July 1, 2026

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

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The True

Built on the Site

“George Washington helped lay the foundation.”

Our oldest daughter Brell was touring the campus of Washington College, which claims to be Maryland’s oldest college (the veracity of the claim depends on the criteria but the college was chartered on May 24, 1782, shortly after America’s founding). Brell’s tour guide was explaining the significance of Middle Hall, which, together with East Hall and West Hall, stand as the oldest surviving buildings on campus. They are built on the site of the original campus building that burned down in 1827. While it is unlikely George Washington physically assisted in laying the original foundation, he did make financial donations that made construction possible and, while many colleges bear the name of America’s first president, Washington College is believed to be the only one to receive his express consent.

As we toured the newer—and in many respects, nicer—portions of campus, my mind kept returning to Middle Hall and the idea of building on original foundations.

In the physical world, everything that is built has a life cycle. Buildings, vehicles, clothes, laptops, everything. After a certain amount of time, it is simply expected that the item in question will have lived out its useful life (psst . . . please don’t share this truth with my 240,000-mile pickup, as I’m pulling for it to go another 240,000). In fact, this reality is so ingrained that it is incorporated into how businesses claim tax deductions for the purchase of assets that will depreciate over time. For purposes of this discussion, the important thing to note is that all created things have a finite useful life.

However, in many cases, the foundation of those created things remains on after the useful life of the larger item has passed. In some cases, the value is minimal (i.e., clothes can be used as rags after they are no longer wearable while a laptop and a vehicle have some salvage value even after they are no longer viable for their intended purpose). In other cases, the value of the foundation can be significant. For example, when a house burns, it is often possible to rebuild on the existing foundation (assuming the fire was primarily contained to the above-ground structure). In these cases, there can be significant cost and time savings by building on the existing site using the existing foundation.

It is true for people too. Each of us can and should, as Sir Isaac Newton famously put it, “stand on the shoulders of giants” by learning from and building on the foundation laid by those who have gone before us.

Scripture regularly points us to this wisdom, imploring children to heed the instruction of their parents (Pr. 13:1) and encouraging Jesus followers to follow the example of heroes of faith who now stand as a “great cloud of witnesses” to them (Heb. 12:1).

Perhaps you, like me, have been blessed with the foundation of a godly heritage. No family history is perfect or without difficulty and flaw, but the blessing of a godly family foundation is of immense value!

In short, both people and tangible property benefit when it is possible to build on the foundation of an existing site.

This perspective lends new light to Psalm 118:22, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

Why did the religious world of Jesus’s day reject Him as the cornerstone of their faith? The straightforward answer is that He was insisting on replacing them as the cornerstone. He was asserting it was no longer suitable to build on the foundation they had long established but now mandatory to build on Him instead! It was a radical claim and one that did not go over well or easily!

My friend, the foundation of your life is of critical importance! There is only one foundation that will stand forever, and it is the only one strong enough to support all the enemy will bring against you! Here is the tremendous news: that foundation is freely available to you even if the earthly foundations of your life are in shambles. You need only to build on the site that is the rock of Jesus Christ!

Note: If some of this language is new or confusing to you but you’d like to learn more about having a relationship with Jesus, email thann@theequippednewsletter.com. I’d love to have a conversation with you.

Sports

Knockout Stage

Group stage is over and the knockout stage has arrived at the World Cup. Sixteen of the original 48 teams were eliminated after the round-robin style first round games, leaving 32 nations to complete in a sudden death format for the rest of the tournament. The first few knockout games yielded a couple upsets as Paraguay defeated Germany and Morrocco bested the Netherlands, both in penalty kicks after having played to a tie through extra time. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, July 19 with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Analysis and eternal perspective: It is win-or-go-home (literally) time. In the group stage, winning two out of three games was enough to nearly guarantee advancing to the next round, but in the knockout stage there is no margin for error, and the field will be rapidly whittled down until a champion is declared. Passions are running high (and sometimes tempers short) as the world’s most popular sport heads down the stretch of its most important tournament.

As a Jesus follower, the World Cup provides you with an opportunity to observe a beautiful cross-section of humanity as fans from all over the globe descend on North America. For those living in proximity to one of the many game sites, it is a chance to welcome the nations to whom you are commissioned into your backyard (Matt. 28:19-20)!

Even if you are not near a game site, the remaining two-and-a-half weeks of World Cup play are a perfect opportunity for you to consider how you can best pursue the mandate of the Great Commission. You live in a world of astonishing communications technology, but your assignment remains a straightforward one: tell of what Jesus has done for you!

It is win-or-go-home time for World Cup teams, but you are to introduce the nations to your eternal home!

World

Earthquakes in Venezuela

The death toll has passed 1,700 and continues to rise after back-to-back major earthquakes and at least one significant aftershock in northern Venezuela. The initial quakes hit Wednesday and measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. An aftershock measuring 4.6 shook the region on Monday and complicated rescue efforts. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed the presidency after former President Nicholas Maduro was seized by the U.S. in January, is responsible for overseeing the rescue and recovery efforts, after which the rebuilding will begin.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Life on Earth is both short and fragile. We are reminded of these truths regularly in the stories we consider. What seems certain in one moment is gone forever in the next. It is a reality of our temporary home.

We return to reminders of this truth not because we aim to be flippant about the gift of life of Earth, but in fact for the exact opposite reason: time is short for reaching those who are without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

So many things—many of them important in their own right—demand and consume our time. But only one thing—the pursuit to know God and make Him known—truly matters in the end.

As you pray for those who are hurting (Rom. 12:15), and as you look for ways to lend practical assistance (Matt. 25:35-40), consider anew how you are prioritizing the precious and fleeting commodity of time on Earth. No matter how long a life you are gifted, time is short. Seize the day!

World

Heat Wave

A record-breaking heat wave rolled through Europe this week, with multiple countries experiencing temperatures well over 100 degrees. The weather system pushed extreme temperatures farther north than is typical, as both Denmark and Switzerland set new records for heat.

Much of the U.S. is experiencing or bracing for a similar heat wave that is set to last through the Independence Day holiday which marks the 250^th anniversary of America’s founding. As cities across the country plan celebrations, the soaring temperatures make it necessary to incorporate emergency response plans.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Look out for, and check in on, your neighbors. Our digital community here at The Equipped is a wonderful blessing but this story is a perfect illustration of the importance of your physical community. There is nothing that can replace neighbors looking out for each other when something like a natural disaster or an intense heat wave strikes. In those moments, communities that have invested in thick relationship will thrive while those without it will suffer.

As we together aim to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our world, take a moment now to prepare in advance a list of those around you who need a physical check-in this week. A short phone call or text will be enough to provide reassurance in most cases but be prepared to provide care and relief should it be needed.

Let us together remember the instruction of Jesus in Luke 10:37 at the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus asks the expert in the law to identify the neighbor in the parable, and the expert rightly replies, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus’s reply is the same now as it was then: “Go and do likewise.”

The Beautiful

Close Enough to Touch

Our news stories this week include multiple reminders of the need for and blessing of close-knit communities. As we in The Equipped family gather digitally to stand on Truth, posture ourselves in beauty, and reflect those values back out into the news stories we consider, let’s remind ourselves to invest in relationship with those geographically close to us. Just as our stories reminded us of the importance of physical communities in a time of disaster, the tangible beauty in creation lends even more to the observer when it is close enough to touch.

Take in the beauty and the texture of your world by living embodied in the midst of it! In doing so, even the rough-hewn imperfections of your surroundings will reveal surprising beauty!

“[B]etter a neighbor nearby than a relative far away” (Pr. 27:10).