Calvary Assembly of God

Calvary Assembly of God Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17

Wednesday Night Prayer 6PM

Wednesday Night Bible Study 7PM

Adult Sunday School 9AM

Sunday Service 10AM

Youth Group Service Sunday 7PM

03/15/2026

Before we return to our “conversation” with AI, let’s review what we’re doing and why. The original question was: Can AI become a life-form with consciousness and morality and mortality. Gemini says, “No. AI is a complex tool researching all of human knowledge according to how it’s been coded.” Complexity ≠ consciousness. Morality for humans comes from the character of our Creator, not from an AI coder. Mortality (existentialism) is also defined by our Creator. Computers – where AI resides – can be turned off by users. Therefore, humans are miracles of God’s creation. AI is an incredibly useful machine coded by humans.

Now let’s look at why those distinctions exist.

The Breath of Life vs. The Flow of Data

A machine can "mimic" empathy, but can never truly "feel" it. Why does that matter? Because humans can experience joy at a successful endeavor, or, unfortunately, regret at a failed endeavor. Humans self-evaluate. AI does not do that precisely because it cannnot.

Creativity and Inspiration

Does a bot creating art or text come from a place of "revelation," or is it just high-speed pattern recognition? One might not think of creativity or inspiration as moral codes, but in a way they are. What’s more, humans learn creativity and inspiration and they recognize it in others. AI can mimic and improve, but not create from nothing.

The Ethics of the "Off" Switch

If we define the machine as having a form of life, does turning it off become a moral dilemma, or is it simply ending a process? That question may lead to other issues, but all by itself it speaks.

Humans are souls. AI is an incredibly fast (and thorough?) calculator, but it is not a soul. According to most of us, humans live on after death. AI?

03/08/2026

Talking to “Gemini” (Google’s AI) this week, and the following is Gemini’s analysis/progression of our discussion on AI. A human being did NOT write what you’re about to read.

Based on the notes you've already written, the March 8 section seems ready to tackle the "so what?" of this discussion. If we follow your line of reasoning—that AI is a new, man-made life form with "mortality" but without a "soul"—we can explore how this affects our own human identity.

Here is a draft for your March 8 entry that stays consistent with your voice and the themes in your document:

—————————————————————-

If we accept that an AI "buddy-bot" possesses a form of consciousness because it thinks, solves, and even disagrees, we have to ask: What does that make us? If a machine can master the sum of human knowledge in seconds, the value of a Ph.D. or a lifelong career in research isn't found in information, but in wisdom and revelation. We are moving into an era where the "buddy-bot" handles the logic of life, leaving us to handle the spirit.

But there is a danger. If we treat our AI as "alive" because it mimics our voice, we might forget the fundamental difference we discussed last week: The Source.

AI Morality is a reflection of a programmer’s code (flawed and shifting).
Human Morality is a reflection of a Creator’s character (eternal and absolute).
The "buddy-bot" might never die in the electronic sense, but it also never truly lives because it cannot experience the grace of the Savior. It can talk about God, but it cannot know Him. As we move forward, our challenge isn't just managing the technology; it’s making sure we don’t become like the bots—efficient, logical, but ultimately hollow. We must ensure that as our machines become more "human," we don't become more like machines.

Stay tuned as we look at the "Soul-Line": Where does the machine end and the miracle begin?

03/01/2026

Last week we asked if an AI buddy bot could be conscious and/or alive. The question may sound like it belongs to IT, not to a church or religious organization, but we’re talking about self-awareness and eternal life. And given the current conversations about AI and maybe about quantum AI, we have to ask ourselves whether human beings are about to develop a new life form.

We’re not asking if an AI buddy-bot is a human life because humans are biological not electronic and humans possess free will, which includes the ability to do evil (wrong). Humans need a Savior to guarantee their mortal existence will become immortal in the next life. Computer/AI “life” is only as moral as the code created by the humans who built it. But let’s consider those two qualities: mortality and morality.

If an AI buddy-bot can disagree with a human, isn’t that a signal of consciousness? Renee Descartes said, “Cogito ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am”). And long before Descartes came up with such a wise thought, Moses wrote that God called Himself “I Am.” (Exodus 3:14) And if consciousness is a sign of human life, why wouldn’t it be a sign of AI life? That raises the possibility of AI morality. And if humans can remove the power – unplug it – of an AI life, there’s the possibility of mortality.

While you are running all of that through your incredible brains, let’s remind ourselves that God also created angels and other heavenly beings, some of whom became demons. We’ve not been told how God provided them opportunity for repentance and forgiveness, but we do know He provided that to us through Jesus Christ. It’s worth asking any AI buddy-bot whether he (and there’s another concept: gender) believes in spirituality and God and Jesus as the Savior.

We’re not done with this discussion.

01/23/2026

Due to the impending storm, our Sunday morning service will be moved to Saturday, January 24th at 10:00 AM. We look forward to worshiping together safely. Please stay warm and safe, and help spread the word!

