December 10, 2025

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

Is it football or fútbol? No matter your preference, the brackets are set! You can see the college football bracket here and the World Cup draw here. Happy footballing . . . er, fútboling.

The True

Create a Category

You have surely experienced it before. You just made a new purchase—anything from a car to an article of clothing to a lawnmower —and suddenly you see it everywhere! You think:

Why are so many people suddenly driving the same car as me?

How is it that everyone bought the same outfit?

Wow, my new John Deere is popular!

It feels as though everyone made the same purchase as you at the exact same time as you. The truth, however, is the vast majority of those things were already there but you just didn’t have a category in your brain for them yet, and so you didn’t notice them.

It is called the Reticular Activating System, and it is one of the grade school lessons I remember most vividly. The Reticular Activating System is your brain’s way of creating categories and organizing information in order to most effectively manage the overwhelming deluge of information and stimuli it is constantly receiving. You live in a very noisy world. I’m not just talking about physical volume. Your brain is constantly receiving copious amounts of data. The inputs are endless: conversations, internal body signals, external conditions like heat and cold, emotions, threats, language, and on and on it goes!

The human brain is a magnificent creation (how’s that for an understatement?), and the Reticular Activating System might just be one of the most amazing components of your brain. In short, it tells you what of this endless information to notice. It tells you what to ignore, and to which of it you must respond.

It does this by helping you create categories.

When you bought that fancy new Kia Soul, suddenly you see Souls everywhere (there’s probably another lesson there for another day)!

When you donned that trendy Costco lumberjack plaid shirt (am I telling on myself?), it seemed everyone in your neighborhood followed your lead.

When you decided to go John Deere green over Cub Cadet yellow, it was only minutes before several of your neighbors did the same.

Or at least that’s how it seems. The truth, however, is that your Reticular Activating System simply didn’t have categories for Kia Souls or Costco plaids or John Deere mowers until now. Those things were there all along, but your brain was filtering them out rather than highlighting them for your attention.

This is also in essence what online algorithms do. They create categories and learn which ones capture your attention. Then they gather as much similar information—good or bad—and feed it to your stream because they know you will take notice. This is why it is so easy to scroll for an hour before you even realize it.

The takeaway here is simple but oh so powerful. 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?

This is the brain science behind the biblical truth that forms our common refrain of “viewing all things through the lens of the True and the beautiful.” We come back to this reminder from Philippians 4:8 frequently because it sits at the core of how your God-designed being functions, and it helps determine what you will notice:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

In other words, create categories in your brain that point toward flourishing. Dwell on Truth and beauty and goodness. Resist giving too much time to things that distract and destroy. It is true God will ask you to stand against those things with some regularity. But your default categories to take notice of should be labeled “Truth” and “Beauty.”

Be forewarned: You are going to start seeing “new” instances of goodness all around you! They have been there all along, but you are about to take notice! You now have a category in your brain for them!

U.S.

Pipe Bomb Suspect Arrested

Nearly five years after the crime, a suspect has been arrested and charged with crimes related to planting pipe bombs at both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee on January 5, 2021. Brian Cole, now 30, is accused of being the person long sought but previously unidentified and known only for wearing a hoodie, face mask, and Nike Air Max shoes when surveillance footage captured him alleging in the act of placing the explosive devices. Authorities say a combination of evidence, including cell tower records, traffic cameras, and multiple transaction records confirming purchase of the bomb components led to Cole’s arrest.

Cole did not enter a plea during his first court appearance and is next due in court on December 15, 2026.

Analysis and eternal perspective: As always, the suspect in this story is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Even so, new activity as significant as an arrest and charges filed in a case five years cold reminds us of the truth in Numbers 32:23: “[Y]ou may be sure that your sin will find you out.”

In context, Moses is reminding the Israelites of the consequences should they fail to heed God’s instructions. But the principle applies squarely to you and me today. Is there disobedience or some other sin in our life—or even just held in our heart—waiting to be found out? Our passage tells us that day will surely come—if nothing else, on the day we give account to God.

