October 28, 2026

Viewing all things through the lens of the True and the beautiful!

It's election week! That also means it is perhaps the most divisive week on the calendar. For The Equipped community, it represents perhaps our greatest opportunity to model a more productive way. The applications this week may cause you to bristle at first (they do me). But I challenge you to consider their scriptural moorings and also to honestly ask whether the status quo approach is working. There is a healthier approach, my friends. It's prescribed in scripture, and it's one in which election week is far less fearful. I challenge you to prepare your heart even now for a prayerful consideration of the most productive ways for you to engage electoral politics. You are loved!

The True

Uncomfortable Mercy

Do you remember the teeter-totter? Of course you do! While it may not be as common today, the teeter-totter has been a staple on playgrounds for generations. The entire experience is designed to be up and down in an endless repeating fashion. Of course, that is not sufficient for many children, and so it quickly turns into a game of trying to launch the other person off their seat (ask me how I know this, and my answer is probably the reason the teeter-totter has fallen somewhat out of fashion)!

This visual came to mind this week as I was grappling with the realization that I am frequently uncomfortable with mercy. This includes both when mercy is granted to others and when it is granted to me. When another who is deserving of punishment is instead granted reprieve, I very easily react with shock and an expression of worry that it will incentivize more of whatever action had triggered the need for mercy in the first place. But maybe more surprising, I realize I am also uncomfortable when mercy is granted to me. When I know I am in the wrong but am shown mercy and relieved of bearing the consequence of that wrong, it often makes me uncomfortable.

Why is that? And do you ever feel something similar?

I am convinced it is caused by the teeter-totter nature of our finite minds’ attempt to balance the tension between justice (which can show up as legalism) and mercy (which can show up as permissiveness).

Legalism is uncomfortable with mercy, and I personally know the allure of this pull. But at the same time, when I try to guard against legalism, I can quickly get overly permissive of sin (both in my own life and in the lives of others). It is a constant tension which, if not stewarded well, leads to a veritable teeter-totter of the mind and spirit. Up and down, up and down, always trying to find the elusive balance point.

The truth is that justice and mercy are not meant to act as a teeter-totter. God did not design us to embody both principles in a fashion that requires one to ebb while the other flows. To the contrary, He designed—and Jesus lived out—a tension between justice and mercy in order that they would both advance together.

This embodiment is articulated in Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

You are to act justly, and in doing so you might feel uncomfortable with mercy.

You are to love mercy, and in doing so you might be tempted to abandon the pursuit of justice.

It’s both/and. But it’s not a teeter-totter where the demonstration of one requires the acquiescence of the other. True mercy is accentuated by true justice, and true justice is even more impactful with it is accompanied by true mercy. It is a constant tension, but a beautiful one.

It may be an uncomfortable mercy. It may be an uncomfortable justice. But the two are meant to rise as one!

U.S.

U.S. Elections

Midterm elections are set to be held next week in the U.S. and both chambers of Congress are at stake.

In the U.S. Senate, Republicans currently hold 53 of 100 seats. Given Republican control of the White House for two more years (and thus the Vice President’s tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate), Democrats must flip four seats currently held by Republicans while defending all seats held by Democrats in order to take control of the upper chamber.

In the U.S. House, Republicans currently hold 218 of the chamber’s 435 voting seats, which is precisely the number needed to secure a majority. The chamber’s lone Independent caucuses with Republicans, however, and there are two vacancies, which renders the effective voting majority 219-214. Both parties will be aiming to secure the 218 votes needed to control the chamber.

Voting is underway now, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Civilization is not at stake in these elections. The statement flies in the face of nearly every political message you are hearing these days and it should not be read as a call to apathy or indifference. Even so, as the prevailing message in your communication streams is screaming that your preferred partisan faction must win these elections in order to fend off disaster, it is paramount that you and I begin consideration of this story with the Truth from God’s Word:

God is on the throne and will still be on the throne next Wednesday no matter what man-made political party controls the U.S. Senate or the U.S. House (Ps. 47:8, Ps. 103:19, Is. 66:1, Rev. 4:2).

