You’re Fired
Competing forces will contend for the place of authority in your life. You cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). Romans 13 encourages you to subject yourself to the authorities of this world, but to do so mindful of Who has the ultimate authority. Our guiding passage as The Equipped community, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, reminds us it is the authority of scripture that holds highest priority in our life. It is that authority to which we ultimately and resolutely yield.
Pipe Bomb Suspect Arrested
Is there something long unresolved you need to be free of? Your God is slow to anger (Ps. 103:8) and ready to forgive (Ps. 86:5). Don’t carry it any longer.
Create a Category
What categories are you creating in that powerful God-fashioned brain of yours? What things are your Reticular Activating System learning to flag and highlight for you? In addition to Kia Souls, Costco plaids, and John Deere mowers, are you meditating on things that feed your soul or rob your joy?
Double Tap Strike
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Two are better than one. Who are you supporting? Who are you able to lean on? Independence is held up as a virtue, but as Jesus followers we are clearly instructed to be accountable to each other.
Leading Change
Change is an inevitable part of life and creation. God knit together an incredible creation that can adapt and grow throughout its life. It is amazing to see it in action. We don’t have to be afraid of change, but we should have an idea about how to handle it well.
National Guard Shooting in D.C.
Two innocent young people serving their country were tragically gunned down. That is the reality of this story. There are many competing narratives aimed at pointing blame in one direction or another, but the most important point for The Equipped community is to acknowledge those who have been harmed and are grieving, and to look for ways to come to their aid.
Send over End
We want to accomplish a solution for suffering when God’s plan all along has been to send His power through us into that suffering.
To be candid, at first blush this sounds like an awful trade! Who in their right mind would want to shift from aiming at solutions to aiming at association with the problem? On a human plane, this is a laughable proposition.
But when Jesus chose to associate with our sin and suffering, it proved to be the very mechanism by which our redemption was secured, and we are called to follow His example!
Illegal Orders and Sedition
As for you as a Jesus follower, there will be every temptation to take a default position in favor of whichever political official you are more naturally inclined. Instead, proactively decide to walk out Proverbs 18:17. As always, remember to aim for flourishing and ask yourself how to personally achieve an impact toward that end.
Can a Mother Take Her Child to Church?
The United States Supreme Court has clearly and unmistakably established parents’ right to freely exercise their religion, including the right to “direct the religious upbringing of their children.” Nonetheless, a Maine district court has issued a custody order prohibiting a mother from taking her daughter to church. In December 2024, the court prohibited Emily Bickford, the parent with primary custody, from bringing her daughter, Ava, to Calvary Chapel in Westbrook, Maine.
The Difficult Realities of Marriage: Part 8
Looking inwardly before blaming outwardly is vital. Are you holding a grudge over a past issue, or disagreement? Are you trying to make your spouse an “idealized” version that is impossible to attain? Are you making your spouse responsible for your own joy, satisfaction, and comfort? Above all other things, love each other well. The model for your love is Christ Himself and His self-sacrifice on the cross.
Face to Face
We as Jesus followers should strive for civility and endeavor to love our enemies as ourselves (Matt. 5:44). It is easy to interpret that command as an admonition to avoid disagreement, but in fact we are called to embrace the refining process of weighing various perspectives (Pr. 18:17, Pr. 27:17, Pr. 11:14). Taken together, those three passages encourage us to hear both sides, to onboard a variety of counsel, and then to submit to the refining input of others.
Mass Abduction at Nigerian School
The recent spate of attacks on churches and schools in Nigeria continued on Friday when 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted from a Catholic school. Fifty of the 303 managed to escape over the weekend but the remainder are still in captivity. The attacks are the latest in a long string of violence carried out on religious minorities—particularly Christians—in Nigeria. Two people were killed and 38 briefly kidnapped at a church on Tuesday in what has been a sustained targeting of churches.
Exploding Slippers
It is a wonderful thing to be used by God! In fact, it is the only way to truly live! But if you dash out into that hostile mission field with your spiritual slippers on, your readiness is going to explode out from underneath you. Your mad dash will end with a crash to the ground!
A Christian Response to the Rise of Groyperism
Apparently, those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it, and those who understand history are doomed to watch others repeat it. Mistake after mistake, humans lumber on as they fall prey to forgetfulness that reflects the absence of direct contact with previous generations.
The Difficult Realities of Marriage: Part 7
The issue of in-laws isn’t one limited specifically to the parents of your spouse, but the entire family. There is the possibility of grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, and more. At marriage, two people leave their families to unite into one family. But, in a way, two different families also unite to become one as well. And that makes all sorts of room for friction.
What I Learned This Week: When Someone Else’s Success Bothers You
What if instead of critiquing from a distance, I led with curiosity? What if I assumed the best? What if I looked for what God was doing in them instead of immediately measuring it against myself?
Because when I lead with curiosity, I almost always find something worth celebrating. I discover a part of the body of Christ I needed but didn’t know I was missing. I see a different gift, a new perspective, or a unique approach that expands my own understanding.
Two Typhoons
The Philippines was struck by not one but two typhoons in recent days. Last week, Typhoon Kalmaegi killed more than 230 people in the country before also claiming at least five lives in Vietnam. On Monday, Typhoon Fung-wong killed at least 18 in the Philippines and now threatens Taiwan. Both storms contained intense wind, torrential rain, and widespread flooding. More than a million people are displaced, and many of them are facing a prolonged rebuild or permanent relocation.
UPS Plane Crash
Tragedy strikes in a moment. It is a reality of life on Earth and a clear reminder to set your eyes on that which is eternal. Just as certain as the fragility of earthly life is the certainty of eternal heavenly life. By setting your eyes and your focus on the latter, you will dramatically improve both your peace and your effectiveness in the former.
Easily Found
The question for you this week is this: Are you where you are supposed to be, and doing what you are supposed to be doing?
The task at hand might feel small. It might even feel somewhat pointless in light of eternity. The truth is your current task may have more eternal value than you can fathom. In addition, it may also be precisely where Jesus expects to find you when it is time to call you to the next mission.
The Difficult Realities of Marriage: Part 6
It may feel like a married couple in love should never fight. That just isn’t reality. Disagreements are inevitable. The impact they have on your relationship is up to you both.