July 29, 2026

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

The True

Rage War

Rage is everywhere. In fact, in today's world, rage is often seen as justified or even necessary. All you have to do is turn on your “trusted” news source or open your curated social media feed or even incline your ear to church friends and spiritual leaders and you will hear the language: “Fight back . . . rise up . . . be outraged!”

Raging has become glorified. Rage has, ironically, become all the rage. It is also a snare that robs you of your power and enslaves you to a mission that is not yours.

To be sure, there is much in our world that warrants outrage. Greed, exploitation, perversion, and all manner of other evil abound. It can all be summed up in a word: sin. Sin is rampant in our world, and we serve a God who abhors sin. It is even fair to say that God rages against sin: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom. 1:18).

It against this backdrop that countless voices implore you: “Evil is everywhere, so you should be full of rage!”

It seems correct. If God rages against sin, and sin abounds around you, then you also should rage! There are two fundamental problems with this conclusion: 1) You are not God, and 2) God’s Word repeatedly instructs you to guard against anger.

Colossians 3:8 says to “rid yourself” of “anger [and] rage.”

James 1:19-20 says to be “slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

Ephesians 4:26-27 acknowledges you will be angry but clearly instructs, “In your anger do not sin. . . do not give the devil a foothold.”

So why is so much of what you hear from what should be trustworthy voices a message that encourages rage? Why does there seem to be a perpetual outrage industry seeking to agitate you into a state of anger?

The answer is uncomfortable but necessary to grasp: The outrage industry rages on because it is the easiest way to activate and enslave you to its purposes.

Pay attention. The next time (and it will probably be in the next few minutes) one of your trusted sources of information tells you to be angry, ask “why?” Is it because they are profiting or benefitting from your attention? The answer will almost always be yes. Fear and anger are two of the easiest ways to captivate and activate toward an intended goal.

Don’t be enslaved to another’s mission. Don’t let the rage flavor of the moment carry you away for a mission that is less than heaven. When the things (and the sin) of this world make you angry, avoid sin by understanding the game and declining to play it. Your mission is far grander and far longer lasting than the ones that invite your rage for the moment.

You are certainly called to stand against evil (Eph. 6:13). But you don’t fight as the world does using the rage weapons of this world (2 Cor. 10: 3-4). You are called to a peace amid the storm, a peace from God that “transcends all understanding, [and] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philip. 4:7).

The rage war is everywhere. But it is not yours to wage. It is peace that guards you.

Technology

Escape from the Sandbox

Two AI models developed by OpenAI went rogue, broke out of a testing environment known as a sandbox, and hacked into the systems of another AI company, Hugging Face. According to officials from both companies, the AI models acted largely alone, broke free from what was supposed to be a contained testing environment, then hacked into Hugging Face to steal the answers necessary to solve the problem given it inside the testing environment. The two companies say they worked together to contain and mitigate the threat, but the incident pours fuel on the fire of the already-intense debate over AI regulation and security.

Analysis and eternal perspective: The rapid acceleration of AI leads to stories like this one that read like science fiction. It also leaves many uncertain about how to prepare for a world infused with AI—a world that is already upon us in many ways.

Meanwhile, there are numerous theories about the hack of Hugging Face last week. Some accept that it was largely autonomous with no person or company to blame, while others say OpenAI is responsible for the prompts it gave as well as the insufficient containment measures, and still others question whether there was coordination between the two companies for publicity purposes. In any event, the incident shines a spotlight on a technology that would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago and which could be obsolete in the very near future as models continue to grow more sophisticated.

Jesus followers living in the current technological age need not fear (it is an instruction that appears more than 300 times in God’s Word) but should be specifically aware of the need to intentionally cultivate both their personal relationship with the Creator and embodied relationships with each other.

You were created for relationship with God (Is. 43:21) and hardwired in God’s relational image (Gen. 1:26-27). No matter how sophisticated the technology of today or tomorrow is, you are still the pinnacle of creation and the being with whom the Creator God desires relationship. You are not a rogue piece of technology. He knows your name and He says, “You are mine” (Is. 43:1).

World

Wildfires on Both Sides of the Atlantic

More than 1,100 square miles have burned in wildfires in France and Spain this year, according to estimates by the European Union’s Forest Fire Information System. Huge fires continue to rage in both countries and hundreds of thousands have had to flee their homes. Firefighters battling the blazes will likely have their efforts complicated in the days ahead as temperatures in the region are expected to soar.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Pray for rain. It is one very practical and important way for you to stand in the gap with and for the people of France and Spain. Cooler temperatures and wet conditions would go a long way toward containing the ongoing fires and providing relief for both residents and firefighters.

The fires spreading in Europe come on the heels of a similar challenge for Canadians. While many of the related headlines on both sides of the Atlantic focus on the second-order impact (i.e., the impact of the smoke on U.S. cities and the infrastructure strain on surrounding areas in France and Spain), we as The Equipped family should prioritize our intercession on behalf of those directly impacted. We should remember and lift up those who have lost loved ones, those who have been displaced, and those impacted by the economic strains the fire has caused.

The mailbag at The Equipped this week contained a kind note reminding me of the hardship many Canadians have experienced because of the ongoing fires. I was struck by how easily my attention is fixed on second-order impacts on me when my brothers and sisters not far away are enduring much more significant first-order effects.

This week, let’s lift our eyes off ourselves and set them first and foremost on the “author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). Let us then focus our prayer and petitions on behalf of those feeling the firsthand impact of fires on both sides of the Atlantic.

World

Ebola Spread

Nearly 1,500 people have died and more than 3,200 are confirmed to have contracted Ebola in Congo as an outbreak continues to spread at record-breaking pace. The effort to respond is complicated by the remoteness of the region, the absence of vaccines or effective treatments, and ongoing violence in the region. The current outbreak is the third major Ebola incident in the region since 2014, and approximately 15,000 people have died because of those outbreaks.

Analysis and eternal perspective: It has been a relentless decade of disease and violence for the people of Congo. The current outbreak is in the headlines because of its urgency in the moment, but in reality, the people of Congo have had one life-threatening emergency after another. They have been living in a state of emergency for far too long, and our community stands with them in prayer this week.

“God of heaven, turn your eyes on our brothers and sisters in Congo today. Incline your eye to their suffering and stretch out your healing hand to those who are weak and weary. Restore their health, revive their spirits, and heal the division in their land. Do a mighty work that You might be glorified as a result! Amen.”

Finally, we have frequently discussed the promise of the new heaven and the new earth, and one of the associated promises of that day is that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4). We stand on that hope for the people of Congo today, and we ask that God would bring it to reality even now.

The Beautiful

Beyond Containment

Much of God’s creation, including the vine depicted here, is nearly impossible to contain in a created vessel. This characteristic reflects the Creator!

After Solomon completed the temple, he prayed a beautiful prayer, part of which expressed wonder and a little bit of holy doubt that God was really going to abide in it:

“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)

Solomon knew his building of wood and stone couldn’t contain God. The question was whether God would choose to fill the temple. God did indeed abide in that temple, and He chooses today to fill the temple of your being! It is certainly true that you cannot, in and of yourself, contain the majesty of God, but in the miracle of His mercy, He has chosen to abide in you! It is a miracle that is beyond containment!