Of Visions, Dents and A Score and Five Years

Twenty-five years ago today, the lights turned on here at OFB. We were going to help the Linux Desktop revolution happen. We’re not there yet, but it has been an interesting ride.

The Promise of Self-Driving Translation

A controversy at a Christian publication this week gives us an unusual twist on the AI debate. The great medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas and self-driving cars now have something in common.

Silence Isn't Violence

The last decade, we’ve been told we have to speak — and speak loudly — or we’re the bad guys. And, of course, say what the mob says or we’re still the bad guys. But silence is often more profound.

Genuine Graham

I didn’t know him personally. He was never my senator. But the passing of Lindsey Graham really has struck me. The more I think about his passing — and the responses from those who long worked with him — the more I think I know why.

Don’t Be Evil Won’t Avoid Evil

“Don’t Be Evil.” If you’ve followed the tech industry long enough, you know that used to be Google’s motto. Whatever happened to that Google? We could ask that of our attempts at mere avoidance of evil, too.

This Isn’t The Way

Tonight, I can’t stop thinking, this isn’t the way. A third assassination attempt against President Trump was all too narrowly thwarted mere months after the actual assassination of another national political figure. We need to treat the illness these evil acts are the symptoms of.

My Internet Is Reliably Unreliable. Is God the Same Way?

My internet is reliable. Reliable at going down at 7 p.m. every Monday night for years. That’s unfortunate given that I preach a livestreamed sermon every week at that time.

When the Ground Looks Empty

A Holy Week Meditation

Don’t you just love spring flowers? Here we are, coming up to Easter and spring flowers are blooming outside. But the process of planting spring bulbs is really kind of strange if you think about it.

Craft, Need and the Ever Devouring AI

A few hours away from me you can visit Silver Dollar City — a scenic, wooded theme park in the Ozark Mountains where craftspeople blow glass and mill flour 19th-century style. It’s charming and memorable. It’s also not the way I buy glassware or food normally.

In an AI World, What Makes Stories Real?

People love this year’s Budweiser commercial. I get it: it’s beautifully filmed and feels good when so much is angry, ugly or both. It is also real to a surprising degree: the commercial was filmed with cameras, not constructed with computers.