LOVING GOD LIKE DAVID

 

PSALM 26 ™

Clear my name, God;
    I’ve kept an honest shop.
I’ve thrown in my lot with you, God, and
    I’m not budging.

Examine me, God, from head to foot,
    order your battery of tests.
Make sure I’m fit
    inside and out

So I never lose
    sight of your love,
But keep in step with you,
    never missing a beat.

I don’t hang out with tricksters,
    I don’t pal around with thugs;
I hate that pack of gangsters,
    I don’t deal with double-dealers.

I scrub my hands with purest soap,
    then join hands with the others in the great circle,
    dancing around your altar, God,
Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs,
    telling God-stories.

God, I love living with you;
    your house glows with your glory.
When it’s time for spring cleaning,
    don’t sweep me out with the quacks and crooks,
Men with bags of dirty tricks,
    women with purses stuffed with bribe-money.

You know I’ve been aboveboard with you;
    now be aboveboard with me.
I’m on the level with you, God;
    I bless you every chance I get.

LOVING GOD LIKE DAVID!

I Samuel 13:14 

The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Acts 13:22

He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’

DO YOU WANT TO BE A MAN OR WOMAN AFTER GOD’S HEART LIKE DAVID?

Here are some tips from David himself!

1.    HAVE AN OPEN HEART BEFORE GOD!

Examine me, God, from head to foot,
    order your battery of tests.
Make sure I’m fit
    inside and out

How many people actually go before God on a regular basis and invite Him to examine their heart?

J. Edwin Orr wrote a hymn in 1936:

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
cleanse me from ev'ry sin and set me free. 

Without this kind of pursuit after God, is it really likely that we will see a mighty work of God?

Just two psalms earlier, David wrote: 

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?

And who may stand in His holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart…

NOTICE!

You can’t blame the Church for this deficit!

The responsibility for our own cleanliness is on us!

We must cry out to God!

We must invite His inspection!

We must humble ourselves and confess our sinfulness!

We must seek His fullness!

Only when this begins will we see the beginning of a renewal in the American Church!

2.    RECOGNIZING THAT I’M FORMED BY THOSE I ASSOCIATE MOST CLOSELY WITH.

I don’t hang out with tricksters,
    I don’t pal around with thugs;
I hate that pack of gangsters,
    I don’t deal with double-dealers.

There’s a verse in I Corinthians 15:33 that most people have never read:

Bad company corrupts good character. [NIV]

As parents, we try our best to teach our kids this lesson! But they often must learn it on their own – and that – quite often – involves painful experiences!

But even as we mature, we must stay focused on the truth of this teaching! 

WE BECOME LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT WE SPEND THE MOST TIME WITH!

You can try to deny this, but it will still happen!  It’s a natural consequence of human interaction!  We may think that we’ll be the influencer, but we underestimate the power of this nugget of truth from God’s Word!

If you want to be a godly person – get close to other godly individuals! Spend time with them! Ask them questions! Examine their lives! Observe their patterns! Soak up their experiences. Model their behavior! Copy their practices!

Why else did Jesus take THREE YEARS to allow His followers to have almost daily contact with Him?  He wanted them to observe more than His teachings! He wanted them to be exposed to Him as He faced opposition and challenge. He wanted them to see the consistency of His habits and patterns!

Over and over they would wake up and have to go and find Jesus! Why? Because He always started His day in a private place of communion with His Father!

So, examine yourself today.

Who do you spend the biggest portions of your time with?

Are they having a godly impact on you?

Is there some way that you can begin to balance that negative influence?

Can you think of some good influencers that you could begin to hand out with?

3.    ANTICIPATING PURE AND VIBRANT WORSHIP!

I scrub my hands with purest soap,
    then join hands with the others in the great circle,
    dancing around your altar, God,
Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs,
    telling God-stories.

Our God is such an awesome God!

Look at the variety of flowers and trees that He has made! Or consider the unusual animals that He has populated our earth with! Look at the night sky and behold the size of His universe – which scientists tell us is constantly expanding!

How dare we allow the worship of this great God to be boring!

