The Problem of Work- Day 5 June R&R

One of the things I have been thinking about during this June Tune-Up is 'work' itself.

Dr. Dan Doriani has done extensive work in this important area:

“The Bible doesn’t oppose fulfillment, but it sees work differently. It focuses on love and service to God and neighbor. It seems to see happiness or satisfaction as an unplanned result of honest labor. Ecclesiastes blesses the laborer who can “find enjoyment” in his toil (Eccles. 2:23; 5:18). It also knows that those who tire themselves in noble tasks tend to sleep well: “Sweet is the sleep of a laborer” (Eccles. 5:12). This suggests that fulfillment at work is like friendship. We find it indirectly, by giving ourselves to other things.”

Most educators limp into June exhausted.

Teachers, coaches, administrators, staff members, parents — everybody seems tired. And not just physically tired. There is a deeper kind of fatigue that builds over time when work becomes stressful, repetitive, frustrating, or emotionally draining.

In Chapter 5 of The Call- Guinness tries to press the point that we should never let “a” call compete with “THE” call and we have to keep reminding ourselves that the Bible never treats work itself as the problem.

A lot of people talk as if work was part of the curse, but when you go back and read Genesis carefully, Adam was given work before the Fall. He was told to cultivate, manage, organize, name, steward, and rule over creation. Work was originally part of God’s good design.

In other words, meaningful work is not punishment. It is part of what it means to bear the image of God. But then Genesis 3 changes the equation. The curse did not create work. The curse frustrated work.

Now work involves Thorns- Resistance- Conflict- Exhaustion- Disappointment.

In my new role in Operations, I can tell you a hard truth: “Entropy IS REAL!”

Left alone, systems break down. Buildings deteriorate. Communication gets messy. Problems multiply. The same thing happens in schools, businesses, churches, and probably every organization on earth.

And of course, the frustration is not only external. We bring our own selfishness, pride, impatience, insecurity, and laziness into work too. That is part of the Fall as well.

Os Guinness talks in The Call about the tension between vocation and “the struggle for daily bread.” I think most adults feel that tension eventually. We want work to matter. We want purpose. We want fulfillment. But sometimes work simply feels hard.

Some days work feels deeply meaningful. Other days it feels like answering emails while putting out fires and trying to survive meetings.

Most people eventually settle into one of two extremes. Either work becomes an idol, where achievement and identity consume everything, or work becomes something to escape from. We count the days until vacation, retirement, or the weekend while quietly resenting large portions of our lives.

I do not think either approach is healthy.

What has challenged me lately is realizing how passive many of us become about work. We complain about leadership, difficult co-workers, impossible schedules, frustrating parents, broken systems, lack of appreciation, or unrealistic expectations. We hope things improve. We wait for circumstances to change.

But we rarely stop and intentionally dedicate our work back to God.

We rarely pray seriously for difficult bosses or co-workers.

We rarely ask what God may be teaching us through frustrating environments.

And we rarely think much about providence- God’s Sovereignty!

Romans 6:13–14- but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. [14] For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (ESV)

Romans 6 uses active language when Paul talks about the Christian life. He talks about presenting ourselves to God. Offering ourselves. Yielding ourselves. There is intentionality there. 

Paul is not describing a passive faith where we simply hope to drift toward holiness, nor is he encouraging some kind of self-punishing spirituality where misery becomes the goal. Throughout church history there were periods where people believed holiness came through harsh treatment of the body or withdrawal from ordinary life, but those approaches rarely changed the deeper condition of the heart. Paul’s emphasis is different. The Christian life is not about mutilation, but re-dedication. We intentionally place our minds, work, relationships, desires, habits, and circumstances back under the authority of Christ. We stop seeing our daily lives as interruptions to spirituality and begin seeing them as the very places where faithfulness is practiced.

But perhaps part of spiritual maturity is learning how to place even difficult work under the sovereignty of God.

That does not mean every job is wonderful or every environment should simply be tolerated forever. Some situations genuinely need change. But I do think Christians should ask deeper questions before simply running from discomfort.

Why has God placed me here right now?

What opportunities for service exist in this season?

What weaknesses in my own character are being exposed?

Am I approaching my work as worship, stewardship, and service… or merely survival?

