Tarmac Tragedy
This story reminds us that life is but a vapor, here in one moment and gone in the next (Jam. 4:14). The impact of this reality depends on the posture of your spirit.
Let's Just Skip This One
I do not like to be rebuked. I never have (you can ask my mother) and I probably never will (you can ask my wife). But I desperately need to be rebuked! Why? Because sometimes I am running headlong toward the cliff!
What I Learned This Week: When Leadership Stops at the Front Door
What if you brought the same level of thoughtfulness, care, and intentionality to your family that you bring to your work — and saw what kind of growth and connection might follow?
Teaching
You can be thoroughly equipped for every good work!
That is the ultimate promise of 2 Tim. 3:16-17, the passage around which we gather each week here in the pages of The Equipped. Your world is a perilous place, and you need equipping to interact with it in a way that is redemptive and points toward flourishing. You want to be—and you need to be—thoroughly equipped!
Chain Reactions in Iran
There are no easy answers in war, and the pursuit of peace on Earth has always been extremely perilous and elusive for mankind. Even so, you as a Jesus follower are to grieve with those who grieve (Rom. 12:15), pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-2), and be persistent in your pursuit of peace (Ps. 34:14).
The Madness Returns
You can’t walk through our house during March without seeing a bracket. But you know what? You can’t ever walk through it without seeing scripture!
Write His promises on your doorposts! Literally, do it! Post His Word and His promises as physical reminders for your day-to-day and moment-to-moment. It is one of the very best ways to stand on peace in a world of madness!
Running to the Next Red Light
Everybody seems to be in an awful hurry to wait some more. Stress, anxiety, and frustration rule the day. They don’t have to rule your day though. Look at these things and see how you can incorporate them into your daily routines. You just might find yourself getting more done than you thought you could.
Singularity
You can be equipped for every good work coming your way. The secret is in the teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training available in singular authority of God’s Word.
Can Veranda Ministries Overcome Statutory Limits and Expand Adult Respite Care in Tennessee?
Providing limited respite care service programs is essential for caregivers and elderly adults alike. Despite their unquestioned value to the community and to the state, highly valuable respite care service programs face several crippling challenges.
What I Learned This Week: When “My Decision” Became “Our Decision”
What if the next decision you’re facing isn’t meant to be made alone — and inviting others into the process is exactly what will create the buy-in you’ve been hoping for?
Razor Thin
This is yet another reason to intentionally decline to place any security in political outcomes. As we often remind ourselves, American citizens are blessed with the freedom to self-govern (Galatians 5 speaks of a Creator-endowed longing for freedom), and we should faithfully exercise that liberty. In doing so, however, we should be mindful to avoid the trap of believing that any government of men or any political power is a gatekeeper for that freedom. True freedom is found only in and through relationship with Jesus Christ, and as you revel in the blessings of engaging in a self-governing republic, you remain most secure when you anticipate the inevitability of an ebb and flow in partisan fortunes.
Through it all, the one true God is on the throne!
Once Again, California Endangers Parental Rights
We live in a divided country. As Mary Eberstadt observes, there are two propositions on which divided Americans can agree: (1) that we are more viciously divided than ever before and (2) that identity politics is among the most potent political forces of our time. She argues that the sexual revolution created identity politics.
A Quiet Exodus
People are leaving the church at an alarming rate. Quietly. Not with grandiose actions. Just the quiet patter of feet heading out the door. They leave because they can’t find the real Jesus in that church, or no one has ever done the work to show them what being “in Christ” really means. Is your church pushing a misplaced emphasis for spiritual growth? The mission is really about people, and not anything else.
Be of Good Courage
Your weariness is real, as are the challenges you will confront today. But the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go, so be of good courage!
What I Learned This Week: When “Trying” Becomes Permission
What if you gave yourself permission to try something — knowing you don’t have to sustain it forever — and discovered something life-giving you never would have found otherwise?
New Leader, Same Name
Iran has a new Supreme Leader, and it is the son of the late Supreme Leader. Fifty-six-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei, has never held a government position, but takes over the regime after his father was killed in airstrikes by Israel and the U.S. The younger Khamenei will be the country’s primary decision-maker as the conflict continues and will also decide whether to continue the hostile and antagonistic approach of his father or seek a more conciliatory posture with the world.
Broken
Jesus told us that it isn’t the healthy that need a doctor but the sick. Churches are filled with people that have learned, and been taught, to keep their broken areas to themselves. But the entire Gospel of Matthew is geared towards showing that Jesus sought after the broken. The despised. The “unclean.” The outcasts. That is who Matthew was. A tax collector. We still don’t really like the tax collectors. Matthew was cut off from everything in his Jewish faith. He was rejected. He was broken. But Jesus called him to follow. And he did. Time and again Jesus stopped to interact with the broken of society. They were special to Him. They should be special to us today.
Colorado Blocks Educational Choice: Will Courts Respond to Religious Discrimination?
Once again, religious observance and practice have been placed in doubt by state action. As a consequence, two plaintiffs have brought a lawsuit that could reshape American education. Led by the distinguished public interest law firm, First Liberty Institute, two plaintiffs, Riverstone Academy and Education ReEnvisioned BOCES (ERBOES), have challenged the Colorado State Board of Education and the Colorado Commissioner of Education.
New Secretary
How is the following for a direct and candid reminder?
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” (2 Tim. 2:23-24).
AI Spat at the Pentagon
The U.S. Department of War (DOW) has labeled the Artificial Intelligence company Anthropic as a “supply chain risk.” The announcement comes after the DOW tried to negotiate use of Anthropic’s technology but would not agree to Anthropic’s insistence the technology not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. The DOW was pushing for an “all lawful purposes” standard, and its designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk threatens the company’s ability to work with others who do business with the U.S. government.