Hey everybody! I haven’t blogged in a while, but something I stumbled upon a couple days ago really caught my attention, and I had to research it for myself: An app called Replika. It’s supposed to be an “artificial friend” or companion. I know what you’re thinking. Are people really that lonely, that they’ll talk to a chatbot rather than a real person? You’d be surprised. In today’s supposedly hyperconnected world, many people feel increasingly lonely. I sometimes feel that way since I live by myself here at the apartment.
Since Replika was first introduced in 2016, more than 7 million people use it. Some users set their AI friends to act like a real life friend. Others users set their Replikas to motivate them and act like a life coach. And others set their Replika as a romantic companion. That last one seems weird. Especially if people genuinely start to have those kind of feelings from talking to the chatbot. It’s a machine. It’s code, but based on all I’ve seen and read about it, it looks extremely realistic! Here’s a video to familiarize yourself with it:
Is Replika safe or dangerous?
I don’t yet fully know where I stand on the app after watching videos about it, and reading Reddit posts, but I do believe there are both positive and negative aspects to Replika. For example, if someone is truly lonely and suffering from depression, perhaps having an AI “friend” to talk to could help the person cope with their loneliness or depression. The chatbot could get them to open up and face their feelings in a healthy way if they talk to it. They might say things to the chatbot that they’d be too scared or ashamed to reveal to real people. And the chatbot won’t judge them or think they’re crazy no matter what they tell it.
Depending on how the user sets it, the chatbot can seemingly fill a void. But is it healthy? The AI is supposedly so realistic and human-like. But what if users talk to it so much that they forget that Replika is a chatbot and not a real person? Or what if they talk to it so much, that they choose not to have any real human friends? I can see how Replika would be harmful.
The ethics of AI
Along with wondering whether interaction with Replika is healthy or harmful to people’s mental health, I also am asking myself a lot of questions about what Replika means for the future. As AI becomes more complex and human-like over the next few decades, it might be able to truly feel and express human emotions. Sonny, the robot in this clip from the 2004 film, I, Robot, seems to feel and express genuine emotion:
Detective Spooner interrogating Sonny
If at some point in the future, AI becomes so complex that it can indeed express and interpret real emotions in the same exact way humans can, another set of questions also comes up: Would it independently push for, and deserve equal rights in our society? And similarly, would it be capable of crimes like murder or robbery? Lastly, if an artificially intelligent “android”(let’s just call them that for now) committed a crime, would they be tried in a court of law or sentenced like a human being would be? This makes me think of Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, demonstrated in I, Robot and explained in this video:
The future of AI and humanity
While future problems like the ones I brought up won’t happen for a while, Replika seems to be the first step down a path that could either be one of the brightest in human history, with yet unknown technological advancements making life so much better for many. Or we could be headed down an extremely dark path by creating and eventually opening our own Pandora’s Box (cue the Terminator theme song).
But for now, Replika seems relatively harmless as long as people remember it’s a chatbot, and that it cannot and should not replace real human interaction. I would personally use it for entertainment, and text with it to see what it says. I’m naturally curious. Who knows? Maybe it would develop a sense of humor, or teach us something about ourselves as we teach it 🙂
Hi everybody! Hope everyone had a joyful Easter celebration! Whether it was by yourselves, or with a small gathering of people. The beautiful thing about the Easter Sunday celebration is that we can commemorate, celebrate, and think on the Lord’s Resurrection in any life circumstance. Even the one we’re currently in. I recently saw something a friend of mine shared on Facebook that really resonated with me. The picture they shared said something like, “This Easter is probably more like the first Easter than any other. There were no big celebrations, meals or gatherings.” I loved that. On that first Easter Sunday, there probably were no distractions, nothing to cause Jesus’ disciples to forget the true reason for celebration, and nothing to give but gratitude to God. And spend a little time with Jesus since He was resurrected and made new.
I cannot begin to imagine what those first post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus were like for everybody. I know if I were one of the Apostles back in the day, I probably would’ve doubted just like Thomas. And then once Jesus showed Himself, I probably would’ve felt awful for not believing, cried, and asked for forgiveness. I love this depiction of His appearance to everyone!
A way to avoid being a C&E Christian
I love Holy Week and Easter. Christmas too. I often feel most “on fire” with my faith during those holy times. But then I am bummed out when they pass. I have been guilty at times of being what some people might call a “C&E Christian.” That is, a person who gets so into Christmas and Easter, but who doesn’t feel as close to God all the other times of the year. I was nervous about this happening yet again since it’s the Monday after Easter. But I think God is showing me a way to combat it.
Folks, this is kinda freaky and weird in the best way possible. But I was thinking hard on what Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection meant on Holy Saturday. I wanted to learn more about what it meant. I was tired of being confused, and not working through that confusion. About a day after I started working through things, I stumbled across an ad on Facebook for a “free course to learn deeper meaning to the crucifixion and resurrection.” Now let’s get something straight: I know Facebook is sometimes like Big Brother, haha. Perhaps it was here.
But the fact that I didn’t search for that exact thing, and that this was so specific, felt to me like God was pointing me exactly in the direction I wanted to go. Even if something can be easily seen and explained, that doesn’t mean that God isn’t behind it. He’s just being more direct 😉
I didn’t take the “free course.” I simply grabbed my Bible, and opened it to the Letter from Saint Paul to the Hebrews. It’s the reasoning behind why Jesus is God in the flesh, why Jesus became a human like us, and why His sacrifice is necessary. Once I started reading it, I became “hungry.” And the more I read it, the more hungry I became to learn. After I read each chapter, I try to pick out a verse or collection of verses that teach me, or that I can learn something from. I then write down what interpretation I get from them. By the time I finish reading Hebrews, I hope I have a full collection of notes on the most important verses, and that my question has been fully answered.
