August 19, 2026

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

The True

Entrusted

You’ve never heard of them. But you know the words with which they were entrusted:

“Build houses and settle down.”

“Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”

“Marry and have sons and daughters.”

“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.”

These familiar words are all excerpts of the prophet Jeremiah’s well-known letter to the exiles in Babylon recorded in Jeremiah 29. It is a letter that has had monumental impact over the long arc of human history. Its direct recipients took from it vital instructions to live out, in most cases, the rest of their earthly lives! After all, the prophet was informing them they would be in exile for another 70 years, and that they should settle down and not only embrace that reality, but in fact that they should seek the blessing of their city of exile. This had to be a jarring instruction, but also one crucial for their very sanity.

You have almost certainly taken comfort and guidance from these words, and others in Jeremiah 29. My first published book was inspired by the words in verses 13-14, words that frame our lives in a posture of seeking and pursuing God, and which promise He will not be elusive!

These are world-changing words if ever there were any! But I draw them out for you to note their method of delivery. Most of the historically impactful words you can recall were delivered by the one they are attributed to:

“I have a dream” and “I’ve been to the mountaintop” were uttered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Fourscore and seven years ago” and “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” were delivered by Abraham Lincoln.

“I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth” and “I’ve got an awful lot to live for” came from the mouth of Lou Gehrig.

The words and the speaker go together. But not so with Jeremiah 29. The words are Jeremiah’s, written to the exiles in Babylon. But Jeremiah could not deliver them himself and Jeremiah 29:3 gives two names you’ve likely never remembered or considered, and credits them for delivering the now-famous letter:

“He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon.”

Elasah and Gemariah. If you could recall their names without reading the text, you are well ahead of me in biblical knowledge. In all likelihood, these are names lost to the margins of your mind. And yet, they were entrusted with one of the most important and impactful messages of all time! This one task, even if it had been the only lasting contribution of their lives, was crucial to the realization of an impact far beyond anything they could have asked or imagined (Eph. 3:20-21).

You didn’t know their names, but you have felt the impact of their obedience!

The question for you today is not, “Who knows your name?” The question for you is, “What is it that you have been entrusted?”

It is a sacred thing to be entrusted with a sacred responsibility, and God’s story is replete with His insistence on entrusting sacred tasks to His sacred people. He chooses to intertwine His mission and His narrative with His people—with you.

So what is that you have been entrusted? Are you concerned about having your name remembered in the pages of history? Or are you properly focused on simply stewarding well that which has been entrusted to you?

Entrusted is better than remembered.

World

From Lincoln to Washington

The USS Washington is en route to the Middle East for the purpose of relieving the USS Lincoln, according to reports. The USS Lincoln has been deployed in support of the U.S./Iran war since November 2025, and recent reports suggest the crew has faced mounting challenges including food shortages and mental health crises. The U.S. Department of War acknowledges supply challenges arising from the extended deployment, which was originally scheduled to end in May, but denies an abnormal sailor morale challenge.

The situation has been further complicated by the volatile peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, and the deployment of the USS Washington to the region is seen by many as a sign the U.S. presence in the region is unlikely to be drawn down in the near term.

Analysis and eternal perspective: The ever-changing dynamic in the Middle East (explored more in depth in a subsequent story) is one we as The Equipped family are prepared for and have been regularly anticipating. While ceasefire negotiations and various peace deal frameworks have come and gone, we have together acknowledged the reality that true peace has never been particularly close at hand. This is the opposite of acquiescing to gloom, and instead a clear-eyed acknowledgement of reality in order to apply the steady mind of Christ to a fallen world.

This story digs a layer down into the real-world impact of war on those called to carry it out. The sailors and marines aboard the USS Lincoln (and the USS Washington) are not responsible for macro wartime decisions or peace negotiations. They are, however, tasked with carrying out those decisions, and they experience firsthand the first-order ramifications of them. Therefore, the first takeaway for you and me should be a heartfelt appreciation for their sacrifice, and a spirit inclined to look for ways to support them. For many of us, that means identifying families in our communities who have a loved one deployed. How can you provide both material and relational support to them during this very trying time?

