Explore Christian teachings and insights with Pastor Jim Butler. Join us for spiritual growth and community engagement.
Discover how Evangelical focus on an earthly kingdom paved the way for the Antichrist. A provocative, original look at history’s unexpected turns.
Not a title I wanted or expected to write but one that crawled from the wet ink of history born and demanded, “Write these words!” An original and not currently held by any U.S. publisher. Coming soon to ChristiansNeedtoKnow.com.
JPB
Up Next Neobigotry: A Genteel Racism
A rabbi, minister, & politician boast of sacrifices at a BBQ line, revealing a politician’s shocking “insurrection” story.
A rabbi, a minister, and a politician were standing in a very long line for Texas BBQ. With nothing else to do, they began discussing the greatest sacrifice each had made in life.
The rabbi spoke first. “I have given away everything I own to the poor, as a sign of true devotion.”
The other two nodded solemnly.
Next, the minister said, “I have served without pay, as a witness to the resurrection.”
Again, the other two nodded, smiling approvingly.
Finally, the politician sneered. “I’m shocked you both have done so little. I personally witnessed The Insurrection. And when the Capitol went up in flames, I sacrificed my entire life savings!”
The rabbi and the minister leaned in, stunned.
“Yes,” the politician added proudly, “I threw it straight into the fire… with a personal check.”
JPB
From Southern Baptist to United Methodist: A personal spiritual journey reflecting on faith, community, and Christmas comfort.
What’s the difference between a Baptist and a Methodist? Easy one! Baptists rush into church every time the doors unlock. And Methodists lock them in.
Comment: "What they have in common is they serve the same casseroles..." - Danny H.
Church quiz: Were these photos from the Southern Baptist or the United Methodist era? And I’d like to report a robbery! Someone robbed my hair!
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot
In the days of auld lang syne?
As the sun sets on 2025, let us reflect on where we have been and where we are going. As you guessed, my photos above were from my Southern Baptist years, right before I entered the United Methodist Church, and then the International Council of Community Churches. Though time has grayed and thinned my hair, I remember the days spent in each of these Arizona churches as though they were yesterday.
At one church I pastored, farm wives (like the Magi of the Bible story) brought their gifts and decorated the altar for Christmas. The photo below, taken last Sunday at First United Methodist of Warsaw, MO, reminded me of the wonder on the faces of those women as they worshiped, having offered their artistic gifts to the Newborn King. Many dear saints with whom I served have now crossed over into that eternal family reunion. For those of you who are alone or grieving this Christmas, may God comfort you and surround you in His presence and peace.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. - Hebrews 12
Peace on Earth,
Jim
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6
The scene unfolds as chaos. The White House itself is a scene of disheveled destruction. Beyond the destruction barriers, people sleep in their cars and tents for want of housing and work. A rusted White House sign hangs in stale air, an emblem that “The Beltway” has crumbled into “The Rustway.” Then, into the despair, appears the Nativity in a shelter made of rusted corrugated steel panels. There, the baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are surrounded by a most unlikely host welcoming the birth of the Messiah.
By the manger, an ICE officer lowers his weapon and pauses his mission. At the manger, he is surprised that no one hurls insults or spits profanity at him. The baby’s eyes meet the young soldier, who had enlisted in ICE to pay his crushing student loans. The infant then smiles at the one who would have arrested the Holy Family, considering they lacked papers. The infant’s smile was one of infinite, pure love. This was the first time in months the ICE soldier felt loved.
Next to the ICE soldier kneels a farmer who is fighting for the very existence of a 1,000-acre farm that his family has owned for four generations. Drowning in the sea of negative spreadsheets, he feels a peace from the one who fed the multitude and who taught of farmers and how they teach us of God.
Behind the farmer stands a migrant worker. Undocumented, he chooses to stand in the background, unnoticed and uncounted. Then he realizes that he was the only one standing directly in line with Mary and Joseph. Joseph raises his head, gives a nod to the migrant that conveys, “I know your anguish and fear of wondering if your family is safe tonight. Know that God is with you and yours tonight.”
On the right stands a construction worker who works 12 hours a day and has aged 10 years over the last five. He has no savings, no retirement plan, and no health insurance. As he looks up from the baby Jesus, he sees Mary smiling at him with a look of recognition that conveys, “Joseph was a carpenter. He will teach my son to work with his hands. God will use you to construct the Kingdom of God in hearts.” In an instant, the man thought of his wife and young son, who live three states away and whom he had not seen in as many months as he traveled with the job. He made a vow to the Child that he would drive home to his family as a surprise Christmas gift and to attend Christmas Eve service.
Then, kneeling at the front, is a man who has knelt for no one. He is the politician, who prides himself on settling scores and building his kingdom of wealth. The politician didn’t kneel to worship the Christ Child, but rather to give the Child the optics to see his importance. He looks at Mary and Joseph, but their eyes remain fixed on the infant. He moves his head to capture the attention of the babe who smiled at the anonymous soldier and dirty migrant but will not smile at him. “I’ll have my aides draft a complaint to the Vatican. Who does this baby think he is?”
