November 11, 2026

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

We want to serve you, and we are always grateful for your feedback. This community works best when it is a two-way conversation. So let us know: How does The Equipped help you in tangible ways? What can we do to serve you better? What do you need more or less of in order to maximize your focus on the eternal? My personal email is thann@theequippednewsletter.com. I read and carefully consider every email. Thank you in advance for your honest input to make The Equipped community as vibrant as possible!

The True

So What?

So what?

As a Jesus follower, the indifference embodied in that question is very rarely the posture to which you are called. Rather, yours is a mantle of deep concern for the weak, the oppressed, and the disadvantaged (Ps. 82:3)! For the most part, you and I should be the least indifferent people on the planet! The cares and the plight of others should compel us to action rather than indifference. When the world sees great need and asks, “So what?” we should exclaim, “Send me!”

That said, there is a place for asking, “So, what?”

Have you noticed how often your inbox is flooded with proclamations of your afflictions? If you are to believe your emails and your social media feeds, the world is out to get you, and it is especially the case if you are a follower of Jesus. The core theme of these messages is that all manner of adversaries (including the government, your political opponents, and even your fellow believers) are out to get you. You are constantly told you are persecuted.

To a certain extent, it is true. Jesus himself told us clearly, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 10:22). So there is at least a kernel of truth here: If you are a follower of Jesus, you should expect the world to scorn you.

But in order to be best prepared to effectively carry the Good News into a world marked by this derision for the Truth, you and I should be cleared-eyed about the following two realities:

1) You aren’t persecuted. Not really. This is true for the vast majority of you reading these words. At the time of this writing, more than 99% of The Equipped community live in a place where following Jesus is fully permitted under the law, and in which the term “persecution” gets applied to things like reputational slander or mockery. My friend, derision and mockery because of Jesus was foretold by Jesus 2,000 years ago. It is not persecution, and we do a disservice to our brothers and sisters around the world when we claim our life of comfort and ease is in league with their persecution and even death as a result of their faith in Jesus.

2) So, what? I ask the question not flippantly, but sincerely and with a desire that you and I be fully equipped to focus on the task at hand rather than distracted by some perceived grievance. When you are mocked, or derided, or even afflicted because of your faith in Jesus, why is that a reason for your response or even for the altering of your focus? Jesus told you it would be so, and in fact he said those whose afflictions rose to the level of persecution would be blessed (Matt. 5:10-12)! But his mandate to us was never about being on guard against persecution. In fact, quite the opposite. Jesus said we will be persecuted and charged us with making disciples anyway.

Your mission and mine is not to keep score of wrongs done against us in order to set all things right on the Earth. No, ours is a mission of understanding that all is not right with the world, and proclaiming to those around us the way to transcend the world!

So, are you persecuted? With very few exceptions, I think not. Lift your head and decline the invitation into self-pity. If you are hated because of Christ, count it all joy!

But even if you disagree with me, so what? What is it that God would have you do in the face of the affliction He promised you was coming? Time spent trying to convince the world not to hate you is time wasted because it is time not spent making disciples. Your call is so much greater than simply identifying and articulating wrongs committed against you. If you are afflicted or even persecuted, what then? What are you to do in response?

You are to make disciples.

Let’s get on with it.

U.S.

Transitions on Pennsylvania Ave

It’s moving time on both ends of Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, DC. In the wake of the midterm elections, there are significant personnel changes happening at both the White House and in Congress.

At the White House, Susie Wiles is out and Stephen Miller is in as White House Chief of Staff.

In Congress, the election results continue to roll in. Democrats have secured at least 54 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, with two races yet to be determined, and hold a 255-167 advantage in the U.S. House, with 13 races still undecided.

Analysis and eternal perspective: It is one of the stranger periods in Washington, DC, as the outgoing 119^th Congress has returned to town and remains in charge of the legislature until the newly elected 120^th Congress is seated in early January. This means that dozens of Senators and Representatives who will no longer be in office in just a few short weeks are on the job while their replacements walk the same halls for orientation and transition tasks and events. It is known as a “lame duck session,” and outgoing officials are described as “lame duck Members.” Even so, the work conducted during this unusual time is every bit as official as work done prior to the election, and any laws enacted by the outgoing government are on equal legal footing with all other statutes.