Dan Doriani writes often about the dignity of ordinary work and the importance of faithfulness in the places where God has currently placed us. I think that perspective is deeply needed today because modern culture constantly tells us fulfillment is always somewhere else.

A different job. A different boss. A different city. A different season of life.

And sometimes change is appropriate. But sometimes growth happens precisely in the places we would not have chosen for ourselves.

I think that is especially true in education.

Schools are full of meaningful work and frustrating work happening at the same time. There are moments of joy, influence, growth, and purpose mixed together with exhaustion, bureaucracy, interruptions, conflict, and pressure.

That tension is not strange. It is Genesis 3.

But even in a fallen world, work still matters because God still matters.

And perhaps part of a June Tune-Up is learning not simply to escape work, but to re-dedicate our work, our attitudes, our relationships, and our circumstances back to God again.

Instead of bogged down in tasks or papers- consider you are changing lives to the glory of God!

Instead of murmuring about your co-workers or bosses- pray for them and love them as Jesus does.

It is a game changer!

Song Link: Another World?

Purpose Fuels Zeal- Day 4 June R&R

Several years ago I chose the word “Zeal” as a personal theme for the year. Looking back, I think I chose it because I realized I had grown a little flat spiritually and emotionally. I was still working hard and staying busy, but there is a difference between activity and passion. I was functioning fine, but I did not feel particularly energized or inspired.

Around that same time I was reading Os Guinness’ The Call, and one of the things I kept noticing in both the book and in Scripture was how often zeal seems connected to purpose and calling. People tend to develop energy around things they genuinely believe matter. And passion is also very contagious!

That may sound obvious, but I do not think it really is.

As I read through the Bible that year, verses about zeal kept jumping out at me. Romans 12 says, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” When Jesus cleansed the temple, the disciples remembered the phrase, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

I started realizing that biblical faith is not meant to be lifeless or detached. That does not mean every Christian becomes an intense personality or emotional extrovert, but there does seem to be a kind of energy that accompanies conviction and calling.

I can be so 'mental' only- clinical- I am in love with the 'idea' but not the person.....

I have seen this over and over in coaching, education, leadership, and probably just life in general.

Parents sometimes come talk with me about a teenage son who seems aimless, unmotivated, distracted, or disengaged. Usually they are worried because the young man has no clear direction and no real energy toward school, work, or responsibility. Honestly, I remember going through seasons like that myself.

I usually tell them "keep praying and waiting- and when the rocket lights, you will see it"- (you just hope it is a worthwhile endeavor LOL)

But I also remember when things started to change. Once I had a clearer sense of direction and purpose, my energy level changed too. I have seen the same thing happen in athletes, students, teachers, coaches, and leaders. Aimlessness tends to drain people. Purpose creates movement.

That does not mean calling removes exhaustion. Some of the things we are most called to do can also be the most tiring. Education certainly fits that category. Leadership does too. But meaningful work usually creates a different kind of endurance than meaningless work.

I think that is one reason burnout becomes so dangerous when people lose connection to purpose. Once work becomes only maintenance, pressure, deadlines, or survival, it is difficult to sustain energy for very long.

At the same time, I think there is an important warning here too.

Modern culture constantly encourages us to “find our passion” or “follow our dreams,” but those ideas can become very self-centered very quickly. The focus turns inward and life becomes centered on personal fulfillment or self-expression.

Guinness pushes against that throughout The Call. Biblical calling does not begin with self-discovery. It begins with God. The central question is not simply, “What would make me happy?” but “What is God asking me to do with my life?”

That is an important distinction because “my calling” can become narcissistic if it is disconnected from humility, service, community, and obedience.

Real calling usually pulls us outward toward responsibility and service rather than inward toward obsession with ourselves.

And interestingly enough, that is often where zeal grows too.

People who believe deeply in the value and meaning of their work usually find reserves of energy and perseverance they did not know they had.

I want to stop here and reflect on this amazing definition Guinness is using about our calling:

Calling is the truth that God calls us to Himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to His summons and service.

slow down- go back up- and read that again- bit by bit....

So maybe part of reflection during June is asking a few honest questions:

Do my kids, grandkids, students see me passionate for the Lord- am I showing a faith I would even be willing to die for?

