November 19, 2025

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

The True

Bruised not Injured

“Bruised not injured.”

Every parent knows the dilemma of trying to determine the severity of a child’s pain or wound, and this expression has become something of a mantra in our family. It began with our kids’ participation in youth sports but has carried through to apply to things like explorations through the woods or our youngest son’s favorite adventure-themed recreation program (where he gets to play games like Castle Siege and Capture the Flag)!

The basic idea is that sometimes positive activities come with bumps in the road (or scrapes on our knees and elbows . . . or egos) and those bumps and bruises should be distinguished from true injury. Here is an example of how this might play out as our son returns from the latest Castle Siege adventure:

Son: “Dad, I broke through the castle gate!”

Me: “That’s great! Um . . . your knee looks a little scraped up, are you ok?”

Son: “Oh yeah, I’m bruised not injured.”

It sounds trite, but it has become a very helpful way for us to gather courage as a family to do hard things.

Those of you who are parents can likely relate, but Brooke and I are constantly wary about things that could harm or injure our children—including both physical injury and, even more important, spiritual injury. It is a healthy concern, but also one that can easily convince us to keep our children out of the very things necessary for their growth and increased capacity to impact the world around them.

In short, it is easy to view the prospect of suffering a bump or a bruise the same as risking real injury (we have had real injuries too, but that’s for another discussion). But the distinction is real. An injury requires immediate attention and recourse while a bruise is quite often simply a byproduct of having taken on a difficult task.

A risk of injury should be appropriately mitigated, and the suffering of an injury always necessitates care (i.e., our news stories below include the critical reminder from Is. 1:17 to defend the oppressed). And by the way, bruises can be injuries too! We should not rush past this, as it is essential to be discerning in order to avoid wrongfully dismissing true injury.

However, we as The Equipped should be growing our capacity to willingly get a little bumped and bruised as a result of being proactively engaged with the sometimes-difficult assignments of the Gospel! Just as our children experience scrapes and bruises as a result of playing sports or adventuring, every Jesus follower who takes seriously the commands of Jesus about how to live is going to get a little scraped up. The Jesus Way is going to include more than a few bruises.

If you aren’t careful, the prospect of a bruise will keep you on the sideline.

Here’s the truth: To effectively follow Jesus into all He commanded, it is necessary to understand the difference between a bruise and an injury. An injury needs care, while a bruise is sometimes simply evidence of having been in the trenches!

This conversation now doesn’t even wait for the after-action report! Now it happens on the way out the door to the game or the adventure:

Me: “Have fun. Play hard. Be careful.”

Son: “I will! Bruised not injured!”

Bruised not injured, indeed!

Defend the oppressed, my friend. Serve in the trenches. Follow very hard after Jesus, and don’t let the prospect of getting a little bruised stop you!

U.S.

Money Matters

Your family economics could potentially be impacted by several headline stories from this week, including:

- The U.S. government re-opened after a 43-day shutdown (the longest in U.S. history). The agreement to re-open funded a few agencies through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2026, but most of the government will again need funding by January 30, 2026.

- U.S. President Donald Trump announced the rollback of tariffs on a wide range of food products, including coffee, fruit, and beef.

- The U.S. Mint ceased production of the penny.

Analysis and eternal perspective: These stories may in fact have a tangible near-term impact on you:

- The end of the government shutdown will restore operations and programs—including SNAP food funding—to “normal.” However, we know the needy will always be among us and we should remain vigilant about opportunities to serve even as we focus on eternity. “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me” (Matt. 26:11).

- The limited rollback of tariffs should reverse some of the current upward pressure on prices for named commodities. However, it will be challenging to address all the pressure points from rising prices, especially as the broader tariffs remain in effect.

- The U.S. Mint says there are plenty of pennies in circulation and businesses are free to continue pricing to the cent and using pennies in regular commerce. However, unless production resumes at some point, you can expect collectors and the passage of time to gradually phase out regular use of the one-cent coin.

Taken together, these money-related stories are a reminder to store up treasure in heaven (Matt. 6:19-21). There is more wealth accumulation now on Earth than at any time in human history, and even so the evidence of its fleeting nature is abundant. As you note the fluctuation of grocery prices and penny sightings, remember to prioritize care for the needy around you.