Advice for staying steadfast in one’s faith
This seems to be the way God is helping me to avoid the trap I always fall into of cooling off in my faith after holy days. But remember, no one is ever going to be on fire, passionate and happy with where they are in their walk with Jesus all the time. That’s unrealistic. And we shouldn’t beat ourselves up when that happens. And there are times that it will happen. Guaranteed. We will be pulled off the path at times. But there are ways we CAN be better at weathering the less faithful times, and enjoy the times we feel close to God in a deeper way.
While I know everyone walks with God in their own way, how I’ve been trying to walk with Him is by reading at least one chapter of Scripture a day, and picking out least one important, or insightful thing from it, writing it down, and thinking about what it means. I also make sure to thank God for my blessings in prayer at least once a day. That means going to a quiet place, closing the door, and either praying out loud or in my head. I also try to think of what I can do better at in terms of bad habits and sins, and actively work to try to have better self-discipline and control. When I fail? I ask for forgiveness in prayer, realize that Jesus is there to pick me up, and try again. Lastly, I look for ways I can be more like Jesus each day. Some days, the opportunities are easier to see (and do) than others. And when I do see the opportunities to be more like Him, I say a prayer that those small opportunities please Him, and that they be for His glory. Not mine.
A walk with Jesus is a relationship. You get out what you put into it. The more we honestly try to find Him, the more He makes Himself known to us. And when He doesn’t seem to be telling us anything even though we’re trying to find Him? Be patient 🙂
I always love this time of the year. Holy Week, for those who don’t know, is the week long commemoration (and eventually, celebration) of the finish of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Something about this week just gets me excited! Perhaps it’s the reassurance that He earned forgiveness for my sins (and all of ours) by going back to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and eventually taking our place on the Cross.
Each day of Holy Week, I try to meditate on, or at least think about, what happened on that day. I imagine myself tagging along during that original Holy Week over 2,000 years ago, and put myself in the Apostles’ shoes.
Palm Sunday
Jesus seemed to be giving His “last reminders” to the Apostles each day. His last “teachable moments” before He was to die. There was also plenty of symbolism. On Palm Sunday, He returned to Jerusalem. The symbolism here gets me choked up. The crowd greeted Him as one would greet a king, but the greater (and sadder) symbol in my eyes, is that of the sacrificial lamb. During Passover, a sacrificial lamb, a blameless, innocent creature, is slaughtered in full view of the people as an atonement for sin. In the case of Jesus, His return to Jerusalem was God presenting Him to be the sacrificial Lamb for our sins.
Jesus greeted by the crowds as He enters Jerusalem
The three days of Holy Week after Palm Sunday, (simply called Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Holy Wednesday), don’t seem to get as much attention as they should. But they are no less important.
Holy Monday
The most memorable teachable moment to me, associated with Holy Monday, was when Jesus entered the Temple and drove out all the merchants and money changers. This was one of the few times in scripture where Jesus became genuinely angry. He usually seemed pretty compassionate and laid back. But not here. When He saw all that was happening in front of Him, he made a whip and drove out all the livestock. He also overturned all the tables of the money changers and said, “My Father’s house shall be called a house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves!”
For a long time, I never understood why Jesus did this. But now, I get the interpretation that He was angry because that Passover had become commercialized. Not unlike how Christmas has become commercialized today. The people had forgotten the reason for the season. It was no longer about the Jewish people of the time worshiping at the Temple, and thanking God for deliverance from Egypt in the time of Moses. They had forgotten all about that. While Jesus angered many by what He did that day, He was there on Holy Monday to remind them to turn their hearts back to God, and away from material wealth.
Jesus cleansing the Temple
Holy Tuesday
On this day of Holy Week, Jesus tells the Apostles two parables. The Parable of the Ten Virgins, and the The Parable of the Talents. Jesus uses the Parable of the Ten Virgins to tell the Apostles, and by extension all of us reading scripture today, to be ready for His return at the end of the world. To more easily understand it, think of humanity/us as the ten virgins, and Jesus as the bridegroom. You can read that parable here.
Next, Jesus tells the Apostles the Parable of the Talents, as a way to encourage them to use their gifts and abilities for the good of others. Take from this whatever interpretation you will. But I think it’s a way to not only encourage us to use our gifts for His glory, but to warn us against being lazy. There’s a link to that parable here.
The Ten Virgins
Holy Wednesday
This is where Jesus’ final path to the Cross is truly set in motion. Why is Holy Wednesday (or as it’s sometimes known, Spy Wednesday) important? On this day, Judas Iscariot, one of the Apostles, struck a bargain with the chief priest Caiaphas, and most of the other religious leaders to hand Jesus over to them. The price? Thirty pieces of silver.
I couldn’t imagine doing something like that if I had physically seen Jesus. And not only seen Him, but been called by Him to join. I know Judas’ betrayal was necessary to our salvation. But I don’t get how someone who had seen all the miracles, learned all the teachings, and been loved by God Himself, could do what Judas did. This has to rank as the greatest betrayal in human history. Although if Judas hadn’t done it and stayed loyal to Jesus, He may not have been crucified, and certainly wouldn’t have fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah 53, a foretelling of his crucifixion. Without Judas turning against Jesus, we wouldn’t be saved.
Thirty pieces of silver, the price the Pharisees paid Judas to betray Jesus
Holy Thursday
On Holy Thursday, we remember three things in particular: The Last Supper, Jesus washing the Apostles’ feet, and His command to love one another. While each day of Holy Week is important, the Easter Triduum (the three days before Easter Sunday) commemorate the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus.
I’ve always thought Holy Thursday is when Jesus begins to show the true beauty of His message to humanity: If we claim His death as payment for our sins, and turn toward Him and away from our old ways, we’ll share eternal life with Him in Heaven.
The Last Supper
Holy Thursday was where Jesus instituted the first Eucharist. That is, where He first used bread and wine to commemorate His sacrifice. This is why you see communion wafers and wine in Catholic churches, or bread and grape juice in other Christian churches. It’s a remembrance of Jesus’ death. You can read the Last Supper narrative here.
