February 25, 2026

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

The True

Plus-Six Vision

Do you have Plus-Six vision for your life? God does.

The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 is both one of the most cited and also one of the most variably interpreted passages in all of scripture. So a warning right out of the gate: This is a prime example of a passage where you should be personally in the presence of the King to grapple with how He wants you to apply it to your life. It is a passage that is very easy to selective shape and mold into a form that fits your preferred narrative. Avoid that temptation at all costs, as this passage speaks to the crucial mandate that you and I give our best and our all in order to build not our kingdom but the Kingdom of God.

It is a sacred duty, and not one to be trivialized.

That said, it is also a passage that should light a fire of excitement and passion in you!

Here is the quick thumbnail version of the parable as a reminder:

- The master, before leaving on a long trip, gives three servants five, two, and one talents respectively (note: a “talent” was a huge sum of money, roughly equivalent to one million U.S. dollars today, so these were equivalent sums of approximately $5 million, $2 million, and $1 million).

- During the master’s long trip, the servants with five and two talents each doubled their money but the servant with one talent simply preserved and protected it.

- Upon his return, the master is very pleased with the servants who have doubled their money and very displeased with the one who has only preserved it. The talent that has been preserved is taken from the servant and given to the one who doubled his five talents to ten.

Again, there are many lessons to be gleaned from this parable, but for today, let us together consider this one:

God has a Plus-Six vision for your life!

God has vested in you unique and special abilities, and He has entrusted you with a “long” life in which to deploy those intentional giftings. There is every reason to believe that your “five talents” can yield a 100% return over the course of your life! God has designed you with multiplication capacity! He intended—and even expects—you to be fruitful and multiply in the building of His Kingdom (among Jesus’ very last words in Matthew 28 were the instruction to, “Go and make disciples”).

It is a magnificent thing to realize you are created to multiply God’s work in you. You are designed to turned five into ten. You have an embedded purpose to do “plus-five” work with your life. That is, in and of itself, an awe-inducing reality!

But what about Plus-Six vision? The first servant who doubled his five to ten was then given the talent originally entrusted to the third servant, bringing the first servant’s total “assets under management” to 11—or Plus-Six from where he started.

The point today is this: You have GREAT capacity within you to build God’s Kingdom, but God’s vision for you is GREATER STILL!

You are designed to plan and work for plus-five, but God wants to take you to Plus-Six! This is not just an incremental expansion of your capacity, or something as trivial as financial blessing on top of your life’s work. Rather, this is about the “extra” that only God can do through you. It is the “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in [you]” (Eph. 3:20).

When you go from plus-five vision to Plus-Six vision, it blows the roof off what is possible because you move from the already-expansive potential God has placed within you to the limitless possibilities of what God just might do in and through you!

So, do you have Plus-Six vision? God does, and while He is the only one who can take you there, He expects and requires you to first turn the five He has given you into ten. It is time to be courageous and do the work (1 Chron. 28:20).

World

Chaos in Mexico

The Mexican cartel leader known as “El Mencho” was killed in a clash with authorities on Sunday, igniting widespread violence between cartel members and the Mexican military. Many foreign tourists were given “shelter in place” instructions and airport travel was disrupted, especially in Jalisco state, which is home to the popular resort area of Puerto Vallarta.

El Mencho, whose legal name is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which is responsible for large scale violence and drug trafficking, mostly into the United States. He was convicted for trafficking in the U.S. more than 30 years ago but returned to Mexico after serving a prison sentence and resumed the illegal operation.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Chaos and destruction in both life and death. That is the somber legacy of El Mencho. As deadly and chaotic as the scene of El Mencho’s death and the nationwide aftermath is, the destruction caused by the cartel’s trafficking operation is unquestionably more devastating. Untold thousands are almost certainly dead or addicted as a result of the illicit drugs trafficked by El Mencho. Both his life and death speak tragically of death, and his legacy remains one of destruction that will not unravel simply because he has passed from earthly life.

There is a famous line from the movie Gladiator, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” The line has taken on a certain amount of cultural lore, but it is really just a theatrical expression of a biblical truth. God’s Word speaks repeatedly of the eternal value, impact, and yes, even the duration of our actions in this life.

Particularly relevant in this story is the truth that our earthly actions don’t only reverberate in heaven but also here on Earth after we are gone from it. Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” El Mencho is no longer living, but both the stories and the impact of his life live on in the form of great devastation.

Consider today what the next generation will be told of your life once God calls you home. Will those stories tell of God’s mighty acts? Will they speak of and commend His work long after you have drawn your last breath? It is worth intentionally considering, because your life will echo both in heaven and on Earth long after your physical body is no more.

U.S.

