Artificial Intelligence

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

Once again we welcomed Pastor George Hodgson to the pulpit on Sunday. In this, the last week of Rev. Irwin's holiday, the congregation is grateful to the ministers who have led us in worship over the month of August, Rev. Jacqueline Birnie, Rev. Arnold Aksne, and Pastor George. Thank you all for sharing your ministry with SPPC.

Saturday was the last of the summer concerts put on by the DieMahler Ensemble in our sanctuary. They have provided eight evenings of chamber music to an appreciative audience, and raised over $1200.00 for the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation. Thank you, Ensemble.

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There is a lot of talk about Artificial Intelligence in the news these days. We've all been promised--or threatened depending on your point of view--with computers that can do our jobs, write our papers and imitate us on social media. We've had glimmers of this in the past few years -- Facebook insists on using predictive text which results in some very strange posts. I have a niece named Mya and whenever I mention her, Facebook changes her name to Myanmar. 

Last week I searched the catalogue at my library for The Benevolent Society of Ill-mannered Ladies. It is a story set in Regency England about a pair of detective sisters. The library couldn't find it and suggested I must be looking for The Secret Society of Demolition Writers, a book of short stories billed as contemporary fairy-tales.

Years ago I had a friend named Margot. In those days MS-Word was the big thing and it did not recognize her name. So, whenever she signed something, they changed Margot into Maggot. Needless to say her teen-aged son made the most of Microsoft's "intelligence."

My experience of computers telling me what I meant to say, has, so far, been most unintelligent.

Yet, even as technology controls more and more of our daily lives, we can take comfort in the words of Scripture. Our God truly knows us, our thoughts, our needs and our desires -- and He cares for us.

For I know the plans I have for you. . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Jeremiah 29:11

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139: 13-14.

Praise God, for He is good; His faithfulness endures forever.