I had the pleasure recently to talk with David Closson, the Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council. I’ve known David for many, many years. He shares with me the sobering statistics regarding the gap between those who say that they are living a Biblical worldview and how their beliefs actually line up with a Biblical worldview. There’s a larger gap than you might even guess!
In this episode, David and I talk about:
David’s background playing basketball with my son to college and seminary to being invited to join the Family Research Council.
The founding and purpose of the Center for Biblical Worldview
What is and how do we live a biblical worldview?
The problems of theological liberalism
The financial, social, and legislative pressures on churches today
How issues surrounding gender and identity have become the number one question in churches today
The need for a resource to help churches talk about identity
The de-transitioner movement
Our hope in Jesus and His return
God doesn’t call us to change the world alone; He calls us to each be faithful to our individual callings
I hope that you heard David’s heart in this episode and were encouraged. It is so important that we return to the basics. As David said, “God’s work is sufficient.” Everything we need is there in Scripture!
About David Closson
David Closson serves as the Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council. He researches and writes on life, human sexuality, religious liberty, and related issues from a biblical worldview.
David is the author of FRC’s Biblical Worldview Series, which seeks to help Christians and Christian leaders apply the teachings of the Bible to difficult moral questions.
David has served as a Program Leader for Covenant Journey, leading trips to Israel designed to strengthen Christian college students in their faith through an experiential journey of biblical and modern Israel. He has served on staff or as an ordained deacon at churches in Florida and Kentucky. He also interned for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
His writing has appeared at Fox News, Real Clear Politics, National Review, The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Decision Magazine, WORLD Opinions, The Gospel Coalition, Townhall, and Christian Post. David is the co-author of Male and Female He Created Them: A Study on Identity, Sexuality, and Marriage (Christian Focus, 2023). David is a regular guest on Washington Watch, FRC’s national television and radio program heard on over 800 stations in forty-eight states.
Currently, David is completing a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. David is a graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div., Th.M.) and the University of Central Florida (B.A., political science, cum laude).
David lives in Washington, D.C. and is a member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church.
When I met Rachael Adams a few years ago at a podcasting conference, I was so intrigued by her kindness and her authenticity. We connected again at another conference last year and I was so excited to hear about the book she had coming out. Rachael has such a heart for women in their search for significance and purpose. I’m excited to introduce her to you!
In this episode, Rachael and I discuss:
Rachael’s farm
The search for significance and listing of accomplishments
Finding wisdom in God’s word
God’s love for you just as you are not what you do
Seeing the ordinary become extraordinary
What might God do with one encounter?
I hope you are encouraged by Rachael’s perspective on life and Scripture in our conversation!
About Rachael Adams
Writer and podcaster Rachael Adams started her ministry to help women realize their God-given purpose and significance. She and her husband, Bryan, run a family business and farm in Kentucky with their two children, Will and Kate, and two doodle dogs.
I met Ana Bagnuoli many years ago at a homeschooling conference in Florida. Together with her husband, they began serving the Hispanic community and talking about homeschooling. The ministry has grown to the point that they now have a homeschooling conference for Spanish-speaking homeschoolers. Ana has such a passion for homeschooling in the Hispanic community and I’m so excited to introduce you to her!
In this episode, Ana and I discuss:
How Ana and I met
The need for homeschooling materials in Spanish
Serving Hispanic homeschoolers in Florida
Expanding the ministry and the founding of TranistionEd
The importance of family
Starting the first homeschooling conference for Spanish-speakers
Homeschooling in the Hispanic community is growing. Share this ministry with your Spanish-speaking friends and neighbors!
About Ana Bagnuoli
Ricardo Bagnuoli born in Montevideo, Uruguay and Ana María born in Bogotá, Colombia, have been married for 14 years and are the founders of TransitionED, a non-profit organization established in the United States in 2017 that trains and equips Hispanic families on how to transform their homes in the best and first place of learning. Ana and Ricardo believe that education is a design and a tool to discover, nurture and promote God-given purpose for each child. Ana and Ricardo moved to the United States over 20 years ago and learned from scratch what homeschooling truly is. They discovered homeschooling in 2012 at a short workshop and made the decision to follow the call to become mentors and teachers to their children. They are the parents of 3 homeschoolers ages 9, 11, and 13 and they have a strong business and academic background that has helped them implement homeschooling effectively and productively in their own home. They enjoy watching other families grow, they like to cook together, read, write, do business and also camp outdoors. In 2022 Ricardo and Ana created the first Hispanic Homeschooling Conference “Educa Por Diseño” in the nation gathered hundreds of people in Miami, FL including leaders at the local, national, and international level. Ricardo and Ana have become pioneers in the Hispanic homeschooling community with more than 10 years of experience as educators, ministers, and business owners.
Ricardo and Ana María have dedicated themselves to sharing their vision as educators of their children, as entrepreneurs, and as ministers of Biblical principles for life. They are passionate about serving other families and their home is a reflection of what they live and teach others. They currently reside in the United States, Florida and are dedicated to serving the community. Ricardo and Ana María see homeschooling as a lifestyle where education unifies the family nucleus and the learning process is done as a team.
