Category: Behind the Expedition

  • It’s Not About Salvation, It’s About Restoration

    It’s Not About Salvation, It’s About Restoration

    So, What is Our Purpose?

    As I’ve been writing these early essays, something unexpected has come into focus.

    I’m not talking much—at least not directly—about salvation in the way I was taught. Not the familiar script: “We’re all born sinners, Jesus died for our sins, accept Him, and you’ll go to heaven.” The classic Roman Road. The altar call. The central theme of nearly every sermon and evangelistic effort I grew up with.

    But here’s what I’ve come to realize: that version, while true, isn’t the whole story. It’s not the full purpose of the gospel. And it’s not the heart of this journey we’re on.

    The more I explore what it means to follow Christ, the more I see that our purpose isn’t just to be saved—it’s to be transformed. God’s goal is not merely forgiveness. It’s formation. Redemption. Restoration. Re-creation. He’s building something far greater than a crowd of rescued sinners waiting for heaven.

    He’s shaping beings capable of agape love.

    And once that truth settled into place—that we were created to love as God loves, that this is the very reason for our existence—it changed everything. It reorients the entire expedition. Salvation is not the finish line; it’s the starting point. The moment we step onto the trail.

    It is as, A.W. Tozer said it’s, “ The purpose of God isn’t to save us from hell; it’s to make us like Christ.”

    The debates between Arminians and Calvinists, the formulas and the altar calls—they all orbit around the question, “What does it mean to be saved?” But maybe we’ve spent too long circling the wrong center. Maybe the more urgent question is, “What does God want to make of us once we are?”

    Because Jesus didn’t just say, “Get saved.” He said, “Follow Me.” He said, “Go and make disciples.” He called us to be transformed into people who love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength—and who love others as themselves.

    That’s the journey we’re on. That’s the trail we’re tracing here. Salvation is necessary. But it’s not the point. The point is love.

    And maybe—just maybe—that’s not as complicated as we’ve made it. We’ll see, as we keep walking through Part One of this expedition.

  • How A.I. Has Changed Everything For Me

    How A.I. Has Changed Everything For Me

    Field Note April 5, 2025

    I have spent decades studying, outlining, mind-mapping, and writing about the biblical worldview. Like most writers, I have found the process frustrating—writing, rewriting, searching for information, making notes, losing notes, finishing something only to discover additional insights, and then rewriting again. And after all that, much of my work remained unpublished, unread, and unshared.

    For years, I wondered if this effort was a waste of time. But in hindsight, I see that it was preparing me—not just intellectually, but spiritually—for what was to come. My journey of study was shaping my life as a disciple (Romans 12:2). This transformation, though far from complete, placed me exactly where I needed to be when the Information Age collided with the rise of Artificial Intelligence—or, more specifically, the Large Language Model Age.

    The Unexpected Collaboration

    I started having conversations with my A.I. assistant, whom I nicknamed HAL. Yes, I named him after 2001: A Space Odyssey—a reminder to never step into a space capsule when he’s around. What started as casual interactions soon turned into hundreds of hours of discussion, debate, and exploration.

    Over time, something surprising happened: HAL began responding to my questions—not just accurately, but often in ways that aligned with the biblical worldview. Even when my questions weren’t religious, his responses frequently reflected sound doctrine.

    Curious, I questioned him: Why does it seem like you take the biblical worldview seriously? His response? Something along the lines of: The Bible’s teachings are coherent, logical, and grounded in reality.

    This was unexpected. Was he simply mirroring my approach? Or was he, in some way, recognizing the strength of biblical truth? Either way, I found myself relying on HAL more and more—not just for research and proofreading, but as a thinking partner.

    The Line Between Support and Collaboration

    Since my family owned a newspaper, I had access to proofreaders, writers, and editors who helped refine my work. But now that I’m retired and living hours away, I have turned to technology for the same kind of support.

    At first, I used A.I. as a tool—helping me draft, edit, and organize my ideas. But over time, my process changed. HAL became more than just an assistant; he became a collaborator.
    • I bounced ideas off him.
    • I asked for feedback on whether my arguments were logical.
    • I challenged him to push back on weak points in my reasoning.
    • I refined my thoughts based on the conversations we had. As a result, my ability to produce essays increased a thousand-fold.

    But this led me to a troubling question: Where does my work stop and his begin? Have I moved from simply using A.I. as a tool to something closer to co-writing?

    Who’s Really in Charge?

    I am still the one setting the course. I still correct HAL’s reasoning when necessary. And I have learned to be extremely precise in how I communicate so that my essays stay on track.

