A Dangerous Trend

Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is here and it is here to stay. Many praise the benefits. Others warn of the impending dangers. A.I. is a present reality that is already impacting our world. Coupled with the sobering truth that Gen Alpha, those born in 2010 and afterward, is considered the most anxious generation to ever live. One of the ways many of those students are coping with anxiety is by turning to A.I. for personal support. 1:4 Gen Alphas say that A.I. knows and understands them better than any person. 

A.I. is not a person. It is a thing. If not checked, A.I. could even become a substitute for God. A.I. is rewriting the Bible. I have zero confidence in the inerrancy and infallibility of that finished document. Not in a world who claim God does not exist. Not in a world who rewrite laws God established long ago. Not in a world that values most things God opposes. 

One report said as high as 72% of Alpha students turn to A.I. for personal support. It is easy to type in your question and get an instant response even if it is wrong. Believe me when I write A.I. is no match for God. Let God download all His understanding and the hard drives would crash and burn. God's understanding is unmatched. His power unequaled. 

When Gen Alpha, who have been hurt and had trust broken, was asked what they wanted people to know about them, their answer was simple. They list very high on what they want from adults is for them to listen without judging. As we get older, judging comes easier. We complain about the music being too loud, hair being too long on boys, too short on girls, that they are glued to their cell phones, are lazy, and that they are unfaithful to church. Tap the brakes. 

The church that was supposed to protect them and nurture them has been one of the institutions that has hurt many of them. One sex abuse scandal after another has broken the trust of these students. These students have been criticized, ostracized, and marginalized by many congregations. They are labeled as the anxious generation. No generation before them has faced greater mental health challenges as they do. Especially the girls. Some dismiss the whole idea of mental health even being an issue people struggle with. Such naysayers adopt the attitude of, "Suck it up buttercup." I confess that has been my attitude by and large. I need the attitude Jesus had toward people.

It is interesting that Gen Alpha is open to Jesus but distrusting of the church. Christians are supposed to be representatives of Jesus Christ. Yet, it is us Christians that give the church a bad name. We violate that sacred trust when we have morale failures in leadership. We mismanage that trust when we look down our pious noses in disgust at a generation of students far different that we are. 

Jesus had compassion for people. Matt 9: 36 All kinds of people. He loved people others labeled unlovable. He embraced sinners that religious people shunned. He forgave the ones others condemned. He comforted people the religious leaders hurt. Christians must become more like Jesus if we ever hope to help the "anxious generation." 

Tracing God's Hand of Faithfulness

 Brenda and I sat in my office yesterday before the start of our connection classes. I perused my Bible and Brenda looked on her computer. Without warning we were hit with another trial that buckled us. We did not see it coming. It blindsided us. We sat stunned. We had a decision to make. Did we give into anxiety, fear, anger, or submit to peace, faith, hope, and endurance?

We chose to put it out of our minds and move on through the rest of the day. This morning I prayerfully chose to cast that care onto the Lord. I laid it at His feet. It is not the first time we have faced tests. I am sure it will not be the last time. 

Fast forward to this afternoon. I listened to the a podcast where I heard the phrase, "I traced God's hand of faithfulness." I wrote a book in 2008 titled, Behold the Faithfulness of God, all about the bountiful ways God has shown Himself faithful to Brenda and I. Not just the two of us, but for all of His people throughout history. Over and over again, sometimes at the last moment, God has shown Himself reliable. He has answered prayers in His timing and in His ways. It has not been the journey I would have chosen for myself as as freshman Bible student at Howard Payne University. It is the one God chose for us. 

God's journey for Brenda and I has been filled with unexpected turns. It is hard to write, and for many who will read this it will be harder to believe, I've carried a desire to serve one church for 20-30 years. The longest I served any church was six years. I don't understand why we have moved so much. I know at least one of those moves was a mistake on my part. I totally misread God's leading. I've repented and lived in regret for a long time. I realize my mistake hurt my family and many others close to us. For many years afterward it felt like I lived in a spiritual wilderness. I battled deep depression that plagued me for several years. Even in that God was faithful. One prayer time and one verse brought me out of that depression. God did not forsake me. 

God has been faithful to meet financial needs and material needs. God has provided things from vehicles to furniture. He sent financial provision at those crisis moments when all of our hard work and salaries could not meet the unexpected needs that arose. You have heard many of those stories. When we needed a vehicle for Brenda recently and prayed for over a year for a debt free vehicle, God provided one. A very nice top of the line 2013 Ford Edge. No debt. He worked again to provide a 2012 Nissan Armada that we gave to Tanner to replace his worn out car. He has done that nine times in our marriage. We ask Him to do it again. That is tracing God's hand of faithfulness. 

He has provided places for us to live. Our current home is no mansion, but it is the right home for us. I have asked God for well over a year to pay our house off early. We hate debt and have very little. Our home is the one exception. We have traced His hand of provision and faithfulness on two occasions in our past when someone paid our house payments one for a year and a half and the other for four years without us asking. Unbelievable. That is tracing the God's hand of faithfulness. It encourages faith and inspires hope. 

Our trial is still there. So is our God. What God has done in the past we trust He will do again in the present and in the future. I hope that you will do the same. Look back in your past and trace God's hand of faithfulness. He will be reliable in your present and future. He is trustworthy. He will come through in His time and in His way.