“I’ll meet you at the place near the thing where we went that time.”
That is one of my all-time favorite movie lines. It comes from the 1987 Rom-Com movie “Broadcast News”, starring Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks. The line was spoken by Albert Brooks as character Aaron Altman, to Holly Hunter’s character Jane Craig. The two were colleagues at a broadcast news station, she was the producer and he was the reporter. They were close friends, who not only worked together but went out platonically (though Aaron wanted more. That was the ‘Rom’).
People in my area have noticed that some new “Flock Cameras” have been installed. These are fixed, motion-activated automated license plate reader (ALPR) manufactured by Flock Safety, hence the name. Flock says that these are an aid to Law Enforcement, capturing information about a vehicle while it’s in public view. The company says the information gained, such as licence plate number, make, model, color, and details on the vehicle like toolboxes or fixed racks, aid in investigations.
Many citizens claim it’s intrusive, that they advance mass surveillance, that data can be shared inappropriately, and they oppose the Constitution’s promise that government must prove guilt rather than citizens must prove innocence.
Poetry by Kay Cude. Used with permission. Right click on image to open larger in new tab. Or read the text below the artwork. Artist’s statement:
I keep returning to our (me!!) needing to “remember” God’s promises and provision. GOD THE I AM is the only fortress in Whom we find a righteous protector, defender and provider. He is the only place of eternal refuge from the world’s continuing tragedies and chaos. He is the stronghold Who is and Who will provide peace, wisdom, understanding, instruction and endurance.
OUR FORTRESS PREVAILS
FACING FEAR: IN THE MIDST OF GOD’S PROVIDENCE As waves of fear rolled nearer still, as deep its swell approached us nigh; our hearts near failed as we cried out, “O Lord, Your servants rescue now!” And crashed the waves of terror strong, our lives at risk — we knew death’s tide; yet stilled our hearts Your Glorious Word and on we clung and Truth prevailed.
As deep and dark, as depth of brine, we battled ‘gainst the foe’s onslaught; its torrents fierce as bounding main, — with cruelest rage this foe can slay. Yet in Your Will, O Saviour ours, Salvation’s Light’s our mighty Ark; afloat we stay midst evil’s gale, for You prevail within its rage.
Afloat we ride with knowledge sure, we look ahead with strength not ours; Endurance meets us Face-to-face, ’tis You our Strength our sure Bulwark, The fears we face — our spirit’s gain, makes strong we resolute of heart, to live God’s Will through providence — and triumph through His Will’s Intent.
~kay cude, October 1, 2017
“The LORD is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer, my GOD, my Rock, in whom I take refuge; my Shield and the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold. I call upon the LORD, WHO is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my GOD for help; HE heard my voice out of HIS TEMPLE, and my cry for help before HIM CAME INTO HIS EARS.” Psalm 18:2-6
OUR FORTRESS PREVAILS Refer to Psalm 46. FEAR NOT, GOD IS OUR ETERNAL REFUGE AND STRENGTH.
“We will not fear, for God hath willed His Truth to triumph through us; The body they may kill. God’s Truth abideth still, His Kingdom is FOREVER.” ~Martin Luther
IT IS the grace of God through His unfathomable mercy through the power of His predetermined love that urges us to remain and stand in His will concerning providence! WHAT THEN
IS IT that assails our thoughts with such unrelenting vengeance that can tempt us into overbearing fear when trials overtake us?
IT IS not remembering His Word — that He is Sovereign over all circumstances and issues we will encounter during our lives, during our service to, for and through Him…
SYNOPSIS: Are we consumed with storing up treasure here on earth, or are we prioritizing investing in the kingdom? In this essay, I look at earthly ‘treasures’ and ponder what the treasures in heaven could possibly be.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal …” (Matthew 6:19-20).
That is a familiar passage to us. We know what it says. We understand that we cannot serve two gods, mammon and Jesus. We comprehend that the love of money is the root of all evil. We all feel sad when the Rich Young Ruler turned away from Jesus, rejecting eternal salvation because he clung to his earthly wealth.
But what does treasure in heaven truly mean? What are the treasures in heaven, specifically? (Answer, no one is exactly sure, but here are a few ideas…)
Matthew Henry says in his Whole Commentary on the Bible, “A treasure is an abundance of something that is in itself, at least in our opinion, precious and valuable, and likely to stand us in stead hereafter.”
SYNOPSIS: Whoever thought of the phrase “You’re so heavenly minded you’re no earthly good” should be flogged with a wet noodle. While it’s true that we are busy here on earth, we should never be so busy that we fail to persistently contemplate the love and blessedness awaiting us in our heavenly home. Jonathan Edwards knew this.
I heard a really interesting thought on a Facebook short, of all places. It was a clip from an NPR interview with Dave Eggers, author, publisher, and Pulitzer finalist. The show was Wild Cards hosted by Rachel Martin. In it, Eggers said,
“This is the first time in history when a whole generation is being told or tempted to have a machine write for them to express themselves. But I say, you are one of one, unprecedented in in the history human evolution. There’s only one of you. So to give your voice to a machine to say, ‘Speak for me. I’m going to be silent.’ I’m going to tell a machine to express myself or to tell my narrative is such a crime against yourself.”
“It’s so dystopian, so beyond anything I could do in a dystopian novel, and I did a lot, and I never saw this coming. That an entire generation, too many of them, acquiescing to the silencing of their own voice in favor of a bland, unthinking machine to voice their souls.” –end Eggers quote
I think many of us who write or create never saw this coming. And since it’s still so new, we are grappling with the impact, fallout, and future of AI. His words made a lot of sense to me. For us Christians, though, it goes very much deeper than that.
Artificial intelligence technology has evolved faster than most Christians have been able to think about it. ~Samuel James, at Desiring God
Taking ‘evolution’ out of the equation, because that is a made-up untrue theory, and we all do realize we are uniquely made, yes, there is only one of me. Faceless evolution didn’t create me, the God of the universe did! And not only are we made purposely, intentionally, and with love by God, we are created in His image.
This notion should be on our minds every moment. It is a dignity afforded no other creature. It gives us the opportunity to speak His truth of the Gospel, reflect His character. Our voices are for the incredible privilege of sharing His Gospel and truths of the Bible. Why put a cold, metallic, faceless machine in that place of dignity?
Can we consider the possibility that swapping our own unique image-of-God voice for a voice of Artificial Intelligence is not only a crime against ourselves, but that giving away our God-given talents and creative abilities for the ease of a push-button machine may possibly be thought of as a crime against God? Should we be swapping our transformed mind of Christ at the cost of Jesus’ blood and death, for a man-made device? Just because it’s easier?
SYNOPSIS: This study explores the biblical instances where Elisha and Paul “stared intently” at individuals, examining whether these fixed gazes reflected divine revelation, spiritual discernment, or prophetic authority, and concludes by considering the believer’s ultimate focus: fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ.
the-end-time.org 