U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Tariffs

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, struck down the tariff regime U.S. President Donald Trump had put in place citing authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The decision evenly divided the six Justices appointed by Republican presidents.

The majority opinion of the Court, which was authored by Chief Justice Roberts and joined by two additional Justices (Barrett and Gorsuch) nominated by Republican presidents (Barrett and Gorsuch were nominated by Trump himself), held that the IEEPA did not authorize the tariffs, and as such are impermissible without an act of Congress. A dissent authored by Justice Kavanaugh (a Trump nominee) and joined by Justices Thomas and Alito (both nominees of Republican presidents) opined the President did have lawful authority to establish and enforce the tariffs.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Stories like this one that demonstrate the reality of the separation of powers enshrined in the republican form of U.S. government are instructive for all American citizens. You may or may not agree with the holding of the court, but the decentralization of power—with numerous checks and balances on the various powers—has proven to be a special kind of genius over the past 250 years. There are very few places in the world in which the authority to govern is as carefully divided as it is in the United States. This is a source of nearly constant frustration for whoever is in power, and then quickly a means of relief for those same people when they are no longer in power.

This case is a particularly stark visualization of this dynamic, as even the six Justices who formed the majority opinion have very divergent views on where exactly to draw the line on tariff powers. For example, Justice Gorsuch wrote a 46-page concurring opinion forcefully arguing for a robust interpretation of the “major questions” doctrine, which essentially requires a very specific congressional delegation of authority when it comes to major issues.

As for you, tariff policy likely does impact you in at least some way—perhaps prices at the grocery store or even the geopolitical posture of your favorite international destination. But far more important than tariffs or the major questions doctrine (both of which are certainly of some import) is the reality that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus (Matt. 28:18). It is a comforting reality as you grapple with complex questions of earthly authority.

Sports

Miracle on Miracle

Forty-six years after the Lake Placid “Miracle on Ice” in the 1980 Winter Olympics, the U.S. men’s hockey team has again won gold, this time defeating Canada when Jack Hughes scored a sudden death “golden goal” in overtime on Sunday. The U.S. win completed a clean sweep for U.S. hockey, with the women’s team also defeating Canada to win the gold medal a few days prior. While neither of the two gold medals was a sports “miracle” in the mold of 1980 (both of the modern teams were clear gold medal contenders while the 1980 team was a significant underdog), the back-to-back wins provided a jubilant end to 2026 Winter Olympics for American fans.

Analysis and eternal perspective: In the aftermath of the two gold medals, there was some controversy (isn’t there always these days?) about the political views of members of both teams. Candidly, our takeaway as The Equipped family is an acknowledgement that anything and everything can and will be used to divide. It is up to us to decline to take the bait when it is clearly not productive.

Next, there was a moment during the celebration of the men’s win that is worth reflection. The two young children of Johnny Gaudreau, who would have been a member of the team but was killed alongside his brother when they were struck by a drunk driver while riding bicycles, were brought onto the ice for a picture with the team and their father’s jersey. It was a brief moment, but a memory that will undoubtedly live on for the rest of those young children’s lives.

Let’s together as The Equipped family consider what small acts we can engage to similarly build lifelong supports for the fatherless. Some of you will be called to do “big” things (if you want to adopt from foster care, I commend you to our work at A Fearless Life). But in all reality, most of the “big” things are little things. What little thing can you do today to be a father to the fatherless (Ps. 68:5)?

The Beautiful

Breaking Through

It can feel—and even be—quite cold and lonely as the beauty God has poured into you lies dormant beneath life’s storms. But as the proverbial spring arrives, the circumstances of life are no match for the beauty that bursts from beneath!

Thy Hidden Ones (Ps. 83:3)

Thick green leaves from the soft brown earth,
Happy springtime hath called them forth;
First faint promise of summer bloom
Breathes from the fragrant, sweet perfume,
Under the leaves.

Lift them! what marvelous beauty lies
Hidden beneath, from our thoughtless eyes!
Mayflowers, rosy or purest white,
Lift their cups to the sudden light,
Under the leaves.

Are there no lives whose holy deeds—
Seen by no eye save His who reads
Motive and action—in silence grow
Into rare beauty, and bud and blow
Under the leaves?

Fair white flowers of faith and trust,
Springing from spirits bruised and crushed;
Blossoms of love, rose-tinted and bright,
Touched and painted with Heaven’s own light
Under the leaves.

Full fresh clusters of duty borne,
Fairest of all in that shadow grown;
Wondrous the fragrance that sweet and rare
Comes from the flower-cups hidden there
Under the leaves.

Though unseen by our vision dim,
Bud and blossom are known to Him;
Wait we content for His heavenly ray—
Wait till our Master Himself one day
Lifteth the leaves."

- L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert