The Daily Memo

If you follow Jesus, you have likely heard the phrase “God’s will.” It’s often mentioned in the context of His having a will for each believer—or of our doing His will, walking in His will, and the like. If we love the Lord, then certainly we want to obey Him (John 14:15). But let’s take a look at some of the reasons we might miss His plan for our life. Handling God’s Word Improperly. When our days become jam-packed with commitments…

As I was scurrying around this morning in preparation to take Tucker (our Golden) to the groomers, I quickly saw that I was running out of bandwidth to leave on time. In fact, I was already late. The reason is rooted in my innate desire to get all the boxes checked on my to-do list before proceeding to the next. Tucker knows that. When I arrived at Joy’s Salty Dog, I immediately announced that Tucker overslept; he was to blame for our tardiness. I got a couple…

Either we wake to tackle our “to do” list, get things done, guided by our morals and whatever clarity we may at the moment have (both rather lacking to the need, I might add); or we wake in the midst of a dangerous Story, as God’s intimate ally, following him into the unknown. If you’re not pursuing a dangerous quest with your life, well, then, you don’t need a Guide. If you haven’t found yourself in the midst of a ferocious war, then you won&rsquo…

In Matthew 22, someone asks what the greatest commandment is. Jesus replies, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” He doesn’t stop there but includes a second one: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Strong, loving connections are based on treating others the way we want to be treated. As you think about your friends, family, and coworkers, consider the following characteristics of…

Researchers at Emory University used MRI scans to study the brains of grandmothers. They measured empathetic responses to images that included their own grandchild, their own adult child, and one anonymous child. The study showed that grandmothers have a higher empathy toward their own grandchild than even their own adult child. This is attributed to what they call the “cute factor”—their own grandchild being more “adorable” than the adult.…

In Christian theology, spiritual warfare refers to the ongoing struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, in the spiritual realm. It is the concept that Christians are engaged in a spiritual battle against spiritual forces of evil, such as Satan and his demonic forces. According to Christian belief, spiritual warfare encompasses both external and internal battles. Externally, it involves resisting and confronting demonic influences and powers that seek to hinder or…

In 1859, Joshua Abraham Norton declared himself Emperor of the United States. Norton had made—and lost—his fortune in San Francisco shipping, but he wanted a new identity: America’s first emperor. When the San Francisco Evening Bulletin printed “Emperor” Norton’s announcement, most readers laughed. Norton made pronouncements aimed at correcting society’s ills, printed his own currency, and even wrote letters to Queen Victoria asking…

I got up this morning at 5:30 to make a short pit stop before eking out another hour of sleep - or so I thought. Upon flushing, I heard what sounded like a waterfall and quickly realized I was filled to overflowing, and not in a spiritual way. Someone clogged the toilet, and it wasn’t me. I’ll leave it at that. I asked our Golden Retriever, Tucker, about it later and he had no comment. After scrambling around to mop up the bathroom AND basement floors, I…

We mere mortals know so little about the power of persuasion innate in Generative AI. We know even less about how it was constructed and the impact it will have on every aspect of our lives. I saw a recent interview with Elon Musk. He co-founded OpenAI, before abandoning it for greener pastures. Musk pulled no punches in expressing concerns over the dangers of artificial intelligence in the wrong hands. “Things are getting weird—and they’re getting weird fast.;…