June 24, 2026

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

This week, we performed the regular task of removing from the mailing list those who are no longer engaging with the content. We do so periodically in an effort to avoid spamming and to focus on those of you for whom this content is impactful. If you think our community would be encouraging to another Jesus follower in your life, please forward this email on and invite them to join us!

The True

Truth Had to Travel

The proclamation was True, but the Truth had yet to travel.

On January 1, 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln officially issued his long-anticipated Emancipation Proclamation, the key phrase of which read: “I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free.”

There are more than a few caveats here (i.e., the proclamation only applied to states deemed to be in rebellion to the United States), but the most important component of this long-overdue announcement was unequivocally True and of paramount significance: Every person is created (by the Creator) equal and endowed (by the Creator) with inalienable rights that no government or people have the right to take away.

It was True before the proclamation and it was True after the proclamation. But what did it mean in reality for those living in slavery on January 1, 1863? The answer might surprise you. For many, it meant . . . nothing.

At least, it meant nothing initially, because Truth had yet to travel.

In a legal sense, the proclamation on January 1, 1863 set slaves free all across the South. But in a practical sense, most slaves were held in places where immediate enforcement of the proclamation was impossible. As a result, the reality for many slaves did not change on January 1, 1863 . . . or on January 1, 1864 . . . or on January 1, 1865. In fact, if you were a slave in Galveston, TX, it was not until June 19, 1865—nearly two-and-a-half years later—that your reality changed!

On June 19, 1865, U.S. General Gordon Granger led his troops into Galveston and read General Order No. 3, which announced—with the backing of enforcement by his troops—the now-two-and-a-half-year-old Truth that all mankind are free.

For the Image Bearers in Galveston, TX, Truth was not fully realized and experienced on January 1, 1863, but on June 19, 1865. Why?

Because Truth had to travel!

The Emancipation Proclamation was both right and True when it was issued. But in order to make a difference to the one for whom it was intended, it had to travel! It had to be carried. It needed a vessel to both transport and enforce it!

General Granger’s arrival, armed with General Order No. 3, meant far more to the reality of those in Galveston, TX than did President Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. The latter was most certainly a requirement for the former, but it was also completely ineffective without a mode of transportation and enforcement.

You, my friend, have the role of General Granger today. You are not the One who establishes Truth. But there is an absolute Truth, and you and I begin our time each week by rooting ourselves in that Truth. It is absolute, unchanging, and the ultimate authority whether or not you, I, or anyone else surrenders to it.

But Truth’s intended impact is not fully realized until you carry it!

Truth was always intended to travel, and you were created to be its mode of transportation!

My favorite articulation of this (likely because of my preference for the written word) is Habakkuk 2:2, which says, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” Habakkuk did not give the revelation, but he was responsible for its transport. His method of transport was the written word and a herald, but his core duty was to cause the Truth to travel in order that it would accomplish its intent!

The Truth, my friend, has always been (Jn. 1:1). It was before time and it will be after time. But you live in that intervening space bound by time. It is in that time and space you have been bestowed the critical task of causing Truth to travel!

World

British Prime Minister Resigns

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday he is resigning as soon as a replacement can be selected. Starmer’s resignation comes in the wake of waning support from his party, and the change will usher in the seventh Prime Minister in less than a decade. A successor will be chosen from Starmer’s ruling Labour Party, and most observers believe Andy Burnham, former Mayor of Greater Manchester and newly-elected Member of Parliament, is the odds-on favorite to be selected.

The British government contains both a constitutional monarchy (i.e., the King or Queen, who serve as Head of State) and a parliamentary democracy (i.e., the legislature—made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords—which is responsible for selecting the Prime Minister to serve in an executive role).

Analysis and eternal perspective: For much of the world (especially those living in America’s constitutional republic), this mid-election change in the chief executive seems very foreign. It has, however, become something of the norm in the UK over the last decade. Political observers point to a myriad of reasons for this relatively new dynamic, but in simple terms the ruling party simply has not been able to maintain enough consensus to stand behind any of its self-selected leaders. The result has been a steady stream of turnover in the job at the proverbial top.

