January 21, 2026

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

The True

The Plan

You are the plan.

For real. There is a plan, and you are it! This is one of the most exciting and surreal realities of a Jesus follower:

- God came to Earth in the physical form of His son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

- At the end of His time on Earth, and after having been crucified, buried, and resurrected, Jesus returned to the right hand of God (Lk. 24:51).

- Jesus entrusted responsibility for His continued work to His followers, and left God in the form of the Holy Spirit to help us (Jn. 14:26).

We refer to the primary mission of Jesus as a “finished work” because there is nothing you or I can do to enhance or diminish the magnitude of it. We have life and the promise of eternity with God not because of anything we have done, but because of the perfection of what Jesus has already done. When you stand before the God of the universe, you will be judged not on your merits but rather on whether you have surrendered to the One who already paid the price. It is a finished work, and it was Jesus who completed it.

Even so, in His abounding and everlasting love and grace, the One true and triune God chose to incorporate you into the earthly stewardship of that finished work. He chose to establish a vessel into which that finished work would be poured for sharing with the generations that would follow, and He selected you as that vessel. He established the Church—His followers—as the mechanism by which He would be made known.

In other words, He could have chosen any plan or no plan at all, but He chose you as the plan because He wanted you as the plan!

This Truth is what makes The Equipped family so special. The beauty of the plan is really incomprehensible. It is beyond what you or I can fully perceive, and it rushes beauty and purpose and form into your earthly life and mine. It changes your realty from one bound by flesh and bones to one unshackled from human constraints.

It also changes the way you should view the Church.

The Church is a gathering of Jesus followers for the purpose of praising and glorifying God, yes. But it is not only that.

At its core, the Church is the living, breathing embodiment of God on Earth! The Church is composed of fallen beings—you and me—so it is not perfect as God is perfect. And yet, the Church is the mechanism by which the world comes face-to-face with the One who fulfills its every need and desire.

Far from a passive bystander, the Church is the way in which the will of God is made known and implemented on Earth. It doesn’t require unmatched intellect, political power, or global consensus. The plan is not centered on any of those manmade constructs.

The plan is focused on you. The plan is designed for embrace by imperfect but fully redeemed Jesus followers. It flows to a world in need not through perfect strategies or even miraculous intervention, but rather as a result of humble submission to His charge.

The work is finished. But the plan for dissemination is still in operation. The plan is alive in you. The plan is you!

World

Icy in Greenland

The eyes of the world are on the icy terrain of Greenland this week, as a bevy of news centered on U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to obtain U.S. control of the giant island nation. As part of the effort, President Trump announced planned tariffs on European countries that do not back his acquisition proposal. President Trump also wrote to Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that the decision to award someone else the Nobel Peace Prize is causing him to no longer have “an obligation to think only of Peace.” The prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, but Machado gave the award to President Trump last week.

Analysis and eternal perspective: It may be more world headlines about Greenland in a week than in all the rest of modern history combined. There are so many intertwined threads, and it is difficult to separate the meaningful from the theatric.

First, the Nobel Peace Prize. The famous prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and, while the medal and accompanying diploma may be given away at will, the honor is non-transferable. The Norwegian government is not responsible for the selection, but President Trump believes its influence is determinative. Award or no award, you and I are to persistently pursue peace (Ps. 34:14). We are also to seek the praise of God rather than the praise of men (Gal. 1:10, Jn. 5:41, Jn. 12:43).

Next, control of Greenland. Greenland’s government is of a hybrid variety. It is largely self-governing with most of its affairs directed by a parliamentary system. However, its national defense and foreign affairs is overseen by Denmark as part of Greenland’s formal status as a territory of Denmark. A peaceful change in this status would require formal voluntary action by the people of Greenland.

Finally, tariffs. The use of economic pressure from an outside country with the aim at achieving involuntary takeover of territory is unsurprisingly seen by most as a hostile action. It is generating protest on the ground in Greenland and likely making a voluntary act to change Greenland’s official status less likely.

