Archive for year: 2024

Mr. Wyatt Ciesielka was excited to share with the students what he expressed as, “Something that shouldn’t scare them, but to which they should pay attention, in the soon coming future.” He wanted to highlight some of the technologies which he believed most students were aware of on a superficial level, yet had not done an in-depth study on the technology itself, the advancements made, as well as what to expect for the future. He began by asking the students to consider the question, “what is consciousness? He pointed out that there is a depth that can be achieved with the human mind, that sets us apart from animals. The way that man can understand his presence about other things is a base for understanding what consciousness and the human mind is all about. Along with what scientists and technological experts were finding on the subject of the human mind.

“Philosophers want to understand the human mind… while scientists want to integrate with the human mind,” explained Mr. Ciesielka. He emphasized that there is so much intermingling between the technological advancements achieved with the mind and the medical field. He proved this with several examples beginning with that of Jan Scheuermann as far back as 2012! Jan, a paralyzed individual, underwent a procedure that allowed her to control a robotic arm through an implant in her brain. This great advancement provided her with the use of being more self-sufficient and feeding herself chocolate. Even as recently as September 18th, there have been more advances in the field, such as the Neurolink brain implant that received FDA approval. The implications of this being passed have yet to be seen, but it is likely to have a large impact on the medical field. A more shocking report was that AI has gotten so advanced, that it can accurately tell what someone is thinking solely based on their brain waves. These examples provided the students with a more firm realization of the increasing connection between the mind and technology, and how technological advancements may develop in the coming years.

The speaker moved on to say, “We live in a world where we should understand some basic truths.” There may be questions raised about whether machines can gain consciousness, or if a man can upload his mind to the cloud and live forever? With these questions on the rise, the students should give it some thought and be able to provide an answer based on the Bible. Touching back on the question he posed at the beginning, Mr. Ciesielka developed the idea of what the human mind is. He answered questions such as: Why wouldn’t people be able to upload all of their memories and minds to the rapidly progressing virtual world? Would this create a copy of that person, would there be two of them, or does uploading not work at all in that way?

Mr. Ciesielka was glad to explain that the answers to these questions are found readily in the Bible and that these fundamental truths have been understood by God’s church for many years, being written about by Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Weston, and many others!  The first important thing that one must consider is what is human consciousness and the mind. Mr. Ciesielka said that consciousness is a combination of the physical brain and the spirit in man. Job 32 says; “But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” This shows that it is the spirit God puts in man that mankind gains its knowledge. In Ecclesiastes 12, it shows that the soul in man, which can also be called the spirit in man, belongs to God, and will go back to him upon death. He explained it simply as John 3:6 notes, the mind has a spiritual aspect that cannot be made physical, nor can the physical be made spiritual. Even if one were to upload all of their memories and their mind to the web, they still wouldn’t be able to upload the spirit. There is no way in which man can be himself out of the physical life. With that being proven, that provides the answer to any question of man’s immortality within machines.

Mr. Ciesielka left the students with the call to take away everything they could from the lessons during class, forum, and even those that can be learned from each other in the dorms. He hoped that his message of being prepared for the future and being well-versed in current technology was able to sink in and that the students were able to take it with them. He wanted them to find things like the fascinating advancements in AI, and machines that interest them, while at the same time holding fast to the trunk of the tree of God’s truth he has revealed to them!

“What does your life sound like?”

Mr. Bueno began his forum by asking us, the students, what the level of noise in our daily lives looks like. Mr. Bueno clarified that “noise” is the unwanted sound around us and affects our concentration, health and relationships, versus “sound”, which is what God made for communication purposes. Whether it be during breakfast, going to work, or trying to study, he wanted us to imagine the noise of everyday life. He asked us just how much control we have over noise in our lives, and if we are using wisdom about what we are hearing.

How Noise Affects Us

Concentration: Noise reduces our productivity and acts as a distraction. Mr. Bueno cited the example of how open plan offices have been found to greatly decrease productivity because of unwanted conversations between colleagues–noise. 

Health: Noise pollution can cause; heart disease, less sleep, and purely be an annoyance.

Relationships: Noise affects our relationship with others and God. Amos 5:21-24 shows an example of its effect on our relationship with God; people were singing songs of praise to God despite disobedience.God even classifies their praises as “noise.”