WORHIP PLANNING

All of my adult life, I lived for Sundays!

I know – sounds kind of strange, unless you’re a pastor!

Not all, but much of my energy was directed toward Sunday when the crowd got together to worship the Lord!

When Sunday was over, I enjoyed Mondays off! I usually would hit the woods for several hours where I spent all my time enjoying nature and talking with the Lord! It was good physical exertion, too! Then, I’d go home and hang out with Debbie and enjoy my family!

Tuesday morning: start planning for the next Sunday! 

·         How can I make this passage relevant and understandable to our people?

·         What songs will lead us to a right place to be able to communicate our love for God?

·         Can I write a drama that would help illustrate this message?

·         Is there some way to respectfully use humor to get this point across?

·         Who can help with worship this week?

·         Who would be just right to read this passage?

·         Don’t forget to visit worship team practice and encourage those who help to lead our people in their worship!

·         What’s the best way to order things up this week to prevent boredom and keep anticipation high?

·         Is there anybody who can illustrate this message because of some circumstances in their life recently?

And do you know what?

God honored all this over and over and over again! I have such amazing memories of rich and meaningful worship throughout the forty-plus years God gave me to lead the church!

Many came to faith in Christ! Congregations doubled – even tripled in size! We repeatedly experienced the presence of God! Leaders multiplied and grew in phenomenal ways! Marriages were healed! Prayers were answered! Relationships grew! People came with a spirit of expectation!

If I’m really honest, I have to confess that I HAVE MISSED  IT! TERRIBLY! It was my life! Oh, there were tensions and occasional problems, but they were FAR OUTWEIGHED by the rewards and benefits!

Planning and leading worship throughout these years has been a GREAT PLEASURE!  To God be the glory!  I'm already anticipating the worship in Heaven! 

In my humble opinion, worship should be the highlight of our week! We should deeply regret it when we are forced to miss it for one reason or another! And I’ve had people tell me that over the years!

“Oh, Pastor Hal, I hate missing worship this Sunday! I’m afraid that I’ll miss something really special!”

Do you really think that worship in Heaven will be boring?

Why should worship here on earth be boring?

4.    BLESSING GOD DAILY TO ALL I INTERSECT WITH!

    I bless you every chance I get.

I’ve been in the ministry for over forty-five years. I’ve observed a trend that began in the 1980’s and continues today. It’s a trend that is ruining worship in the American Church.

We have become convinced that when we attend worship, we are spectators!

NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!

A year ago I visited a multi-site church that is deemed to be highly successful! After worship I watched as they all got up and left their theater seats – heading for their cars with absolutely no interaction between them!  They had been spectators for 90 minutes at an excellent worship service led by competent, semi-professional worship leaders!

I have news for you today! You are NOT spectators! You are participants! Your worship adds value to the worship of the whole congregation – whether it be 22 or 322. 

We need to stop coming to receive and be actively thinking about what we can contribute!

ü  How has God blessed me this week?

ü  When did I see Him at work in my life this week?

ü  How did He provide for my needs this week?

ü  At what point this week did I feel the closest to Him?

ü  Who was I able to have a serious talk with about their faith?

ü  Did I see God’s protective hand at work in my life this week?

ü  How can I be a blessing to our church this week?

ü  Who might I call that I could pray with or encourage?

ü  Should I send out some note-cards this week? If so, who should I write to?

Can you imagine worship in such an atmosphere?

Can you imagine an environment where we actually encouraged one another with our personal stories and testimonies?

Can you imagine an experience where we literally CARED about one another’s lives?

Listen to David again!

I bless you every chance I get.

NOT I want to bless You every chance I get!

NOT Help me to bless You every chance I get!

NOT I plan to bless You every chance I get!

NO NO NO NO…

David writes:  I bless You every chance I get!

I’m doing it!

I’m gonna keep on doing it!

I’m not going to stop!

Anybody who intersects with me this week is going to hear about Your goodness!

The blog I never wanted to write

Did you know that Travis was a preemy?  Yep!  Five pounds at birth and seven weeks early.  He immediately lost weight and we had to leave him in the hospital for two weeks.  That was tough!

