It’s absurd to think that some people make a conscious choice to suffer in eternal torment rather than experience the glory of Heaven. Evangelists hardly even ask whether people want to go to Heaven. Most assume everyone wants to be there and instead start with the question: “Do you think you will go to Heaven when you die?” Yet, there are people in this world who hate God to such a degree they would rather spend eternity in Hell than worship the Almighty.
I love exploring new technologies, especially the ones still in “startup mode.” Sure, I like the newness of it, but they also give me ideas that help some of my projects. Lately I’ve been beta testing a technology that has led me to expand my thoughts on how to codify the conversations among biblical characters. As an added bonus, I learned of it through a former roommate of mine who is now the lead developer. That means I not only get to play with a new toy, I also get to help out an old friend.
One of their ideas is to re-imagine the way people navigate online discussions. I’ll spare the details for now; just know that my experience has shown this encourages conversations to go on and on with multiple participants. However, it shares a limitation common to almost all such tools: you can only directly reply to one person at a time. The best workaround I’ve seen for this is to “mention” other people so they’ll get a notification of your message even if they aren’t in a “To:” box.
These limitations don’t exist in real-life group conversations. Since I mentioned my goal of defining the conversational structure of biblical people, consider an example in that context. Jesus is speaking with his disciples. One of them raises a question or makes a statement that requires a response from their teacher. Does he respond only to one person? He might, but often he will address the group. Now, complicate it further. A council is arguing theology among themselves. Jesus steps into their conversation, addressing the group to answer multiple questions with one statement. It’s not in direct reply to a single person or point.
Do you see that this could not take place using today’s online discussion tools? True, replies can be seen by the world, but you must address your reply to a specific statement made by a particular person. Incredibly, the oldest communication technology on the internet is the one that allows you the most freedom in choosing intended recipients: e-mail! I routinely get a message that requires a reply and I choose to send it to more people than were originally included. Conversely, I may get a mass e-mail but only respond to the sender. Or, I may send it on to a completely new person. I can’t do that as easily or effectively on Facebook, Twitter, Disqus, etc. Perhaps that’s one reason that e-mail just won’t die.
I can envision scenarios where tools that overcome those boundaries may improve upon real-life exchanges. Maybe someone said something I really want to respond to but can’t because of an interruption. By the time I find a break in the conversation, we’re on a different subject. To speak what has been in my head that whole time would invite awkward stares. To go back in time to an earlier point in a written dialogue might not be so awkward and I don’t have to worry about interruptions. Everyone gets a turn to speak. On second thought, maybe that’s not an improvement after all…
If we can develop computer technologies which allow for the complexities of real-life conversations (startup buddy, I’m talking to YOU!) then I may find a better way to capture biblical exchanges in an electronic database. Doing so may help us better understand the whole arc of the Bible which can help us better understand ourselves. Let’s have a conversation about that some time. Find me on Google+ or in the comment section below.
I can recall two experiences, both of which occurred in a single afternoon, which taught me more about handling tough situations than anything else I remember. It was during an Air Force training exercise in Japan. The scenario was to repair a damaged runway so (make-believe) fighter jets could land. My job was to keep track of what was happening and give updates to our commander while being interrupted by threats of chemical attacks, insurgent strikes, and whatever else the training group could invent to make things more difficult.
For one of my half-hourly updates, I changed the completion time estimate by a large margin. Our commander immediately called to chew me out for being inconsistent, wishy-washy. How could he trust my promise if I didn’t even trust myself? A lot of pretend dollars and missions were at stake. If we were off by even 30 seconds, the fictitious planes couldn’t land and we would fail the training exercise. It was the only time other than at the Air Force Academy I was severely scolded by a superior officer. Lesson learned: consistency builds trust.
Later in the afternoon, things got more intense. We had planes that needed to land within the hour – damaged, low on fuel – either they were going to land safely or crash when they hit an incomplete or sub-par repair. The commander called me again: “Can we land these planes in time?” In this scenario, the fighters were expected to arrive within a minute or two of my estimate. We had no room for error. None. I told him yes, we’ll get it done. After I hung up the phone, the highest-ranking sergeant muttered: “That’s balls.”