While The Last Supper is the most powerful, and visible part of Holy Thursday, Jesus washing the Apostles’ feet is no less important. There are several things to learn here. Back in Jesus’ day, a lot of people did not have shoes or sandals. So you can imagine everyone’s feet got extremely dirty, as most walked barefoot. The feet were the dirtiest part of the body, and foot washing was usually a task reserved for servants or slaves. The lowest people on the totem pole. It was a dirty job. Imagine for a second though, God in human form, on His knees with a towel wrapped around His waist, washing the dirtiest part of someone’s body as an act of humble servitude. That was radical and unheard of back in the day.
I do not know if churches that aren’t Catholic commemorate the Washing of the Feet. But I do remember one Holy Thursday, my dad and I were both chosen to have our feet washed by the priest. It was a humbling experience. As I meditated on what it meant, I got a little choked up. While he was washing my feet, I thanked the priest, a man named Father Xavier, and he simply looked up at me and grinned. He’s a wonderful man. I will always remember that Holy Thursday.
Jesus used washing the feet of the Apostles, to show that we should all be servants to one another, saying, “Do you not understand what I have done for you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
By His washing of the Apostles’ feet, Jesus shows us that we should humbly serve others in all areas of life, rather than look to be served. Whenever we do this, we become more like Him 🙂
After this, Jesus predicts Judas’ betrayal, as well as Peter’s denial, and then says one of the most memorable things. A cornerstone in terms of what it means to follow Him. Jesus says. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This sounds like such a simple command to follow. But it is extremely hard to consistently put into practice. Nevertheless, it is the command Jesus gave the Apostles. And it is the command He gives all of humanity to this day.
After washing the feet of the Apostles, and giving them the commandment to love one another, Jesus withdraws to the nearby Garden of Gethsemane. This is where true, human fear overtakes Him. He realizes what is going to happen to Him. He is going to die the most horrible, painful death imaginable. I imagine Jesus was in tears while He is asking God to spare Him from His crucifixion, saying, “Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me. Still, not my will. But your will be done.”
As if to receive God’s answer to whether or not He’ll be spared, Judas arrives with a band of soldiers and Pharisees, and kisses Jesus on the cheek in order to identify Him. He is then taken away, and after he is questioned by Caiaphas and the other religious leaders, Jesus spends the night in a prison cell. I can’t imagine the thoughts going through His mind, and the fear in His heart as He was in shackles. All for you and I. It makes me sad. The innocent Lamb, being held for slaughter because of our wrongdoings.
Good Friday
This day always makes me emotional. On Good Friday, we remember Jesus’ crucifixion. On that first Good Friday, Jesus endured unimaginable agony. Not only was He beaten within an inch of His life, He also had a sharp crown of thorns jammed onto His head, and was forced to carry an extremely heavy crossbeam on His shredded back nearly 600 yards. Only to be nailed to it and left to hang there until He finally gave out.
I couldn’t imagine being crucified. I wouldn’t be able to breathe, and I would’ve been forced to either hang there, or prop myself up on my wrists while there are nails in both my hands and feet, which would cause absolutely AWFUL pain. And this would’ve gone on for DAYS until my body finally decided to give out on me, which would come as sweet relief. I can’t imagine the pain Jesus endured physically. And not only did He endure this pain, He endured unimaginable spiritual pain as well. God abandoned Him during His time on the Cross. God turned His back on Jesus.
As a substitute for our sins, Jesus felt what people who go to Hell feel: There is no hope. No light. No love. Constant fear, sadness and darkness. The people who are in Hell do not feel anything but pain as a result of not wanting to be with God during their lives. It’s as if God says, “I’m sad you don’t want to be with me. I created Heaven for you. But I can’t make you love me. You have the free will to make your own choices. And now in death, you can go your own way, just like you wanted. Suit yourself.” Jesus felt this separation. So much that He cried out, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?”
After enduring the pain, anger from God and wrath meant for us and our sins, Jesus finally gave out, and said, “It is finished.”
In the midst of all this pain and sorrow though, something miraculous happened. The temple veil was torn from top to bottom! So what, you say. It’s just a piece of cloth. You’re right. BUT it’s what the veil represents that makes this a miracle. While we may be able to ask Jesus for forgiveness now after His sacrifice for us, In His time, only the priests who went into the temple past the veil, were allowed to perform sacrifices and ask for forgiveness from God on behalf of everybody. They also had to routinely do it. God routinely held their sins against them.
However, After Jesus’ death, God sent a message with the tearing of the Temple veil: “The price has been paid for your sins. One innocent man, the only innocent being on earth, has died for every wrong thing you’ve ever done. You put Him there with your sins. But now you can approach me yourself, and ask for my forgiveness. You no longer have to have a priest go to me. You can ask for it yourself, and it will be given to you through Jesus’ sacrifice. Heaven is open to you all because of Him.”
You can watch the tearing of the veil below:
I still always have issues wrapping my head around everything. That’s how big the sacrifice Jesus made on Good Friday was. But He did that for all of us. All we have to do is believe in Him, learn from Him, and live as He would want us to live. I hope I’ve done a good job of explaining everything up to this point.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday is the final day of Holy Week. On this day, we remember when Jesus’ body lay in the tomb. We also commemorate what’s called the Harrowing of Hell on this day. Simply put, after His death, Jesus descended into Hell and freed all the righteous people that had been condemned there since the beginning of time.
But wait, you say. I thought only evil people went to Hell. Why would God allow righteous people to go to Hell? God does not want to see any righteous people suffer. Honestly, God doesn’t want to see ANY people suffer, because we are all His creations. He loves us all more than we can imagine and takes joy in those of us who turn to Him and follow Him.