As for the impact of the changing majority, political memory is remarkably short. You’ve likely read multiple stories about “a permanent Democrat majority” or “states Republicans will never win again.” Remember, it was just two short years ago that voters re-elected President Donald Trump and gave Republicans unified control of Congress. Headlines and pundits at the time screamed things like, “the Electoral College is out of reach for Democrats” and “a permanent Republican Senate.”

Here’s the point: Electoral momentum is very short, and one of the strengths of the American republic is the frequency with which the American people get to adjust their own governance. Every election in the modern media age is followed by breathless overreactions, and then two short years later the American people speak again.

As The Equipped community, our aim is to, a) understand the current day in order to maximize flourishing for our neighbors (1 Chron. 12:32; Jer 29:5-7), and b) remain rooted in the eternal and leading lives of power, love, and sound minds despite the noise around us (2 Cor. 4:18; 2 Tim. 1:7).

World

A Chance to Govern

Gadi Eisenkot has been formally granted the opportunity to secure a governing coalition in Israel after a hotly contested election. If successful, Eisenkot will become the next prime minister of Israel, but the task of securing a majority coalition is a tall one. Eisenkot has six weeks (four weeks outright, with a possible two-week extension) to convince minority parties—most notably Arab parties—to ally with him to form a governing majority in the Knesset. If he fails to piece together a majority, current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely be given the next chance, and if no governing coalition can be formed, a new election could be called.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Similar to our first story about the U.S. elections, it is a strange (but not unusual) political period in Israel. Inconclusive elections followed by negotiations to form a coalition government are expected in the Israeli system, but that does not change the fact that it creates a very uncertain time during which the roles of authority and influence are murky. Somewhat like the lame duck Congress in the U.S., Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s leader, but in a caretaker status. In both cases, there is a certain amount of diminished authority that is unavoidable, even if it is informal.

You and I should be in prayer that Israel’s next leaders would govern with wisdom and honor. This is particularly important for at least two reasons: 1) The Jewish people are God’s chosen people (Deut. 7:6-9) and we as Jesus followers are to honor God’s covenant with them (Gen. 12:3), and 2) The nation of Israel holds a unique geopolitical importance in the world, and plays a critical stabilizing role in a notoriously unstable region. Sound governance in Israel is a blessing for those all around the world.

This week, as you pray for Israel’s current and future leaders, pray also for the Israeli people and for Jews all over the world. God’s covenants are forever, and His salvation plan through Jesus is for everyone (1 Tim. 2:3-4).

World

Chaos in Krakow

A total of 10 people are dead and another 15 wounded after a day of chaotic violence in Krakow, Poland on Saturday. Six of the deceased were killed by a gunman who opened fire in a market square before being confronted and shot by police. Investigators later discovered the gunman’s parents and sister dead at their home, and the shooter himself died from his wounds on Monday morning. Among the injured are two police officers who were shot while responding to the scene, and who are credited with stopping the attack before more lives were taken.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Evil abounds in our world. While the investigation continues, the alleged—and now deceased—shooter is reported to be just 24 years old. There remains much to learn about the motivate of the attack, but the actions clearly indicate a heartbreaking brokenness and separation from the design and love of the Creator. The most obvious fallout from this brokenness is now borne by the families of the victims, and we should be in fervent prayer for them this week.

“God, be close to the broken-hearted in Krakow (Ps. 34:18). Bind up their wounds (Ps. 147:3), renew their strength, and restore their hope for the future (Is. 40:31). Pour into us, your people, the capacity to minister peace to our broken world. God, send your peace into our days, in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.”

The Beautiful

I Give to You

Genesis 1:29-30 describes an intensely beautiful act of generosity. The Creator God, having just finished speaking the universe into existence, gifts mankind with every seed-and-fruit-bearing plant, every living animal, and every green plant. The gift is intended to not only sustain human life but also to infuse it with diversity and delight! It is easy to take for granted the amazing array of color and taste in our food, but all of it is a gift from the Father!

“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.’ And it was so” (Gen. 1:29-30).