Next, as we pray for these troops and their families, let us live in the light of John 15:12-13: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” A decision to serve and be subject to a deployment like this one is a decision to put another’s life ahead of your own. It is an act of great love, and it is one way to emulate the love of Jesus. As we lift up in prayer those who are serving, let us also look for ways that we too can model the sacrificial love of Jesus!

Sports

Lakers Sold

The Los Angeles Lakers have been sold for the second time in less than a year. The sale values the Lakers at $12.5 billion (up from $10 billion just 10 months ago), and the controlling stake in the team will be transferred, pending approval from the league, from businessman Mark Walter to Disney CEO Bob Iger and businessman Josh Kushner. These two sales now mark the first and second most expensive U.S. sports franchise transactions in history.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Sports is big business. As someone who is both a sports fan and interested in business, the exploding valuations of U.S. sports franchises are intriguing to me. At the same time, it is quite difficult to get my mind around the magnitude of the finances involved, and it is tempting for me to dismiss the story as irrelevant to me. There is, however, a great deal of truth to be gleaned from the story.

Consider Ecclesiastes 9:10 and Luke 16:10:

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecc. 9:10).

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Lk. 16:10).

It is highly likely this story feels out of reach for you. It certainly does for me. But you have been given numerous assignments, ranging from personal to family to professional. Are you evaluating them for size, or are you simply carrying them out to the best of your ability and for the glory of God?

Further, do you view your “small” assignments as insignificant? In reality, they are your testing and proving grounds. If you are diligent in them, you will be entrusted with more. Conversely, if you dismiss them as insignificant, even those will be taken from you.

Let’s together set aside the size of an assignment as a reason to be drawn to or away from a task. Instead, let’s be fervent and faithful in asking God whether a given situation is something He is assigning to us. If God responds in the affirmative, embrace the task—big or small—with everything you’ve got! You might not be buying the Lakers, but then again, there is no limit in the Kingdom economy!

World

Ceasefire Expired

The 60-day ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran announced in June has now expired. In some ways, the expiration was more formality than anything, as hostilities between the two sides have continued with some regularity through the two-month period. Interim steps, such as Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. ending the naval blockade of Iran have also not occurred. Further complicating the situation, Iran has opened negotiations with Oman in pursuit of a “new normal” for the Strait, which would include a permanent toll on ships navigating the passage. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman if such a deal is struck.

Analysis and eternal perspective: We have reiterated this regularly and it likely now goes without saying, but peace is so very elusive, especially in the Middle East. It was never likely this 60-day interim peace deal would hold, and now it has not. Posturing ourselves mentally according to this reality was and is important, but the value in that posture is only realized if we then root our minds in the stability of Christ.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

First, it is God who grants the perfect peace. I try so hard to root myself in peace, and it is simply not possible in my own strength against the volatility of this world. Only my heavenly Father can keep me in that peace.

Next, the peace is granted to those who do the work of steadying their minds on Jesus. You can likely relate to this, but the act of giving Jesus your thought life takes great intentionality. It is a decision of will and faith, and one that requires leaning on more than your own understanding (Pr. 3:5-6).

Finally, the mental actions and stability above are only possible if you truly trust in your God. Do you believe He is true to His word? Do you trust Him with all that is broken in your world, and yes even in you? He is so very good, and He can steady your mind and your being, but He does ask for your trust. It is not an easy thing, but it is the path to perfect peace.

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Ps 9:10).

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Ps. 56:3).

The Beautiful

Atmosphere for Hope

All of us desire a spirit of hope. Romans 5:3-4 reverse engineers hope to remind us it is the product of character, which is in turn derived through perseverance, which is required to endure suffering. In other words, if you start with suffering, you’re likely to reject it and be deprived of hope in the process! But if you begin with hope in mind, it reframes the way you see suffering and trials in your life.

These beautiful mushrooms grow where the light is minimal, the air is moist, and the fallen trees are rotting. At first glance, it seems like the worst place to flourish and thrive, and yet it is precisely where they are designed to spring up.

It is not so different for you. The trials of your life seem at first to be something to avoid. But if you begin with hope in mind, you might just find they are in fact the first step to making that hope a reality!