I spend quite a bit of my time attempting to invent modern conveniences to simplify every day life. Wouldn't it be sweet to have a clone or at least a highly sophisticated robot Doppelganger to replace you in some of your more mundane, daily duties? I would merely like him to cover for me at the office a few times each week. Sometimes I listen to myself speaking and I don't sound all that different from the artificial intelligence featured in U-Scans at local grocery stores, ATM machines, or Haley Joel Osment (look up that last reference). It's sad really. It's about as sad as the thought I just had that my favorite Meijer cashiers, "Flock of Seagulls Hair" or "Mullet Master," could one day be replaced by machines. At least California has a governor in office prepared for such a "rise of the machines." You know, I would settle for a robot that could make my bed. Why my parents were always so insistent on such a worthless task I will never know. Perhaps my father knows more than I give him credit for. Perhaps he wants to be presentable when the robot king visits to choose slaves worthy of his glory. Truly my imagination defeats my practicality at times.
Many things that Jesus said support the idea that he requires one’s full attention and support. In a world of quick fixes and short cuts, the Christian life is often expected to be easy. Life brings many hardships regardless of whether one chooses to follow Christ or not. The difference is that a Christian faces these difficulties with armed with the hope of salvation. In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus talks about the costs of following him. One who “looks back” when doing the work of the Lord is not fit to serve him. When a follower of Christ looks ahead, he or she is able to see joy in the future. God and his church support us in all we do. We don’t need robots or artificial intelligence to be the followers God wants us to be.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
When DEET Doesn't Cut It
I am going to file this week’s news under “WHAT!?” Some respectable scientists in jolly old England discovered that “mosquitoes can develop an immunity to DEET and breed offspring that are also impervious to the bug repellant”. (thestar.com) Female mosquitoes (the annoying ones) use their antennae to find humans. Humans contain the blood needed to fertilize mosquito eggs. DEET, developed in 1958, isn’t completely understood but is believed to interfere with a mosquito’s ability to smell us blood filled humans.
Scientists (perhaps evil scientists), found that some of their studied mosquitoes weren’t reacting to DEET. When the researchers bred these non-reactive “skeeters”, their offspring showed resistance to DEET as well. I suppose this breeding of super mosquitoes isn’t all bad. Supposedly, this research can help us develop alternate mosquito repellants. In the meantime, make sure you are using repellant this summer. Mosquitoes carry some awful diseases.
Satan, like a blood-sucking mosquito, can develop immunity to some of our safeguards. You might not be addicted to pornography or often found gossiping, but we all have our exploitable weaknesses. James 4 discusses full submission to God. We have to examine our motives and allegiances. If we are devoted more to this world than to God, we become his enemy. It is only when we are dedicated completely to God that we can “resist the devil” (James 4:7). Our ultimate goal is purity and there is no finality in our search to obtain it.
Scientists (perhaps evil scientists), found that some of their studied mosquitoes weren’t reacting to DEET. When the researchers bred these non-reactive “skeeters”, their offspring showed resistance to DEET as well. I suppose this breeding of super mosquitoes isn’t all bad. Supposedly, this research can help us develop alternate mosquito repellants. In the meantime, make sure you are using repellant this summer. Mosquitoes carry some awful diseases.
Satan, like a blood-sucking mosquito, can develop immunity to some of our safeguards. You might not be addicted to pornography or often found gossiping, but we all have our exploitable weaknesses. James 4 discusses full submission to God. We have to examine our motives and allegiances. If we are devoted more to this world than to God, we become his enemy. It is only when we are dedicated completely to God that we can “resist the devil” (James 4:7). Our ultimate goal is purity and there is no finality in our search to obtain it.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Innovation in Times of Adversity
An article I read this morning on dailymail.co.uk sparked my interest for two reasons: 1. I love my iPhone and technology in general and 2. I enjoy reading stories in which innovation triumphs over adversity. The “Mail Online” article I read tells the tale of Martin Brooks, a man whose daughter was born with cerebral palsy. For years, Brooks and his wife “have struggled to understand Mia’s needs by getting her to look at objects or picture cards.”
After buying an iPhone last year, Brooks decided to put Apple’s slogan, “there’s an app for that”, to the test. When Brooks found nothing that fit his 5-year-old’s needs particularly well, he designed his own app. iComm allows Mia (who can’t walk, talk, or control her movements) to point out pictures of food, toys, activities, etc. on the iPhone screen using her eyes. Users can upload photos and voice recordings in order to personalize the app. Mia responds well to pictures of herself doing an activity as well as pictures of friends and family. Brooks said, “It has given her a voice for the first time and allowed us to understand her so much better.” iComm has been downloaded by more than 1,300 people since first made available for the iPhone.
