Read Time: 5 min 13 sec | Reading Level: 7th Grade

Saturday night, an armed man tried to break through security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. President Trump and First Lady Melania were attending for the first time since Trump took office. 

The suspect was a 31-year-old man who traveled cross-country by train and was staying at the hotel where the dinner was being held. He ran past security, fired several shots in the lobby, and hit one Secret Service agent in his bulletproof vest. Officers tackled and arrested the man before he made it into the event. 

Dinner guests hid under tables while agents rushed the president, first lady, vice president, and other officials to safety. No one else was injured, and the agent who was struck was treated and released from the hospital. 

The suspect is refusing to answer questions, but investigators found emails to his family. He signed them “Friendly Federal Assassin” and said he wanted to hurt government officials. The man now faces three criminal charges, including attempting to assassinate the president. (This is the third time in two years someone has tried to kill President Trump.) The man could spend life in prison if he's found guilty.

The annual dinner celebrates freedom of the press and helps fund journalism scholarships. President Trump asked for it to be rescheduled within 30 days—this time with better security.

CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Christians can mourn with victims of attacks and pray for our enemies because we have hope, even though there is violence in the world. Jesus, the Servant of God, did no violence. Even still, He took on our sins and pain so we get to live in the peaceful presence of the Lord forever.

“Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.”  
Isaiah 53:4-5 (CSB) (read full passage)

What gospel lesson can be taught through this story?

It’s right to dwell on Jesus’s salvation of our personal sin and darkness. But the good news of the gospel is even bigger: God is cleansing the whole world of its darkness and evil. 

Moments of brazen darkness can prompt our hearts to long for the day when God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more… ‘Look, I am making everything new’” (Revelation 21:4-5 CSB).

What a gift that God saves us personally! And what a joy to the world that His salvation will ultimately flow “far as the curse is found.”

What response to this story do I want to model for my children?

Allegiance to Jesus first. 

If you are someone who doesn’t support President Trump, expressing sympathy for the threat on his life could speak volumes—that your allegiance is to Jesus’s words to ‘love your enemy’ over tribal politics (Matthew 5:43-48). 

If you are someone who generally supports President Trump, directing your emotion into lament (Psalm 13) rather than judgment on the “other side” could speak volumes—that you’re more interested in God’s Kingdom overcoming evil than one political party overcoming another.

Gen Z Word of the Week: Who needs looksmaxxing? Enjoy this sunny spring weather and start outsidemaxxing.

Family Fun: Get the whole family in on the outsidemaxxing with these creative ideas for leveling up your next nature walk.

Whipped Cream on Top: Breaking news: She just discovered her tail.

From Persecutor to Persecuted
Before he was the apostle who planted churches across the Roman world, Paul was the man dragging Christians out of their homes and throwing them in prison. But his encounter with the risen Christ transformed his life and changed everything, even eventually costing him his life.

Paul’s conversion is one of the most dramatic in church history, and it reflects the experience of believers around the world today. 

Read his story in a new way in Paul: God’s Courageous Apostle, a free illustrated children’s book that brings his vivid journey to life for the whole family. 

Request your free copy!

What We’re Reading
TransFormed*

What happens when questions about gender identity collide with faith? 

In TransFormed, Kyla Gillespie shares her journey through gender confusion, reassignment surgery, and detransitioning back to her God-given gender—all while wrestling with questions many quietly ask: Does God make mistakes? What does He expect from me? Does His design matter? 

After years of struggle, Kyla testifies that through God’s Word and a faithful church community, she was transformed—heart, mind, body, and identity. Now, she points others to a Redeemer who’s big enough, good enough, and wise enough to lead them home. 

If this topic is near to your heart or family, grab your copy of TransFormed today.

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