Archive for the ‘discernment’ Category

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Advent—Looking Inward

December 8, 2025

I have called myself a follower of Jesus for decades. Preparing myself for Christmas and the idea of entering anew into a relationship with him, I’ve been researching and reflecting on obstacles. After today’s thoughts, I’ll take a look at Evagrius’s list of eight “evil passions” reflecting on how they impact me (and probably you).

I am reflecting today on an ancient poem that I first saw perhaps some 62 years ago. I am still reflecting on the meaning of this for me. Which of these am I? I hope for four. Maybe realistically one? I know that it took years to wake up in the following sense.

He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool…shun him.

He who knows not and knows that he knows not is a student…teach him.

He who knows and knows not that he knows is asleep…wake him.

He who knows and knows that he knows is wise…follow him.

Life seems to give us many in category one who think they are in category four. Learn discernment. I hope that we (you and I) are not a fool. I consider myself a continuing student.  Who among my readers need to awaken? There is surely one who is wise.

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See More Clearly

October 31, 2025

John Fischer wrote recently in his The Catch newsletter, “Your job is not to shout louder. But to see clearer… Eyes wide open. Heart tuned in.”

People trying to communicate with someone who speaks a different language invariably speak more loudly as if volume would overcome the language barrier.

People living within different political or religious systems also have this trait. If you don’t seem to understand me, I’ll just scream louder.

Hot tip: that does’t work.

Fischer talks of seeing clearer. That is part of the equation. Better is seeing the other more clearly. And listening. And deciding not to assume the other is simply stupid or ignorant or cynical.

Reminds me of this wonderful song from Godspell, Day by Day.

Oh Dear Lord

Three things I pray

To see thee more clearly

Love thee more dearly

Follow thee more nearly

Day by day

Posted in Attitude, Awareness, discernment | Leave a Comment »

Wondering About AI? Scared? Don’t Be.

October 17, 2025

This post is a bit off my main topics, bit I thought it perhaps relevant to many of you. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its derivatives Generative AI, aka Large Language Models (LLM)—which is a real thing—, and hyped buzz words superintelligence and artificial general intelligence—not real things— are all over the news with loads of hype. Over at my technology blog The Manufacturing Connection, I try to get behind the hype diving into real-world applications (in manufacturing, of course).

Those of you who might have your mental and emotional equilibrium knocked a bit off center by the AI hype might find something in the tips I just shared. Consider this as a Public Service Announcement.

I’ve published a podcast both on my podcast app (available in Apple, Overcast, or wherever you download them) and on YouTube. You can subscribe on any.

Why pursue AI? As a tool to help entrepreneurs add value to their companies. The appropriate roll out entails organizing small “pirate ships” empowered to experiment and implement with a budget and air cover. Many concerns about AI’s impact on employment and organization are over blown. History shows that new technology winds up creating more jobs than it destroys. This podcast is sponsored by Inductive Automation.

Humans have developed and used technology for millennia. It has provided longer and better lives. It has also created great destruction (check out current photos from Gaza). It’s up to humans to decide how to use it.

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Posted in discernment, Thinking | Leave a Comment »

Logical Inconsistencies

September 10, 2025

I guess I enjoy poking at logical inconsistencies of people. Or times when people do a series of things putting themselves in difficult situations and are surprised. I know I’m not immune myself. I just appreciate the humanness of such things.

Like the politician I recently read about who used a logic for a new edict that directly opposes the logic that the politician uses for another position. I can leave it vague. Think of your favorite politician—or your favorite political punching bag.

I like to look to Jesus for guidance. I found upon reflection that he also enjoyed poking at people—especially self-important people. Think of all his comments to the Pharisees and Temple big wigs while he was in a crowd of ordinary people. “You clean the cup on the outside, but inside it is filthy.” “You declare your wealth dedicated to God, so that you don’t have to take care of your aged parents.” 

Reflecting on Jesus’ guidance, I think that I had better become aware of my own inconsistencies cleaning them up.

Posted in Awareness, discernment, Humility | Leave a Comment »

Sin and Awareness: Spiritual Formation Part 1

August 28, 2025

Refer to Romans 1:18-2:16

Maybe you get lost in all of Paul’s examples. Perhaps you like to pull out certain “sins” to point to other people. That sort of reading severely misses the point. Paul tries to bring emotion into this discussion—a preacher’s trick. The point isn’t that other people sin. The point is sin is everywhere.

And everyone deserves to die—that is, be apart from God. The definition of hell for some people.

Paul must deal with the Law. Jewish Law, not Roman law. He must bring together a group of Jesus followers who come from different cultures. I bet they were suspicious of each other. I bet they were suspicious of each other when they first began to meet secretly to share their experiences of Jesus.

Why does Paul begin this way?

We will never change until we become aware of the need for change. We must become aware of our ignorance before we begin to study and find a teacher. We must become aware of our physical health before we search out and begin to practice health-building practices such as eating nutritional meals, getting physical activity, sleeping well. We must become aware of the shortcomings of our relationships and spiritual direction before we search out ways to get in touch with the Spirit.