It was love at first sight.  He changed our lives forever. That was thirty-nine and a half years ago.

In between, he has provided us with some of the proudest moments of our lives!

Raising him was actually pretty easy.  He was always respectful!  He never broke the trust.

People like Travis!  He was fortunate to get his mother's personality!  He makes friends easily everywhere he goes.

And, he is generous - especially with those he loves.  In 2005, Tracie had saved $600 to buy her wedding dress.  But she fell in love with one that cost more than twice that.  She borrowed the excess from Travis;  he never let her pay him back.

He was Troy's best man in 2012.  He came home for a whole week and went to extremes to see that everything was perfect. He prepared their honeymoon suite with extravagant treats and adornments.

We were also recipients of his generosity. He often bought us expensive things that he knew we would never purchase on our own.

A couple of years ago, Travis and Josh decided to stop showering Rylie and Coltin (Tracie's children) with gifts. Instead, they opened a college fund for them (as well as a niece of Josh's) and began making monthly contributions toward their future education.

When Debbie and I were young, we saw siblings that seemed to hate one another. Before we were even married, we determined that we would strive to raise our children to genuinely love each other. And they have!  They've shared vacations and still have animated and humorous text-conversations on a regular basis.

In recent years, Travis made major life decisions that we did not agree with. However, our love for him remained constant and grew to include Josh. He also made career decisions that changed his future work focus. We supported him in these.

Then, of course, we went to China for three years. The last time we saw him was at Family Camp during July, 2014.   It was wonderful to have our whole family together for an entire week!  A rare treat for the Haire family.

On Monday, Josh called to tell us that Travis had experienced a cardiac arrest.  We immediately flew to his side - where we have stayed. Initially, we had a hope that he would be restored to us;  however, in time it was clear that we would not be hearing his voice again.

In the meantime, we have taken turns standing at his side.  We have talked to him, held his hands, rubbed his shoulders and loving stroked his face.  It's ironic that I recently wrote a blog about weeping.  This week we have each sobbed with sorrow!  Wednesday night, Debbie wailed throughout the night!  The next morning, I watched her caress his face with her fingers and her lips as she sang to him and expressed her love to him!

I look at this man who is so intelligent. I remember how he used to love to lay on top of me when he was young.  I think about his knowledge of nuclear reactors.  I think about the places he's been and the experiences he's had.  When he came home from one of his deployments on the USS Parche, I smilingly asked him where all he'd been?  He said, "Well, Dad, I could tell you - but then I'd have to kill you".  And then he laughed that goofy laugh of his!

An hour ago, Travis passed away.  He is now giving life to others through the donation of his kidneys.  In time, he will be buried according to his wishes at the United States Military Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Our grief is without description!  We are seized with pain. We are, however, a family of faith. Our trust is always in the Lord. If need be, we will stand with Job and say:  "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;  blessed be the name of the Lord."

We believe with all of our hearts in the pursuing love of God. We know that God pursues all people up until the last milli-second of life!  We have continually called on God's mercy and grace for ourselves and for Travis.

We stand with broken hearts that need mended and we look to the Lord for that healing.

TELLING GOD STORIES

In Psalm 26:7 (TM), David talks about "telling God-stories". 

Just yesterday, a family member told me a wonderful story of how she felt that God had used several believers - in quick succession - to help her choose a place that would be safe, comfortable and responsible in caring for her mother. Her face was bright and joyful as she unraveled the details of how this series of contacts took place. Although she hasn't acted yet, she has every intention of doing so with the realization that God opened doors for her and clearly pointed her in a certain direction! She exuded peace and joy!

Do you tell God-stories of how He has intervened in your life?

What a wonderful way to encourage one another within the family of God!

_______________________________

I was raised in the church during the 1960’s. Testimony meetings were common in those days. Periodically, churches would designate a Wednesday or Sunday evening as a testimony meeting.  Occasionally these times would also feature a ‘bread-breaking service’.