The well-seasoned folks within earshot had done this many times before. I was barely 22 years old. They knew the consequences we’d face if I was wrong. Our ability to get this right in training reflected our ability to get it right for real on our upcoming deployment to Iraq. They also knew how much work was left. If we hadn’t compacted the soil enough, gotten it smooth enough, secured the matting well enough…bad things could happen. If my “yes” turned out to be wrong, that earlier rebuke from the commander wouldn’t be the one I remembered. The next one would be far worse.
I didn’t say we could do it because I was a cocky Academy grad (which I was back then). I didn’t say it because I was scared of telling my boss “no.” I did it because I knew the guys out there could hustle and do it right the first time, on time. I trusted their experience, ability, and motivation. I was right. They got it done. The planes landed (on paper) as scheduled and the practice repair met all standards. The guys I was with that day treated me a little differently from then on. Lesson two: confidence earns respect.
These are very basic things you learn in Leadership 101. I am reminded of those lessons often as I see more and more failures of leadership in our country. It may be a President voicing inconsistent foreign policy, a corporate executive who won’t make a decision for fear of personal ruin, or a father sitting on the couch while his family is in spiritual decline. Yet, hope remains for a better day.
I have confidence that our trials are temporary because I believe in a God who is eternally consistent. He keeps his promises. He is worthy not just of respect but of worship. He has more than earned trust; his character demands complete faith.
This is the perspective I hope to keep in focus as our sin-cursed world “groans and travails” in ever-increasing frequency (Rom 8:22) until God fulfills his promise to restore creation to its original perfection (Rev 21-22). Remember that when you see wars breaking out in the Middle east, corrupt executives shoved into federal prison, or endure the daily struggles of a dysfunctional family. Man’s leadership often fails. God’s lordship never will.
Today, a popular church tech blog, ChurchMag, listed my site as number 14 on their 2012 list of “Top 20” blogs in that class based on website stats, social media networks, and Google PageRank. Newcomers here may be wondering how this site fits in among that list since most of my posts are not focused on gadgets, social media, or apps designed to help your ministry. So, here’s a quick introduction to SoulLiberty.com and why I think it belongs in the “tech” category.
I tend to be a “power user” or even a creator of technology meant to help spread the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I share ideas on a very wide range of topics of concern to Christians. I have covered abortion, science, design, prophecy, data visualizations galore, and created a handful of simple apps. My communication style is mainly oriented toward demonstrating new concepts instead of discussing them. For instance, I could have written a post on how useful I thought Wolfram|Alpha could be and linked to a couple of things there. But, I didn’t. I wrote on the size of the New Jerusalem and embedded a Wolfram|Alpha widget that lets you type the size of one person’s “house” and let it tell you how many of those “houses” could fit in that city.
Most of the time the “tech” part of this site is subtle like that. The main exception is MetaV, my ever-expanding project to collect, visualize, and communicate data on biblical people, places, and periods of time. Some of the visualizations using the data in MetaV are featured on the home page. Others can be found under “Tools.”
Years ago when I started this site, I wrote this about the internet:
As we marvel at the technological achievements of our time, God finds a new way every day to remind me that the inventors of this virtual universe are worthy only to worship at the feet of the Creator of the actual universe.
I still feel that way all the time (you can read more on the “About” page). My hope is that readers would come to see things that way, too, but also recognize the rich opportunities before us. I want to make the most of the achievements in the Information Age to evangelize a lost world and train up disciples that grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth. If you’re a new reader or just someone I haven’t heard from before who feels the same way, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below or on Google+.
“Godless liberal socialists” clearly differ from “religious right-wingers” on the subject of war. The evangelical voting base of the Republican Party finds this so important that even the most fiscally responsible constitutionalist is marginalized as the “crazy uncle” due mostly to his non-interventionist foreign policy. Author Michael Snow argues against our stereotypical politics in Christian Pacifism: Fruit of the Narrow Way showing from a personal, historical, and theological perspective that the biblical position is far from hawkish as we’d assume in this era of preemptive war.
Snow connects with readers early on with his personal story about serving as a Marine with a dream of becoming a pilot. He ultimately washed out from causes out of his control, perhaps an answer to his prayer: “Lord, don’t let me get so caught up in flying that I forget about people.” His descriptions of training echo my own from the Air Force Academy, most notably when describing the level of mistrust displayed toward soon-to-be decision-makers.