This will lead to faith—the next step on the journey. It touches on one of the manifestations of grace that John Wesley taught—that grace that is always there ready for us to see and infuse into our lives.

Prevenient Grace – This is the grace that “goes before” and precedes human response to God. Wesley believed this grace is given to all people universally, enabling them to recognize their need for God and making it possible for them to respond to the gospel. It counteracts the effects of original sin and restores some measure of free will.

Posted in Awareness, discernment, Grace, Sin | Leave a Comment »

Stochastic Parrot

May 23, 2025

I try to separate the two sides of my thinking. Sometimes the overlap is too tasty.

Our pursuit of spiritual formation and the rest we can find in the Spirit sometimes can be disturbed kind of like in one of the Star Wars original episodes where one character remarks, “I feel a disturbance in the force.”

Perhaps all the news items and speculation, for it’s all speculation and not news, regarding what might happen with artificial intelligence have caused a disturbance in your (our) spirit.

I can no longer write a computer program (without a lot of catching up) and my memory of all the probability math I was taught has mostly evaporated. However, I remember enough to read books and articles sent to me for my tech blog The Manufacturing Connection picking up ideas of what technologies are behind all the hype. I write often to calm people suggesting they look more realistically behind the marketing and journalism hype.

Then came this podcast of Tech Nation by Moira Gunn, who hosted a linguistics professor called Dr. Emily Bender. Bender had released a book with Dr. Alex Hannah, The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want. 

My interest was piqued when they mentioned a 2021 paper by Bender, et. al., on language models called Stochastic Parrot.

As one of the thinkers attempting some common sense to cut through the AI hype, I love that term. Much of generative AI and large language models are simply probability calculations based on learned text. In other words:

Stochastic—a random probability distribution that may be analyzed statistically but may not be predicted precisely—plus Parrot—to repeat something said by someone else without thought or understanding.

There are writers on both sides of the hype divide—the doom sayers and the optimistic hype sayers—who have let imagination run amok. Shall we pull back a little and look for those applications where this will really help. Applications other than providing more words for marketers to stuff into a news release, that is.

Let this be an example of maintaining our focus on our spiritual development filtering hype from our awareness.

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Oppression

May 7, 2025

French intellectuals after World War II became enraptured by the idealistic vision of communism.

Albert Camus pointed to Stalin writing about how the oppressed became the oppressor.

Once the Christian Church was oppressed by Rome.

Then it became at various times of European history the oppressor.

Even in today’s America people who feel oppressed wish to become the oppressor.

How many people try to live out Jesus’s teachings about dealing with each person with kindness and understanding only judging each by the strength of their character?

He touched people with skin disease. He forgave a criminal. He saved a woman from execution by stoning. He made her accusers go home and ponder their own sins. He made a culturally despised outcast the hero of a story. He healed people in the household of a hated Roman soldier. He taught that unlike the Romans we should be known by how much we can love other humans.

Think upon whom you might wish to be oppressed. Perhaps a little kindness and love will go far toward reconciliation.

Posted in Compassion, discernment | Leave a Comment »

You Know They Are Not When

May 5, 2025

When do you know that someone is not authentic? When they say they are being authentic.

When do you know someone is not being honest? When they tell you they are being honest. 

When do you know someone is not a Christian? Well, let’s not go that far. But, to quote an old song, they will know we are Christians by our love. 

We can listen to words, but we know by actions.

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Hypocrites

September 20, 2024

Jesus called the religious leaders of his day hypocrites.

They put on masks and played a role.

Behind the mask lay a different reality.

Greed. Lust for power. Pride.

The same exist today.

When the role we play approximates the status of our hearts,

then we move from hypocrisy to maturity.

If we but observe closely, we can know

whether that Christian wears a mask or presents a heart.

More important, what role are we playing?

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When We Wonder If We Are On The Right Path

August 29, 2024

Say you have chosen a path. On the journey, you have decided that Jesus is your best guide. So you try to follow him, do what he does, live like he teaches.

How is it going?

Ryan Holliday write in his newsletter The Daily Stoic something geared toward what they call the Stoic or philosophical life that is quite applicable to those of us trying to follow the with-God life. The parallels between the Stoic life and the with-God life are startling. We can learn from each other.

Holliday writes:

If you’re wondering if you’re getting better, wiser, more philosophical in this Stoic journey, here’s a test: How many arguments are you getting in each day? How often are you fighting with others? We talked about Elon Musk a while ago. Imagine having ten kids, billions of dollars, seven companies, tens of thousands of employees, a real opportunity to write a better future…and spending your time seeking out culture war issues to get sucked into. Imagine engaging with random trolls online, getting into spats with journalists and politicians. You might think that sounds pretty silly…but are we really that much better in our own, smaller lives?

Does that sound like your Christian life? Always arguing. Always proving a point that your theology is more scriptural? People avoid you because of that attitude?

Or maybe when you rise from your night’s slumber, you go to the bathroom, make your coffee, sit in prayer or meditation, and consider—what will I do today that reflects following Jesus on this journey with God? Will I show the kind of love Jesus talked about? Or will I be obnoxious and argumentative?

Posted in discernment, Disciplines | 1 Comment »

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