References and Links
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Visit Ana’s website and learn about the conference
Do you have a prodigal child? Are you desperate to guide your prodigal home? Laine Lawson Craft has lived this story with her three children. Now she’s committed to sharing their testimony and showing parents how to fight the spiritual battle to guide their prodigals back home again.
In this episode, Laine and I talk about:
How your kids are being attacked for their destiny
The number one thing that a parent (or anyone can do) for a child
What is a prodigal?
Staying in the game with your adult kids
How guiding your prodigal home is a long-term commitment
Dealing with discouragement
How to handle backsliding
How one touch of God can change everything
About Laine Lawson Craft
Laine is dauntlessly committed to guiding parents of teens and young adults to win back their prodigal children.
She partners with prodigal parents so that they find a proven battle plan and strategies to guide them to know that they are not in a war with their child but in a war with the enemy trying to destroy them; they will learn how to have authority over the battles, and how to pray for victory for their prodigal.
With over fifteen years of working with amazing people with similar hurts and spiritual warfare and guiding them to achieve remarkable success, her mission and commitment are to give you insights and revelations into how the darkness of our world operates, build your hope, and give tried-and-true tools and applications that will bring your prodigal home.
Her path to writing this life-transforming battle plan became clear after she fought hell for her children, and her family was healed and won.
Laine is an award-winning, best-selling author, popular media host, and in-demand speaker.
She has been married to Steve, her husband, for over thirty-five years, and she loves spending time with her two sons, only daughter, daughter-in-love, and son-in-love.
New York Times Bestselling author Larry Loftis is back on the show to talk about the story behind his newest novel. In this spy thriller, Larry tells the story of the life of Corrie ten Boom. Many of us are familiar with the story from The Hiding Place but that is maybe about ten percent of the story of Corrie’s life. There’s so much more to tell as Larry learned in his research. It’s a story of extraordinary forgiveness.
Larry and I talk about
Why and how Larry chose Corrie ten Boom as the main character for this spy thriller
The research went into Corrie’s life that went into this book
The role of Corrie’s father in her life
Corrie’s extraordinary forgiveness towards those who seem unforgivable
Will Larry’s books be made into movies?
How Larry’s books portray remarkable women
and more!
Be sure to pick up a copy of The Watchmaker’s Daughter and share it with your family!
About Larry Loftis
Larry Loftis is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the nonfiction spy thrillers THE PRINCESS SPY: The True Story of World War II Spy Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones; CODE NAME: LISE: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spy; and INTO THE LION’S MOUTH: The True Story of Dusko Popov—World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond. His fourth book, THE WATCHMAKER’S DAUGHTER: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom, will be released by HarperCollins on March 7, 2023.
A two-time winner of the Florida Book Award, his books have been translated into numerous languages and can be found in Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Serbia, Czech Republic, Taiwan, India, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout the UK.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Larry was an AV-rated corporate attorney and adjunct professor of law. His academic legal works have been published in the National Law Journal, Florida Bar Journal, and the law reviews of the University of Florida, University of Georgia, and Suffolk University. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida, where he served on the Law Review as the Senior Executive Editor and Senior Articles Editor.
I want to take a moment to talk about God’s faithfulness. The Equipped To Be Podcast has reached a major milestone. With this episode and the transition to Season 3, we have marked three years of episodes! There were ups and downs along the way, but I’m so excited to have shared this journey with you!
The Equipped To Be Podcast launched in February 2020 right before the world was turned upside down by the pandemic. I couldn’t have done this without the team who works with me to get these episodes out to you each week. We wouldn’t still be on the air without you, the listeners, or our partners and sponsors. It’s such a testament to God’s faithfulness.
Equipped To Be isn’t just about one topic. We talk about things spanning the spectrum from parenting to education to faith and so much more because it’s all about helping you know and understand that you’re equipped to be a doer of God’s word. You have a calling and a purpose.
Many thanks also go to the guests who’ve been on the show. (See a list of some notable episodes below.) I also owe a shout-out to Libsyn, my host, who supported me and gave me guidance along the way.
This podcast started because Amanda Pelser from The Pelsers Media was sitting in my office and talking about starting the podcast. I didn’t have the technical skills to pull this off, but Amanda said she’d help me. She and her husband, Josh, have been with me from the beginning of this podcast!
Many days, I would come into the studio and just pray, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” I’d script it out or make some notes and then hit record. Then Amanda would clean and polish it and deliver it to you. Every step of the way, you were in mind because we don’t want to waste your time. It’s too precious and too valuable.
When God tells you to start something, just start. Start ugly as a book from a friend of mine says in its title. Start with what you have. Do the best you can. Go and grow as God leads. This is what we’ve done with Equipped To Be. We’ve added features over time like images and show notes and we continue to add value as God gives us the tools and resources to do so.
Would you take a moment and help us out? Your support means the world to us!
Join our email list using the box below
Leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc
Subscribe to the Equipped To Be podcast in your favorite podcast app
Share the podcast with a friend
(Links to a few top directories are at the end of this post for you.)
I can’t tell you what’s coming next. I’ve been in a very difficult season. I’ve had to strip away many things in my life and ask the Lord what He wants me to add back in. I do know that I have some exciting guests lined up to share stories that will help you in your journey. Back in 2020, I didn’t know if we’d last more than six months, but here we are, still bringing you encouragement. Thank you for listening. This is your milestone as much as it is ours.