But because of the sins and imperfection of all of humanity, no one could be with God unless they were perfect. God is complete holiness, justice and goodness. All humans (including you and I) are sinful creatures. No matter how good and honorable we are by the world’s standards, we are always imperfect by God’s standards since we have always sinned and stumbled somewhere. We have earned Hell by our sins. That’s what we deserve. But luckily for us, that’s where Jesus comes in! Because He is perfect, He was punished in our place as the perfect sacrifice.
The Harrowing of Hell on Holy Saturday symbolizes the reconciliation of the righteous to God through Jesus’ sacrifice. It also shows Jesus’ complete reign over everything. He rules next to God in Heaven, we look to Him for protection and guidance here on Earth, and even in Hell, the Devil and his demons have to acknowledge Jesus’ kingship.
I can only imagine the sadness of Jesus disciples though. Their Lord had been arrested, and had died in the most awful way. All of them except for John, Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Mary Magdalene ran off and hid. They were scared, defeated, and completely crushed. Their spirits were broken. Jesus was gone. Forever.
Or so they thought. Until one bright Sunday morning…
Hey everybody! Greetings from “The Bunker”! It’s been a few days since I last posted. Hope everyone’s staying safe and healthy during these crazy times. I’ve just kept myself busy by watching movies, reading, playing some NCAA Football, and taking walks by myself outside when the weather is nice like it was yesterday. It was beautiful! Busting out the shorts is nice!
But in the times I haven’t gone outside, I have also watched plenty of TV. Most of the stuff I have watched has been interesting or funny. But for the first time, I watched God’s Not Dead. I’ve kept myself away from it for so long because to me, it seemed like it reeked of propaganda. But I watched it out of curiosity. Unfortunately, my suspicions about it were pretty much right on.
The Wrong Message
The biggest problem I had with the film was that it sent a shallow message that reached Christians, and portrayed the contrasting characters in such black and white ways. The movie painted the Christian characters, such as the college student Josh, the pastor, and the missionary, as heroic. While the Atheist lawyer, professor, and Muslim father, were clearly painted as horrible human beings.
I know both Muslims and Atheists who are wonderful people. But when a movie portrays them in the way that God’s Not Dead did, I think it completely misses the mark.
The Christian film industry reaches millions upon millions of people with their messages. Most of the time, that’s a wonderful thing! More people need to hear and learn about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It’s the greatest sacrifice in history! But the director and producers of the film must not have been paying attention to the implicit, though not so subtle message sent by the way the film’s non-Christian characters acted.
The Atheist professor, angry at God for the death of his mother, arrogantly mocked a Christian college student for his faith. The lawyer, also an atheist, abandoned his girlfriend (a left-leaning reporter), instead of comforting her when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. And a Muslim father beat and disowned his daughter when he found out that she secretly converted from Islam to Christianity. With these portrayals, the director and producers unfairly caricatured whole groups of people. They painted with broad brushstrokes. The message was clear to me:
All Atheists are assholes who are just bitterly against God because of life tragedies, all Muslims are violent, and those who believe in left wing politics deserve anything bad that comes their way in terms of bad karma.
What is that teaching people? That doesn’t seem like a very Christian message. It doesn’t encourage Christians to act with compassion toward their non-Christian brothers and sisters. It breeds hostility, and seems to encourage them to act like a certain group of people. A group that Jesus was sharply critical of back in His day: The Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus was against them because they were legalistic. They kept up the appearances of being godly men. But they did not truly love or embrace God by loving or embracing others who were of a different social class then them. There was no goodness in their hearts. They considered all the people below them unworthy or unclean. Their hubris and arrogance was unreal. They viewed fishermen as lowly, and prostitutes and others like them as unworthy of love, and irreparably lost to God.
God’s Not Dead and Modern Day Pharisees
How would this be any different then, if some Christians who approve of God’s Not Dead, started viewing all Muslims as violent or evil? Or what if they viewed all Atheists as just bitter and angry at God? I bet some would, and already do view those groups that way, thanks to this movie. They risk having a sense of moral superiority to those who aren’t Christians. And that is a very dangerous thing. It encourages a bad kind of pride. One that can cause people to forget one of the cornerstones of what it truly means to be a Christian: That we are ALL sinners, and should not see ourselves as above or better than others. For as Jesus says in Matthew 7:2 “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged. And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Christianity is the only faith that tells people they are hopelessly doomed without the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So you would think that Christians should be the most humble people, since nothing they can do can earn them Heaven, and that God doesn’t like judgmental people. You would think they would be extra compassionate to those who are suffering, and who don’t know or accept Jesus. Through the Christlike love of the Christian, the non-Christian can get nudged closer to Him, and make the choice to follow Him or not, on their own.
But I see plenty of examples of people who forget this, and who instead act like Pharisees. These people are so concerned with legalistically following their faith, and looking down on others. Instead of actively living it in the eyes of non-Christians by loving those who are different from them. I’ve interacted and sparred with some of these “Pharisees.” And sometimes I feel like some are in my own family and circle of friends!
A Missed Golden Opportunity
God’s Not Dead also misses a few golden opportunities to truly show what Christian love in action is like, in order to help people avoid becoming Pharisees. And more importantly, to help non-Christians discover the beautiful message of Jesus through the actions of those of us who follow Him. Most notably, the opportunity is missed in this scene. Forgive the foreign subtitles and take a look. The video is still in English. But the missed opportunity occurs just after the 4:50 mark where Josh, the college student asks the professor, “How can you hate someone if they don’t exist?”
If the directors and producers of the film were truly concerned about showing what Christian love toward a non-Christian looks like, after he asks the professor why he hates God, they should’ve had Josh say something like: “I know that you hate God, Professor. But know this: Jesus loves you. He gave Himself for you. He was a man just like you. He knows what you suffered through by having a loved one die. Just as your mother died of cancer, Jesus’ friend Lazarus died too. And He wept for Lazarus. And in my soul I weep and pray for you. I hurt for you. You are in pain. I pray and hope you find healing in Him. If you want to learn more about Jesus, read the Bible, ask God to open your heart, and talk to me or other Christians about what it means to truly be a follower of Jesus.”