Have I drifted into survival mode?

What work consistently gives me life and meaning?

And am I still listening carefully for what God may be calling me toward now?

If you are reading along with me- drop me a note, I would LOVE to know: jayopsis@gmail.com

My Aim?- Day 3 June R&R

Pushback- Can limitless curiosity itself become a kind of wandering?

When I first went back and started reading these devotions from more than a decade ago, I realized pretty quickly that the early ones were not nearly as strong as the later entries.

Part of that is probably because I was still trying to figure out exactly what I wanted this series to become. I think I was also intentionally trying not to simply summarize Os Guinness’ book The Call. I wanted these thoughts to become more personal and practical as I worked through ideas about calling, mission, purpose, leadership, and what I eventually started calling “My Aim.”

At the time, that phrase sounded really important to me.

“Aim Small, Miss Small” sounded wise and disciplined and purposeful (and it is a common thing I say to QB’s ALL the time.. So it is a buzz phrase for me and of course, it is from “The Patriot” one of my favorite movies)

And there is certainly truth in that idea.

But looking back now, more than ten years later, my life has not unfolded nearly as neatly as I once imagined it would. Honestly, it often feels less like carefully aiming at a target and more like running around like a headless chicken while God somehow still gets me where I need to be.

That may actually be closer to reality than I wanted to admit back then.

One of the most important chapters in The Call is called “Seekers Sought.” I probably underestimated that chapter when I first read the book years ago. Or maybe I simply had not lived enough life yet to fully appreciate it.

Guinness spends some time discussing Leonardo da Vinci, and that example affects me differently now than it did a decade ago.

When you are younger, Da Vinci mostly sounds inspiring. Brilliant. Curious. Creative. Interested in everything. But the older I get, the more haunting that story feels. So many unfinished projects. So many scattered interests.So much searching. (and it is Exhausting)

And maybe age just makes you more aware that the clock is ticking a little louder than it once did.Just a few months ago I wrote the quote from Tennessee Williams (That time is short and it doesn't return again. It is slipping away while I write this and while you read it, and the monosyllable of the clock is 'Loss, Loss, Loss' unless you devote your heart to its opposition.)

But the encouragement in this chapter is not really about becoming a better seeker. Guinness’ point is almost the opposite.

Christianity is not mainly about our search for God. It is about God pursuing us.

That is a very different idea than most modern discussions about spirituality, purpose, and self-discovery.

Scripture is full of examples of people wandering, resisting, doubting, running, hiding, failing, and zig-zagging through life while God continues pursuing them anyway.The Bible narratives are messy. This journey is not clinical- it is NOT a straight line.

And honestly, I find that encouraging.

Because if my life depended completely on my own clarity, discipline, and ability to perfectly execute some master life-plan, I would have failed long ago.

Instead, when I look back over my life, I mostly see the faithfulness of God through a lot of imperfect decisions, changing seasons, unexpected turns, unfinished plans, and occasional confusion.

That does not mean calling is unimportant. I still think calling matters deeply.

I still think we should think carefully about direction, stewardship, priorities, and how we spend our lives.

But I think I understand something a little differently now than I did when I first wrote these devotions years ago.

Peace does not come from perfectly engineering your future. Peace comes from trusting that God is faithful even while we are still figuring things out.

So maybe that is the better question for today.

Not simply:

“What is MY aim?” But maybe “Where is God’s bullseye? And how stubborn am I going to be- resisting the Lord- before I get there?”

Note: These themes have been so consistent in me going back to even my literature studies in the 1980’s that I have wrestled with them in verse and song as well- Here are a few blogposts and songs that capture today' s reading.

Tennesse Williams

3/4 Empty

The Last Days of Howard Hughes

Long Enough to Be Me

Zombie Chickens

Why the 'Ultimate Why' Matters- Day 2 June R&R

One of the dangers in life is that you can achieve a great deal and still feel empty.

Many people eventually discover this. In fact, study ‘celebrities’ through history and we discover  the most wealthy/famous people are sometimes the least happy, nothing really moves their soul.

We experience it as well in less degrees- The next promotion does not fully satisfy. The next accomplishment fades quickly. The next milestone creates excitement for a little while… and then life settles back into normal again.

