I have now published 2017 posts since I started TBTB back on February 19, 2011. There have been posts on the life of the Toussaint Family, lessons on the Greek and Hebrew texts, theological rabbit holes, funny events that have happened and, more than anything else, interesting stories recounting when I have observed God at work. I would never have believed that I would continue to be prompted by the Holy Spirit – I never knew that I had so much to say! And I would be remiss if I didn’t once again thank you for being loyal readers of this blog.
Last Sunday, I wrote about the 50th anniversary of my college graduation and how I was shocked that time had passed so quickly. Also, I recounted the events surrounding my application to the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle and Dad’s diagnosis of cancer the same week I graduated. To sum it up, it was a reflective, thoughtful remembrance of a difficult time in my life.
But tonight, I have another new topic to discuss. You see, these posts appear on LinkedIn as well as FaceBook, in addition to the many folks who receive them in their inbox each time I write. But last Sunday night, within 30 seconds of sharing the post, I received a notification that my post had already been read. How odd! Nobody reads that fast, and it’s tough to believe that people are making comments or liking the posts before they are even read!
For the first time in more than 2000 posts, I was advised that my post had been removed online as it did not conform to the community standards that FaceBook subscribes to. I admit that I was perplexed. I was informed that the decision was made by automated AI. Now, for those of you who read TBTB, you know that many of my articles are about my personal experiences and the post certainly fell into that category. I would be shocked if any reader thought that I was trying to do anything in a misleading way.
But just in case, let me be clear! TBTB is about God being active in our everyday lives and how to enhance our ability to lead God centered lives. If anyone thinks something different, I am truly sorry – perhaps I have fallen short of the mission that I set out for us so many years ago.
Be that as it may, I admit that I felt a little trapped by it all. I have never had a post removed or in any way had our motivation questioned. How do you tell an artificial intelligence that your aim is to tell stories that affirm the presence of God in our lives. Perhaps, somewhere in cyberspace, some AI bot is freaking out about now… and that’s fine with me. In fact, my Thursday evening post about the children trick or treating on Halloween was also taken down. Those friends of mine who are experts in this area think the artificial intelligence “police” are not sophisticated enough yet to know what is acceptable and what isn’t. By the way, if you don’t see our posts on social media, you can always visit our transitionsbythebook.com website and subscribe to our direct delivery of my posts to your inbox.
I ended up with a different thought after this interaction with artificial intelligence was all over. I am grateful that God has placed us in a position to live in a free country where we have the ability to contact God directly without interference from AI, or anything else, for that matter. We have a direct pipeline to the Creator of everything. And you know what? God’s message will get carried to the ends of the earth, with or without social media. Millions of missionaries in the field will see to that, as well as those of us who are ordained members of the clergy who teach and preach whenever and wherever we have the opportunity to do so.
Our verse for tonight is from Paul’s second letter to his young pastor friend, Timothy. Paul tells Timothy, and us, in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” These are words that most pastors and teachers of theology subscribe to and live by. My encouragement this evening is that, in the face of adversaries or roadblocks, God wants us to let our light shine ever brighter. My prayer is that nothing will ever separate us from the mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Amen! Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…