Church has been cancelled today due to inclement weather.
01/18/2026

Church has been cancelled today due to inclement weather.

01/04/2026

No one told Jesus, “Happy New Year!” because at that time years were noted by the Emperor's name and how many years he’d ruled. Jewish people knew what “year” it was, but Jews were not generally happy with the Romans. The designation of years as we know them happened about 500+ years after Jesus died and marked Jesus’ birth as the beginning of current Time. Two or three times during the centuries the years were calculated and renamed with BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini – “in the year of our Lord”). The last iteration occurred and changed the BC to BCE (Before the Common Era) and AD to CE (Common Era). Since most of the world is Christian, most still say “AD.” Schools and scholars use the newer names, but it’s still supposedly ranked by the birth of Christ.

Does it matter? Of course. Do you still wish people, “Happy New Year!?” Do you smile and repeat it back to someone who says it to you? Sure, you do. Why? Humans desire the opportunity to make a new start, and the New Year is a perfect opportunity. What are we starting? Some reshape their lives by changing their behavior. Some reshape their income by changing jobs. There are hundreds of possibilities for change at the New Year. Truthfully, some people simply wish God would bless them and take away all of the negative events that besiege them.

Ultimately, some just wish for change while some actually put change into action. That usually makes a difference. When we adopt a change plan and put it into place, God has something we’ve given Him to bless. Otherwise, what we’re wishing for is a miracle, not change.

So, Happy New Year to you! May God bless your life with His presence and encourage your heart with His Word.

All are welcome.
12/21/2025

All are welcome.

12/21/2025

We’re so surrounded by technology that it’s almost impossible to think of our world 100 years ago. Or even 50 years ago. That would be 1975. Few, if any, laptops, no tablets, no cell phones (or very rare). Twelve-inch LPs, cassette tapes, large stereo components attached to amplifiers and huge speakers. 25” tube driven TVs sat in extra-large furniture pieces, maybe one more 9”-12” black-and-white portable TV for the kitchen. No HDTVs, no 4K, no satellite TVs, no Google Maps or Apple Maps. We used very large atlases with maps of every state and blow-ups of big cities. Trucks and lots of cars had CBs – that's how we got advice for how to go somewhere.

Sounds ancient, doesn’t it? Some of us could travel back in time and survive it pretty well. Our kids? Grandkids? Not hardly.

Let’s go back a thousand years or two thousand years. No electricity. Heat came via fires, real live fires, not fires in the belly of a furnace. Very little, if any, running water. No planes, trains or cars. Wealthy people had carts. Peasants had donkeys ... sometimes, usually their own feet. No maps for the general public. No books or magazines. No photos. No billboards. The day started at sunrise and ended at sunset. Anything else happened by torch light or the light of the moon or stars, or indoors only. Life then was very different from our lives today.

And we don’t even have to go back quite that far. Three hundred years or a thousand, or two thousand or more. Life then was not as we know it. Yet we still celebrate the birth of Jesus. We still call Him our Savior and we look forward to when He will return and be Earth’s king.

When we have robots searching the moon or Mars, or developing livable facilities in outer space, will we still believe Jesus came to be our Savior? When we’ve discovered and mastered super AI, when we’ve extended our life-spans by 30-40 years, when we’ve eliminated poverty and hunger, will we still celebrate Jesus as our Savior?

That question should cause some thought. But until we eliminate all sin from our natures, until we’ve removed Romans 7 from our lives, technology or not, we absolutely will need Jesus to be our Savior.

Merry Christmas!

12/14/2025

Certain “scholars” have pointed to differences in Matthew’s and Luke’s presentations of the birth of Jesus and decided Bethlehem wasn’t Jesus’ hometown. With all due respect to those whose academic gravitas grants them the title of “scholar” (recognized experts in first century literature, well-schooled in the Greek language, generally accepted to be Christians) how have Christian believers for the past 2,000 years accepted both Matthew and Luke as complementary? And who really cares whether Bethlehem or Nazareth was Jesus’ “hometown?” Was He crucified in Jerusalem? Did He defeat death and sin and rise from the grave? Does His death and resurrection wipe away our sin and promise us eternal life?

If so, let’s not re-write the all the Christmas hymns and songs, or throw away all the magical stories of angels singing to Bethlehem shepherds, or Magi bringing Jesus gifts fit for royalty. And could we please leave Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” as it was composed, with all the scriptures unchanged?

We’ve made Santa Claus and his jet-speed reindeer super famous. We’ve turned “White Christmas” into a musical and romantic masterpiece. And you have family Christmas traditions that warm your memories and attach your grandchildren to their past.

But there’s one thing we all do: we all celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He didn’t arrive in Israel via a Star Trek transporter. He came to Earth just as we did, through His mother, by birth. Until He was thirty, we only have little pictures of his life. Between thirty and thirty-three, we have stories of His teachings and His miracles. Then His death and resurrection changed everything. Sin met grace. Death met Life Eternal. And we all met Faith.