One stand-out event was the Kent State shooting which took place the year he graduated college and entered the military. During pilot training, his commanding officer referred to the incident and made it clear to the class they may someday fly missions against similar “revolutionaries.” Snow vividly illustrates other experiences which shaped his move toward pacifism, each of which were at odds with the Christian concept of a loving attitude toward fellow men and women.
From here, he sets the foundation for his basic argument: that God’s universal love is at odds with the dehumanizing effects of war. Snow summarizes this beautifully in his counter-argument for “humanitarian” war:
Here, I believe, is a key to Christian discussion about warfare: abstractions take precedence over concern for individual human lives. When such priorities govern us, a dreadful condition prevails. We cry, “We will save you!”, sanctify ourselves, and commence a mission of destruction.
The abstractions he discusses include arguments very similar to Edmund Burke’s well-known quote:
The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing.
Snow rightly points out that we are quick to turn to militaristic options for fighting said evil versus more loving means such as humanitarian aid, though he is not clear on how such aid could be carried out in countries ruled by oppressive dictators.
The author does not limit his persuasion tactics to emotional appeal and anecdotes alone. He tackles the ingrained yet mistaken assumption that God’s protection of Israel and battle directives in the Old Testament amount to an endorsement of war. He points out facts from these stories that are often forgotten, such as when God prohibits David from building the temple due to his bloodshed (1 Chron 28:2-3). Or, consider Deut 1:21-46 which recounts Israel’s disobedience to God’s command not to take up arms in possessing the land of Canaan. They were driven out, destined for 40 years in the wilderness and threats of war on their people from then on.
The New Testament lends itself more obviously to a “turn the other cheek” perspective. Pro-war theologians do find some passages which appear to support their case which Snow dismisses perhaps too quickly. Jesus’ praise for the Roman Centurion’s faith absent a rebuke of his profession, his command in Luke 22:36 to buy a sword, and his statement in Matthew 10:34 that the Messiah comes not to bring peace, but a sword are notable examples. Still, Snow finds thorough support elsewhere for pacifist principles which more than balance out his relatively thin treatment of the above arguments.
Mr. Snow introduced me to his book by way of a blog post on the Anabaptist Schleitheim Confession, which reads (in part):
The worldlings are armed with steel and iron, but the Christians are armed with the armor of God, with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God.
This shows that at least as far back as 1527 when the Swiss Brethren Conference adopted this confession that Christians took exception to serving in a military capacity. Snow’s book adds to this history by surveying The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, writings by church fathers Athenagorus and Tertullian, and A Short History of Christianity – all of which clearly indicate Christian resistance to taking up the sword.
One distinction this book does not treat adequately is the difference between offensive and defensive war. This might be excused since prior to the initial publication in 1981 of Christian Pacifism, America was a stranger to the doctrine of preemptive military operations, better described as wars of aggression. The 30th anniversary edition does not correct this inadequacy, however.
It is an important distinction to make since early Christian theological heavyweights find no conflict with waging war on a limited, well-justified basis. Typical criteria include a measured response to provocation, reasonable chance of success, ensuring war is an absolute last resort, and guidance on the conduct and treatment of combatants. Unlike the author, I am not fully convinced that all war is at odds with the Bible unless one can show from Scripture that Aquinas, et. al. are wrong on these points.
Even so, as every war which America has waged in recent history has clearly violated these criteria, it may make no difference whether we argue against all war (as this book does) or simply “unjust” war. The final analysis puts proper theology at odds with our country’s actions either way.
The author is clearly influenced by Quakers but does not spend time on any doctrinal distinctions. Snow frequently proposes we feed the hungry with the resources we put toward fighting battles, but does not expound the theological root of this thinking outside of loving our fellow humans. Some Quakers preach that we are currently in the Millennium and have a responsibility toward social justice; others look toward a future fulfillment of prophecy through the bodily resurrection of Saints and the Second Coming of Christ.