As a Jesus follower, this story is a reminder of the fleeting nature of earthly power. You are to endeavor to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and to choose acts of service over acts of ruling (Mk. 10:42-45). The temporary nature of earthly power is but one of the lesser reasons for this instruction.

The primary reason for choosing a posture of service is it emulates how Jesus lived.

There are many symbols that mark the earthly life of Jesus, but I find myself often returning to two defining ones. First, Jesus used a towel and a foot-washing basin to serve His disciples in the lowly act of washing their feet. Next, in the ultimate act of service, Jesus surrendered to carrying His own cross, taking 39 lashes from the whip, bearing a crown of thorns, and dying a criminal’s death on the cross for crimes He did not commit.

If Jesus served in that way, and in doing so provided redemption for all, you and I can repeatedly choose to surrender to service, as well.

U.S.

B-52 Bomber Crashes

All eight people onboard were killed when a B-52 bomber crashed just outside of Edwards Air Force Base in California last week. Passengers included the servicemember crew as well as civilian government contractors. The plane went down in a remote desert area, and officials report that the investigation into the cause could last several months.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Life is short. On one hand, flying (or riding in) B-52 bombers carries with it fairly obvious risks. On the other hand, however, the aircraft has an impressive safety record spanning more than 70 years and is flown by some of the most highly-trained personnel in the world. Even so, an incident like this one reminds us that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow here on Earth (Pr. 27:1, Jam. 4:14).

Far from being cause for mourning, this reality frees you to “set your mind on things above” (Col. 3:2). It is a liberating act to relax your grip on things you cannot control in exchange for investing your time, treasure, and talent into those things which cannot be taken from you!

One way to bring this rather soaring intellectual concept down to a level of practical application is to commit your heart and time this week to intentional prayer for those grieving the loss of loved ones. Headline stories, including this one, point to bombers, unexplained crashes, and investigations, but at the heart of this story is eight families who are hurting. By standing in the gap of prayer for them, you are in fact also acknowledging your own frailty, which is in turn setting your eyes on your eternal home in heaven!

World

A Deal to Make a Deal

Senior officials from the U.S. and Iran are in Switzerland discussing details on how to end the conflict between the two nations. The negotiations cover a range of key issues and stem from an “interim deal” struck last week. That deal—a “deal to make a deal”—afforded a 60-day window in which to settle the major disagreements between the two sides, including how to treat the Straight of Hormuz, sanctions on Iranian oil and currently frozen assets, and Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

As peace talks between the U.S. and Iran continue, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has continued sporadically. Leaders from Israel and Lebanon are conducting their own peace negotiations, but Iran—which serves as a military sponsor for Hezbollah—is treating the conflict as an offshoot of the U.S.-Iran engagement.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Peace is often elusive, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the Middle East, where it is often difficult to tell the difference between open hostilities and a “ceasefire.” Even so, the current talks between the U.S. and Iran present the most recent opportunity to secure an end to the fighting.

It also affords an interesting window into the perspective of the American electorate, as the most recent “Iran Deal” came in 2015 under U.S. President Barack Obama. To be sure, there are both multiple similarities and multiple key differences between the two deals, but in many camps, a decision to focus mostly on similarities or differences is made not by evaluating the importance of those factors but based on which president advanced the component in question.

This is an issue that very quickly becomes about political legacy over actual impact.

As Jesus followers, you and I should endeavor to use just “weights” and “honest scales” (Pr. 16:11) in our analysis. Simply put, we should lay aside our partisan preference and honestly evaluate the terms of these deals, or any other deals. This approach is both the surest way to achieve lasting peace and the only way to avoid the endless mental gymnastics required to run every subsequent development through the filter of who will get a political advantage as a result.

Finally, let’s agree together in prayer that the ongoing negotiations would produce a lasting peace, especially for the Israeli and Iranian people.

The Beautiful

Ripe for the Picking

The God who gives good gifts (Matt. 7:9-11) also has perfect timing (Gal. 6:9). You may be weary from waiting for the fruit in your life to ripen, but take heart! Your God will not wait too long, and He is working to produce sweet Truth in and through you (Hab. 2:3)!

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (Hab. 2:3).