I’ve intended for literally a few years to turn this into a static webpage instead of a blog but long gone are the free days of countless hours of learning and applying webdesign.  If I can get a few days of uninterrupted to work on it I would, but it’s pretty far down the priority list.  Or if I had some extra cash I could throw at someone to convert it over I could do that too, but extra cash is in short supply right now as well, and even that would require time to communicate what I’m looking for.

We are doing our best to regularly update via our e-mail newsletters and on social media.  So you can follow us along there if you want, or just reach out and say hi, we’d love to hear from you.

I’m not going to put direct links to any of those here right now, we’ve noticed that when you put e-mail addresses or sign up sheets on the blog the bots start to spam you.  But I assume you know how to reach me if you wanted to reach out.

All in all, family and ministry is great!  But as both are growing, time for blogging here obviously has decreased.  So consider this the last and final post until I can find some time to convert this over to a static page.  We appreciate everyone who has interacted with us here on this blog throughout the years.  Blessings!  – the BAKERS

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A quick story about robots and truth.

I really like efficiency.  I like things to work well the first time.  I also do not enjoy recurring tasks.

We have a human sized dog who sheds like a maniac.  His name is @hikarlthegreat and I love him.  He’d shed less if we brushed him more.

But nonetheless our floor is covered in dog hair and dirt/dust from outside since our windows are always open.  #luckywelivehawaii

There are often days where I’d vacuum a few times and every time I’ll fill up the vacuum hopper.  

Jess gave me a robot vacuum for valentines day.  I had mentioned getting one a few times but initially she wasn’t into the idea.  Finding places for things to go is difficult in our place.  But she saw a neighbor had one and noticed that it went under the furniture (where we never vacuum) and was sold.  

It arrived yesterday and I sent it on its maiden voyage.  I forgot to attach the side brushes but it still sucked up a ton of stuff.  I was amazed that when I plugged in the dock it found its way back to it to charge as soon as I plugged it in.

It does a really good job using its side brushes to get in the corners where a regular vacuum doesn’t get.

Karl did a lot of barking at it at first.  And my son was hesitant about it, but I acted really excited about it and told him how cool it was.

Last night before bed, I told “A” to go into his room and bring some PJ’s.  To which he stalled.  I had to ask him a few times.  I was about to tell him we couldn’t watch a video before bed.  But then I realized interspersed with his stalling was a question.  “Are you going to run the robot?”  I thought he was just changing the subject.  He didn’t want to go in his room and have the unpredictability of the robot moving without him knowing.  He wasn’t intentionally being disobedient, he was hesitant because of the unknown.  I could have gotten loud and taken away video time before bed, but I’m pretty sure the Holy Spirit helped me realize what was really going on.  

“A” Must have gone into his room to get his PJ’s when I first asked him to do so and then saw the machine charging and doing its “breathing” with its light.(Why do we assign even more human characteristics to robots?)

And why do robots intrinsically feel weird even to kids and to my dog.

I wonder what new technology felt this weird previously.  When cars started being more common was there a sense of unease at the disruptive technology?

Or do robots feel strange because of it’s ability to do things without a human?  And is it strange that humans create robots in their own image.

Anyway, after realizing what was really going on, I assured “A” that the robot would not go on unless we pushed the on button.  He said okay, and went and got his PJ’s.

I’m realizing in life that there is often a layer beneath behavior, that’s the cause, motivation, catalyst for the action.  And as leaders (parenting is really just the ultimate form of leadership) we need to always be asking, what’s really going on?

Be investigative, but don’t assign motive through assumption.

When we can figure out what’s going on in that sometimes subconscious level we can deal then deal with the truth.

Sometimes asking the right questions, or slowing down a bit and listening can help us see and show others what’s really going on too so it can actually be dealt with.

Jumping to conclusions and assigning our own narrative is dangerous in these situations, especially to children, who might just hear an alternative story and go start believing that.

How we perceive life is so important, it’s scary that we can live our whole lives with an incorrect perception and live like thats a reality.