In a bread-breaking service, everyone would come to the front of the church where they would receive part of a slice of bread. After a prayer, the people were encouraged to go to one another and exchange small pieces of bread. Typically, a few words of affirmation would also be exchanged. This meeting was also sometimes referred to as a ‘Love Feast’. It was intended to emphasize the love that parishioners have for one another!

Testimony meetings gave those with a gift for speech a platform for creativity!  Certain gifted individuals would manage to give praise to God by sharing events from their week in an amusing and entertaining fashion. 

There were also rote ways of responding that shared very little personal information. Lots of testimonies began with the words: “I’m so glad that Jesus saves and sanctifies me…”

Some testimonies were very short. Others were too long! 

But I especially enjoyed testimonies that were given after an ‘altar call’.  You see, in that time period it was common for a pastor to end the service by inviting people to come to the altar to pray. The appeal was often specifically directed to those who either had never been ‘saved’ or who had ‘back-slidden’. 

I have many memories of the altar being lined with people seeking God for one reason or another. After all had been satisfied, came the time for testimonies. Even new believers were encouraged to describe how God had called them and how He had forgiven them.

So many struggled to describe this new relationship with God that they had just experienced. Words seemed inadequate to describe their joy and relief!  I recall frequent repetitions of phrases like:

“I feel so light!”

“It’s like a great burden has been lifted from me!”

“I’m experiencing such relief!”

“A weight of oppression is gone!”

The joy and contentment that these new followers of Jesus described was often noticeable in their face and the way they carried themselves. As a child/youth, I was always impressed with these testimonies!  Although they often struggled to describe their experience, it seemed clear that they were attempting to describe a very similar experience! I rarely felt that anyone was faking their response! It seemed genuine to me!

_________________________________

Are people still experiencing this kind of joy and relief?

We don’t have testimony meetings anymore where we can update others on the condition of our faith! There’s very little accountability among believers unless it occurs within a small group context. We’ve become far too private for that depth of sharing today.  We don’t have ‘altar calls’ anymore [at least in most churches that I visit]. Actually, we don’t even have altars in many of our churches today!

Most public praying seems to be done by professionals now. 

Back in the 1960’s, the pastor would call on an usher to give the offertory prayer. I also remember our pastor calling on a specific person to lead in our time of kneeling prayer. Sometimes I still give people an opportunity to pray when a special prayer concern is mentioned. Quite often, someone will lead us in a meaningful prayer.

Where do we pray for or with one another today?

I suppose some of this still takes place in small study or prayer groups or Sunday School classes. But what about the many who choose not to participate in these smaller groupings? Who prays with and for them?

Hal, you’re an old guy! Let go of those old memories. Times have changed! People are more private. A person’s faith is a personal thing!  Testimonies and public confession is a thing of the past! People still respond to messages in their hearts. They don’t need to make a public testimony or confession.

I’m aware of this change. It’s why I – and many other pastors – tried so hard during the 1990’s to initiate small groups. Some churches are still emphasizing this essential form of growing and developing our people. 

Vibrant groups that preserve privacy and encourage transparency have a much greater probability for producing and sustaining vibrant followers of Christ!

___________________________________

A man came to visit me three weeks ago [although I don't identify him, he gave me permission to share his story]. He knew me and took advantage of my availability one afternoon while I sat in the foyer at the Oakland Church. We’ve known one another for years. He has experienced difficulties in his life. He has not been attending church.

After exchanging pleasantries, he shared with me that he had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer and the prognosis was that it was inoperable and that it had been suggested to him that he “put things in order”. He was – needless to say – in crisis mode.

We talked.

I prayed with him.

I encouraged him to come to church on Sunday.

He did! He shared his burden with our small congregation and we prayed for him!

He called me last week and told me that the hospital had called and reported that they had read the tests incorrectly. He does not have cancer! Rather, it is a tumor. They plan to remove it this Friday!

On Sunday, he reported to our congregation his good news!

We rejoiced with him and prayed for safety in his upcoming surgery.