This story is likely to remain in the headlines and continue generating controversy. Your aim, regardless of your underlying view about the best future status of Greenland, should be to stand for peace, respect the principle of self-determination, and pray for all the authorities involved (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

U.S.

Protestors Disrupt Church Service

Protesters interrupted a worship service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, this week. The disruption was livestreamed by Black Lives Matter Minnesota and caused the service to be canceled. The protestors were objecting to the ongoing operations being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are believed to have targeted Cities Church because one of its pastors works in a local ICE office. The incident is the latest in an ongoing string of clashes over ICE’s enforcement operations.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Last week, we considered several truths that will remain constant throughout the turbulence of this story. In brief, they are: 1) God loves all involved, 2) The authority of law enforcement should be respected, 3) Unpopular speech and protest is legally protected but acts of violence are not, and 4) We are to pray for those in authority.

The framework above provides us a stable—if not always popular—place to begin our consideration of this week’s developments. It is important, however, to zoom in briefly on point number three, because it is well-established legal precedent in the U.S. that the First Amendment protects the right of unpopular speech and protest, but does not confer a right to deny the similar speech of another, particularly in a religious worship setting. In other words, the churchgoers have a First Amendment right to gather and worship, and the protestors have a First Amendment right to protest, but there is not a First Amendment right for the protest to deprive the churchgoers of their right to gather in worship.

These are tricky but important legal nuances to consider amid a story like this one. The First Amendment provides sweeping-but-not-unlimited freedom, and this is a prime example of a situation where the law draws a limiting line on that freedom in order to preserve the rights of all.

As a Jesus follower, you should gather to worship even when it’s unpopular (Heb. 10:25). You should also respect your governing authorities (Rom. 13:1-7) and be vigilant in your pursuit of justice for the oppressed (Is. 1:17).

Sports

Hoosiers

The Indiana Hoosiers are national champions. That statement might make you assume it is April and the conclusion of the basketball season, but it is still January and for the first time Indiana University has won the national college football championship after defeating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the title game. The win carried Indiana to a perfect 16-0 record and sealed one of the most improbable title runs in sports history.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Entering the season, Indiana football had more losses than any other college football program with 717 (it is now second all-time in the dubious category, behind Northwestern). In a remarkable feat, the team did not add a single tally to that loss total. The Hoosiers’ title comes in just the second year for Head Coach Curt Cignetti, and the game’s MVPs were awarded to QB Fernando Mendoza (offensive) and DL Mikail Kamara (defensive).

As a Jesus follower, you might have been for the Hoosiers or you might have been pulling for the Hurricanes (or perhaps, like me, you were for the Illini—another basketball-first school). No matter your rooting preference, this story lends a prescient reminder about our not-so-glittery past. To put it gently, each of us has a history that is less than stellar. Every one of us has sinned and fallen short of God’s magnificent glory (Rom. 3:23).

But that past doesn’t mark or determine your destiny! No matter how bleak your past, you are only one decision of surrender to Jesus away from the promise of being a child of God!

So as you consider this story about an unlikely champion, reflect on your status. It is true: Your past makes you unworthy in and of yourself. But your future is defined not by your past but by your association within the completed work of Jesus on the cross. If you have never surrendered to that victory, make today the day. If you need or desire support in that decision, email theequippednewsletter@gmail.com. Welcome to the family!

The Beautiful

The Olive

When all seemed lost on the Earth, it was an olive leaf delivered to Noah by a dove that signaled new life and a new beginning (Gen. 8:11).

When the life of the Savior was squeezed out of Him on the cross, it paved the way for you to be made new (2 Cor. 5:7, Rev. 21:5).

May the oil of the Savior and of life’s pressing anoint you today. May its power overflow in your life as a rich and beautiful reminder of your true identity.

Don’t forget to check out the broadcast version of The Equipped on Faith Radio or wherever you get your podcasts!