It’s no secret that God loves seeing creativity blossom in the midst of difficult circumstances. When David faces Goliath in 1 Sam. 17, he doesn’t use brute force to take down the giant. He uses a sling and a stone. When Jonah needed some time for reflection, God used a big fish. Jesus is the best example of God’s innovative problem solving. Mankind was sinful and needed to know God. We needed a savior who walked and talked just like us. Plenty of people call God’s creative work “impossible” but “with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). If you keep yourself faithful and open, God can show his innovative plans to you.
After buying an iPhone last year, Brooks decided to put Apple’s slogan, “there’s an app for that”, to the test. When Brooks found nothing that fit his 5-year-old’s needs particularly well, he designed his own app. iComm allows Mia (who can’t walk, talk, or control her movements) to point out pictures of food, toys, activities, etc. on the iPhone screen using her eyes. Users can upload photos and voice recordings in order to personalize the app. Mia responds well to pictures of herself doing an activity as well as pictures of friends and family. Brooks said, “It has given her a voice for the first time and allowed us to understand her so much better.” iComm has been downloaded by more than 1,300 people since first made available for the iPhone.
It’s no secret that God loves seeing creativity blossom in the midst of difficult circumstances. When David faces Goliath in 1 Sam. 17, he doesn’t use brute force to take down the giant. He uses a sling and a stone. When Jonah needed some time for reflection, God used a big fish. Jesus is the best example of God’s innovative problem solving. Mankind was sinful and needed to know God. We needed a savior who walked and talked just like us. Plenty of people call God’s creative work “impossible” but “with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). If you keep yourself faithful and open, God can show his innovative plans to you.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Living Water
“The Green Cheapskate” is the blog of Jeff Yeager. It is featured on the web site “The Daily Green”. Without sounding like too much of a “nutty environmentalist”, I want to share a few things Jeff learned while being without running water for 15 days while having a new well drilled on his property. While there are those that seem to consider separation of environmental matters and church to be as necessary as the separation of church of state, I think it’s good to survey the way one interacts with God’s creation every now and then.
The first thing Yeager realized in his 15 days without running water is that toilets are an engineering marvel. A toilet can be manually filled and flushed without running water. Yeager also realized that “clothes don’t really need to be washed so often”. I actually learned this in college. Those were much smellier times. Yeager states that “remodeling an outdated bathroom doesn’t look like a financial priority post-drought”. When one is without running water, functionality becomes more important than form. The next little tidbit in Yeager’s article made me cringe. If one were to drink only bottled water, it would take $1,000 per year to get the recommended amount of H2O as opposed to 49 cents from the tap. The final thing that Yeager learned in his 15 days without running water is that one should never see one’s self in a mirror while taking a sponge bath.
In John 4, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman while she is drawing water from a well. Jesus tells the woman about “living water” that keeps one from getting thirsty. I think I learned the most about how much I need Jesus when I lived without him. I don’t recommend this lifestyle as I learned that living without “living water” is more than inconvenient. Without Jesus, we will always be found wanting. Without Jesus, we walk in darkness looking for something we’ll never find. Don’t wait until you’re dehydrated to form a strong bond with Jesus Christ.
The first thing Yeager realized in his 15 days without running water is that toilets are an engineering marvel. A toilet can be manually filled and flushed without running water. Yeager also realized that “clothes don’t really need to be washed so often”. I actually learned this in college. Those were much smellier times. Yeager states that “remodeling an outdated bathroom doesn’t look like a financial priority post-drought”. When one is without running water, functionality becomes more important than form. The next little tidbit in Yeager’s article made me cringe. If one were to drink only bottled water, it would take $1,000 per year to get the recommended amount of H2O as opposed to 49 cents from the tap. The final thing that Yeager learned in his 15 days without running water is that one should never see one’s self in a mirror while taking a sponge bath.
In John 4, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman while she is drawing water from a well. Jesus tells the woman about “living water” that keeps one from getting thirsty. I think I learned the most about how much I need Jesus when I lived without him. I don’t recommend this lifestyle as I learned that living without “living water” is more than inconvenient. Without Jesus, we will always be found wanting. Without Jesus, we walk in darkness looking for something we’ll never find. Don’t wait until you’re dehydrated to form a strong bond with Jesus Christ.
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