August 5, 2026

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

The True

Flawed Faith

“God, let my kids know You in a way that is not constrained by my flawed faith!”

That is the prayer overflowing from my heart in recent days as God gently but clearly reveals more and more within me that needs refining.

Every parent who is a Jesus follower likely knows some version of this plea. Every child who is a Jesus follower knows something of the inverse—the process of moving from an imparted faith to an infilled faith!

​Research shows 81% of parents say their minor children share their faith, but only 64% of parents say the same of their adult children. There are obviously many factors involved and many different ways to think about this, but for our community this week, I want us to consider it in light of Proverbs 22:6, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the gift God has offered me is there is nothing I have done or can do to earn it. I don’t deserve it. I never have and I never will, and yet He has seen fit to grant it to me freely anyway. It is wholly mine and I am wholly His even though it is plain for everyone to see that my faith in Him is so very flawed. It is riddled with doubt and sin and imperfection, and yet He accepts me as His own.

As I consider this reality against the instruction of Proverbs 22:6, I am struck most by the critical need for Brooke and me to point our kids not to our own flawed faith but to the One who covers the gaps in our flawed faith!

It is so easy to fall into the trap of believing all will be well if we can just keep ourselves within that 64% of parents whose adult children claim the same faith. But my friend, your flawed faith is not what your children need. The flawed faith of your parents is not what you need!

If you were raised in a home that honored Jesus as Lord, you’ve been given an immensely valuable gift! Even so, the One who stands at the door and knocks offers you something so much more than your parent’s flawed faith. He offers you a personal relationship with Him, and He offers it knowing full well that your faith is or will be equally flawed.

It is really the whole point. None of us can meet the standard (Rom. 3:23). We all have flawed faith. As such, the noble goal of raising children who will follow Jesus all their days begins with an acknowledgment that they need more than my faith. They need an intimate and personal relationship with the One who created them and calls them His own!

My voice can point them to Him, but they ultimately need to know His voice.

Your instruction can guide them, but they ultimately need to surrender to His guidance.

Matthew 5:48 gives what is an impossible command if left to our own devices: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” None of us can meet that standard. It is why, while we should model godliness for our children, it is essential we are crystal clear with them that the way they should go is not simply one of replicating their parent’s flawed faith. The path from which they should not depart is the one that leads them personally to the foot of the cross!

World

Article Five

A Russian missile struck Polish territory Thursday during a widespread bombing of Ukraine. While both Russian and Polish officials state Poland was not the target of the attack, the errant missile caused NATO to scramble warplanes and increased concern that the war between Russia and Ukraine could expand. It also reignited the possibility that NATO could be pulled into the war if Russia’s attacks again spill into the boundaries of a NATO country (Poland is a NATO member).

Article 5 of North Atlantic Treaty treats an attack on any member country as an attack on all member countries and calls for the collective defense of the attacked member. Poland has not invoked Article 5 in the wake of this week’s bombing (in fact, the September 11, 2001 attack on the U.S. is the only time Article 5 has been invoked), but the incident has significantly raised the level of alarm in the region.

Analysis and eternal perspective: The misery and grief of war was again on full display in this attack. Ten people, including at least three children, were killed in Ukraine by the bombings, and more than 50 were injured. It is an all-too-common reality of the ongoing war, as civilian casualties and injuries continue to climb.

The rest of the world is understandably on high alert due to the infringement on NATO territory, but the Ukrainian people have been under this assault for four years. It is simply more of the same for their war-torn country and people. As we pray for peace (Ps. 34:14), let us do so for both the people of Ukraine who have long been under fire and for those in the surrounding region who could be drawn into the fight.

“God, we pray out of Psalm 89. You are our shield. You are our glory and our strength. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne, and love and faithfulness go before you. Come now and bring peace to the afflicted, and justice to the oppressor. Those under attack are weary and need a reprieve only You can provide. We give you thanks and praise in advance, and we come to You in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.”

World

Phase Two

Israel and Hamas are moving haltingly toward Phase Two of the ceasefire first announced last October—a ceasefire that has been as much fire as cease to this point. This week, Hamas again agreed to disarm if several conditions are met. Those conditions include Israel’s full withdraw from Gaza, the reconstruction of Gaza, and the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel opposes. It is a stalemate similar to previous roadblocks, and regional confidence that Phase Two will hold is low.

Analysis and eternal perspective: The saying is, “it takes two to tango,” but it certainly also requires two cooperative parties to strike a peace deal that is meaningful, enforceable, and sustainable. There is very little reason to believe, even while holding on to hope, the current talk of disarmament and peace is on solid footing. There have been numerous starts and stops to this process over the last nine months, and there will likely be several more. Even so, the path to sustained peace involves persistence and continuing to bring the parties to the negotiating table.

We invoke Psalm 34:14 on a regular basis here at The Equipped: “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Perhaps the most significant reason we turn to this encouragement for peace among the many in scripture is the use of the words “seek” and “pursue.” Peace is very often a long process. It is something that requires effort and time. It takes persistence, and it is something you and I must be devoted to over a lifetime.

Peace is something to possess, yes, but it is also something to pursue.

Don’t be discouraged this week by the elusive nature of peace. There is value in persistently seeking and pursuing, and you might just discover that in the process of seeking you will find your heavenly Father waiting (Jer. 29:13).

World

Border Stampede

Nearly 100 people died from either drowning or stampede and many more are injured after tens of thousands of people made a break for the Spanish territory of Ceuta off the coast of Morocco. Many of the would-be migrants were young people who were convinced by social media claims that swimming to Ceuta would afford them an immigration hearing in Spain. At least 60,000 made it to Ceuta, but the claims were unfounded and officials returned those who survived the swim to Morocco.

Analysis and eternal perspective: This incident sparked an abundance of conversation this week, including about immigration policy. Many of those debates are legitimate, as legal immigration requires control of sovereign borders and clear guidance on how to immigrate. The absence of either of those elements results in tragedies like this one, as dozens lost their lives pursuing the promise of something that was never available in the first place.

Alongside the often-heated debate about immigration policy is a human dynamic that should be unifying for all Jesus followers. Every person was created and intended to be free (Gal. 5:1a). This is far more than the freedom we often think about from a political or governing perspective, though those elements of physical freedom can be an important part of an overarching freedom. Every person made in the image of the Creator is endowed with an instinct to be free. Every person’s primary purpose is bringing glory to the almighty God (Is. 43:21).

As we consider this truth against the backdrop of tens of thousands of people who had false hope of a better life, let us consider the second half of Galatians 5:1 and its ramifications for our own life: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

You are made to be free. Free from sin, free from bondage, and free from selfish ambition. Free to serve, and free to bring glory to your God! As you naturally yearn for earthly expressions of freedom, stand firm in the truth that you can know true freedom in Christ no matter what amount of earthly freedom you possess!

The Beautiful

Tender Whispers

We end where we began—in the beauty of a personal and unique relationship with the Creator God. If you need to hear God’s voice, rise and seek him in the quiet of the early morning. There is something about a new day’s stillness that allows His voice to penetrate your spirit.

A popular song lyric says, “I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like, but I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night.” It’s really a paraphrase of Psalm 16:7, “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.”

Hearing about someone only does so much. Hearing from Someone changes everything. Seek Him in the stillness of the day, and He will respond with tender whispers.