August 27, 2025

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

The True

Kevin and Rick

Meet Kevin and Rick.

It sounds like a couple of dads from the neighborhood or two guys from small group, but Kevin and Rick are our newly acquired feeder pigs. I can’t explain the names because I don’t understand the reason they were chosen, but I can tell you it was the result of much deliberation around the family dinner table. Nobody was 100 percent satisfied with the decision, but it is the closest to consensus as was possible. So Kevin and Rick it is!

This is an almost annual tradition for us. Once a year (typically in May, but we are behind this year), we get two piglets for the purpose of raising our own pork for the year. It’s a process that yields all manner of benefits—responsibility, connection to creation, know-how, and bacon! It is something our whole family enjoys, but not every portion of the process is enjoyable.

Perhaps the most common question we get asked is, “Why do you name them? Doesn’t that make it harder to process them?”

The answer, in a word, is, “Yes.” Yes, naming them and getting attached to them makes it more difficult to process them when the time comes. But it does another (more important) thing. It connects us (the caretakers) to them (the dependents) and helps ensure we provide the highest level care. It reminds us of the caretaking task God gave to Adam in Genesis 2. In fact, in Genesis 2:19-20, Adam is tasking with naming the animals under his care:

“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.”

Naming the animals under our care helps us give them the highest quality life, and it reminds us that a place of power and authority should be primarily about service.

A second less-than-enjoyable task is setting boundaries for the new pigs. We endeavor to give them as much free space as possible (in our case, a large swath of wooden area), but there must of course be limits to that space. Pigs are extremely smart, and we have found the most effective containment method to be two strands of low-voltage electric fence wire. One or two touches of the wire is typically all it takes for a piglet to respect that boundary for life—even when it reaches a weight of 300 pounds! If only I were that teachable!

Have you set those boundaries in your life? Have you established reminders to help you avoid crossing into places that would bring about destruction? Do you have support around you to remind you of those limits? It is easy to think of these boundaries as restrictive, but in truth they are life-giving and life-preserving!

Kevin and Rick are sleeping peacefully not far from where I sit. They are at peace because their boundaries have been set, and they know it.

What about you? Have an honest conversation with your loving heavenly Father today. Are your boundaries set, or are they movable? Ask Him for wisdom to set those boundaries in a way that will bring deep peace.

U.S.

Dr. James Dobson Dies

Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (JDFI), has died at the age of 89. Dobson was a prolific author, radio show host, and political advisor. A statement by JDFI said Dobson, “dedicated his life to strengthening marriages, guiding parents, and defending biblical values by championing the central role of family in America.” Dobson is survived by his wife, Shirley, two children, two grandchildren, and an ongoing ministry.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Legacy is a tricky thing to analyze, but Dr. Dobson leaves behind a legacy of faithfulness. A child psychologist by training, Dr. Dobson was an innovator in creating ways to reach and support Christian families. If you were following Jesus and raising a family in the 80s, 90s, or 2000s, you very likely encountered Dr. Dobson’s teaching.

Parenting is a responsibility in which it’s often impossible to conclusively determine the best course of action. It is a challenging task and there are countless competing perspectives eager to give advice. It was into that difficult space that Dr. Dobson spoke and ministered, supporting hundreds of thousands of families along the way.

When I think of legacy, I often recall a lyric from a song by Aaron Jeoffrey that says, “I want to leave a legacy of a servant who believed that the world could still be changed by just one life.”

Dr. Dobson’s life changed the world for many, and it did so through faithful service. It is a legacy worth pursuing.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pr. 22:6, ESV).

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 Jn. 1:4).

U.S.

Bolton Raided

The home and office of former national security advisor John Bolton were searched by the FBI this week. Bolton was in his office at the time of the search but was not taken into custody and has not been charged with a crime. Law enforcement officials did not immediately disclose the nature of the investigation that led to the search, but multiple reports suggest it is related to the handling of classified information.

Analysis and eternal perspective: A federal judge must find “probable cause” of a crime to authorize the involuntary search of a private home or business. This standard is meant to strike a balance between the privacy rights of citizens and the criminal investigation duties of law enforcement. This balance is especially important when the target of an investigation is at odds with law enforcement leadership (as is currently the case with Bolton, who has public disagreements with President Trump).

There are two relevant simultaneous truths we have discussed before, and they are difficult to apply together in the real world: 1) Nobody is above the law, and 2) Nobody is below the law. In other words, even the most powerful people must abide by and be subject to the law, and everyone—including both the powerful and the disfavored—must be afforded the same protections of and from the law. If this careful balance goes askew in either direction, chaos and lawlessness takes over.

One of our regular reminders here at The Equipped is Proverbs 18:17: “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.”

You very likely have zero knowledge about whether John Bolton is guilty or innocent. Likewise, you have no visibility into whether the motives of law enforcement are pure or tainted. You do, however, have the ability to avoid pre-judging either question and—to the extent you choose to follow this story at all—commit to a fair evaluation of the facts on both sides before coming to even an internal conclusion on the merits.

U.S.

You're Fired

U.S. President Donald Trump is attempting to fire Dr. Lisa Cook, a board member of the Federal Reserve. In a letter to Dr. Cook posted on social media, President Trump cited authority under Article II of the U.S. Constitution and The Federal Reserve Act to remove Dr. Cook “for cause.” The letter points to a criminal referral from the Federal Housing Finance Agency alleging false statements on mortgage applications as the cause required by law. Dr. Cook has indicated she will challenge the legal validity of her firing in court.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Nobody is above the law, and nobody is below the law. Have you heard that before? It can be extremely challenging to stand firm on that principle rather than filter a current event through the lens of which policy or official we prefer. But in order for principles of justice to prevail, hold firm we must.

As a reminder, President Trump and the Federal Reserve Board are at odds over a disagreement about interest rates. The President wants the Board to lower the federal funds target rate (which has a trickle-down effect on the rate of consumer debt) while the Board has most recently voted to hold the rate steady.

Despite the policy disagreement, this case must be considered on the merits.

If Dr. Cook is objectively found to have violated the law, she should be held to account. If that violation is material to her job on the Board, removal is permissible under the law.

At the same time, Dr. Cook should be afforded the same process and assumption of innocence that an ally of the President’s would enjoy. The legal requirement for removal only “with cause” is specifically to insulate against political motives, and should be respected.

For the second story in a row, we acknowledge an uncomfortable truth: The application of these principles is more challenging when law enforcement and the accused are political opponents. That dynamic also makes these cases the most important ones in which to rigorously apply these standards. As Jesus followers, we should lead the way, and we should do so no matter our political leanings or inclinations.

Yet again, we turn to the wisdom of Proverbs 18:17: “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.”

The truth of scripture is not neutrality. Far from it! But true justice requires an even-handed application. Let’s be a people who leads the way in that discipline!

The Beautiful

Small but Mighty

We recently added Bantams to our flock. They are tiny, but don’t make the mistake of assuming they are pushovers! These little guys are lightning fast, feisty, and punch far above their weight!

It’s not so different for you and me! We may be just a tiny speck against the backdrop of creation, but the Creator of it all has made you just a little lower than the angels and has caused you to be the vessel through which His greatest power flows (Ps. 8:5, Eph. 3:20)!

In a very real sense, your insignificant stature is in fact your secret weapon! The God of the universe lives in you!