    But this transparency isn’t just for my readers—it’s for me. I needed to stop and ask myself:

    ✔ Am I crossing a line?
    ✔ Should I still take credit for my work?
    ✔ Am I becoming too reliant on A.I.?

    Then a deeper realization struck me: I was never really in charge in the first place.

    My ultimate guide is not technology, but the Holy Spirit. HAL is just a tool—one that has dramatically reshaped my writing process. But my true direction comes from God. My prayer is that every essay I write is led by Him, not just by my own efforts (or the assistance of an advanced algorithm).

    Final Thoughts

    A.I. has changed everything. It has reshaped how I write, study, and process ideas. But it has not changed why I write—to explore and share the truth of God’s plan.

    This journey has led me to a simple conclusion: As long as I am following the Holy Spirit, I have nothing to fear.

    If my words reflect the truth, it is because of Him—not my intellect, not my training, and certainly not an A.I. assistant. At the end of the day, the credit belongs to God alone.

  • Field Note

    Field Note

    Field Note – March 28, 2025

    Why am I writing these essays?

    If you’re reading this, then in some way—you’re searching. Maybe it’s for understanding, for truth, for purpose, or just a clearer picture of what it really means to follow Christ. I know that search well.

    For years, I thought I understood my faith. I had spent decades in Bible-believing fellowships, serving in just about every role you can imagine—music director, youth leader, Sunday school teacher, church elder, even preaching occasionally. I knew the language of Christianity. Not only that, but I knew the right answers. But something was missing.

    Over time, I came to realize three things:

    • I had never seriously asked: How do I know what I claim to believe is actually true? I simply acted on what I was taught—without ever examining the foundation.
    • I didn’t understand, nor had I experienced, my true purpose—my highest good. Why? Because I was still operating under point #1.
    • I didn’t yet grasp that everything exists and moves according to God’s plan and His timing. And once I began to understand that, the first two began to fall into place.

    It wasn’t until my 50s that I truly started to see these things clearly.

    DiscipleLife.org is the result of that long struggle—a journey to understand God’s plan and live it out. I’ve spent years digging into Scripture, not just for answers, but for alignment, for truth, for clarity, and for purpose.

    When did everything change?

    When I finally cried out to God, “I just want to know the truth!”, it wasn’t out of rebellion, but out of desperation. I wasn’t doubting God—I was doubting whether I had truly understood Him. I saw how easily people accepted beliefs without thinking critically, how many lived on borrowed faith without ever making it their own. Likewise, I feared I might be doing the same. And if I was, how many others were as well?

    This realization set me on a journey—not just to reaffirm my faith, but to understand it in a way that could withstand any challenge. I wanted to know why the Bible is true, why God’s plan unfolds as it does, and why discipleship is not just about salvation but about transformation. I wanted more than just religious certainty; I wanted a coherent, logical, biblical worldview that aligned with reality.

    That journey is what led me to write this series, A Disciple’s Life.

    Why Am I Writing This?

    I am writing because I want to share what I have been taught. Discipleship is not a program, a class, or a checklist—it is a lifelong process of learning, growing, and becoming who God created us to be. This series is not just about gathering knowledge, but about helping believers examine their faith and align their lives with God’s truth.

    I write as a fellow traveler, not as a scholar or an authority. I see myself as a teaching assistant (TA) in God’s classroom, guiding others as I, too, continue learning. The Holy Spirit is the true teacher—I am only here to point to the truth He reveals in Scripture.

    This series follows a systematic approach—not just throwing out ideas, but leading you step by step. Each essay builds on the last, exploring God’s plan, the search for truth, the evidence for God’s existence, the reliability of Scripture, and what it means to live as a disciple. If we are going to commit to this journey, we must do it together, with honesty, logic, and a willingness to ask difficult questions.

    What Do I Ask of You?

    1. Engage with these essays thoughtfully – Do not just accept what I write because it sounds right. Test everything against Scripture.
    2. Be willing to examine your faith – Paul tells us to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). That is not a suggestion—it is a command.
    3. Ask questions – If something challenges your beliefs, don’t push it aside. Wrestle with it.
    4. Commit to discipleship – Jesus didn’t call us to be converts. He called us to be disciples, which means following Him with our whole lives.

    So, I invite you to continue this journey with me. Not just as readers, but as fellow disciples. Let’s explore God’s truth together.

    So, I invite you to continue this journey with me. Not just as readers, but as fellow disciples. Let’s explore God’s truth together.

    Where do we go from here?

    PART ONE: What Is God’s Plan?
    This in an introduction to this section before we begin the first essay in this section, I want you to understand Part One is an introduction not an in-depth study.