It is this Second Coming which culminates the war to end all wars at the Battle of Armageddon. Whether or not Christians choose serve in a military capacity or show support foreign wars between now and then, we will certainly fight alongside our Lord Jesus Christ to finally vanquish Satan and the forces of evil in this world.
Let me share a story about how God orchestrates events in our lives to accomplish his will and help us find our calling. I started this blog not long after moving to a new department in my company. The road I’ve been speeding down since then is worth describing.
My first attempt at getting the transfer failed. Another engineer who hired on at our location shortly after me got it instead. Later on, I discovered that the divine plan was better than my own. A few months after that first interview, another job in the same department came available, but this one was far better suited to my skills and one which I knew would be much more interesting to me. It would involve a great deal of database manipulation for reporting, analysis, and whatever else might need to be done with our computer systems that I could help with.
Around that same time frame, I was envisioning a draft concept for a bible search/study tool that I have coined “MetaV.” All I had was the idea and an illegible sketch. I was certain that I’d have to invest in some new tools and steadily, patiently learn some new programming language to make it work with the database I had begun building. That all changed when I swapped jobs and began learning about newer ways to gather, compute, analyze, and visualize data.
Nearly every month I have learned of new tools and techniques which help me take leaps forward in various projects for this site and at work. Many times I just “happen” to discover them. As one who believes in God’s omnipotence rather than luck, I can see how he uses things like this in “secular” circumstances to teach us and mold us spiritually. There is really no difference between our work lives and spiritual lives. God is everywhere, in control of everything and every part of our day.
The field collectively known as Business Intelligence includes players like SAP (Crystal Reports), IBM Cognos, and of course Microsoft (plus many others). Then, along comes Tableau. It turns out that the people that make the most annoying Facebook games collect and analyze user data in ways you wouldn’t believe – and they use Tableau to do it. I thought: what if I could use that to analyze scripture? What if we applied business intelligence tools to find biblical wisdom?
Now, don’t get me wrong – only the Holy Spirit can truly bring understanding of his words. But, having a tool that provides a view of scripture you’ve never seen before can be a big help in beginning that process. I am happy to report that Tableau does have a free version of their software for use with public data that I have begun applying to MetaV. Thanks to the awareness of new tools gained through my new job duties, I am using weeks-old technology to create things like readability graphics without having to learn any special programming or making any investment other than time.
With a little more of that investment, an integrated view of the entire Bible with a map, timeline, and details about each verse in a single interactive view is not that far away. Had I gotten the job I originally went for, I don’t know that I’d be this far along in the process. I don’t know that I would have found the tools to help me do the things that I believe God has equipped and called me to do. I do know that his timing and his plans are perfect. When that time is right, readers of this blog will be the first to discover an entirely new approach to bible study.
Not long after moving away from the Midwest, I volunteered at a homeless and battered women’s shelter in East Texas for about 6 months. In that time I made a handful of observations about how things were run and how these women were being helped. Since I was a psychology major in college and worked in a few challenging situations with troubled college students as a missionary in the US, I had a little bit of experience going in.
The shelter was an old storefront like building and was fully dependent upon donations as a 501(c)(3) organization. They received no government funds, just the help of churches and individual Christians in the area. They were (of course) under funded and the living situation was a run-down sorority type environment, not to mention that it was full of drama. There were fifty beds in the back of the building all in one open room and another ten or so ladies slept on air mattresses and couches. They shared two bathrooms and two showers every day.
While the housing situation was challenging, I was very much struck by how the Lord had provided for them. They had three hot meals a day and all were required to shower routinely. Shampoo, clothes, bedding, and “extras” were all offered for each and every woman for free. Their bed became their closet, shopping cart, and comfort zone all in one. I was amazed by how much stuff they had — stuff that they brought with them off the street and stuff they had collected while there. Some of their belongings they purchased with their own money, but most were given to them at no cost. They had more abundance and possessions than any homeless person you would ever find overseas. They were not in need because the Lord has always promised to meet all our needs. (Matthew 6:31-32)
Their social and spiritual desires were being met as well. With around fifty ladies all in one small space they had plenty of opportunities to share their stories, griefs, and frustrations. Gossip ran rampant: if one woman was having a bad day everyone knew about it. Daily Bible studies led by local pastors gave them good relief from all the spectacles and crises. Everyone gathered in the dining room area multiple times of day to hear someone preach the Word. Sometimes topics dealt with overcoming conflict, pain, and the past. Other times they were taught hygiene, social skills, and responsibility.