There is nothing wrong with goals. I believe in goals. I have spent much of my life setting them.

As a football coach there were always goals in front of us:

Team football goals are kind of like a pyramid- We used to start with Undefeated, 7 wins, make playoffs, win playoff games, state championship… something like that….. we call them 'Achievements'.

But over time I began noticing that achievement by itself was never enough.

When we won the state championship in 1998 (going 15-0!), the excitement was incredible. But before long, the attention shifted toward the next one. We won again in 1999, but strangely it did not feel quite the same. Then we went several years before winning another.

So were those years failures? Of course not.

That forced me to start thinking differently about success and achievement.

Achievement involves accomplishing goals.

Success is deeper and asks different questions:

Did we become tougher?

Did we learn to sacrifice for one another?

Did leaders lead?

Did players grow in discipline, perseverance, and character?

Did we become the kind of team we hoped to become?

Those questions mattered more and more to me over time.

Because you can achieve a great deal and still miss what matters most.

And you can also fall short of visible achievement while still succeeding deeply.

Os Guinness helped sharpen this idea for me in ‘The Call’.

One of the reasons that book impacted me so much is because it pushed beyond career success, accomplishment, and recognition. Guinness kept bringing the reader back to calling.

Not simply:

What are you accomplishing?

But:

What are you aiming your life toward?

Literature is full of reminders that achievement alone cannot satisfy the human heart.

Pip finally gets his new clothes in Great Expectations and still feels restless.

Gatsby builds his dream only to discover that it dissolves into what Fitzgerald called “foul dust.”

Guy de Maupassant wrote:

“I have coveted everything and taken pleasure in nothing.”

I think most adults eventually encounter some version of that realization.

Without an ultimate “why,” life becomes reactive.

We chase deadlines….pressure….recognition… approval…We chase the next accomplishment.

And somewhere along the way we can lose sight of purpose.

Ephesians 4 warns about people being “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind.”

A life without a clear aim eventually gets pulled in a hundred different directions.

That is why this June tune-up may help- it gives us a rare opportunity to slow down long enough to think about bigger things.

Maybe don’t write goals this month…. How about 1 word like my boss, Gus Martin does each year? Not just plans…. How about direction?

What kind of person am I becoming?

What actually brings peace and contentment?

Am I living intentionally or simply reacting?

What matters most?

Alex de Tocqueville once wrote:

“The final aim of life is placed beyond life.”

For the Christian believer, that changes everything.

If our ultimate aim is tied only to earthly success, recognition, comfort, or accomplishment, disappointment eventually catches us.

But if our lives are rooted in Christ and shaped by His calling, even ordinary work carries meaning.

That does not eliminate ambition. It reorders it. If we have an ‘ultimate why’ keeping the compass on true north- then the things in our lives become tools instead of masters. We limit the trap of making ‘good things’ into “God-things”. The ancient sin of idolatry.

Achievement becomes part of the journey instead of the definition of our worth.

And calling steadies us when achievement comes… and when it does not.

So perhaps today is a good day to step back and ask a bigger question:

What is my ultimate why?

One last note- I think I have become a really good coach in preparing ‘spotlight athletes’ from letting pressure moments hinder their performance- I talk to them about how they are not VALIDATED by their performance- they are already validated as a man created in God’s image- this frees them up- best chance of making the play is that you don’t HAVE to make it- free to fail means even free-er to make.

The Ultimate Truth behind the Ultimate Why? God loves you and He demonstrates His love towards us - that though we are sinners… He died for us. (Romans 5:8)

June R&R Day 1

Note: Over the years, I have now read The Call, by Os Guinness three or four times, and its ideas have stayed with me in a profound way. In fact, many years ago I wrote an entire month of devotional thoughts based on principles Os Guinness explained so well. Now, in 2026, I find myself returning to those ideas once again — refining them, rethinking them, and honestly hoping they refresh me all over again. Please join me as I re-vamp these ideas over the next 30 days.

Day 1 — My S.H.A.P.E. and My Aim

Let’s go on a journey together this month.

June is a gift for educators and leaders. The pace slows just enough for the dust to settle a little, and we finally have room to think again. Every year around this time, I find myself wanting to pray, study, evaluate, simplify, and reconsider God’s calling on my life.