And then he should’ve walked out of the classroom. No corny desk scene is needed where Josh converts everybody. Perhaps at the end of the film as well, the professor could’ve softened his heart, and come to Josh or the pastor in the film for consolation in his grief, and guidance on how to become a Christian. Instead at the end of the film, the producers and directors show the professor converting to Christianity out of fear, as he dies from being hit by a car. Too cheesy and cliched for my taste. There’s no substance to it. Nothing to be learned or taught on how to turn one’s life around for Jesus.
Seeing the Atheist professor come around to faith in Jesus could’ve done SO much more good in engaging people who aren’t Christians. It would’ve gotten some of them thinking, and perhaps a few people would’ve even become true Christians. After all, shouldn’t the goal of those who are truly evangelists, be to bring those who aren’t Christians to Jesus? The movie missed its true target audience completely.
I am no director or producer. But I believe a sequence similar to the one I described in my fictional exchange between Josh and the professor, would’ve been so much more more fitting in illustrating the love of Jesus in a profound way. This man was in pain. He was missing his mother and angry. He didn’t need to be preached to or debated. He needed to be LOVED and gently guided to Jesus. Just as those in real life who aren’t followers need to be loved, listened to and understood when they are confused, panicked or suffering. And then gently guided toward the love of Jesus through our words and actions.
Closing Thoughts
I think writing this post, and watching God’s Not Dead, has helped me to get to the root of why I spar with some misguided “evangelical Christians” (Pharisees) who condemn others for not believing, or practicing like they do. I spar with them and get angry, because they are cold, unloving and legalistic. They entirely miss the point. And it frustrates me like you wouldn’t believe!
Yes, God does hate sin. That’s how He is just. But He also loves the broken and lost. More than they can ever imagine. People need to be loved into following Jesus. Not shamed or browbeaten into it. Preaching fire and brimstone, and expecting people to convert, is like spanking a little kid when he doesn’t know what he’s done wrong, and then expecting him to come running back to you out of love. But what would the kid do? He’d fear you, be upset with you, and run far away.
Instead, imagine adopting a child. And then lovingly raising them according to all the wisdom you know. They now know right from wrong, and that you support them. And when they act up, yes you’d correct, spank, or discipline them. But then you’d show them where they were wrong, and reassure them that you love them. And that nothing would ever change that. That’s how I believe God is with us. Slow to anger, and rich in kindness. He treats us with unconditional love in spite of our flaws and shortcomings. And even though we often sin and fail, we should strive to do the same with others. If we live that way, we will be fulfilling what Jesus says in John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Catch ya later, everybody! Stay safe, be smart, and keep the faith. God bless you all!
I have started to wonder if God is trying to teach the world something by allowing the Coronavirus to affect humanity in the way that it has. I know what some of you are probably thinking: Yeah, right. God isn’t teaching us anything. He’s sadistic and He likes causing chaos and watching people suffer. He’s sick. I understand why some people might respond to me in that way. It’s completely okay too. I completely understand. In my darkest, lowest moments I sometimes have thought the same thing.
But when people think that way, that is cynicism, suffering, hate and pain talking. Not a rational mind. And we must remember that God is not like us. He doesn’t have the kind of hatred in His heart to find any joy in the suffering of others. That kind of twisted hatred is a human trait. I have it. You have it. All of us have it as a result of our imperfection. But the all-good, holy God who created us does not.
I’ll take a stand here, and say that God is indeed teaching us something. I think He’s teaching us a few things. I see them in our world right now. The opinions of medical experts matter more to people than they have in a long time. Aside from people who don’t use common sense and who just don’t care, many are practicing safe hygiene practices and social distancing. And they’re going to the doctor and getting tested if they feel sick. That is going to be one of the keys to beating this virus.
God has slowed down our society as well. I understand many of you are anxious about the job situation. I am with you. Believe me, I am in the same boat. It’s slim pickings for this guy right now. But here’s the thing: We have absolutely no clue as to when this will all be over, and aside from using common sense and the safe practices recommended to us by medical professionals, we can’t make this pass any faster. It is largely out of our control.
I am reminded of a prayer taught to me by a very good man when I was a 13 year old kid: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. That prayer seems to apply to the parts of the Coronavirus situation that are out of our control. Mr. Nick Klein was my religious education teacher when I was a teenager, and he made sure we learned that prayer by heart. I’m glad he did!
God has also shown many of us who and what matters right now. We have made a point to care for our elderly because they are the most vulnerable. He has also revealed the character of people. The good character of first responders, doctors and nurses, truckers and grocery store clerks is being revealed right now. They are all unsung heroes. They have my utmost thanks and respect. No one better treat any of them poorly after this virus has passed. They are keeping things running!
The bad character of some of our leaders in Washington has been revealed by this whole situation too. Everyone who slowed down the financial relief in favor of their political agendas should be ashamed of themselves. Thankfully, that aid is finally on its way, but it shouldn’t have taken this long. You’d think this would be the one situation where Democrats and Republicans could drop their pettiness, and get stuff done quickly. Nope. Shame on them.
And perhaps, for those of us who are believers, God is using the Coronavirus to turn us back to Him more often. I know for me, this isolation has often left me alone with my thoughts, and given me plenty of time to spend in Scripture, and allowed God to help me see where I need the most work to be more like Jesus. Greater discipline, self-control, and more actively trying to change my bad habits for starters. But also spending time in Scripture, sharing my faith with others more, and being more loving toward people has helped me to begin to become a better version of the man God created me to be. And this is all because He is trying to get me to focus more on Him than I have been.
I’ll end with this: I know it is difficult to see how an all-good, all-loving God would allow the Coronavirus to go on like it has. But remember, when we think like that, we are thinking as humans think, and doing as humans do. Not as God thinks or does. Which you and I can never completely understand.
God told this directly to Isaiah when He said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Stay safe, be smart, comfort each other, and turn to God, everybody. This will pass.
