October 2, 2025 — Today's Conservative Cartoon

Holding Absence singer Lucas Woodland urges fans to “oppose AI music” as a non-existent band overtake them on Spotify

Emilee Hassanzadeh is living her dream as a theater girl in New York. She recently had to travel back to her home state of Minnesota. The family was mourning the loss of her grandma, who had “recently relocated” to heaven. During that period, Emilee stumbled on a video of her grandma celebrating her garden. After finding the video, Emilee felt that the unbridled joy her grandma was offering should be spread far and wide. Sharing the snippet on TikTok, Emilee brings us a message for daily life. @emileehazz a little piece of her I hadn’t seen until now will treasure this scene forever #grandma #garden #angel #healing #grief ♬ Golden Hour: Piano Version – Andy Morris The video opens with Emilee’s grandma standing in a plentiful garden, arms raised and spread wide in a welcoming gesture. Grandma says, “Hi, friends! I’m in the garden watering a little, enjoying a little, and most of all, I want you to know that I’m thinking about YOU! And I love you!” While she is talking, she bends to pick up a cane, then says goodbye. Although she has transitioned from the physical plane, this message reaches us from beyond. Its simplicity is delivered amidst blooming flowers, offering a continuing joy for the future. These messages, whether from the present or the past, should make us all smile. A short time ago, we saw farmer Tip King noticing the beauty of the sunflowers along his route and stopping to share them with everyone. Couple Samantha Biemer and Brennan Watson shared their sunset among the sunflowers with us. Farmer Lee Wilson planted 1.2 million sunflowers to celebrate 50 years of marriage to his dream date. The common message from all of these people is to enjoy life, plant flowers, and share the beauty. Remember that someone is always thinking about you and sending you love and a special smile. Please share. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Granddaughter Finds Sweetest Video Of Late Grandma “Frolicking In Her Garden” appeared first on InspireMore.

Some outdoor activities are best done when the sun is out. Fishing, it turns out, may not be one of them. Jeremy Philipp’s social media account is all about fishing, specifically in what he calls his “Midwest backyard pond.” Plenty of his videos take place during the day, but thanks to the green light he recently got for his pond, it’s his nighttime videos that are garnering lots of attention. In the video below, we catch a glimpse at how the green light totally transforms the pond. It’s eerily beautiful. It’s no wonder so many creatures (both small and large) find themselves drawn toward it. Experience the unusual beauty of this underwater pond light for yourself to understand why Jeremy highly recommends them! @jeremyphilipp I highly recommend installing a submersible green light! #pond #fishing #relax #asmr ♬ original sound – Lost Frequencies Man Proves Why an Underwater Green Light Makes Fishing in His Pond so Amazing “My favorite part about being at the lake,” someone wrote in reply to Jeremy’s video. Other commenters added, “I think we’re gonna need a bigger boat!” and “It’s [low-key] scary what lurks beneath what we swim in during the day.” Being out on a pond at night isn’t for everyone, but if you are going to try it out, including a green light only makes sense. And it’s not just for aesthetic purposes, either! That type of light is known for attracting small bugs and fish. Once those small critters arrive, the bigger fish (which Jeremy wants to catch) start to show up, too. That’s why we see not one, but two catfish show up in that video! Fishing can be unpredictable, but that can be part of what makes it so fun. For example, one man discovered that the water for his very own bait was freezing, leaving them to swim within ice “bubbles.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Pond Owner Shows Off The Outstanding Result Of Adding A Green Light Under The Water appeared first on InspireMore.