We can also shape other peoples lives through suggestive words and assigning motives that may or may not be true.  Or we can change perception about something in a good way, like me being overly excited about the vacuum to show my son it was a good thing.  It’s scary to me how suggestible we are.  How social media influence changes how we think and what we think about.  Sometimes in sneaky ways, and sometimes just through brute force repetition.

I started this out saying I liked efficiency.  There’s nothing efficient about taking the time to figure out what’s truly going on.  It requires more time, investigation and communication.  More questions, more conversations.  And sometimes those questions have to be processed in an unhurried way.  But the search to deal with the underlaying issues are worth it, so they don’t stay hidden and fester.  It’d be easy to make a snap judgement and assign my own narrative to a story and maybe even say it enough times that I’d start to believe it and say it enough that others started to believe it too, but would it be true?  

What false perceptions have you been living with?  What false perceptions are you maybe unintentionally speaking over others?  Truth is really really important.  The devil is a liar and wants you to believe his lies.  Jesus is the way the truth and the life.  

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Yay a non stock photo this week!

I didn’t find him.

I went down to Waikiki homeless outreach last night, I rode with Spencer to pick up the pizzas.  I took notice of the reflections in the Papa John’s store window as I waited.  Diamond Head in the background and the sun starting to set were reflecting off the window showing off the cotton candy skies.

“T” didn’t show up for pizza.  So a DTS student named Nick, who was down there for the first time, and I walked down to where Nathanial (a SOME student) had seen him yesterday.  

The SOME  (School of Missions and Evangelism) students have three days a week scheduled for outreach and evangelism.  Monday they were handing out Bibles and saw “T.” 

I had to interrupt Nathanial, he was speaking Tagalog with a homeless man.  Nathanial told me where “T” usually stayed.  I guess on Monday “T” was eager to get a Bible.

I love that these students are ready to be on the streets, sharing the good news of Jesus.  They are headed to the Middle East in a couple months.

Nick and I made a couple loops looking for “T” but didn’t find him, and as the sun was setting it was getting even harder to see people in the park and I wasn’t trying to approach people in the darkness.

This morning the amazing Sandi Walrod is doing childcare for us.  So I finished up some tax prep and drove down to Waikiki to see if I could find “T” this morning.  I didn’t.

I did run into Anna Roberts though.  I was walking through the park admiring the birds and a dog playing in the fountain when I heard my name.  “Jim Baker”

I wasn’t expecting to see anyone and recognizing people when you can only see half their face is a bit challenging, but I figured it out pretty quick.  I took note of the location and tucked it away for a future adventure with the kids to feed the ducks in the park.

This morning as I was getting ready to go I couldn’t find my keys.  Was it demonic attack to keep me from going?  Was it God warning me not to go?  Or had I just misplaced my keys?  I think I just misplaced my keys.

I think in my head I was trying to make excuses not to go.  I mean, I even prioritized paying taxes and doing paperwork before I went.  (All things that actually did need to get done, but not things I enjoy doing.)

As I drove down to Waikiki not knowing what I’d find I thought about Jesus leaving the 99 sheep to find the 1.  (Matt 18)  This morning I didn’t find the 1.  But I tried.  And I’m grateful that God pursued me.

The takeaway?

Shoot your shot when you have the chance, there might only be one.

I should have been bolder with “T” when I got the chance last week.  He said multiple times he needed a phone, I should have helped him then.  (I wasn’t driving at the time, but I could have found a way)

I’m not condemning myself.  I’m just learning lessons.  I was rusty, I hadn’t been on the streets for a while.  I wasn’t ready in season and out.  (2 Tim 4:2)

My Tuesday evening meetings resume next week so I won’t be down there for the official outreach again.  But I’m glad that there is team that will be, and I know they will run into “T” again.

There are new people coming to Hawaii everyday, to be homeless on the beach.  Sure there’s a natural beauty, but the poverty cycle of homelessness is bad and it won’t be paradise when you get your stuff stolen.

I’ve heard stories relayed of people waking up to others digging through their pockets.  Things only get harder on the streets, and that hardship turns people to self medicate and lose motivation.

What if Jesus is sending us out to share His hope with people who are desperate and disillusioned.  What if some of these people need to boldly hear that what they think they are getting into, isn’t what they are really going to get into and that God has a better plan for them.  What if us being motivated by God’s love to be down there is the divine sign that people need to know that God cares for them.