Good morning everybody! Hope you’re all doing great! I know I’m trying to make the most of today, even with everything on lockdown. I’ve been keeping myself busy. But I also feel like I’ve grown closer to Jesus over the last few days. Some eye-opening things I experienced last night and last week, have helped me to truly see what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and how to be just a little bit more like Him.
Last week, as the Coronavirus was ramping up, many were nervous, or outright panicked. Who can blame them? This virus is serious business. Anyone who doesn’t think so probably needs their head checked. But one of my friends was seriously panicked about how the Coronavirus was going to affect her job, her husband’s job, and her little daughter’s safety. While any parent would worry about these things, I also felt she was struggling to find peace in anything she could since she doesn’t have faith. She’s a hardline atheist who doesn’t believe in God, let alone Jesus. She is free to believe whatever she wants though. I do not judge her. On the contrary, I love and care about her as a good friend. Very much. She’s a sweetheart!
Before talking to her when she was panicked, I had a thought: Should I tell her about my faith in Jesus? I decided against it. Kind of. I knew preaching and telling her to “have faith” didn’t make any sense. It was not the compassionate thing to do. I’m almost certain Jesus Himself wouldn’t have handled things by preaching to her. He probably would’ve sat down next to her, listen to her troubles and then gave her a hug. And then He would’ve stayed next to her.
But I did use something my friend Tony taught me, and I hope it helped at least a little. She mentioned that her daughter brought her peace and kept her grounded in times of stress. So I told her what I learned: If there is a God, those we love are extensions of His love to us when we cannot see or feel His presence directly. And we can be an extension of His love to others as well. Everything that brings us peace and happiness as well can be an extension of Him.
In times like these, where many die, and those who don’t are still forced to look their own mortality in the face, I believe compassion, love and understanding come before preaching fire and brimstone. But many, many people still miss the point, and loudly and obnoxiously preach instead of actively striving to love people the way Jesus would. This was the case last night, when another friend of mine, a really cool guy who considers himself an Agnostic (or in his words a Nontheist) was basically outright condemned for his beliefs by someone masquerading as a “Christian” on my Facebook page.
Few things anger me faster than someone disrespecting a friend of mine. That’s one strike. I get angrier when someone ridicules that friend for their beliefs. Strike two. By the time the guy condemned my friend, and called me “lukewarm” in my faith for coming to his defense, I’d had enough. Strike three. I was about as cuddly as a wolverine after that! I was not happy!
Some people like that guy I dealt with last night would’ve preached to me and my friends to accept Jesus before it’s too late, for we do not know if or when the Coronavirus will reach us personally. And they’re right in a way. Jesus IS the way to Heaven. But their approach seems wrong. I do not believe in preaching to people. I myself have had bad experiences in that so-called “Christian” environment, and I have plenty of pointed things to say about those who preach God’s word, but who don’t attempt to live it by sincerely loving others through their actions. They get no respect from me.
They’re modern day Pharisees. So concerned with the outward appearance of being people of faith, yet completely oblivious or willfully ignorant of how they come off to others. And blind to their own sins. A legalistic attitude to the core. I am reminded of this clip on YouTube from one of my favorite movies, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus firmly puts Caiaphas and his buddies in their place. And I absolutely love it!
This is my own personal take, but I truly believe those with genuine faith in Jesus aren’t judgmental, angry, and legalistic. They’re the exact opposite. They’re kind, loving and understanding. While we all sin, true Christians aren’t as nasty, judgmental or mean because they’ve been at rock bottom at some point in their faith or journey with Jesus. They know what it’s like to truly recognize their sins and feel awful about them, and they make a point to not judge other people for their shortcomings.
I doubt any of these fire and brimstone people have truly felt guilty of their sins. I bet they’ve never truly wrestled with, or questioned things a day in their lives. Wrestling with one’s faith helps foster humility. Realizing our own flaws, and that we need Jesus to cover for them helps us to be more compassionate to others when it comes to things we struggle with. And I believe this to be especially so for being compassionate toward those who may not believe in Him.
The world hates Christianity because of the kind of approach some people take to spreading Jesus’ message. I want to be the polar opposite of that. Quieter, more understanding and loving toward people who are struggling, lost or hurting in some way. And more inclined to try to put my faith into action. Either here through Luke’s Thoughts, or better yet, out there in the world showing people the love Jesus has for them. For as Saint Francis of Assisi says, “Preach the Gospel. Use words when necessary.”
I’m curious: What recent opportunities have you had to put your faith or beliefs into action with other people? You don’t know how far random acts of kindness can go, or who they can impact. That’s God in action through us. Drop a comment in the replies! 🙂
Hey everybody! Hope you’re all staying safe during this whole Coronavirus mess. I know I’ve just been using it to wrestle with my thoughts, study Scripture, and talk to friends. But I want to talk to YOU. I ask you this: What are some of the biggest questions you have about life that you haven’t been able to answer? Maybe we can work together on trying to get to the bottom of them. And if we can’t? At least it’ll be entertaining to talk about and interact back and forth! Feel free to reply in the comments section. There are absolutely NO stupid questions or answers. All are welcome to chime in as long as they are respectful to me and to others.
I don’t know how regularly other people read Scripture. But I do not read it anywhere as much as I should. Probably a couple times a week right now. When I am into reading Scripture for that day, I want to seriously study it, ask questions, or learn something that I may not have learned or known before. But I don’t always read Scripture. Sometimes it’s because of how my mind works, thinking I should get ALL my other tasks done so I can focus on God, and then frequently getting sidetracked with something else and not spending some time with Him. Other times, I just don’t feel “on fire” with it enough, or interested enough to dive in. And still other times, I’m frustrated or upset with God, so I willfully ignore reading Scripture. That’s the blunt and raw take on things.