4 Ways To Remove Noise From our Lives

1. When listening to yourself: The meditation described in Genesis 24:62 has the connotation of speaking to yourself. To have quality time by yourself, learn to deal with the noise. This can be done by moving to another location, blocking the noise, or choosing to accept the noise when out of your control. Mr Bueno labeled this as “redeeming our eardrums.” 
2. When listening to other people: Make the conversation a priority by going somewhere quiet to talk. If you have something in your hands, put it down so that you can focus on hearing and listening to the other person. Luke 10:38 shows how Martha in the Bible was distracted with the mental noise of serving when Christ visited her and her sister.
3. Stop speech writing: Speech writing occurs when a person is so focused on what they are going to say next or how they will respond that they don’t focus on what the person is saying. James 1:19 states, “Let every man be swift to hear, [and] slow to speak.” Showing that we need to prioritize others over ourselves, not creating mental noise while having conversations.
4. Fear of missing out (FOMO): Don’t let your fear of missing out on the latest news or gossip distract you; remove this unwanted background noise from your life by unplugging from technology.

Noise in Our Relationship With God

Mr. Bueno posed the question, “What type of noise can keep us from hearing God through the Bible?” He went on to describe two ways in which we can remove noise when listening to God. 

First, remove noise when listening to God through the Bible. Deuteronomy 6:3 tells Israel to ‘hear’ what He commanded them. In order to hear what God has to say through the Bible, we need to remove distractions and control our environment. Mr. Bueno mentioned how he wakes up early to do his Bible Study when it is quiet in the house. He explained that, “Approaching God, and removing the noise means actual physical noise but also, just drawing near to, to listen and have a heart that is open to receiving what God has to say through his word.”

Second, remove noise when listening to God through His Holy Spirit. “When we begin talking about removing noise in order to listen to God, we’re getting into the spirit realm of things and thinking about how to be led by God’s spirit.” God’s Holy Spirit can help us better listen to God, and remove the noise, helping us to combat our carnal mind (Romans 8:7-9). 

Final Thoughts

Mr. Bueno ended by repeating the question he began with:

 “What does your life sound like? What are the sounds? What are the noises? How much is in your control and how much is outside of your control?” 

Removing noise from our lives leads to better relationships with others as well as with God. 

Katelyn Wissinger

As the LE students are settling into their routines and working hard in their classes, Mr. Weston, the forum presenter, noted that students may realize by now that the Living Education program is not precisely what they had been expecting. He noted, “The Living Education Program onsite is different from anything you would find anyplace else…and I hope that you will embrace it!”. Mr. Weston went on to share his own Ambassador College (A.C.) experience, some of the lessons he learned while there, and discuss the traditions of A.C. and LE. 

Background 

Mr. Weston was not born in the Church but discovered it around the age of 16. There were seven other students that God worked with from Lompoc High School, which was quite unique. He was not able to attend services until he moved away from home to attend Ventura College beginning in the Fall of 1964. However, he became dissatisfied with the quality of the teachers and classes. Most were uninteresting and did not value the students’ learning. After this, Mr. Weston decided to attend Ambassador College in 1965. While there, the stark differences between the education being offered at Ambassador and the worldly schools became evident. The provided classes were more engaging, taught skills for life, and cared for actual understanding of the lessons.  

Lessons Learned at A.C. 

Government: Mr. Weston communicated that he learnt lessons the difficult way at the start of his time at A.C. “When the boss says to do it a certain way, you do it that way.” Those in charge deserve respect. This key can be applied not just at headquarters where the students work, but also throughout life. 

Priorities: While college classes in worldly higher education institutions may include superfluous information, Ambassador College classes were full of valuable content. Mr. Weston described a situation while he was a student; he skipped a class to get a haircut and received a full letter grade reduction for the entire semester as a result. Students should prioritize classes and work first; “you have to take care of business first and then your pleasure after that.” 

Dating: The world has corrupted what dating means and one should be aware of how they are being influenced by the world in this regard. Mr. Weston noted that when he started attending A.C., he had to learn a new mindset on dating because he had grown up in the world. An example of a date at Ambassador could be a walk. He encouraged the students, just as Ambassador College students were, to date widely. The way students approach dating indicates their difference to those in the world. 

How to Dress and Conduct Oneself: Mr. Weston stated that at Ambassador College, they were directed to learn how to conduct themselves in such a way as to appear before kings, for that is what we are to become. Conduct includes working hard. He pointed to Proverbs 22:9 (NKJV) where the Bible states “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.”  In addition, how a person dresses directly impacts others’ views of them. Clothes can represent a person’s values. 