My friend, you can be at peace even amid tumultuous political times. The tactic of fear-mongering has long been a tool of the enemy, who uses it to paralyze you and rob you of power, love, and sound thinking (1 Tim. 1:7). The antidote is simple (not to be confused with easy): Don’t take the bait. Instead, set your eyes on the eternal (2 Cor. 4:18) and your heart toward service of others (Philip 2:5-8).

To be clear, elections do have consequences. Americans are supremely blessed to live freely in the most prosperous nation the world has ever seen, and we should care deeply about defending and utilizing those freedoms for the good of those around us (Gal. 5:13). I would be so bold as to say that mantle includes a duty to inform yourself and to vote. But do so at the behest of your heavenly mandate rather than in the grips of a temporary political movement. The former reigns forever, the latter will pass away, and the Creator of it all sustains you through every political environment. He will still be on the throne come Wednesday.

World

Israeli Elections

The polls are closed in Israel, but it could be weeks before a government is formed and a prime minister named. Early results show Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party in the top two spots, but as is typical in Israeli elections, neither party has secured a majority of seats in the Knesset and negotiations are underway to form a coalition government alongside other smaller political parties. Once a sufficient coalition is formed, a prime minister will be named and the government filled out according to that negotiation.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Civilization is not at stake in these elections. Once again, elections are important and participating in one’s own governance is a worthwhile endeavor. But given the overwhelming messaging that forms a cacophony that serves to ensnare rather than empower Jesus followers, we start with this simple but true reminder (see story above for scriptural moorings).

Next, the Israeli elections impact more than just domestic policy and will have a domino effect on everything from the conflict with Hamas, to the U.S./Iran War, to Israel’s relationship with other world powers. No matter where you live, the political result in Israel is likely to have at least some impact on your governance.

We as The Equipped community should be in prayer that Israel will, regardless of the electoral outcome, move forward on sound footing and be a force for good in the world.

World

South American Elections

The election is over in Brazil, and an overdue election in Venezuela may finally be on the horizon.

In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reelected with a reported 51.8% of the vote. Lula’s opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, declined to concede and is calling for the election results to be thrown out.

In Venezuela, a long anticipated election in 2027 is likely a step closer to occurring, as opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to the country after fleeing in the wake of former President Nicolás Maduro’s removal by the U.S. in January 2026. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez had been serving as Maduro’s vice president and was temporarily installed as the nation’s leader after his ouster. However, Rodríguez has now exceeded the time her interim title was to last. Machado’s return sets up a likely electoral clash between the two leaders to determine the country’s next elected president.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Civilization is not at state in these elections. This opening is no longer a surprise to you, but it is still true. As we reiterate it a third time, let us underscore again that how we steward governance—including who we elect—matters! It does.

Proverbs 29:2 says it plainly: “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” That’s pretty straightforward, and it’s significant! We should care about whether people are thriving or groaning, and whether governing structures point toward flourishing or flailing. But the best way to care about and invest in those things is not to point people toward a solution that cannot sustain them, and pointing them to the next election does exactly that.

Instead, take inspiration from Jeremiah 29 and invest in the “peace and prosperity” (v. 7) of your temporary community, nation, and world, and do it mindful that it will often be a place of exile as you wait for God to come and fulfill His good promise (v. 10).

Here’s the fun part: The most effective way for you to impact your current world and home is to fully realize and operate in an understanding that it is a temporary assignment. As you journey toward a new heaven and a new earth, you are blessed with this beautiful place to steward. But it should not be the embodiment of your hope. That place in your spirit belongs rightfully only to your Maker, and when you walk with this clarity, your impact in the here and now is dramatically more profound!

The Beautiful

Bland by Comparison

Pumpkin is the theme for The Beautiful one more time before we slip into winter. But this time, it’s pumpkin pie (which is really the only proper way to eat pumpkin)!

Consider: If something as bland as the pumpkin can be made into something as savory as pumpkin pie, what can God do with the sometimes-scrambled circumstances of your life?

Believe it or not, pumpkin pie is bland by comparison! The God of the universe is working a beautiful plan in and through you!

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philip. 1:6).

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