Meeting at Mar-a-Lago
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at Mar-a-Lago Monday and addressed the media in a joint press conference. Much of the discussion centered on President Trump’s insistence that Hamas and Israel begin implementing Phase Two of the recently agreed-to peace plan. Phase One centered on a ceasefire and hostage releases but Phase Two is slated to include the disarmament of Hamas alongside Israel’s withdraw from Gaza. As has long been the case for the Middle East, these deliberations raise additional considerations, including the posture of both Iran and Syria.
Christmas Eve Strike in Venezuela
The U.S. operations against alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers ramped up on Christmas Eve, according to U.S. President Donald Trump, who indicated that for the first time the U.S. strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers moved from offshore targeting of boats to an onshore facility believed to be an “implementation area.”
Putting Infants to Death
Now, Canada is poised to follow Nazi Germany’s disturbing example by killing itself on a road marked with eugenics and alleged human progress. As highlighted in an Atlantic magazine article this past September, the Quebec College of Physicians has raised the idea of extending Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program to cover infants under one year old in cases of “severe deformities.”
As we know, once the barrier of killing the innocents is breached, there is no upper limit on the willingness of experts to end suffering, advance efficiency, and embrace despotism.
Fraud in Minnesota
Those who are ultimately found to be responsible for any proven fraud should be held to account, regardless of political affiliation.
What about your life and mine? How squeaky clean are our personal and business practices? If held up to the light, would they pass scriptural muster? They should, but human nature is such that they only will if we subject ourselves to the scrutiny of transparency. Matt 10:26-27 reminds us that all which is concealed will be made known and encourages us to proclaim in the daylight what God has instructed in the secret place.
Document Dump
One thing is clear and it is consistent with the track record of human history: The human heart is desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). It is easy to exclaim shock and acknowledge these crimes as horrific—and they are—but the inclination toward an evil like this runs naturally through your human heart and mine. But by the grace of God go you and I.
Precious Metals Soaring
As a Jesus follower, your posture toward money, wealth, and material possessions is one of the most important factors in your aim for a vibrant walk with Jesus. That statement might seem a little jarring, but God’s Word repeatedly returns to money matters to determine the health of your heart.
You’re Pardoned
You and I should be devoted to a merit-based application of justice that holds the guilty accountable (Is. 1:17) and avoids partiality (Deut. 10:17). We should personally abide by these precepts, and we should expect the same of our elected leaders.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Now I Know
I invite you to consider today: Are you already living a miracle? Look around. Does your life already speak of the One who created you and sustains you? Does it already testify to miracle upon miracle and in fact point to an assurance of power capable of delivering on that one miracle for which you are holding out?
If you stop and do an honest assessment, I think you will find the honest answer is yes.
Major Question on Foreign Affairs
If the Court finds that a president has sweeping authority on tariffs, you should go and make disciples.
If the Court finds that Congress must specifically speak before tariffs are deployed, you should go and make disciples!
Deal to Open
The U.S. government is poised to re-open after the longest shutdown in U.S. history. An end to the prolonged closure is in sight after eight U.S. Senators who caucus with Democrats (seven Democrats and one independent) voted with all but one Senate Republican to approve a bill that extends all government funding through January 30, 2026 and funds a handful of agencies (veterans’ affairs, military construction, legislative branch, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture) through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2026.