NOTICE THE SUCCSESSION OF EVENTS

1.      He was estranged from God.

2.      He got news that he had a short time to live.

3.      He turned to a pastor.

4.      He returned to his faith.

5.      He returned to church.

6.      The church prayed for him!

7.      He received remarkably good news!

8.      He testified openly to his good news before the congregation!

Old forms are still effective!  🙌

What has God done for you recently?

Do you - like David - love "telling God-stories"?

GOOD GOD! ARE YOU THERE?

[All quotes are from The Message Bible – unless otherwise noted.]

Reading through the psalms for the first time will likely cause your eyebrows to rise a bit – especially if you use a modern translation!

I believe that when we read many of David’s psalms, we are reading from his personal journal! I seriously doubt that he ever thought that these private thoughts and words would be read by millions of people several thousand years after his death! 

Many of his psalms are very private – even intimate!

Without realizing that he was doing so, this ‘man after God’s heart’ was offering us instruction by giving us such a personal glimpse into his private communication with God! 

AN INTERESTING SIDEBAR:

Obviously, David wrote many of his psalms down so that they could be retrieved at a later time!  Little did he realize the perpetuity of his scribbles!

I do the same. Not every day, but occasionally.  Be assured, no one will be reading my private thoughts years from now! 🤭 But, I do occasionally review them.

We think more thoroughly when we take time to write/type our words! We express ourselves more carefully! Quite possibly we think more deeply as a result of the permanence of this process!

Essentially, what David illustrates for us is that we can openly express ourselves to God without fear or intimidation! Observe some examples:

Listen GOD, I’m calling at the top of my lungs: “Be good to me! Answer me!”

Psalm 27:7 ™

 

Keep your eye on me;
    hide me under your cool wing feathers
From the wicked who are out to get me,
    from mortal enemies closing in.

Their hearts are hard as nails,
    their mouths blast hot air.
They are after me, nipping my heels,
    determined to bring me down,
Lions ready to rip me apart,
    young lions poised to pounce.
Up, God: beard them! break them!
    By your sword, free me from their clutches;
Barehanded, God, break these mortals,
    these flat-earth people who can’t think beyond today.

I’d like to see their bellies
    swollen with famine food,
The weeds they’ve sown
    harvested and baked into famine bread,
With second helpings for their children
    and crusts for their babies to chew on.

Psalm 17:8-14 ™

 

Quick, God, I need your helping hand!
The last decent person just went down,
all the friends I depended on gone.
Everyone talks in lie language;
lies slide off their oily lips.
They doubletalk with forked tongues.

Slice their lips off their faces! 

Pull the braggart tongues from their mouths!”

Psalm 12:1-3 ™

 

If you took the time to read these examples, then you get the idea!  David was blunt and direct when talking with God!

WE CAN BE TOO!

Let’s be realistic! There are times when my prayers are fluent and articulate. I’m typically relaxed and calm in these moments and choose my words artistically and carefully!

However, there are other times when I’m crying out to Him in desperation and my words, tone and volume reflect that! I’m NOT calm! I feel unjustly treated and overwhelmed! I’m angry!

GASP! 😮

 

Did Hal just admit that he prays angry prayers?

 

Yes! I believe he did! 😳

 

LISTEN!

God is not as soft and easily offended as you think! He is NOT waiting to lower the boom on you for speaking to Him inappropriately!

You do remember that Jesus was 100% human and 100% divine – right? He experienced all of the pain, trauma, opposition, cruelty, and injustice that we experience!  And He is – in perfect harmony and unity – part of the Godhead with our Father and the Holy Spirit!

God is NOT shocked or offended at your anger, despair, sense of injustice, bitterness, etc., etc… - ad infinitum…

God can take your feelings – WHATEVER THEY ARE! It’s called GRACE!

God listens and responds! He may choose any number of responses:

§  God may offer you assurance that He is in control.

§  God may simply say: “Trust me, I’ve got this!”

§  God may tell you to hold on – it’s not time for deliverance yet!

§  God may say to you [as He did to the Apostle Paul – I Corinthians 12:7-9], My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” [NASB]

§  God may not say anything! This trial could be a test of your faith! Will you trust Him to see you through?