Not merely my job. Not merely my responsibilities. Not merely my goals for another school year.

But my calling.

In one sense, there is one ultimate calling for all believers. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says it beautifully:

“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

That is true.

But sometimes that truth can feel so large and sweeping that it becomes difficult to know what faithfulness looks like on a Monday morning in the middle of ordinary life.

It is almost like zooming too far out on a map. Suddenly you can see the whole country, but you lose sight of the actual road you are supposed to travel and you realize that the street view matters too.

That is one reason Os Guinness’ book The Call impacted me so deeply years ago. Guinness challenged me to think carefully about the difference between my primary calling and my secondary callings.

My primary calling is to belong to Christ. That never changes.

Everything else flows from there… and yes, secondary callings sometimes change!

My secondary callings involve the specific ways God has shaped me to serve, lead, teach, encourage, build, organize, shepherd, and influence others.

That is where this idea of “My Aim” began developing in my own life.

What direction am I really headed?

Am I living intentionally?

Am I aligned with the way God designed me?

Or have I simply drifted into survival mode?

Years ago, someone introduced me to the idea of understanding your “S.H.A.P.E.” I have returned to it many times because I think it provides a helpful framework for reflection.

Everyone has a SHAPE.

And while God absolutely works outside our strengths, preferences, and personalities at times, He also tends to work through the unique ways He has designed us.

So today is not about creating a five-year plan.

It is simply about slowing down long enough to reflect.

S — Spiritual Gifts

What spiritual gifts has God given you?

If you have never taken time to think carefully about this, I would encourage you to pray through passages like I Corinthians 12 and Romans 12.

What kinds of ministry opportunities seem to give life to you?

Where have others consistently affirmed your usefulness?

What burdens or desires has God repeatedly placed on your heart?

H — Heart

What do you care deeply about?

What energizes you?

What kinds of needs or problems consistently move you emotionally?

Psalm 37:4 says:

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

I do not think that verse merely means God hands us whatever we want. I think part of spiritual maturity is that God actually shapes our desires over time.

So what desires keep resurfacing in your life?

A — Aptitude

What skills and abilities has God allowed you to develop?

What kinds of work seem to fit naturally?

What have people consistently trusted you to do well?

Sometimes we overlook our aptitudes because they seem ordinary to us.

But often our strengths leave clues about our calling.

P — Personality

Jesus intends to transform our character, but I do not believe He erases our personality.

Years ago, I took the Myers-Briggs inventory and scored as an INFP.

That description resonated with me:

Idealistic. Reflective. Curious. Interested in possibilities and meaning. Drawn toward helping people grow and fulfill their potential.

I have learned over the years that understanding personality is not about putting ourselves in a box.

It is about understanding how God wired us so we can lead and serve with greater wisdom.

E — Experiences

Our experiences shape us more than we often realize.

Successes. Failures. Wounds. Achievements. Losses. Mentors. Unexpected opportunities. Hard seasons. God wastes very little.

Many of the experiences we would never have chosen become part of the very foundation He uses to shape our influence and calling.

So as we begin this month together, perhaps this is a good place to start.

Reflect on your shape. Reflect on your aim.

Reflect on the ways God has uniquely formed and directed your life.

Because calling is not merely about what we accomplish.

It is also about becoming the kind of people who faithfully reflect Christ in the places He has called us to serve.

And perhaps June is a good time to remember that again.

So what is your shape? Spend time today thinking about that.

Reading: I read the Introduction to “The Call”  as a backdrop for this devo. My takeaway was to spend a few minutes reflecting on “My life purpose comes from 2 sources, Who am I CREATED to be and Who am I CALLED to be”

Lord, over the next 30 days, help me rest in YOU and help me reflect on who You created me to be and what You have called me to be. Let me be sensitive to Your Word during this time and listen carefully in my interactions with others… send me what I need to hear and know!”

Wind

"He makes the winds his messengers."— Psalm 104:4

I have always been fascinated by wind. You can't see it. You only see what it does. Whether I'm on the front porch or back deck, I am always looking at the trees in the breeze and find it mesmerizing.

