This story continues to be on loop. While the two major U.S. political parties have divergent priorities, including on matters of spending, shutdown politics has become ubiquitous across all versions of partisan control. In every variant of partisan control, Congress and the White House have been unable to fund the government under anything close to regular order.

The result is perpetual government shutdown watch. We have said it before—when one deal is reached to avoid a shutdown, it is really just setting the date on which you can expect the next shutdown threat.

So how should you as a Jesus follower—knowing the facts above—interact with a story like this?

The policies and actions of the U.S. military carry enormous consequence. As the world’s most powerful and sophisticated fighting force, the actions—and even the posture—of the department responsible for overseeing that force are of immense importance.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, upheld a Tennessee law that bans puberty blockers and hormones from being administered to minors for the purpose of transitioning to the opposite sex. Twenty-seven states have similar laws on the books, and the Supreme Court’s ruling mostly ensures those laws will remain in effect.