The heavenly feast of the Lamb will be quite the occasion! Set your eyes on it now as you faithfully navigate the turbulent economic winds of Earth!

World

Board of Peace

The United Nations Security Council approved by a vote of 13-0 (Russia and China abstained) the U.S.-led plan to establish a Board of Peace to govern the rebuild of Gaza. The Board is to be comprised of an international coalition led by the U.S. and is aimed at the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state (a goal Israel does not support). U.S. President Donald Trump said there would be many additional related announcements in the coming weeks and posted, “Congratulations to the World.”

Analysis and eternal perspective: You and I are commanded to “seek peace and pursue it” (Ps. 34:14). In this vein, the cessation of war and the ensuing efforts to sustain physical peace should be welcomed.

Even so, we should be clear-eyed at both the limitations of a human effort such as this to sustain long term peace and the reality that true peace means far more than the absence of war.

As we acknowledge the benefits of a new environment that allows millions who have been in the crossfire of war to build a new and more secure life, it is important to recognize that the framework sustaining that environment is fragile and those living within it desperately need a true and lasting peace that comes only from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

What can you do to offer that relationship to those in the region? You can and certainly should pray. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (Jam. 5:16)! We often think of prayer as the thing to do when we can’t do anything more impactful. The truth is it is the most impactful thing we can do!

You can also make it a priority to regularly consider how to advance the Gospel into the hearts and minds of those so desperately lacking it. You are the chosen vessel for that mission (Matt. 28:19-20). Perhaps you are the one to physically stand with those now rebuilding to share the Good News. Or perhaps you are to enable another to do so.

One way or another, consider how you are to contribute to a true and lasting eternal peace for those emerging from war.

U.S.

Vote to Release Files

After months of delay and debate, the U.S. House and U.S. Senate both voted Tuesday to order the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release to the public all unclassified files related to the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein. The resolution instructs the DOJ to redact the personal information of the victims as well as other sensitive information. The House passed the resolution overwhelmingly by a vote of 427-1 but the vote occurred only after the swearing in of Rep. Adelita Grijalva allowed her to become the 218^th signature on a discharge petition to force the vote. The White House and Republican leadership had previously lobbied unsuccessfully to convince Republicans who signed the petition—including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace—to remove their signatures.

The resolution was then approved by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate. President Trump has indicated he will sign the measure but excoriated his long-time political ally Greene for her support of it. Meanwhile, fallout from the ongoing release of related information continued, as former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced he will be “stepping back from public commitments” after it was revealed he stayed in touch with Epstein long after previously disclosed.

Analysis and eternal perspective: “Defend the oppressed” (Is. 1:17). In many ways, it is just as simple as that. Yes, there are countless complexities about this very tawdry case. Yes, almost all the coverage views those complexities first—or at least primarily—through the lens of which powerful people or political party they most implicate. Yes, it is difficult to know how to best defend the oppressed.

Even so, that is where our primary focus should be as it pertains to this story. Numerous young girls were deeply, deeply wronged by some of the most powerful and influential people in the world. Those people, if convicted, should be held to account (remember, “seek justice” is the command that immediately precedes “defend the oppressed” in Isaiah 1:17). We as The Equipped community should pursue this accounting, and do so regardless of its impact on partisan influence or control—perceived or actual.

Epstein facilitated a deep evil on his victims. But he was far from the only perpetrator, and we should defend the oppressed by standing in favor of the administration of justice for all others involved.

The Beautiful

Negative Space

The beauty is in the margin.

I always love Brooke’s photography, but I can’t always express why. There are subtleties that speak to me but which I often cannot pinpoint. However, with this image, I knew immediately I liked it because of the simplicity of the open space above the focal point. Brooke informs me the proper term for this is “negative space,” but all I know is it presents a sort of comforting calm over the image.

Dare I say your life and mine needs a similar negative space! Where and how do you find margin to restore with your God? When in your schedule is there intentional open space to simply be with your God? This is critical, friends. Negative space is not a sacrifice, but in fact the way to ensure your life is filled with beauty. Because the beauty is in the margin!

“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Ps. 5:3).

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