Traditions 

“Great institutions have great traditions”. Mr. Weston noted how at Ambassador College, they had traditions regarding meals in the dining hall and he related this to how LE has a Friday night dinner tradition. Students host guests and prepare a meal each Friday. These traditions provide memories that students can recall later on in life and students should embrace these traditions. Another tradition at Ambassador College that Mr. Weston pointed out, was the tradition of excellence. “Work with all of your might, to do things with energy, and do it the best that you can, and do it with excellence.” These traditions serve to unite students and create a standard they can all live up to. 

Final Thoughts 

The students were grateful to have received such insight into Mr. Weston’s Ambassador College experience, some of the lessons he learned while there, and the importance of traditions. Just as A.C. had certain standards and culture, so does LE. Those in charge of the Living Education Charlotte program are aiming to create a culture of “purity, honor and respect.” Purity is defined as living according to God’s law. Honor means doing what you know is right even if nobody notices. Respect has to do with how we treat others. The students were encouraged to embrace this culture. 

Mr. Weston reminded the students that they represent LE within the Church and to the world. Living Education has been designed to build quality and consistency as values for students. Students should be promoting this better way of life that is so different from the world. LE students have the ability to make an impact and set an example for youth within the Church. This is akin to the ripple effect, when a stone is thrown, it doesn’t just make a splash, it creates ripples in the water. 

Katelyn Wissinger

On Thursday we received a well-designed talk about pursuing our future careers after our time at Living Education. Dr. John Cole, a Charlotte local, entrepreneur, and businessman, provided us with an energetic and passionate forum in which he covered tips to achieve success in our future work endeavors.

Dr. Cole began by asking all of us what would be our dream job to tailor the discussion to better suit every one of us. He then wanted to emphasize the importance of, what he called, “Swot Analysis.”  Swot analysis stands for–strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  He recommended that we identify these in future companies and ourselves. It is necessary for us while looking at new opportunities to weigh the options presented before us.  When we focus on our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, it allows us a more rounded look at where we can and need to grow. 

Research

 Dr. Cole said from his personal experience that before even applying for a position, it is worthwhile to prepare by researching the company in which you are interested. This preparation will allow us to stand out positively in the interview stage. It is wise to become familiar with the organization as well as their competitors so we can better answer the interviewer’s questions. He also went on to warn that research is double-sided. Anything that is put online can and will be found by the employer before a company hires somebody. That is why we must think about how others will view our social media posts before we post them. This will protect us from any unforeseen side effects in the future.

Be Personable

Dr. Cole shared that a key to having an impact on other people, especially interviewers, is to simply be natural. This is easier said than done. It is only natural that an employer would feel more inclined to hire someone they genuinely want to spend time around rather than a potentially more qualified individual with whom  they can’t get along. Dr. Cole went on to explain that there are four different types of people. He summed them up as:

1. Those that know they know.
2. Those that know they don’t know.
3. Those that don’t know they know.
4. Those that don’t know they don’t know.

This example of 4 different people emphasizes the need to be knowledgeable in our fields, yet more importantly, we must remain humble through our wisdom. 

Innovative 

We need to be up to date with current and future innovations that will affect our future career fields. Dr. Cole gave the example of AI. He recommended that everyone pay attention to the latest developments in their field so that when posed with a question regarding it, we can be ready to give an educated response on the matter. This will allow us to not be caught off guard by any changes in our work and careers.

God’s Hand

While we can do our part to develop better career readiness skills described by Dr. Cole, only with God can we truly succeed. The largest aspect that guides our endeavors is prayer. Dr. Cole explained that God may guide an event in a direction that we may not immediately understand. We should always remember, however, that God is in control and wants what is best for us. He shared a personal account of when he first got out of school. He applied for a good entry-level job. He fervently prayed asking for God’s assistance, yet was ultimately rejected because he was overqualified. What he did not realize at the time was God was protecting him. Just a few months later, the company he applied to declared bankruptcy. We must realize that even if God may close a door, it is to protect us from future suffering. 

Dr. Cole reminded us that if we, or other brethren need a hand, to send him an email. He offered to be a reference, give his feedback on any writing for higher education, or read over a resume. If there ever is a time that he can be of assistance Dr. Cole would be more than happy to offer help. Just contact him at [email protected]. 

The wisdom that was passed onto us on how we can establish more extensive ways to go about treating others and researching for employment, was beneficial to hear. This will all be taken and ready for us to put to action when the time comes!