Anne HERRENSCHMIDT+KOHLER

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, but that is not the end of wisdom. The end of wisdom is love, and perfect love casts out fear, as John reminds us in 1 John 4:18.

It isn’t your job to be in awe, it is your job to draw near to the God to fear - the God who descended with fire and fury on Sinai - and to discover that this God is the God of love. This God is the God who gave himself to you in Christ Jesus. It is this God who calls you to be known in the truth, and as you draw near in fear to him who is perfect love, your fear will be transformed.

When we mistake a developmental spirituality for a bare assertion (“Be in awe of God!”) we are doing little more than asking people to bypass God in their formation (you might as well tell an infant to be an adult). Instead, we need people who fear God, and who have met God’s perfect love in their fear, to help shepherd souls to their Lord. We need people that can help others navigate the odd tensions we discover in all of this. We need people who can help direct souls to their God and show them the ways they do not seek him in truth. We need people who will expose the temptations folks have to either seek a god who is not worthy to be feared or create a god of love that needn’t be.

Tokien prophesized the smartphone

Comparaison avec l’anneau de pouvoir :

After reading Tolkien’s quote and journeying with characters like Bilbo and Frodo who expressed eerily similar sentiments to my own, I decided to ask ChatGPT, “What are the main purposes of the Ring?”

It gave six purposes. Each was an eerily accurate description of the 6.1-inch screen I was staring at. I’ve condensed ChatGPT’s answers:

1. Control. The Ring is made to reach, master, and control everything in existence.

2. Amplification. The Ring enhances the natural abilities of its wearer, corrupts humans by giving a twisted version of what they want, and serves as a mirror and magnifier for our own desires.

3. Invisibility. When worn, the Ring makes people invisible. The wearer enters a wraithlike state, and they assume they can do whatever they wish without detection.

4. Addiction. The Ring has a will of its own, aligned with its maker. It tempts and corrupts its bearer over time, driving them toward obsession and destruction.

5. Connection. The Ring creates “a spiritual tether” between the maker and the ring-bearer. This allows the maker to perceive and influencethose who wear the ring. The maker can both hear and affect your every word through a piece of tech on [or in] your hand.

6. Extended life (but not true life). The Ring prolongs life unnaturally, as seen in Bilbo and especially Gollum. But it doesn’t grant peace—it withers the soul and body over time.