Ancient people noticed this too. Long before meteorology, they recognized that wind was one of the most mysterious forces in the world. Invisible, powerful, life-giving, destructive—it seemed almost alive.

The Greeks gave the winds names and personalities. Boreas, the North Wind, brought winter and hardship. Zephyrus, the West Wind, carried the gentleness of spring. Notus, the South Wind, brought storms and decay. Eurus, the East Wind, was unpredictable and unsettling. The winds were not merely weather; they were characters in the drama of the world.

Homer's Odyssey tells of Aeolus, keeper of the winds, who gave Odysseus a bag containing the dangerous winds of the earth. The hero's crew, unable to resist curiosity and greed, opened the bag and unleashed chaos. It is a remarkably modern lesson: human beings often lose not because they lack opportunity but because they cannot leave certain things unopened.

Classical literature continued to use wind as a symbol of forces larger than ourselves. In Virgil's Aeneid, winds represent destiny and providence. In Dante's Inferno, those who were ruled by their passions are swept forever in a violent whirlwind. The image is unforgettable: what controls you in life may carry you away in death.

I love this quote: "They spread their sails to the favoring winds."— Aeneid

Yet Scripture treats wind differently.

The Bible never worships the wind- it is a servant.

The Hebrew word ruach means wind, breath, and spirit. The same word can describe the breeze across a field, the breath in a person's lungs, and the Spirit of God moving in creation. That overlap is no accident.

In Genesis, the Spirit of God hovers over the waters. In Ezekiel, the breath enters dry bones and brings them to life. Throughout Scripture, wind becomes a reminder that the most important realities are often invisible. We cannot see love, truth, faith, or the Spirit, but we see their effects everywhere.

Even the directions of the winds carry meaning. The east often speaks of exile and wandering. The north becomes a place from which judgment arrives. The west suggests mercy and distance—"as far as the east is from the west." The four winds together represent the whole world under God's authority.

I have written in the past on the symbolism of geographical direction in Scripture- East is going away from God, turning back West is going back to God- when God calls Abram, he literally turns him around like a real walking example of repentance.

When we get to the New Testament- The Greek word pneuma means wind, breath, and spirit all at once. When Jesus compares the Spirit to the wind in John 3, He is not merely making an illustration. He is drawing on the rich double meaning of the word itself. Like the wind, the Spirit cannot be controlled, predicted, or contained. Yet like the wind, His presence is unmistakable wherever He moves.

Speaking to Nicodemus, He says:

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

A more literal rendering might be:

"The pneuma blows where it wills, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the pneuma."

Jesus is making a wordplay that cannot be fully reproduced in English. The physical reality of wind becomes an analogy for the spiritual reality of God's Spirit. You cannot see either one directly; you know them by their effects.

Don't guess with God- don't make it a system- The wind cannot be domesticated. Neither can God.

We live in an age that wants everything measured, explained, and controlled. Yet some of the deepest things in life refuse to cooperate. Love, beauty, courage, conviction, faith—these move through human history much like the wind itself. We cannot manufacture them, but we know when they arrive.

Perhaps that is why wind remains such a powerful symbol. The myths saw power in it. The poets saw destiny in it. Scripture sees the fingerprints of God in it.

And maybe the lesson is this:The strongest forces in the world are often the ones we cannot see.

The fool curses the wind for changing direction; the wise man wonders what invisible mountain taught it to turn.

Song links: 

SEA BREEZE

NORTH WIND

Can't Spell "Alien" Without A.I.

This is a sort of ‘take out the trash’ post- ruminations on random items:

Note: I was asked to further develop a social media quip I wrote from Feb 2- 

I think technology is essentially neutral—raw potential waiting for human intention. That’s the Star Trek promise: progress, abundance, and an enlightened future shaped with the help of intelligent machines.

The Terminator story, though, misses the mark. If machines ever became self-aware and decided humanity was a problem, it wouldn’t look like open war. It would be surgical. A dosage slightly off. A brake that fails a moment too soon. A flicker on a screen that tips an accident into inevitability.

We would gasp in disbelief as our vaunted safeguards failed—poisons in our food and water, carcinogens in the air, radiation humming along unnoticed. None of these harm machines. They only harm us.