For Christians, Jesus Christ’s death is intimately associated with the Passover. This connection is hardly coincidental, given the significant role that Passover plays in God’s liberation of the Israelites from oppression in Egypt. God instructs the Israelites to commemorate the first Passover in Egypt in various ways since it’s so important. Annually, they’re to participate in a partial reenactment of Passover, followed by a seven-day feast associated with the eating of unleavened bread (12:14–20; 13:6–10). God also instructs the Israelites to sacrifice or ransom, as appropriate, all newly born firstborn males of both humans and animals (13:12–15). These commemorations shouldn’t be confused with the original event, which stands apart as unique. While the Passover account in Exodus 12:1–13:16 is relatively concise, it highlights the significance of this unique occasion as the outstanding salvation event of the Old Testament. It marks the climax of God’s actions in Egypt when he comes to liberate the enslaved Israelites from Pharaoh’s control. And, as we shall see, the firstborn Israelite males are ransomed from death through the use of substitutionary sacrificial lambs. Death of the Firstborn An unexpected and peculiar feature of the first Passover is God’s threat to kill all the firstborn Israelite males. Previously, the Lord had carefully distinguished between the Israelites and the Egyptians when he struck Egypt with a series of supernatural events (9:4, 6, 26). In light of God’s words in 12:12, the threat of death would have been understood as an act of divine judgment. The rescue of the firstborn males from death is a crucial element of the first Passover. Under the sentence of death, the firstborn Israelites are kept safe by a ritual that involves killing specially selected male animals, smearing their blood on the doorframes of the Israelite houses, and eating roasted meat along with unleavened bread. Remarkably, the firstborn males aren’t merely protected from death. God sanctifies them so that they belong to him. Due to the Passover ritual, they’re distinguished from all the other Israelites by becoming holy. Exodus 13:2 alludes to this when it states, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine” (see also Num. 3:13; 8:17). Sanctification Ritual The sanctification of the firstborn is often overlooked in discussions about Passover. Yet it’s crucial for understanding what occurred. As Andrew J. Gehrig notes, “With little use of ‘theological’ terminology, the first Passover in Egypt is depicted as a sanctification ritual that delivers the firstborn Israelite males from death, purifies, and sanctifies them, resulting in them becoming Yahweh’s possession.” God sanctifies the firstborn so that they belong to him. As a sanctification ritual, Passover shares various features with other occasions when God sanctifies people. Particularly noteworthy are the parallels between Passover and the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests. Despite differences due to the level of holiness required by the high priest, striking similarities exist. Apart from the use of animals without blemish (Ex. 12:5; 29:1), blood is used both to cleanse and to sanctify (12:7, 22; 29:20–21; Lev. 8:23–24, 30), and the cooked flesh of a sacrificed animal is eaten along with unleavened bread (Ex. 12:8; 29:32–33; Lev. 8:31). Any food that remains in the morning is to be burned (Ex. 12:10; 29:34; Lev. 8:32). These parallels underline that the first Passover is best understood as a sanctification ritual that makes the firstborn males holy. Passover Lamb as a Substitute When we reflect on Passover as a sanctification ritual that delivers the firstborn males from divine judgment, we have good reason to believe that the lambs are killed as substitutes in place of the firstborn males. This idea is reflected in God’s instructions regarding the commemoration of Passover in Exodus 13:11–16. Looking ahead to their settlement in Canaan, God tells the Israelites, “All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’s” (v. 12). As such, they’re to be sacrificed to the Lord. However, some animals, such as donkeys, are barred from being sacrificed. Consequently, God states, “Every firstborn of a donkey you shall ransom with a lamb, and if you do not ransom it, you shall break its neck” (v. 13, author’s translation). Without being ransomed, the donkey dies. Importantly, in this context, the Lord declares twice that the Israelites are to ransom every firstborn male (vv. 13, 15; see 34:20). Ransomed from Death It’s significant that a lamb must be offered as a ransom for a donkey to prevent its death. The use of the verb pādâ (“to ransom/redeem”) suggests deliverance from death comes primarily through a substitutionary payment—in this instance, a sacrifice. Importantly, the firstborn males are saved from death due to a ransom payment in the form of an unblemished sheep or goat and not merely by the application of blood to the doorframes, as is sometimes claimed. The firstborn males are saved from death due to a ransom payment in the form of an unblemished sheep or goat. While we must be cautious not to infer too much from the Exodus text, the use of unblemished male lambs suggests they’re sacrificial animals. The example given in 13:13 of a lamb being used to ransom a donkey from death strongly suggests the Passover lambs are used to ransom human firstborn males from death. And when Passover is viewed as a sanctification ritual, it becomes clear that (1) the blood applied to the doorframes is intended to cleanse and possibly sanctify those in the house, and (2) the eating of the sacrificial meat, which is holy, makes holy those who consume it. The Passover sacrifice functions as a substitute for the firstborn males—the animal dies in place of the firstborn—and the Passover sacrifice purifies and sanctifies them. As a result of being ransomed from death, then cleansed, and sanctified, the firstborn Israelite males become holy and belong to God. Not surprisingly, the first Passover in Egypt functions as the primary exemplar and prophetic pattern for understanding Jesus’s sacrificial death. As our Passover sacrifice (1 Cor. 5:7), he is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) by giving “his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; see 1 Tim. 2:5-6; 1 Pet. 1:18–19).