In 2021 my family made some big life transitions.  We left the paying ministry to be more focused on the volunteer ministry.  And through that big step of faith and obedience to what we sensed God was saying, we clarified our calling.

We’re equipping those who will GO.  These fired up students inspire me, and I hope to impart a little bit of the wisdom I’ve learned since I’ve lived double their lifetimes.  Thank you to everyone who gives to our ministry so that we can make all of this happen. 

Who do you need to be lovingly bold with?  What hope do you need to be imparting?  What action do you need to take?

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Also you should tell your dad you appreciate them more than every 6 years

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We mimic what we see. 

So what are you choosing to put in front of you?

“A” and I started playing a game where we take his stuffies and look out the window and we take turns telling each other what we see.

It’s very interesting to see my son come home from hanging out with his friends and suddenly he’s using new mannerisms and phrases that are obviously from the kids he just hung out with.

I took a little over a week and got off the inter webs. Social media at least. It was a nice way to prepare for Christmas. And since we live where we work and didn’t go to the mainland to see family for Christmas this year I wanted our break to feel different, set apart. Disconnecting from social media helped with that. (Along with meals that were different too)

I’ve deleted instagram and twitter from my phone. And I’m not going to put them back on. It’s just to convenient to get lost in the endless scrolling. 

Sometimes while endlessly scrolling, I feel like I’m looking for something, I don’t know what, but I never leave feeling fulfilled.

We recently switched over to mint mobile to save a ton on our phone bill and the first month I just used data (not wifi) to see how it worked. Guess what my most used app for data was? Instagram. So much that even though I have an unlimited plan, near the end of the month my speeds got throttled to an unbearable speed.

What “should” I be doing instead of all that mindless scrolling? Probably reading a real book, I’m sure I’d be happier with that investment of my time rather than whatever novel, junk food, social media tabloid, shiny content someone is producing.

I deleted Facebook from my phone a while ago. I logged into Facebook yesterday on my computer and within three posts had an emotional reaction to something someone posted. I quickly logged off. 

It’s really easy to get stirred up on the internet. I don’t want internet strangers or acquaintances or people who I like in real life but don’t enjoy on the internet, or “friends” where the season of friendship is actually expired and wouldn’t know about or talk to if social media didn’t exist, to have that much access and influence over my daily life.

Why should I allow my day to be ruined by something someone I don’t even really know said on the internet?  It’d be better not to know.

When you’re scrolling through your feed how many peoples voices are you consuming?  Would you literally let all of those people crawl into bed with you and whisper (or shout) into your ear before bed?  Would you want that many phone calls the first thing when you wake up?  

I’m trying to draw healthy boundaries with social media.  I’ve also seen a lot about how bad blue light from our screens is for our circadian rhythm.  I invested in a $8 travel alarm clock and charged my phone in the living room last night.

I use twitter to jot thoughts throughout the day.  I follow more “thought leaders” there.  I wonder how much “thought leading” is just reacting to bad news.  People become influential on the internet because they are controversial, then they post about whatever made them popular.

Does an overconsumption of what’s going on out there help me be more effective of what’s going on right here?

I actually probably only interact with two people on twitter.  Both of whom I interacted with through text while I wasn’t on social media.  I’d rather share thoughts in direct conversation than tweeting to the oblivion.  

I’d love to just be completely done with social media.  But I tried that for a year and half once.

And we lost a quarter of our supporters.  So I guess thats not really an option.

So new boundaries are:  social media only on my computer. Which is less convenient and keeps the mindless scrolling down.  Accounts logged out, so it’s one more step between me and mindless scrolling.

Although I’d love to be done with social media completely or at least take an extended hiatus, I’m going to try and post “something” weekly.  I’m not going to pressure myself into it or feel bad if I don’t have anything to say, I’m not a professional blogger with a schedule.  But it will at least keep our ministry partners informed if they prefer to consume content on social media.  And I’m going to be better about my e-mail list.

Are you drawing boundaries with social media?  Do you think you consume to much content?  How does it affect you?  

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Doing church from home today as a family. Which is something new for us in this new season.

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