscribe From This List</a></p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/wf/open?upn=u001.ri3TO7QGEXgsxcVdo6-2BoAGTuuWiDEfH5lVjP7AVQ-2Bcl7JaDKdeJ1ydQkXpTFAEqRD2SOncm40jgMuVls37ZLseTP-2Bc5kaLjFJf1Q3kw4FZdt1YoCkYWvLa1l-2BT-2F-2F8yIUiLbFHrmn64p2Xwmffzl3edR6Ty8TRKnThBIufHec6MYr94WZQxWVvMWvfNqNZdVSm2JpSP2sJuJ7h3Z8Ne0G7iB8ztbSXFqtudM13Fs4eb6AqHqNLTAx-2FkOcw6XLRURls-2Fcy26tY2CcZxrJ01T-2F4GX3IT9a6LDbAQmSYVrl6Vq6Nefhy3571FdZ09j-2BpA-2BvlCvUzyHtx82fNcuocidmiuu6nMnwCPe4es9Ac4brZWegjNq2k7MSZpUr5SSMb51TthFamO8Ulp8nr6Sx3Y5FzlFVTyR5xFL-2F-2BbuADJ0UNfq7ro-2B-2FPbjeOAgem9fH5o0-2BwupKn-2BUTsBehwZNaJvX7OO7QLBBUgj48qmgStySqaZt4-3D" style="height:1px !important;width:1px !important;border-width:0 !important;margin-top:0 !important;margin-bottom:0 !important;margin-right:0 !important;margin-left:0 !important;padding-top:0 !important;padding-bottom:0 !important;padding-right:0 !important;padding-left:0 !important;" width="1"/> </div>, The Wired Word for 8/23/2026, The Wired Word, 01m0fv0nc32t14k46rx8k9tdj6.