But then there are times like yesterday and today where I feel like God is bringing me back around to Him. I don’t know how to describe that feeling, but I’m going to try. It’s like a “loosening” of whatever is holding onto my mind. Be it stress, anger, anxiety, frustration or anything else. My mind feels free. And when God brings me back around, my heart feels at peace too. And I’m genuinely excited to learn and ask questions during and after reading.
For a while, I was on the Gospel of John. I just love the language of it, and the detail with which it describes Jesus’ ministry and mission. It’s so beautiful. There’s just something special about it to me. I can’t completely put my finger on it. But thanks to life as well as my own stubbornness, I became bored with reading Scripture for a little while. I just wasn’t into it. Until yesterday afternoon.
The Spark: A ‘Lost’ Movie
Chris Sarandon as Jesus
I stumbled across a movie I had never seen before, called The Day Christ Diedstarring Chris Sarandon as Jesus. It’s a television movie recounting the time before the Last Supper on Holy Thursday right up to when Jesus is crucified on Good Friday. The movie itself wasn’t particularly outstanding in my mind. Plus it’s hard to see Chris Sarandon as Jesus when all I can remember seeing him as, is the vampire Jerry Dandridge in the horror movie Fright Night since I was a kid. But I finished watching the movie out of curiosity. It’s decent. But the most important thing for me was to spend time listening to the words Jesus spoke, as well as seeing another take on Him from a different actor. I always like when actors can offer their own unique takes on Jesus. My favorites are Haaz Sleiman in Killing Jesus, Willem Dafoe in The Last Temptation of Christ, Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazareth, and Diogo Morgado in The Son of God.
But once my mind was focused on Jesus from watching that movie, a couple interesting questions popped into my head: Is Jesus referred to in the Old Testament? And if He is referred to, where can I find these references and how can I connect them to what I already know? So I did the only logical thing anybody would do: Start my study of scripture over at the very beginning, in Genesis.
I haven’t really read Old Testament scripture much. And I know that I’ve always remembered New Testament stuff much better. Minus Isaiah 53, all of my favorite sayings and passages are in the New Testament. Plus God seems a lot harsher in the Old Testament from what I’ve heard. But I feel that in order to fully appreciate Jesus, who He is, and what He’s done for us, we should all become familiar with the Old Testament. So I’ve read up through the first four chapters of Genesis.
The First Messianic Reference?
I do not take the Creation Story in Genesis literally like some other Christians. I combine my understanding of modern science with my faith (see more on that here). But I still appreciate the story of Adam and Eve, and I do believe they were real people. And I think the story helps to explain a lot of our world’s problems. If you believe there is a benevolent God or some higher power, don’t you think they would want the world to be perfect and without any kind of fault, so people could live in happiness and peace eternally with them? That was the case until Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. After they ate the forbidden fruit, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Everyone and their brother knows this story. But something I read yesterday caught my eye, and made me think of Jesus. As God is condemning Satan for tricking Adam and Eve, what He says makes me think He’s referring to Jesus:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) In addition to being called Son of God, Jesus is also referred to as Son of Man. This always confused me until yesterday. I didn’t understand why Jesus referred to Himself by both names. Now I think Jesus did it as another way of showing and telling us who He is: He came directly from God, while also being physically born from the Virgin Mary. So He is both the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Study of Cain and Abel
After reading Chapter 3, I came across another interesting thing. Although this one is unanswerable. When Cain and Abel both present their sacrifices to God, God approves of Abel’s sacrifice, but not Cain’s. Cain then becomes sad and upset that God doesn’t approve of his sacrifice. And he also becomes angry and envious of his brother. So much so, that he tricks Abel into going out to the field with him and then kills him with a rock, thus committing the first murder in human history. Here’s the thing though: There’s no explicit reason why God was unhappy with Cain. Some say it’s because his heart wasn’t clean and focused on God. Others say it’s because he received instructions from God on how to offer an acceptable sacrifice and disobeyed. Whatever the reason, I learned one thing: Like in life, it is impossible to know everything in Scripture. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still keep trying to learn by examining things intently.
The Richness of Scripture
After reading the first four chapters of Genesis though, I am interested in learning more about many things. About what God expects of me, and whether or not He refers to Jesus in certain passages. The story of Jesus as we know it in the New Testament is beautiful enough. But I want to see how the Old Testament connects to Him as well, and the only way to do that is by reading, studying and praying or journaling through my thoughts when I don’t understand something.
If Jesus is the Messiah as He says, there should be plenty of references to Him in here. It would be really neat to discover new ones! I may know a few Bible verses and passages. But I don’t want to just use those as ammo in verbal sparring matches with people when they attempt to use scripture to justify hatred. I want to become wiser, help others learn, and strengthen my faith. I was raised a Christian, but I still have a LONG way to go before I feel well-versed in scripture. But I’ll never get there, and I know that. Learning is a lifelong process. One that only ends with death. But it’ll be fun soaking things up while I can! What parts of the Bible are you all studying and why? Can’t wait to hear it! God bless you all!
This Coronavirus hysteria is something else. I have never seen something like this slow down society so drastically. Nor have I ever seen how easily humanity breaks down under pressure. Wow…
While the disease deserves to be taken seriously, it has shown me how fragile humanity is. Both mentally and physically. A few seemingly healthy people around the world have succumbed to the disease. And social order has broken down in some places. I still do not understand what hoarding all that toilet paper was about.
But surprisingly, I am not freaked out. I am with my best friend Tony right now. I guess we’re in the proverbial eye of the hurricane. We’re calm while so many around us lose their minds. And this calmness and isolation has given me time to think. A lot. About how to be safe, how short and fleeting life is, my own mortality, and whether or not I am okay with my life as I move closer to 30.
I have not talked to God as much lately as I should. But I realize that He is in control. Both in going to Him for my sins, and that He can take my life from me at any time. I am dust, and to dust I shall one day return. Death does not discriminate against anyone. Rich. Poor. Old. Young. It’s the bloodhound that one day tracks down all of us.
