March 19, 2025

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

The True

Strength and Honor

It is a serious movie scene that spawned countless humorous Internet memes and is now an inside parenting joke between my wife, Brooke, and me.

The scene from the 2000 blockbuster Gladiator depicts two Roman warriors about to enter a battle that will very likely end in their deaths. The two briefly embrace and remind each other why the likelihood of death is one they willingly advance toward rather than retreat from: “Strength and honor.”

It is a serious topic, but levity has a way of making perilous paths more navigable, so let’s begin with humor. This scene-turned-meme is routinely used to denote difficult everyday tasks we routinely face but would rather avoid. Brooke and I have adopted it for the parenting realm. Our children are truly our greatest gifts, but as every parent can attest, it is not for the faint of heart (I have never had greater appreciation for my parents’ steadfastness with me than I do today)! So, when a particularly challenging parenting moment arrives—you know, like the beginning of any day that ends in ‘y’—Brooke and I will lighten the moment for each other by mimicking the scene, clasping hands, and somberly uttering, “Strength and honor.”

It is as corny as it sounds. It also helps. Just a brief moment to chuckle, take ourselves less seriously, and also remind each other of the eternal value of precious souls.

My friend, your life is full of difficult things. It is. But it is full of difficult things because the mission to which you are called is of infinite value! If you weren’t called to something of such significance, there would be no point intentionally aiming your life into the face of danger. If there weren’t value in the aim of this life, you and I should be scrupulously taking the path of least resistance. If this world were all there is to gain, then hard things should be avoided at all cost!

But of course, you know the truth!

You know that because of God’s great love, eternity with Him is yours (Jn. 3:16)!

You know that your purpose for being on Earth is to embrace the often-difficult task of making disciples (Matt. 28:19-20)!

And in something very close to the biblical version of “strength and honor,” you have also been granted a supernatural strength for the purpose of bringing honor to your God:

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go . . . Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:7,9).

What is it that seems insurmountable in your life today? A relationship? Finances? Parenting? Something else?

Whatever it is, remember as you stand to face it that your God is bigger, your eternity with Him is longer, and your purpose on Earth is greater!

Also, begin with humor. It helps.

U.S.

Deportation Dispute

Hundreds of alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang have been deported from the United States using the authority of the Alien Enemies Act, which was enacted in 1798 and hasn’t been invoked for deportations since World War II. The deportations were immediately challenged in court and a federal judge temporarily ordered a halt to them while the litigation proceeded. The Trump administration declined, however, to heed the judge’s verbal order to turn around the departed planes carrying the alleged gang members, claiming the planes were already outside U.S. airspace and thus beyond the judge’s jurisdiction.

Both the decision to ignore the judge’s verbal order and the administration’s appeal of the judge’s underlying written order were the subject of a Monday hearing and continue to be points of sharp disagreement.

Analysis and eternal perspective: As a matter of law, this dispute essentially centers around the question of whether the U.S. is legally at war as a result of the large number of illegal border crossings in recent years. The administration argues that gangs and drug cartels are invading the U.S. in an act of war, while critics argue there has been no formal declaration of war by the U.S. Congress.

This is prime example of a story in which the legal arguments in court will be significantly distinct from many of the core aspects of the public debate.

The public debate will center mostly—and understandably—on the national security need to keep violent gang members out of the country and off the streets. The legal arguments will largely center on the limits of a U.S. President’s authority in the absence of a congressional war declaration, a power granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitutions, which says:

[The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; . . .

As Jesus followers, we have a clear duty to seek justice and defend the oppressed (Is. 1:17). Simultaneously, the checks and balances of power established by our Founders shrewdly reflect the principles of Proverbs 27:17 (“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”). In order to limit and restrain every element (and in the case of the U.S. federal government, every branch) of government, it is necessary to have a certain amount of conflict between the elements (branches).

As this case proceeds, be intentional to carefully consider all aspects of the arguments advanced as opposed to only the ones you are naturally inclined to support. This tension is not particularly comfortable but is in the end necessary in order to best achieve both justice for the oppressed and restraint on power.

U.S.

Oswald or Grassy Knoll

Tens of thousands of pages of files relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy have been declassified and released to the public more than 60 years after Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested (and subsequently killed) for the crime. The documents have long been the focus of broad public interest, and Congress approved legislation in 1992 requiring their full release unless the president deemed them to pose a national security risk. This week’s release marks the end of successive administrations invoking those exceptions to delay the full release.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Few world events have led to more conspiracy theories than the JFK assassination (you have no doubt heard the “grassy knoll” theory, among others). The release of these documents is unlikely to fundamentally change that reality. In fact, it will almost certainly intensify the conversation, at least for a time.

It is also certain that the reporting on these documents will far outpace your ability to review the full release for yourself. With this in mind, each of us in The Equipped community should resolve to be deliberately cautious in our consumption of and conclusions about the early wave of reporting around the documents.

We are to be a people devoted to the liberating power of the truth (Jn. 8:32). We are also to avoid pointless quarrels and arguments (2 Tim. 2:23, Titus 3:9). It can be quite difficult to hold both these instructions simultaneously in tension with each other! If you choose to interact with this story on a deeper level, do so intentionally in pursuit of truth while deliberately declining divisive and pointless quarrels!

World

Possible Ceasefire in Ukraine

Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire if Russia will concur, and as a result U.S. military aid and intelligence is again flowing to the nation under siege. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, after which the White House expressed optimism that a ceasefire deal is close. The ceasefire, if accomplished, would be for the purpose of creating time and space for diplomatic efforts to secure a permanent end to the war.

Analysis and eternal perspective: It is as though we are stuck on repeat, but it is essential we continually remind ourselves of these biblical principles: 1) We are to be a people who seek peace (Ps. 34:14), and 2) We are to defend the oppressed from the oppressor (Is. 1:17).

These two commands are clear but far from simple to carry out in tandem in our broken and fallen world.

President Putin is clearly oppressing the Ukrainian people—a continuation of his decades-long territorial lust. If he is rewarded with territorial gain for the oppression, he will most certainly oppress and invade again.

In the same breath, the Russian people, the Ukrainian people, and people all over the world would benefit from peace. The ravages of this war have taken a huge toll, both in human lives and in flourishing.

The current moment is messy, and if we desire to find flaws in the approach of whichever party we particularly disfavor, they are certainly there to be found. Let’s endeavor instead to pray that lasting peace and justice for the oppressed would find common ground. In truth, neither of these goals can truly be achieved without the other.

The Beautiful

Strength and Honor

We end where we began. Strength and honor.

True beauty is always intertwined with Truth. True strength is found in weakness, dependance, and vulnerability. It is found in spending our strength for those who are without it. True honor is bestowed and realized in the quiet places of life rather than the grand halls and bright stages.

Strength sounds big. Honor sounds grand. But the richest forms of both are found in the small and the routine.