Equipped Church Blogs

  The Boy, The Giant, and The Ordinary Armor “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.”  Mark Twain “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”   Muhammad Ali “It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit.”   J. R. R. Tolkien “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Dale Carnegie “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” Maya Angelou “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” Eleanor Roosevelt      There he was, a ruddy young shepherd standing before King Saul, about to face his greatest challenge. As the Philistine giant Goliath mocked a...

  Trusting God vs. Making Risky Decisions “God is God. Because he is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.” Elisabeth Elliot “Presumption is expecting God to join our plans rather than seeking His plans.” Oswald Chambers “Faith is not jumping to conclusions; it is stepping out on the promises of God. Presumption is acting without the assurance of His leading” Warren Wiersbe “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” Oswald Chambers “Presumption whispers false assurances where faith should seek God’s will.” Charles Stanley      Sometimes, in life, we find ourselves at a crossroads. On one side lies the path of trusting God completely. On the other, the temptation to take matters into our own hands. It is a choice echoing that fateful decision in Eden to either grasp for knowledge or trust G...

  The Quiet Burden of "Should" “The safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” C. S. Lewis “Orthodoxy means not thinking—not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.” George Orwell “Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” T. S. Eliot “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” Fyodor Dostoevsky “The greatest danger, that of losing oneself, can pass off in the world as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc., is sure to be noticed.” Søren Kierkegaard      In our previous blog, The Hidden Strings: Unintended Manipulation, we explored how easy it is to slip from encouragement into something else, where our outward actions mask the disconnect inside. We wondered ...

  From Me to He: Reclaiming Worship That Transforms “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” Johann Sebastian Bach “It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it.” A.W. Tozer “The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God.” Saint Irenaeus “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose—and all this gathered up in adoration.” William Temple      When did worship become about us? A quiet shift has occurred in modern church culture, a recalibration of our focus that places personal gratification above the glory of God. Songs o...

  It's Time! Application from Sunday's message 12/29/24 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Ephesians 4:1 (NLTSE) Joshua 24:15  …choose today whom you will serve…But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”      The call to live a life worthy of God's purpose is not just for pastors or church leaders - it's for every believer. We are all called to be part of a priesthood of believers who impact the world around us. Why Does God Call All Believers to Ministry?      God designed each person with specific gifts and talents to fulfill His unique calling for their life. While we may feel inadequate or point to others who seem more qualified, God made you in His image with certain abilities to impact the world in ways no one else can. What Does it Mean to Live a Life Worthy of Your Calling?      Living worthy doesn't mean being perfect - it ...

  Navigating Financial Storms with Biblical Wisdom “Too many people spend money they earned...to buy things they don’t want..to impress people that they don’t like.” Will Rogers “Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.” Warren Buffett “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King Jr.      There are few areas in life where the grip of fear and uncertainty can be felt as tangibly as in matters of finances. The world teaches us to build security through material gain, positioning money as the solution to most problems. Yet, time and again, we are reminded that no amount of wealth can truly insulate us from the storms that come. The economy shifts, jobs are lost, unexpected expenses arise, and with them, anxiety over how to stay afloat. But for those of us in Christ, financial struggles take on a deeper meaning. They become opportunities to look at where our trust has been placed, and wheth...

  The Broad Principle of Not Being Unequally Yoked “We were opposites in all respects – a natural incompatibility.” Rebecca West “Similarity breeds respect, and it is possible, that by startling contrasts, we keep alive a watchful interest.” Samuel Richardson “Opposite values, or ideologies, shared living spaces is inherently and fundamentally unstable.” Jordan B. Peterson “It is wrong to think that misfortunes afford unhappiness; happiness and unhappiness spring from the very same source.” Boethius “Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay.” Sallust Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt a nagging sense of unease, a subtle dissonance that whispered, “Something is not quite right here?” Perhaps it was a relationship, a business partnership, or even a casual friendship that seemed to clash with your deeply held values and beliefs. We have all heard the phrase about not being “unequally yoked” applied primarily to the context of marriag...