As I watched and observed over a 6 month period of time, I noticed there were only three or four out of those fifty who really considered the shelter a short term place to stay to help them recover and deal with their problems. Only these few wanted to get the help they needed in order to start over again and get back on their feet. I began to ask myself: why so few? Why weren’t more women taking advantage of the free and helpful resources that were right there in front of them? Why wasn’t the leadership really pushing these ladies to deal with their tribulations and grow? I’m not naïve in thinking that you could fix there struggles of drug abuse, physical and sexual abuse, illiteracy, major family troubles, marital problems…the list goes on and on.
Where was the desire to contribute to the world or even the environment they lived in? Where was any desire for that matter? And then I began to ask, where are all these women getting money to buy cigarettes, sodas, and useless trinkets? As I listened and talked with these ladies I began to learn that many were on welfare, food stamps, social security or disability. I then began to ask them for their prayer requests and many requested I pray for God to provide via their government appeals for a disability. Some shared stories of claiming disability because they couldn’t read, but when I sat down with them to study the bible out loud, they could read. They struggled given their third or fourth grade reading level, but they could do it well enough.
Why were they praying and asking the government to meet their needs instead of God? I was baffled and frustrated. As I inquired some more I discovered many were being encouraged to apply for disability by other women in the shelter and the leadership. After they received the money I watched what they did with it. Some sent it to the kids they left or had to place in the care of relatives. Some squandered it on useless things and stayed in the shelter for years and years. Few had any desire to leave other than those whose drug addition was too much to kick. Those women just went back to where they came from until another bump in the road forced them to return.
The longer I was there the more and more questions I had. Most who were on disability or Social Security responded that it wasn’t enough to live off of to rent an apartment, pay for cable TV, have a cell phone, get furniture, and pay for groceries. I then asked about seeking employment or rooming together with one of the ladies at the shelter that they trusted. Their answer was they couldn’t get a job because then they’d loose their government check and would no longer qualify.
What is going on here! Since when did the God of the Bible encourage people to stop working? Since when did government take the place of God in providing for people’s needs? Since when did government programs become the Lord’s answer to prayer instead of the people in the Body of Christ loving their neighbor and being that answer? And since when did so-called leaders and ministers of the Gospel start training their disciples to seek worldly authorities for their needs and think that it’s biblical? Where have we gone wrong?
If you look at the Bible, Jesus shows a great deal of attention to the poor and needy of the times. For instance, few of his disciples had any education to speak of and weren’t considered the elite. They were mostly low-class Jews. Some could read and some could not, but all could work and did work. The Word of God was simple enough for these ordinary men to understand, so much so that while they didn’t get it all right, they followed Jesus because they recognized him as the Messiah.
You don’t have to be able to read at a college level or even a high school level to know and understand that God is the giver of all things. He is our provider – not a government or a king. Jesus asked these disciples to give up their work and treasures and follow him. Never once did they petition Caesar to provide financially for their families while they were unemployed. They trusted that God would meet all their needs and He did. How did God do this for them after Jesus was crucified? He did it through the church. It is our job as the Body of Christ to supply for the poor and needy yet we have allowed our worldly authorities to step in and play that role and be that so-called answer to prayer.
This has hurt the homeless men and women like the ones I met and it has hurt the Church. These women now believe the lie that God doesn’t want them to work because if He did He wouldn’t have provided the checks and answered their prayers. It has hurt the Church because we are just holding on to more of our “stuff” because we think we need it instead of giving up our treasures. It has weakened the maturity of Christians and stunted the growth of the poor and needy nationwide.Isaiah 30:12-13 speaks of this clearly.
Because shelters just like this one have trusted in ruling worldly powers and believed the lie that they don’t need to work, they have allowed government to become their oppressor. If these women had absolutely nothing and no government to go to, where would they go? They would get on their knees and cry out to God whether they believed in a god or not. God would prove Himself to them in their times of desperation and show that He is the one true God, the giver of all things. Instead they have chosen to trust in a god that oppresses them and continues to keep them poor. I believe this choice has hindered the effectiveness of this ministry and the women’s God-given ability from to be truly free.
