June 25, 2025

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

The True

Is it in You?

“Is it in you?”

It is the crescendo question of the iconic marketing campaign deployed by Gatorade. NBA legend Michael Jordan was the centerpiece of the ads in the 1990s and narrates the more recent iteration of the commercial that depicts several athletic stars of today. The premise of the ads is that everything about sports is changing except for what is inside the winning athlete. The visual elements drive home the point that the moments on the grand stage are actually built on the countless hours of preparation put in behind the scenes and away from the limelight.

The ad is, of course, intended to sell product, but its clinching question is still the correct one for you and me to ask: “Is it in you?”

I was still in my formative years when Michael Jordan exploded onto the athletic and marketing scenes, and so this campaign is seared into my consciousness. There is no doubt that countless athletes—from professional to aspiring youth and including yours truly—consumed Gatorade in an effort to build an inner capacity to produce something external in the moments that would matter most.

While it is more than a little silly to conclude that a sports drink will determine your internal makeup, I am convinced the genius of this campaign is derived—intentionally or not—from an absolute truth found in scripture.

You and I were born on a battlefield, and we each have very real moments ahead of us where we will be called upon to respond and produce in a high-stakes moment. “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn. 16:33).

There is a very real enemy out to harm you. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10).

The certainty that these high-stakes confrontations are coming is matched only by the certainty of what will determine the outcome of those confrontations.

“The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4).

The power of your God is so much greater. But is it in you?

“[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20).

He is fully capable of deploying His power through you in ways that will astound you. But is it in you?

How do we answer that question? How can we know whether His power resides in us? The answer, while simple, is where our comparison to the marketing ad takes a significant detour.

My friend, you cannot channel God’s tremendous power and love simply by trying harder, working longer, and envisioning success. This is where the mystery of God comes in, because His power at work in you requires less self-dependence rather than more!

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Cor. 12:9).

Your ability to conquer your very real enemy will depend on what is in you, yes. But you cannot simply add more of any particular manmade substance to ensure you are filled up with what will be required in that moment.

To the contrary, you must empty yourself.

You must empty yourself in order to be filled by the mighty power of the One who is greater than both you and the powers of this world who will come against you!

In this sense, the message of the ad rings true. Your fate on that day will be determined by the answer to the question: “Is it in you?”

But it is not a drink, a product, or a self-help plan.

It is the all-powerful God who longs to fill the space created by your human weakness!

Is it in you?

World

Bunker Busters

U.S. bombers attacked three key Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend in an attempt to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities. B-2 stealth bombers based in Missouri were used for the heaviest bombing, including the deployment of 14 “bunker-buster” bombs used to penetrate the underground Iranian facilities at Fordo and Natanz. Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from naval vessels were also used and struck an additional nuclear site at Isfahan.

Iran responded by firing missiles at the U.S. military base in Qatar, but soon after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a phased-in ceasefire agreement had been reached. As has become typical for such agreements, the truce proved fragile in the early stages as both countries launched strikes after the ceasefire went into effect.

In addition to the perilous military situation, Iran is threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, which is a critical shipping lane for the world, particularly for oil.

Analysis and eternal perspective: How can you be an agent of peace? It is a question we’ve been grappling with for some time now, as we know it is a central part of our mandate as Jesus followers (Ps. 34:14). Carrying out that charge can be quite difficult in reality, and this story is a prime example.

Some are saying, with some merit, that the bombings in Iran are escalatory in nature and were therefore misguided.

Others are saying, with some merit, that Iran has proven its destructive intent, and preventing the regime from becoming a nuclear power advances peace.

We will not fully unravel these opposing viewpoints here, but as Jesus followers, you and I should consistently stand on some difficult and seemingly incompatible truths (these scriptural moorings should be very familiar if you are a regular reader):

- We should be doggedly determined in our pursuit of peace (Ps. 34:14).

- True peace involves a defense of the oppressed and accountability for the oppressor (Is. 1:17).

- Every life is sacred and made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27).

Focusing on these truths will not provide you with an approach and a mindset that fits neatly into a manmade political narrative. It will, however, allow you to steadily prioritize the mandates of scripture within an incredibly perilous situation.

Pray for peace. Pray for world leaders. Pray for the oppressed.

World

NATO Summit

World leaders gathered in The Hague for the NATO Summit this week. The annual meeting focuses on security, and occurred this week as numerous conflicts rage, including between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Iran, and now—in at least a limited fashion—the U.S. and Iran. Leaders from the allied nations are discussing varied viewpoints on whether and how to intervene in each situation, as well as how much of their respective budgets to dedicate to both domestic security and collective world security.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Pray for wisdom that exceeds human capacity (Rom. 11:33). As you consider how to interact with this story, a good place to start is the reminder that God’s wisdom and goodness is the only true way to achieve a productive path through the multiple world conflicts that are raging.

To be sure, seeking God’s wisdom in all things will certainly result in tangible actions that are ours to take. This is a truth repeated throughout scripture and clearly articulated in Matt. 25:35-40. We are not silent observers of God’s wisdom and will, but in fact the very vessels through which His plan is deployed into a tangible world.

Even so, the only way for a meeting of world leaders to have a lasting impact is for an eternal wisdom to pervade the conversations and resulting decisions. Therefore, let’s together pray for a divine directing of those gathered, and prepare ourselves for the ensuing role we play in carrying God’s perfect purposes into a very imperfect world.

U.S.

Fearfully and Wonderfully

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, upheld a Tennessee law that bans puberty blockers and hormones from being administered to minors for the purpose of transitioning to the opposite sex. Twenty-seven states have similar laws on the books, and the Supreme Court’s ruling mostly ensures those laws will remain in effect.

Analysis and eternal perspective: In addition to the underlying controversial issue about puberty blockers and hormones being administered to minors, this case also dealt squarely with the ability of states, rather than federal officials, to retain decision-making authority over the matter. The ruling leaves in place very disparate approaches, and a vigorous public debate over those approaches will continue.

In the face of that very loud public debate, let’s very simply resolve to both hold fast to the truth about our sacred identity and to fervently embody the love of Jesus to those who need it.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14)!

You are known by God, who created you intentionally and purposefully (Jer. 1:5)!

You belong to God, and He is calling your very name (Is. 43:1)!

There is so much heat around this cultural debate. But the simple truth and depth of God’s love for each of those He intentionally created totally overwhelms that intensity.

It is reality that our world’s “truth” is often incongruent with God’s Truth. But the beautiful and liberating fact is that you and I are called to channel that Truth in a way that proclaims God’s endless and abounding love for all those He created!

You are not an accident. Neither is the one next to you. God’s fingerprints, His care, and His unending love are written all over each one of us! When that reality takes deep root in us, it changes everything!

The Beautiful

All Things Together

God’s ways are mysterious and far above us. He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28). In this week’s image, elderflowers are being used to make elderflower syrup, which is just one of countless applications for the fragrant blossom of the elderberry tree.

How is God using the circumstances of your life to make something beautiful, fragrant, and healing?