But be assured, if you are a follower of Christ, GOD HEARS EVERY PRAYER THAT YOU LIFT!

You don’t have to ask: “God, did You hear me?”

HE HEARD YOU!

NOW TRUST HIM!

MORE LESSONS FROM DAVID:

1.    Thank Him!  Your parents tried their best to teach you this! When someone does something for you – thank them!

Psalm 30 is an example of a psalm of thanksgiving! It begins with:

I give you all the credit, GOD – you got me out of that mess!

 

2.    WORSHIP!

If you read through the psalms you will quickly discover that David LOVED to worship God! His worship was ANIMATED! 

o   He sang!

o   He danced!

o   He yelled!

o   He jumped for joy!

o   He testified!

o   He made music to God! 

I scrub my hands with purest soap,

then join hands with the others in the great circle,

dancing around Your altar, GOD,

Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs,

Telling God-stories.

Psalm 26:6-7 ™

 

I know that I should restrain myself, but I can’t!

I believe David would be escorted out of many of our churches for his outlandish displays of worship!

Worship in many of our churches is so orderly, quiet, and reverent! 

I despise terms that incorrectly label people! Terms like ‘pentecostal’ or ‘charismatic’ carry certain expectations. I don’t find them to be helpful!

I do like the term ‘freedom of expression’.

For the last seven years+, I’ve been worshipping in an evangelical, presbyterian church that maintains a highly liturgical form of worship. I am not a member because of my affiliation [ordination] within the Free Methodist denomination. Debbie is a member! In spite of my somewhat radically different beliefs and orientation, I have frequently been blessed during our worship.  When I get blessed, I tend to giggle or say ‘Amen’! I try to suppress my responses, but they’re SO SPONTANEOUS that they’re often out before I can stop them. I’ve worried about being an offense to people as a result of my responses! But, I have been assured repeatedly by members and even leaders at Bethel – THAT IT’S OK!  Some have even told me that it blesses them to hear my subtle expressions of love for God! 

So, I appreciate Bethel Evangelical Presbyterian Church for allowing me the ‘freedom of expression’!

I hope this blog encourages you to open the book of Psalms and begin reading some of David’s journal!

I also hope you’ll snag a notebook and start writing your own personal notes to God!  😉

UNDERMINING CERTAINTY

There are terms that have sprung into use in recent years that reinforce the realization that authoritative sources are becoming more and more difficult to find! Terms like: ‘misinformation’ or ‘fake news’ cloud our perspective and leave us to our own devices to discern truth.

What exactly is misinformation?

The implication: information that is not truly information!  

‘Fake news’ – a ‘Trumpism’ implies news that has been manufactured with a bias most likely toward a specific political view or party.

We’ve been living with these terms for at least ten years! They seem to have arisen as a result of the ideological split resulting from the presidential election of 2016.

But within the past year, a whole new dynamic has quickly become dominant.

I’m a Facebooker. Is that a term? I’m on Facebook every day. I don’t refer to myself as a ‘digital creator’ as do SO MANY OTHERS!!!!!  Rather, I view myself as an entertaining seed-sower! How’s THAT for a new term?

I use Facebook!  It’s a platform that allows me to attract followers. My bait is humor. I post mostly humorous memes, sayings, quotes and facts throughout the day.  However, I also sprinkle in spiritual information, Biblical stories and quotes, and other thought-provoking articles.

My hope is to be a godly influence through a media-form that is available and popular. I’m not alone in this endeavor! I see many others using the platform in similar ways! 😊

However, I’ve been noticing many posts on Facebook that I find myself wondering about. Is this true?

I frequently flip over to my browser to try to verify the data that I’ve just been exposed to. Like others, I notice certain stories that frequently mention a popular person; but then these stories resurface including a different highly recognizable person. Which is true? Is either the original?

I’ve made it this far in this article before using the cataclysmic term ‘Artificial Information’ – obviously known as ‘AI’.

This new source of information terrifies me!

Now don’t color me as an alarmist! I’ve seen the benefits of this incredible information-gathering system – and have even used AI with remarkable results! But I also experience fear on several levels.