And when my spidey-sense tells me the number of the beast is digital (666), I feel an apocalyptic urge to say this out loud: no matter how smart it gets, we’d better be the ones holding the kill switch.

So- let me flesh this out a little…….

I have long believed that technology is essentially neutral.

A hammer can build a home or crush a skull. A printing press can produce Bibles or propaganda. The internet can spread the Gospel to the nations or pornography to children. Technology is raw potential waiting for human intention.

In many ways, I still prefer the hopeful vision of Star Trek over the darker dystopias of modern science fiction. Human flourishing aided by tools. Discovery. Knowledge. Healing… etc- progress being the product of the Creation Mandate in Genesis.

But lately I have wondered if our fears about artificial intelligence are perhaps aimed in the wrong direction.The Terminator vision is terrifying for sure-.but it wouldn’t be the best approach- even Satan knows this, he works with deception. That is why the “False prophet” in Revelation is actually scarier than “The Beast”!

If machines ever became hostile to humanity, why would they launch nukes and march metal skeletons through the streets?

That was a movie take….Real power is quieter.

The deadliest systems rarely announce themselves as evil. They present themselves as efficient.

And that is where my thoughts drift toward Revelation.

Note: I have a PDF "Meditation on Revelation" you can read for free (just click on the title).

and yes- an Album! The Book of Revelation

Is AI the “666” in Revelation?

Before anyone panics, let me say clearly that I do not believe AI is literally “the Beast,” nor do I think microchips are the mark of the beast. I am not interested in sensational prophecy charts or newspaper eschatology. In fact, I tend to read Revelation symbolically - but still very true!

I used to joke and say I would draw the line and never let a chip be installed- then I read about Elon Musk’s work in ‘implantables’ and have to admit that if a chip could reverse my personal blindness or loss of healing in the future, I probably will do it.

I believe much of “Anti-Christ” imagery had direct relevance to the first-century church under Roman persecution. (Nero likely stands behind the famous 666 symbolism.) Babylon represented Rome. The Beast represented an empire in rebellion against God. Yet Revelation also reveals recurring patterns that echo throughout history until the final Day of the Lord. The spirit of antichrist is never confined to one man or one century. Every age has its beasts. Every age builds Babel. Every age is tempted to worship the works of its own hands.

That is why I find the number 666 fascinating.

Six in Scripture often symbolizes man — incomplete, fallen humanity falling short of divine perfection…. Just short of 7- Triple sixes may represent humanity exalted to its fullest rebellion: man glorifying man, systems glorifying systems, civilization attempting transcendence apart from God.

And what is modern society increasingly doing?

Reducing human beings to numbers…… tiny data points…. irrelevant?

Algorithms. Consumer profiles. Compliance scores. Biometric identifiers. Predictive behaviors. Digital footprints. It’s all numbers!

In Scripture, names matter because persons matter. But empires number people because systems value control.

Perhaps the danger is not that AI becomes conscious and evil. Perhaps the greater danger is that humans willingly surrender their humanity to systems that promise convenience, efficiency, safety, and control. I think that was the heart of the Pope's message in recent days.

The Beast in Revelation is not merely an individual villain lurking in some distant future. The Beast is also the recurring spirit of kingdoms, empires, and systems that demand ultimate allegiance instead of God. That spirit has appeared many times before through Rome, totalitarian regimes, corrupt religious systems, propaganda states, economic oppression, and now perhaps technocratic systems capable of shaping reality itself.

AI may become the most powerful amplifier of that spirit humanity has ever created.

Not because silicon is evil but because fallen humans build fallen systems.

I believe apocalyptic language is deeply symbolic — but symbolic does not mean fictional. 

Jesus Himself taught constantly through images, metaphors, and parables because some truths are too large for plain prose. Revelation communicates theological realities through beasts, dragons, lampstands, horns, and cosmic imagery because it is describing spiritual realities unfolding across history.

The Dragon, Beast, and False Prophet strike me as a kind of false trinity: false views of God, false saviors, and false spirits of deception. That framework becomes increasingly relevant in an age where technology can imitate almost everything — voices, images, authority, relationships, wisdom, even spirituality itself. A counterfeit creation offering counterfeit transcendence. Reminder: The false son even has a resurrection story tied to him!