And what about us, those who have much, who have an education and can read? Do we minimize the power of the Word of God and what He could really do in our hearts and the lives of others because we have settled for thinking it’s the world’s job to meet the needs of others? Why have we made God so small and principalities, kings, the rulers of darkness so big? We are as much at fault as the men and women filing out government applications for a handout. We are letting the powers of this world be the definer of freedom instead of our Almighty God. As a result, our ministry to the homeless and poor isn’t as effective and doesn’t bear as much fruit as it could if we truly trusted in God. Christ came to set us free from these evils and this is the freedom we need to teach.
With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
– Matthew 19:26b
After I graduated from one of the most prestigious institutions in America, the US Air Force Academy, I was filled with pride … too much, in fact. One of my first assignments was to create project reports from an online database which I had never used. I met the challenge head on as any new military officer would.
My reply to the task was: “If it is possible, I can figure out how to do it no matter what it is.” One of my newest colleagues who was familiar with this system quickly took the cue to initiate some “mentorship.” Perhaps the hero persona of this higher-ranking Afghanistan war veteran compelled him to save his troops from the crash that a rookie like me could have caused by flying blind.
The system didn’t crash. He showed me a lot, and so did some computer experts I had the privilege of working with in northern Japan. At my next base, I had the same attitude toward a similar challenge – this time with a lot more knowledge and even less humility. Once again, the system we had couldn’t do what we needed and the red tape involved with replacing it could wrap around the world a hundred times. After following the chain of command all the way up to the person responsible for this system across the entire Air Force, he explained that what we wanted to do was “not possible.”
What self-respecting company grade officer would accept that as an answer? “Impossible? I’ll show you impossible!” A few months later I found a workaround solution and everybody was happy with the new process. It saved some people a lot of work and gave others more control over the work they were interested in getting accomplished.
My intent here is not to boast of these accomplishments. God has brought me a long way from that kind of big-headedness. My point is that when others say something is impossible it is often because they cannot imagine many possibilities beyond their experience. In that respect, inexperience is an advantage when guided properly. With God’s leading and power, all things are possible.
The things I describe on this blog are part of my ongoing attempt to realize what may otherwise remain unknown and undone. It is daunting to think of collecting biblical scholarship in such a way that you can see and analyze it all at once rather than picking through it a piece at a time. It is a mountain of a challenge, but it is not impossible to move such mountains. Lord, help us!
I graduated from the US Air Force Academy with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since then, I have held several positions in the military, business world, and in Christian ministry. In each role, I have found ways to work with information (databases in particular) to help myself and others sort out what that information really tells us about what’s going on.
I have recently taken on a new role which has exposed me to more advanced methods behind what’s referred to as Business Intelligence. I quickly realized that these techniques can be applied to the Bible to “zoom out” and discover patterns and relationships that you can’t find with traditional study methods or tools. I will highlight others who have done work to this end in hopes of bringing their results together and develop them into an integrated whole.
I have previously laid out my vision for enabling the average person to find reliable information on the web as easily as many incredible tools that are available today free of charge. Soulliberty.com is a work in progress that will be one platform for applying these technologies to scripture and related information in commentaries, maps, media – you name it. To be perfectly clear: my primary goal is to present the Bible in a clear, understandable, and intelligent way so that more people can come to know its truth, power, and salvation.
To get an idea of the basics, consider how you might do online research for a new car or even decide what movie to go see this weekend. You can narrow it down by type, sort it by popularity and price (or what time a movie is showing), and see place marks on a map where that movie will be playing or where that car is sold. You are presented with media telling you more about it in the form of videos or interactive content. A common element is that the information is tied together in meaningful ways that help a computer sort through the information to find what the user is looking for.
I think it is possible to do the same types of things with Bible study software and make it available for free on the web instead of it costing hundreds or thousands of dollars. This blog will more fully explain specific ideas for creating new tools and implementing existing ones in ways that are easy enough to understand by a non-technically minded person while also providing enough detail for the up-and-coming programmer or designer to contribute their skills and time. I hope you find it informative and exciting to imagine the possibilities!