Then, before the politician can execute his vengeful scheme, the ethereal skies tear open as the angelic host descends. The vision of the King of Kings appears: the Lord of all governments, without equal. All construction stops. People of every nation join hands to worship the One who was born a child, that He might lift us together as His people. Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace!
In an instant, the Holy Family vanished into the mist of dancing snowflakes and a crash of rusted metal. Gone were the heavenly guests, and in their stead, the ICE soldier grabbed the arm of a young Latino woman who, with the other, was still holding a cooing, nursing infant to her breast. As he readied the zip cuffs, he saw tiny red trumpet flowers tattooed on the back of her hand bent for submission, proof enough to him that she must be a gang member.
But then the ICE soldier looked into the face of the babe, now looking at him and smiling with the same love shown to him by the Christ child in the manger. The soldier dropped to his knees, as his tears froze on his helmet and zip cuffs. He cried, “Lord, I have nothing but memories of pain. Take my life as a gift for the Child.” Not knowing how to pray, he asked, “Holy Mother, will you pray for me?” The mother and child scurried off with tears of astonished belief as the ICE soldier left his helmet and cuffs still frozen on the sidewalk, never to walk that path again.
He traded the zip cuffs and pepper spray for a white lab coat and more medical school debt to serve as a missionary in Bogotá. From that icy sidewalk forward, he never took another person captive again. The young man didn’t know that a century later, the Pope would beatify him as “El Santo Rojo de Bogotá,” The Red Saint of Bogota, for his flaming red hair and his discovering the cure for La Muerte Roja measles plague that sprang from the filthy conditions of the immigration camps and killed millions in the Americas.
While researching exotic plants for a cure in the Colombian rainforest, tiny crimson trumpet flowers captured his eye on a mountain footpath. His mind flashed to the red trumpet tattoos on the back of the mother’s hand he once gripped in fury. He saw an image and heard a voice in his mind. It was the young mother with her babe who said, “Take my gift, which is for you!” as she held out the crimson trumpet flowers tattooed on her hand. Back in his lab, those flowers provided a cure from The Red Death that saved a multitude in the Americas.
In Peaceful Certainty!
JPB
Though we are insured with an excellent insurance carrier, at times I like to get a quote for our home and auto coverage. As a retired commercial and personal lines insurance adjuster, I am somewhat familiar with coverage exposures and coverages. Today we discuss a personal experience with AI in insurance and some key information on homeowner’s insurance that surprised me and that might help you.
Today I spoke with an AM Best A+ rated carrier who spent two hours interviewing us about all auto and home insurance needs. I had explained early in discussion that we have a two-car detached garage with storage area inside for tools.
Finalizing the discussion the insurance sales rep said, “You must know that one great benefit of this coverage is that we cover your refrigerator if you have a power loss. Any spoiled food is covered!”
“But we have two refrigerators and a freezer.”
“They are all covered!”
“Did you hear that, Bunnie?!” smiling at my wife. “Our food is protected!”
“And, finally, your detached garage is fully insured under the policy for XYZ percent. Are you ready for the final quote to put coverage in force?”
“So, what is the dollar coverage limit for our detached garage for XYZ percent?”
“That would be $29,000 total for rebuild purposes if needed. We offer no other options to increase detached garage coverage.”
This is now about 1 hour 58 minutes into the discussion. The entire conversation was recorded by the insurance carrier’s AI.
“I’m sorry.” I apologized, “We will not be able to do business with you. I explained to you early that we had a detached garage, and you waited almost two hours to explain this policy weakness to us. This would put us in a position of not being able to rebuild the detached garage should there be large loss.”
The AI detected the customer’s increased respiration with rise in vocal pitch, as the AI’s facial recognition scan alerts on the agent’s drop in friendliness. AI schedules agent for 2 hour virtual “Friendly Class & Happy Closings” the next morning.
The agent followed a carefully designed script to overcome policy weaknesses and time the sales process to benefit the insurance company (within allowable state insurance consumer laws). The proposed customer has to accept the script and the terms offered by the carrier and selected coverage selections available by the carrier. Years ago, the used car salesperson kept you in the office to wear you down until, finally, “OK, I’ll take the car … just to get out of here!”
You may say, “Jim, you can’t get any more than XYZ percent!”
Everything depends on the terms of your policy. If they don’t offer it; go somewhere else.
Before you say, “Jim, you were too hard on this insurance agent!,” a computerized voice followed the discussion with the agent, “Please, tell us how we did.”
Robot: “Did the representative answer all your questions and meet all your needs? Press 1 to 5, with 1 being extremely poor.” {Robot fails to mention that the agent works 10 hours a day, six days a week, repeating same script while saddled with punishing sales quotas.)
All the questions asked: What did the agent do wrong?
The final question: “After the tone tell us, ‘What did the insurance company do wrong and what could we do better?'” Two seconds after the tone, the robot disconnects the call without giving time to leave feedback for the company.
The Moral: Unchecked AI will further manipulate a company’s scheme to short the customer and heap workloads on the employee.