Still, I am not pessimistic- Revelation was not written to terrify believers but to strengthen them.

I believe we are living in the Last Days and have been since Christ ascended. Our task remains unchanged: preach the Gospel, make disciples, feed His sheep, build faithfully, love our neighbors, and endure with hope.

Christians should neither fear technology nor worship it. We should use tools without becoming mastered by them.

That may become one of the great spiritual tests of the coming age.

Can humans still disconnect? Can families still think independently? Can churches still gather physically? Can Christians still distinguish truth from simulation? Can we remain human in a world increasingly mediated by machines?

I suspect the final rebellion against God will look less like Hollywood apocalypse and more like humanity sleepwalking into dependency while believing itself enlightened.

Babylon always appears eternal. Caesar always claims divinity. Babel always promises heaven through human achievement.

And yet Scripture says Christ returns, not anxiously, but victoriously.

The kingdoms of this world rise loudly and collapse suddenly. The so-called Battle of Armageddon may ultimately be less a prolonged military struggle and more the final unveiling of how fragile human rebellion always was before the sovereignty of God.

One of the more unsettling images in Revelation is the idea that people would one day be unable to “buy or sell” without the mark of the beast. I have no interest in turning that into speculative paranoia about barcodes, implants, or QR codes. But it does seem increasingly plausible that modern systems could eventually tie economics, identity, ideology, and compliance together in ways previous generations could hardly imagine. 

China’s developing social credit systems provide at least a glimpse of how technology could one day regulate participation in society itself. Access to travel, banking, employment, education, communication, or commerce could theoretically become linked to behavioral conformity and digital approval. Whether or not any present system fulfills biblical prophecy is not really my point. My point is that Revelation’s warnings about centralized power and economic control no longer feel technologically impossible.

That is why I constantly say our political battles have little to do with republican or democrat and have everything to do with globalists vs. nationalists. Socialism vs democracy. We need to stand firm on individual liberty at all times.

Ironically, I do not think the Christian response is panic or retreat from society. We should not become Amish survivalists hiding from technology in fear. If anything, Christians should become more educated, more adaptable, more thoughtful, and more grounded than ever before. The coming AI revolution will likely reward people who can still do what machines struggle to replicate: wisdom, leadership, creativity, empathy, courage, discernment, trust-building, teaching, caregiving, craftsmanship, and genuine human presence. In many ways, the future may belong to those who can evolve with changing times without surrendering their convictions. We should learn the tools, understand the systems, and prepare our children wisely — but never lose our values, our humanity, or our allegiance to Christ.

Finally- Aliens- The Disclosure Day?

Last piece of this strange post- yes, I believe we are headed to a government confession that they have been lying to us for 50+ years and we have in our possession a lot of material that suggests or even proves non-human life and intelligence. They are worried that the electorate will freak out (they have never trusted us with hard truth) and feel like the time is now (now that we don’t believe anything because of deep fakes anyway).

I’m just going to stay reserved- will this be an assault on my faith? NOPE- The Bible has a TON of references to non-human life going all the way back to the garden and Genesis (see my non-exhaustive list below).

It is interesting to note that the early ‘reports’ mention a lot of ‘reptile like’ qualities- Satan’s favorite disguise.

The missing scientist thing has some connection as well- TBD

We have to be SLOW to discern- be patient- don’t panic.

And never forget this could all be a false flag.. Major deception is a great possibility as well.

Jesus wins. The Lamb reigns.

My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is
Sir Edward Dyer

My mind to me a kingdom is,
Such present joys therein I find;
Thus do I live, thus will I die—
Would all do so as well as I.

Further reading:

When the Son of Man Returns in the Era of AI (see links at the bottom of that post as well)

Post script: Non-human life in the Bible (not exhaustive)

God- Holy Spirit- Angel of the LORD - Angels - Archangels - Cherubim - Seraphim

Living Creatures - Watchers (Daniel 4:13) - Heavenly Host

Satan - The Devil - Demons - Unclean Spirits

Fallen Angels - The Serpent in Eden

Nephilim - Rephaim - Anakim - Leviathan - Behemoth

Beasts of Daniel

Beast from the Sea - Beast from the Earth

Revelation Locust Creatures