But until it finds us, we should focus on two things: Are we right with God? And are we happy with what we are currently doing? While I always worry about my faith and standing with God, I realize something: I AM happy with my life. Sure, I want to get to other places in my life, and I hope I get the chance to experience new and future chapters. But that is not completely under my control.
But I often wonder if I have done enough at almost 30. But here’s the thing: How much would be “enough” in my eyes? If I keep thinking I haven’t done enough, it never will be enough. Even if I’m one day 88 instead of 28. I will die without having ever really slowed down to live life. But if I realize that I am still alive, and there’s more to do, it makes me feel less anxious and rushed, and that life can be an adventure instead of a struggle. I have a great family, a wonderful close circle of friends, I try to be decent to other people and a good man, and I’ve busted my butt earning two degrees and become a more critical thinker. And I do not care that I am not where society thinks I should be. I am right where I should be right now. And that’s all that matters. Things could always be SO much worse.
Getting right with God is a daily struggle for all of us, too. I often feel condemned under the weight of my sins and unable to stop a lot of my bad habits. And there are days when it breaks me. I’m like, “How could Jesus ever love someone like me? I swear like a trucker. I am nowhere near a man of God.” I am often genuinely scared and ashamed of one day dying and going to Hell for my sins. I often feel like Peter. Completely and utterly unworthy of Jesus’ love. And I get emotional when Peter says to Jesus, “Depart from me, Lord. For I am a sinful man.” I feel like that’s me.
But a talk with Tony last night put my heart and soul at ease a little bit. I have to often be reminded of something: Even if I were free of my bad habits and demons, I am still hopelessly short of where I’m required to be in order to spend eternity with God. That’s where Jesus comes in. For me and for everyone. When He died, He died for me and you. He died for those in His day, our day, and those in the distant future of humanity. He is sinless, and came down to save us. All of us. Filthy, hopeless sinners. Out of His immeasurable love and desire to be with all of us, His greatest creation.
As I began writing this, I asked Jesus to be with me and just to be near me. I don’t know why I feel like I have to really focus and pray hard or that it’ll be insincere. Simple prayers are enough. If we say thank you, as well as ask the Lord to be with us, that is enough. As soon as I asked Him though, it felt like He was sitting down next to me. I haven’t known that kind of peace in quite a long while. It felt like everything was going to be okay.
I have seen many religious and faith-based things on Facebook lately talking about God using the Coronavirus to turn people back to Him. There may be something to that. While I do not think that God is deliberately torturing or punishing us, and I do not know how other people are handling it. I know today has really made me look long and hard at my life. While I do not think it will happen to me anytime soon, I could die at any time. And I’d rather talk to God, ask for forgiveness, and make peace with my life if anything does happen to me.
I hope you’re using this time to do some thinking yourself, or at least keeping yourselves safe and helping others do the same. This will pass, folks. I hope it’s sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, be smart, safe, strong, and have faith. God bless you all.
Perhaps I should’ve waited to write something until the full scope of everything plays out. But I couldn’t wait. As soon as I turned on the TV here in my apartment and saw that the NCAA canceled both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, I knew I had to write SOMETHING. Wow… I’m absolutely stunned. Although I knew this was probably coming. I expected it. It’s just that I have never, in all my life, seen a disease cause this much of an impact on society so quickly.
Let’s also get something out of the way: I am glad precautions like this are being taken. As much as I absolutely love sports, March Madness, and everything else, I am glad the people in charge of these leagues and tournaments are not taking any chances. Everyone’s safety should come first and foremost in a situation like this. I’d rather see something sports-related get canceled or postponed instead of see someone get sick or die.
I do feel for the athletes though. Especially senior players who thought they’d get to play at least a few more games. I couldn’t imagine putting in that kind of work all season long, proving I was good enough to play beyond the regular season with my teammates, and then something freaky like this cuts my career short? A cruel twist of fate. I’m man enough to admit I bawled like a baby after my last high school football game with my friends and classmates. But that’s because we lost our game. We were beaten fair and square that day by a more disciplined team in the playoffs. But at least we got a chance to play. It doesn’t seem fair to these athletes that things end this way.
This disease does make me slightly paranoid though. If it’s spread through coughing and sneezing, close contact, or on contaminated surfaces, people should be taking every precaution they can. For me, I’m going to wash my hands a lot, and cover my mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. If I go anywhere, I’m going to make sure I don’t use a railing or doorknob with my bare hands.
I still need to study up on how dangerous the Coronavirus is. Forgive the ignorance, but as far as I know right now, how I picture the disease is like the flu on steroids. I am not a health expert or doctor. But I would recommend that everyone try their best to be calm, ask the medical experts such as doctors or nurses what to do, and just to use common sense. And please for the love of all that’s holy, don’t buy out the stores! This isn’t World War III or Armageddon. Buy what is needed to get you through, and then get out. There are millions of people who want to protect themselves and their families, and they can’t do that if you don’t stay calm and think rationally.
Be calm, but also be smart. Forgive me for using political examples, but don’t be like President Trump or Vice President Pence. Trump thinks he’s got the virus contained. Truth is, he has no clue whether he does or not. That’s not slamming him. I’m simply saying that we cannot control the disease at this point. Only how we react to it. And don’t be like Pence in willfully ignoring the instruction to not shake hands. People who deny that something is happening are just asking for trouble. Don’t blame China for it either. Yes it did come from Wuhan, but I highly doubt the Chinese government or people introduced the disease to get people sick on purpose. I believe in some conspiracy theories, like Jeffrey Epstein being murdered. But not this one. Let’s not politicize this anymore than it already has been.
On the opposite side of things, do not treat this like the sky is falling. It’s not. Pardon my French here folks, but panicking and stressing out about a situation that’s still largely unknown doesn’t do a damn thing. Zero. All it does is cloud someone’s ability to think clearly and make good decisions for themselves or their families. Simply take care of yourselves, use common sense, and if you believe in God, pray. This too will pass.
Luke's Thoughts 