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

07/29/2026

Bible study cancelled tonight due to the weather.

06/14/2026

June 14

Did Jesus have trouble at home? Yes, and His actions help us see how to navigate our disagreements. Let’s take a look.

When Jesus was twelve, He went to Jerusalem with his family and friends to observe Passover. This was not a new trip – His family went to Jerusalem every year at the same time for the same reason.

But this year was different for Jesus. At twelve, every young Jewish boy, following bar mitzvah, was looking to choose a trade or a career. Jesus was the same way. His Mother and Father had informed Him of His miraculous birth and their few years in Egypt to escape the rage of King Herod, so He knew God had a plan for His life. Consequently, as part of His self-discovery, He ended up in the Temple having discussions with religious scholars. Everyone listening was astounded at His wisdom and His understanding.

Everyone except for His own parents. A day into their return to Nazareth, they noticed Jesus was missing and started their search. Imagine three stress-filled days as Mary and Joseph looked through the traveling families and headed back into the crowded city of Jerusalem searching for their missing son. Where did He sleep? What did He eat? Where did He bathe? Jerusalem was packed with Israelis from every part of the Roman Empire. How do you search for a twelve-year-old boy in that environment?

Thankfully, they found him – safe – in the Temple still in conversation with the religious scholars. Mary’s angst immediately triggered her Jewish mother mode.

Was she polite to the teachers with whom Jesus was conversing? Not hardly. Did she care that the crowd heard her voice. No. Did she remember the angel who told her she would have God’s Son? Doesn't sound like it. Or the prophet who attended her dedication of this boy twelve years ago in this same Temple? No. Did she let Joseph, who at God’s direction, swept her away to Egypt to save her and this child from certain death – did she let Joseph deal with Jesus? No. She spoke directly and only – and publicly – to her Son.

She interrupted the conversation with, “Son, why did you treat us like this?! Your father and I have been out of our minds frantically searching for you!”

Jesus’ response was, “Why were you searching? You should have known I would be about my Father’s business.” Did that calm her down?

No, His mother would have none of it. She said, “You’re going home with us, and you will stay with us. End of discussion.” So, Jesus submitted to His parents wishes and helped His mother raise His siblings for eighteen more years.

Luke tells us that in Jesus’ obedience two things happened.

His mother treasured this event in her heart and thought about it often.
Jesus grew in favor with both God and other humans.

05/10/2026

Welcome to one of the most important days of the year. Today is Mother’s Day, and part of what we do today is reaffirm the unmatched value of motherhood. When God completed His creation of the Garden of Eden and set Adam to run it, He took time to note that Adam was alone. Then He made Eve and Adam fell in love.

Men have been following Adam’s lead for six thousand years and it doesn’t look like it will stop any time soon. But Eve did not have an easy life. Her first-born son, Cain became angry when God would not accept an offering different from what He had dictated. The first-born human son murdered the second-born human son, Abel.

Imagine Eve’s heart. A short time ago she had been walking through the garden and stopped near the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We all know she failed that test. It was bad enough that God restructured the rules of the Garden and sent her and Adam out. Now she had to deal with the deadly anger of her son who took her other son away and then took Cain away, too. God wasn’t angry at Eve for Cain’s behavior, but she must have been heart broken. God sent her another son, Seth, and the world went on.

What does this tell us about motherhood? Mothers raise their children knowing that they all do not do well. But they love them all anyway. Centuries later Mary bore Jesus into the world, and watched the world He loved kill him. As He was dying, Jesus remembered His mother and asked one of His disciples to care for her. And when Jesus rose from the grave, He promised His followers He would return and set the world right. We live in the hope of that promise partly because we have mothers, too.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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.

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