But even until that day of discovery, there is a weight associated with unresolved sin. If Brian Cole did in fact plant the bombs, can you imagine how he must have lived the last five years? Every knock on the door, every smartphone notification, and every news story related to the 2020 election must have caused a start and must have made him wonder if the ruse was finally over. Again, we presume Cole’s innocence for the moment, but someone has been living with this unresolved sin on their conscience.

What about you today? 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. Sin has consequence—in the case of Cole, he could face decades in prison if convicted. Even so, the abundant grace and mercy of your God waits to cover your human shortcomings. Lay what has been hidden before Him. Do it before the day it finds you out.

U.S.

You're Fired

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday about the powers and limits of a U.S. President to fire federal employees serving on independent federal agencies. While there are numerous nuances, the core of the case centers on a dispute over how a 90-year-old precedent in a case known as Humphrey’s Executor interacts with Article II of the U.S. Constitution. The administration argues Article II gives the President sweeping authority to determine (and change) the personnel makeup of independent agencies, while opponents argue in favor of limitations established by the previous court decision.

Court observers mostly agree the Justices seem poised to side with the administration, but a ruling is not expected until spring.

Analysis and eternal perspective: “Who has the authority?” It is the correct question to ask in so many of these stories, and it is the question America’s Founders intended to be asked repeatedly.

When the Founders chose to establish a “compound republic” (a phrase used by James Madison in Federalist 51 to describe a government with authority divided in multiple ways—i.e., federal authority divided into three branches, and another division between federal and state authority), they intentionally chose a power struggle over a robust and efficient central government.

In short, they consciously chose a path of repeated disputes over authority rather than a path of “efficient” government. Why? Because they believed history demonstrated a clear and present danger emanating from consolidated power and envisioned a system where multiple repositories of authority would create regular opportunities to reevaluate that division of authority.

In other words, America’s Founders were trying to ensure that cases like the one in this story would be heard for centuries to come. They were choosing a clash between divided authority over centralized power, and they were establishing a self-executing mechanism to resolve those disputes. No matter which argument you think should prevail in this particular case, there is strong evidence the Founders were wise to establish this adversarial system in a broader sense, as it forces the regular reevaluation of the division of authority in America’s compound republic.

As for you, 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.

U.S.

You're Pardoned

U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife. The Cuellars are accused of accepting bribes to advance foreign interests and were scheduled for trial in April. The pardon frees the couple from prosecution—a prosecution the President contends was a result of Rep. Cuellar’s opposition to former President Joe Biden’s immigration policy.

Shortly after the pardon was announced, Rep. Cueller announced his intention to seek reelection as a Democrat. President Trump responded on social media and accused Rep. Cueller of a “lack of loyalty.”

Analysis and eternal perspective: “Who has the authority?” Do you remember this question? We last asked it only a minute or two before (the Founders would be so pleased), and it is the appropriate place to begin this analysis. In the case of pardons, presidents have sweeping authority to issue them.

Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution reads: “The President . . . shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”

While there are sometimes disputes over what constitutes an offence against the United States, there is very little dispute that a president can issue a pardon such as the one just granted to Rep. Cuellar. On the other hand, the question of whether a president should issue a particular pardon is a regular debate, as is the question of whether the Constitution should be amended to adjust this power.

You may have an opinion on one or both of these questions, but as you consider this story, remember to do so with these two scriptural concepts in mind:

1) “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines” (Pr. 18:17).

2) “The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him” (Pr. 11:1).

Perhaps you favor a change in the pardon power. Whether that change is accomplished or not, 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.

The Beautiful

A Wedding Feast

It is a joyous season of bounty. The lights are lit, the decorations are up, the table is set, and the feast is prepared. Amid all the beauty and pageantry, you are the bride sought by the King (Rev. 19:7; 21:2,9). The festivities are to celebrate His arrival, but He has chosen you to be His!

Sit, eat, be found in the King. There is no greater beauty!