EDUCATION

I’ve occasionally joked about the fact that we had to learn math because we couldn’t carry a calculator around in our pocket.  Well – guess what?  Almost ALL of us now carry a calculator around on our person!

Some years ago, my wife and her siblings oversaw the care for their mother. Deb was sometimes gone from our home for two twenty-four-hour periods every week so that she could stay in the room with her mom. Her other siblings shared in this loving, caring responsibility. In their frequent discussions, Dolores learned that Deb [and, of course, her siblings] carried a phone that enabled them to search for information. She would repeatedly say to Deb: “Get your phone thingy out and look it up.”

Most of us carry a ‘phone-thingy’ that is capable of giving us information that is limited only by the strength of its battery!!!!

Will the need for education be eclipsed by the fact that we now all carry ‘phone-thingies’ with us everywhere we go?

With information so readily available, do we really need to know anything more than HOW TO READ?

The long-range implication of this is terrifying! In the event of an accidental, weather-related or war-related power failure, we could be left in a dark place in more ways than one! Maybe we should all look for old copies of Encyclopedia Brittanica – just in case?

WHAT IS TRUTH?

But of even greater concern to me is the query of Pilate in John 18:37-38,

…Jesus tells Pilate, “I was born and I have come into the world to testify to the truth… Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice”. Pilate then replies, “What is truth?” and immediately goes out to the Jews, saying, “I find no basis for a charge against him” 

[By the way, I used AI to research this response of Pilate to Jesus! 😉]

I fear that TRUTH may be undermined – or redefined - by Artificial Information!

_____________________________

Those who are tuned in to this debate are aware of direct influences that we may have to experience as a result of the egregious growth of the Artificial Information developments.

Already, large farms have been purchased and are being transformed into massive ‘data centers’ across our country. Some of these communities have been afflicted with rolling brown-outs and water shortages as a result of the operation of these data centers. It’s apparent that in order to operate effectively these centers need acreage, a power source and water for cooling their systems. Many communities are now organizing to resist these data centers from invading their space!

HOWEVER, other knowledgeable pundits are telling us that it is essential that the United States lead the development of AI because it will build into the structure moral and appropriate limits that would NOT be present if it was generated by a godless country with no moral foundation!!

So, we are caught in the crosshairs!

We may not like the fallout and the inconveniences that accompany data centers, but we do value the benefits of control and safety for the future!

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ANOTHER IMPLICATION

It might be wise for us to safely secure a Bible somewhere for the reference and use of future generations.

We know the history of book burning!

In 213 B.C., Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (more widely remembered for his terracotta army in Xian) ordered a bonfire of books as a way of consolidating power in his new empire. [Imagine the value of these books which would have ALL been handwritten and made!]

 

Perhaps the most infamous book burnings were those staged by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

 

Similarly, when Mao Zedong took power in China and implemented the Cultural Revolution, any book that didn’t conform to party propaganda, like those promoting capitalism or other dangerous ideas, were destroyed.

 

More recently, the Jaffna Public Library of Sri Lanka—home to nearly 100,000 rare books of Tamil history and literature—was burned by Sinhalese Buddhists.

 

When al-Qaida Islamists invaded Mali, and then Timbuktu in 2012, among their targets were priceless manuscripts—books that needed to be burned. 

With the growing dominance of AI, will bookburning inevitably be an image in our future?

If AI takes on god-like proportions, will there be a global attempt to undermine other sources of truth?

_______________________________

Don’t be an alarmist, Hal!

I’m not trying to be negative here – only practical.

I’ve already confessed that I’ve used AI and will continue to do so.

However, somebody somewhere has to place some limits on the growth and use of this contrivance!

As a lifelong pastor, my concern is for the continued spread of the Gospel and the health of the Church!

At this point, I am a cautious proponent of Artificial Information. But when it begins to infringe on our freedom or limit our access to spiritual information-gathering, I will be forced to become an activist!

NEW CONVERTS CATALYZE LUKEWARM BELIEVERS

It was fairly early in my ministry - my second full-time assignment.