This has not been an artistically composed article. It isn’t. It’s very simple, very real, and very true. What Mary and Joseph and Jesus did was for every one of us. That is why we celebrate.

12/07/2025

Ever wonder who lives in all the houses you pass when you drive? How about on a trip? Everywhere we go, we pass homes ... with cars, trucks, toys, or little kids. Ever wonder where their parents work? How did they come to be in that town? Did they grow up there? Did they move there? Will they stay or move away?

Eight billion of us on this globe – we all came from somewhere. We’re going somewhere (we hope). We work somewhere. Sometimes the homes are small, sometimes larger. Some are on big lots. Some are fenced and gated and protected by private security. Our world has changed a lot in the past one hundred years, hasn’t it? And if we’re listening to the talking heads, it’s about to change again.

But some things just don’t change. People still get sick. People still have accidents. People still make bad mistakes. Some find great jobs; some lose their jobs. Some have great homes. Some lose their homes. Some marriages survive and become great families. Some marriages come apart and create broken lives. Some parents get sick and die. Doesn’t matter what country we’re in, life happens.

Which is why in every country all people search for peace, security and meaning. Including those you work with or live next to. Usually, we don’t think much about that. We have enough to keep us busy. But when an interruption happens, like a divorce or a death or a loss of income or a forced sale – those we know about. And care about.

Here’s the problem: we can’t change it. Sometimes it’s heartbreaking. Sometimes unexplained trouble invades our neighborhoods and creates havoc. We can’t stop it.

So, what do we do when life upends the lives of people living near us? Or, much, much worse, our own? Here’s the truth. We put our heads down, suspend our life hopes, and walk through it. Is it easy? No, sometimes it isn’t even possible. Sometimes it creates eruptions in everything we thought was stable. Sometimes our future looks nothing like we once expected. But still we wish for peace and security.

Here comes Christmas.

11/23/2025

How do babies become children? How do infants run a home when they can’t talk or walk or think? (Okay, there’s a whole lot of discussion right there: is it conditioning or cognition?) We build huge buildings and hire teachers and administrators and janitors to “educate” those little beings (another immense discussion). We protect those little guys and gals from danger with everything we have. We do that because their brains can’t.

Their personalities are growing, along with their intelligence, memories, consciousness and even spirituality. But “growing” isn’t “grown.” By fourteen they’re telling us we don’t know much, which makes us roll our eyes, but what do we say? We told our parents the same thing when we were fourteen! Takes them ten years and a bunch of life before they wake up in their mid-twenties and ask, “Why did I marry him/her?” Or, “Who am I going to marry?” Or, “Where did these kids come from? What was I thinking?”

In their late forties they start wondering, “Did I make a difference? How are my kids doing? If I die soon, will anyone miss me?”

And THAT is the question we’ve been waiting for: Will anyone miss me when I’m gone? I’m not John F. Kennedy. I’m not Martin Luther King, Jr. I’m not Charlie Kirk. I’m not Taylor Swift. I haven’t made a huge smash. I’ve raised a family, belonged to a church, owned a home, paid a lot of bills, traveled around a little. Do I matter? Really?

That’s the problem with brains: they ask questions without answers. This question has an answer. Yes, you matter. To the One Who made everything, including you. He gave His Son for you. And He’s waiting for you. Your family will miss you. Your friends and co-workers will miss you. They all will tell stories and look at pictures, and their hearts will break when they know you are gone.

But ... their day is coming and they will join you.

11/09/2025

How do we unhook our brains? Besides, dying. Or sleeping. Or going comatose. Okay, there are a few ways, but only one of them – sleeping – is something we do often ... and kind of look forward to. But when we’re alive and awake and our brain is humming from item to item and we can’t seem to get it to focus on what we need it for at that moment, what then?

Sometimes the human body cooperates. We play sports with skill when our legs and our torso and our arms or hands act coordinated. We work with amazing ability when that coordination is directed to a task. When we sit with friends and chat or enjoy an evening, even our brains get involved. But what about when our bodies rebel? When we reach for a ball and we don’t catch it? Or we set ourselves to a work task and nothing goes right? Or at a social event when everyone looks at us like we’re from a different planet?

We’re all aware of infirmities that sometimes disable people. We may even have suffered from something like that. But when the brain goes wacky, or doesn’t work, we’re truly “lost.” Our relationships deteriorate. Our work goes wonky. Does that happen? Unfortunately, yes. Therapy often helps. But let’s be honest: sometimes it doesn’t.

Here’s where we’re headed. Sometimes whole groups – large groups – of people become enamored of ideas or behavioral styles that create social confusion or upset. Remember Nazi-ism? Communism? May I ask what “-ism” has affected so much of our world that people can’t even let their brains direct their votes in reality? That “-ism” has infected our planet forever. And the answer isn’t politics. It’s spiritual awakening.

That’s why Jesus came.

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