Equipped Church Blogs

  Balancing Achievement and Humility: Tall Poppies and Participation Trophies “Success makes so many people hate you. I wish it wasn’t that way. It would be wonderful to enjoy success without seeing envy in the eyes of those around you.” Marilyn Monroe “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” William James “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” Eckhart Tolle “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston S. Churchill “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” C. S. Lewis      In a world that increasingly fluctuates between tearing down those who excel and celebrating mediocrity, there is a palpable tension between striving for achievement and the fear of standing out. Two cultural phenomena encapsulate this paradox: the tall poppy syndrome—the societal impulse to cut down those who rise above the rest—a...

  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 ...

  Baal-perazim: Lord of the Breakthrough “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” T. S. Eliot “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” Paulo Coelho “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” J. M. Barrie “Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” Ernest Hemingway      Baal-perazim. It almost sounds like an afterthought, does it not? Something you might brush past without a second glance. But that name—tucked away in Israel’s history—carries with it a force that can shake everything we think we know. Baal-perazim. It is not exactly a name you hear tossed around at dinner parties, is it? Yet, maybe it should be. This obscure place is a pivot point, a place where God’s power crashes through our reality, turning everything on its head. David’s Flood: A ...

  Overcoming Financial Struggles “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income.” Ecclesiastes 5:10, ESV “The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money.” Anonymous “Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul.” Democritus “There are people who have money and people who are rich.” Coco Chanel “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.” Charles Dickens, David Copperfield      In our previous post, Biblical Finance (Part 1): Navigating Financial Struggles with Faith and Wisdom, we explored the biblical principles for managing financial trials. Financial struggles often expose where our trust truly lies, whether in the fragile security of wealth or the eternal provision of God. Scripture calls us t...

  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...