The church building had been built from lumber from several old 'company houses', but it was nice and suited our needs well. The parsonage was attached. Deb could come to church by going through a cave-like corridor between the two. 😊 It was in a small village with no stores; just the school buildings, a volunteer fire department and a funeral home.

The congregation generally ran around 70 in attendance and was a mix of coal-miners, teachers, retired couples and a few small business owners. 

The church had purchased some property on a main road to a much larger city, that had been deemed by denominational consultants as an EXCELLENT location for future growth and development! The property was already paid for!

But the congregation had fallen into complacency - the dreaded plight of many a church!

Just the newness of a newly appointed pastor generates some interest, so attendance picked up slightly upon our arrival. Since Debbie and I were younger, there was an influx of younger couples, people and families that began to attend. Within a year, the church was running over 100 in attendance!

A DISAPPOINTING SIGN:

The leadership of the church remained in the hands of an older group. Unfortunately, it takes years for a congregation to incorporate new people into leadership positions that can make a difference. This is a sad reality that inhibits growth, creativity and risk-taking in churches!

I had been told that a local radio station was interested in broadcasting our Sunday worship service live. I inquired and acquired the details to share with our ‘Official Board’.  They would simply place a transmitting device in our sanctuary and would charge us $20/week for this exposure.  I was over-the-top excited that for such a minimal amount, we would have this opportunity to be heard in our larger community.

But the board found the expense and inconvenience to be too high and rejected my appeal to ‘go live’. We’ll never know what could have happened if we had stretched a bit to gain considerably more listeners.  Sad!

I had made friends with a man a bit younger than me. He was single. We often got together to throw the frisbee and work on odd jobs. We became great friends and I hoped to one day be a spiritual influence in his life. Deb informed me that he was a very good-looking young man!  😉 After a couple of years, he began bringing a beautiful, young girlfriend with him to church. Within a short time, she made a commitment to follow Christ and even began attending our Wednesday night ‘Prayer Meeting’.

I must confess that this was not an exciting meeting. I would present a brief Bible study. Then, considerable time was spent sharing long lists of prayer requests; followed by a time of prayer where most knelt at their pew.

I was shocked when she showed up one Wednesday evening! She was a remarkably forward young woman and during my study, began peppering me with questions. Her presence and participation transformed the course of the evening!  She was SO EXCITED about her new faith! She had hoards of questions! She was hungry to know how to read the Bible! She wanted to know how to please God. She quickly outgrew the limited faith of her boyfriend – who never attended prayer meeting!

As weeks turned into months, her presence totally changed the atmosphere of our Wednesday night meeting! Her vivacious engagement ignited a fresh awareness of genuine faith in the older attenders who had drifted into complacency!

Unfortunately, when they ceased to be a couple, she didn’t feel comfortable continuing to attend.

Complacency quickly returned  -  it usually does.

I pressed the congregation, reminding them of this valuable piece of property that they owned. I tried to cast a vision for a new building less than two miles away towards the nearby larger city! An Assembly of God Church had built a new facility just two miles in the other direction and was already prospering due to the high visibility! 

After four years of investment and persuasion, we set a night for a congregational vote. Essentially, it turned out to be favorable with the equivalent of a 51-49 outcome.

You don’t enter into a fund-raising, hope-building major campaign based on a 51-49 vote. I set things in motion to negotiate a move at the end of that year.

_________________________

I was young and inexperienced!

Looking back, I can now observe that I left several of my appointments prematurely. But being a pastor is a lonely job! You don’t have a lot of built-in accountability. You rarely meet with a conference superintendent; s/he actually knows little to nothing about your specific congregation! Your own initiative is about all that drives you to seek out an accountability partner. You face discouragements and opposition regularly. ‘Church-bosses’ have a deeply entrenched power base that is formidable and rarely - if ever - based on a deep spiritual reputation! The result of this – for a pastor - can be overwhelming!

I knew – even in my youth and inexperience – that this could have exploded with impact for God! But I didn’t have the patience, experience and support to see it through! Regrettably, I moved on and the church still meets in that same old building today.