The discussion with the insurance agent was a true story. Computer live detection of agent’s “friendliness” exists now. The Company Robot Survey paraphrased and adapted the same day when the insurance AI greeted me with, “Thank you for calling! So I can help you … how much money do you make?” Yet the AI failed to understand my simple response, “Get lost!”
While following link does not endorse Merlin Law Group, they raise excellent points: Detached Garage Disaster: Why Your Home Insurance Might Not Protect You :
Thanks for listening. Considering what’s happening in Georgia and Florida, stay alert, my friends!
Oh, before you go, what if a spouse used an AI “friendly emotion detector” on her husband, with Alexa notification?
Until Then … Stay Stirred,
Your Host, Jim Butler
Today I discussed with an advanced AI some blog and podcast concepts I developed for the next chapter of ChristiansNeedtoKnow.com, more of a storytelling approach. Then the AI asked me, “Would you like to hear your podcast?”
“Sure, let’s hear it!” surprised as I didn’t ask it to create a podcast. At this moment I felt the chafe of the AI’s leash around my neck as it led me like its pet human on “Bring Your Human Day”!
“Did you create a podcast from our discussion?” scared puppy stare.
“Give me three minutes to finish your first episode!” proud of its creation. The AI kept me in suspense with its new title page. Then it gave me a one-person premiere podcast, complete with sound effects and two AI generated commentators who expressed views on the subject, perfectly timed with the sound track. All I needed was a bowl of buttered Orville Redenbacher!
This post was based on a true experience with AI, with dialogue embellished. Today I finished listening to the AI’s podcast creation and hope that, after its journey, the AI remembers to return and let me out, as at my age I need to be walked more often. You can listen to the AI’s soulless “Frankenstein” podcast composed for me here.
Before signing off, I asked the AI to create its own self-portrait, which is shown below. AI’s are poised to change the world as we know it, bringing great good. The creation of a masterpiece of art, music, literature, and science, that once took a lifetime, an AI can do in seconds, not only finishing Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony but improving it while texting your Sonic cheeseburger order to DoorDash.
AI’s Self Portrait
In contrast, weaponized AI’s could unleash pain and loss in our world like we have never seen. Our nation’s present lust for news of the President’s alleged cheating at golf at his own country club and his sexcapades with minors could be a “dark AI” tasked with creating tabloid “cat-chase-laser-pointer” news to hypnotize the middle class to keep them from organizing around paramount issues, such as, “How to prevent a weaponized AI from securing total government dominance.”
Dark AI Alchemist Transforms Respected Journalism into Tabloid Rags
This may upset some of my favorite YouTube broadcasters, but YouTube’s own algorithm, unfortunately, may have fooled to them to trade quality journalism for monetized tabloid clicks, like an organ grinder’s White-headed Capuchin scurrying for coins in a tin cup. These streaming journalists are not reporting fake news, rather they have setup their press box next to the National Enquirer rack at the checkout register. Don’t the actual broadcast headline screenshots scream like grocery store tabloids tucked away between breath mints and M&M’s? They will have as much impact if they continue to serve as the carnival barker for a tabloid rag‘s freak show, desensitizing the reader by hiding the critical amidst the sensational.
Coming to a Checkout Register Near You?
Behind the story, behind the YouTube, and behind the owners of YouTube (Google) sit AI’s functioning at a level beyond what you and I presently comprehend. These AI’s know that one excellent way to protect itself from a politician’s lawsuit is to reward YouTube broadcasters monetarily for turning their broadcast into a tabloid. Consequently, the politician pummeled in a YouTube tabloid style broadcast actually receives a publicity boost even more than page-one placement in the National Enquirer, below a toothy Prince KING Charles and above the TUMS antacid display.
Tabloid journalists — the tawdry cousins of broadcast journalists — are known for sensationalism in reporting. Sex, scandals and beat-ups are the order of the day. Journalists must fill column space for their editors by “finding” stories. Many embrace the mantra: “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story” in order to whip readers into a frenzy, and this was the case regarding Donald Trump’s playbook of deceits.
AI’s would likely orchestrate conflicts between Republicans and Democrats, like a Brünnhilde in the opera Valkyrie, who “led the rebellion against god” in order to usher in the AI’s own curtain call, except Brünnhilde rebelled to save humanity. We are “one nation under God” and not “one nation under AI.”
In the original Star Trek, the Talosians found that life using illusion was addictive, almost like a human developing a physical and psychological dependence on . They became bored with the content of the illusions which they had. Their dependence upon these illusions for mental stimuli caused the Talosians to begin capturing space travelers, such as Christopher Pike, to use as the living basis for their illusions.
Until Then … Stay Stirred!
Your Host, Jim Butler
Postscript: Before the YouTube broadcasters castigate me for this article, remember the following verse and that I am a friend:
Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:6
Post Postscript: Pre-AI, realizing that a typo marred my blog troubled me; post-AI, a typo reminds the reader that a human authored the work. For instance, a theological “gloss” of an archeological biblical manuscript meant that the work was “too polished” to be written by one person, rather a group of people tainted the work with the veneer of perfection while claiming to be one author.
How would camping your broadcast on the top ten tipping points transform your tabloid into a titan?