In this high-tech age, I've often wondered out loud where the reach and impact of robotic and automated AI systems will end. Almost daily now, I get calls that go something like this: "Hi, my name is Rob and I'm a health insurance consultant. I wanted to go over some of your options with regard to..." That's about as far as I get before hanging up, so I really don't know what happens with the voice recognition software if you insult the robots intelligence or genetic ancestry. Perhaps it responds with a glib retort like Siri or Google Assistant. I'm sure it's clever, but still, I'm sure it has its limits. That brings me to my biggest fear: Someone's going to come-out with a robopastor. You

I started a new job recently as a hospice chaplain. I barely slept for nights beforehand. I worried about my clothes, my approach as an evangelical, travel to and fro, the tracking technology I’d have to learn to use, my ability to juggle all the other responsibilities I have…and more. None of it turned out to be worthy of anxiety….guess I should have “cast my care on Him.” What a concept! Yet over the years, I've noticed that I'm not the only one who finds it really hard to obey Jesus' command to "fear not" (Matt 10:31). In fact, the more I think about and try not to fear--the more I...well you know, the more I fear. I think the key to this is to focus on faith. It's remembering who Jesus i

Once, I was visiting a care facility where I’m a chaplain. I noticed people acting awkward around me, but assumed they were just having a rough day, etc. I continued my rounds and tried to encourage where I could. When I got home, I found that the entire seam of my pants had ripped right down the middle in the back. I think their awkwardness had more to do with my mooning them than any other issue/problem. Over the years, I've had many opportunities to experience humility. And, I've come to see that my being humbled isn't just good for me--it's sometimes good for those I serve. What I mean is that sometimes, relationship connection and thus leadership INFLUENCE comes from transparency and im