We started with a lot of ideas and relatively few web design skills. It wasn’t until after we got started that God saw fit to bestow upon us the knowledge we’d need to take things further. In the process, I (the web designer) have discovered even more amazing possibilities. What we have now is the tiny beginning of what I believe will be a very big endeavor, Lord willing.
Just think about what is now possible with the latest web technology and available free of charge. With one simple search box, I can instantly find any information I want in many forms: words, pictures, video, and even interactive presentations. It is possible to find videos based on the speech content, 3D panoramas of many places on a map (including 3D terrain), charts of any historical data, instant pricing and info on anything money can buy, and on into infinity. It almost seems the possibilities are only limited by the size of our imagination.
As we marvel at the technological achievements of our time, God finds a new way every day to remind me that the inventors of this virtual universe are worthy only to worship at the feet of the Creator of the actual universe. It’s all too obvious that the web is used mostly for anything but service to the Lord. Just try searching for an answer to some simple question and you’ll spend far too much time wading through blasphemy and perversity just to find some coherent commentary or useful illustration.
Now imagine if just some of these advancements were put toward the everlasting reward of knowing God more intimately and understanding our times in a way only he can help us to see. What if, with that one little search box, you could do a whole Bible study knowing that the only information you’ll have to sort through is from people who believe and defend every word of God?
Search a Bible character’s name and see his genealogy, the verses with his name, the places he’s been, artistic renderings, video or audio commentary. Click a verse in the Bible to see where it fits in the timeline of history and read articles from many different Bible teaching websites. Click a word to see its definition, search a concordance, and everywhere else that word or its root is found. Move around a realistic 3D rendering of structures like the Tabernacle or Noah’s Ark. See churches near you on a map – but not every church, mosque, temple or synagogue – just those which are recommended by Bible-believing Christians. You can even get current news that’s relevant to a biblical worldview from multiple websites, all in one news reader.
This is the article that inspired us to begin this website. If you are asking yourself “What Can I do?”, here is a good place to begin looking for an answer.
The wind whistles loud and clear
It’s howling hell for me to hear
“You can move with me or against me
But you can never move without me”
The wind only whispers some days
Echoing Hell’s hounds that just blew away
It has the power to shatter the glass walls
That make me feel safe in the halls
‘Tis a force to be reckoned with, I know
And I reckon we’re comparable foes
For as long as I have the strength to stand
I will surely have the upper hand
My fight with the wind will forever be
When forever ends, the victor is me
I wrote this on a cold night at the Air Force academy. I had just come from walking across the terrazzo. It’s always windy up there. When I was going to sleep I could hear the wind whistling and howling in the railing above my room. It was louder than ever before. This poem, however, represents much more than a lack of sleep from an annoying noise.
The wind generally represents the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) who is the one pushing ever-changing winds of false doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). It is an outside influence that you have no control over. Imagine yourself standing alone in an open field on a windy day. You are intent on standing firm where you are, not to be swayed by the wind. You have principles and faith that you must defend. Everyone has some sort of safety net or defense structure to help them stand firm in such situations, but that can only go so far.
Your defense mechanisms won’t always protect you. Just when you feel safe, the collective winds can shatter your ‘glass wall’ defenses. People can band together and rise up in efforts to blow over your moral foundation. One alone is as feeble as a molecule of air; many of them put together can be overwhelming. After that, the only thing left is your will, aided by the Holy Spirit, to stand on principle and faith alone.
As long as you have the personal fortitude to continue standing, you have won the battle. Once you are firmly grounded in your convictions, no amount of force will break you. Think of it as a candle in the dark: the light (good) can overpower vast expanses of darkness (evil). It seems to be battling the darkness. As long as it burns, the candle illuminates everything if even just a little.
The same is true for your soul standing in eternity. The phrase ‘when forever ends’ is just a literal device to say that if you stand up in principle for eternity, you win! You may sway now and then with all that’s against you, but you still remain standing. What is your foundation? Is it God’s words found in the Bible, or is it man’s thoughts and opinions? When the outside world changes, will you always ‘go with the flow’, or will you go the narrow way? When the ‘flow’ is righteous, will it be a wind at your back or a hindrance to your goals? Think about it.