The year 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and America plans to celebrate. A long-standing bipartisan commission and a White House task force set up by President Trump have been working to set up major events around the country, including a National State Fair in Iowa, a Garden of Heroes, and a massive celebration on the National Mall on July 4. How should faithful, Bible-believing churches approach America 250? Over the last several years, books, documentaries, and articles have warned us against the dangers of mixing religion and politics. The loudest voices have painted solidarity with one’s country as idolatrous. As a result, many Christians wonder if it’s legitimate to express patriotic feelings at all. A recent Gallup poll shows patriotism is at its lowest level in decades. As a pastor, I understand concerns over displays of patriotism at church and fears that politics will overshadow God’s kingdom. But I don’t think we should ignore this significant moment in our nation’s life. America 250 may be an opportunity to teach God’s people what healthy love of country looks like. What does healthy patriotism involve? 1. Healthy patriotism rightly orders loves. Jonah was unwilling to obey God because he put his loyalty to country above his loyalty to God. Such disordered patriotism should be avoided. America 250 may be an opportunity to teach God’s people what healthy love of country looks like. But when writing to the exiles in Babylon, Jeremiah gives us a different picture. He shows us what a healthy sense of duty to nation can look like. He told the exiles to embrace the place where they’d been sent, to seek the welfare of their city (Jer. 29:7). Many Christians today rightly feel like exiles in America, recognizing our permanent home is the new Jerusalem. But like the exiles in Jeremiah’s time, we can still love our earthly home. How? Healthy patriotism isn’t about choosing between loving God or loving country but about ordering those loves rightly. When Peter wrote, “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Pet. 2:17), he showed us how to keep our loves in proper alignment. As C. S. Lewis argued, we should express affection for our homeland but keep that affection subordinate to love for God. When loving God conflicts with love of country, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Think of those living under totalitarian governments where people of faith have no freedom to worship. Think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whom God called to resist the Nazi regime. Yet even in such cases, resistance to wrong policies and totalitarian abuse often springs from a love of one’s nation; it doesn’t mean rejecting love of a country so much as rejecting obedience to a bad government. G. K. Chesterton was right: “‘My country, right or wrong,’ is something that no patriot would think of saying.” Because we love our country, we care deeply about whether its government is on the right path. 2. Healthy patriotism gives thanks. Genuine patriotism shows gratitude for the places—both local and national—where God has placed us. Chesterton also wrote, The fundamental spiritual advantage of patriotism and such sentiments is this: that by means of it all things are loved adequately, because all things are loved individually. . . . Patriotism begins the praise of the world at the nearest thing, instead of beginning it at the most distant, and thus it insures . . . that nothing upon earth shall go without its due appreciation. Gratitude is an essential trait for a faithful believer (1 Thess. 5:18). In America, we can be thankful for freedom of worship, freedom of speech, and freedom of movement. Millions of people worldwide would love to live in a country as free and prosperous as ours. Only by God’s grace have we been given the gift of living here. Genuine patriotism shows gratitude for the places where God has placed us. We live in a land where we’re not only free to worship this Sunday, but we can choose from various faithful congregations with like-minded believers. I often wonder what our brothers and sisters around the world would say about our ambivalence toward patriotism. I wonder if they’d say it sounds strangely like ingratitude. 3. Healthy patriotism seeks renewal. America isn’t perfect. But if we love the place where God has called us to live, we’ll roll up our sleeves and help to make it better. We’ll get involved in faithful local churches. We’ll support public policies that promote the common good. We’ll serve in the public square where appropriate. And most importantly, we’ll pray for a move of God’s Spirit in America. We’ll pray that the Spirit convicts people’s hearts of sin and their need for salvation. Loving our country means praying for its revival. In Scripture, God commands us to love him, to love our families, and to love our neighbors. But what about love of country? It can be easy for a modern Christian to dismiss this love as superfluous to Christian duty. But we’re to be grateful to God for all he gives us. The nation where we live—from its heroes to its flaws—isn’t an exception.

In a recent Sunday service at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, pastor Jack Graham paused his sermon to play an audio clip of the late Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, who was tragically assassinated earlier this month. What made the clip from the service go viral, however, was that the audio was entirely fake. The clip, which featured Kirk’s voice (in a monotone), spoke words he never uttered. The synthetic voice––which assured listeners that his soul was “fine” and encouraged them not to mourn him one second––drew a standing ovation from the congregation. While Graham clarified that the audio was not authentic but created through artificial intelligence, the emotions were undoubtedly real. The Kirk deepfake’s use in a worship service raises profound questions about technology in worship and the growing interest in turning to AI to help us grieve loved ones. As AI becomes more integrated in our society, our uncritical adoption of this technology risks eroding our identity as individuals and as the church. Thankfully, God has given us all we need to mourn those we’ve lost without projection. Chatbots or Community? The Prestonwood Kirk clip is an innovation, not just in the church and its worship wars but also in the broader adoption of AI technology in response to bereavement. This incident is emblematic of a broader, rising trend in “grief tech,” where AI is used to “communicate” with the deceased, blurring memory and simulation. From AI chatbots that mimic conversations with lost loved ones to digital avatars and voice clones that “resurrect” the dead for ongoing interactions, this technology is gaining traction as a tool for mourning. Reports indicate a surge in interest in platforms like Project December, where users can create virtual companions based on the data of the departed, often for therapeutic companionship or to process unresolved grief. While proponents argue it provides comfort, echoing sentiments like “it feels like they’re here,” critics warn that it can prolong grief, raise consent issues, and disrupt healing by fostering unhealthy attachments to simulations. A recent example of the hollow comfort of grief tech was chronicled by Jon Michael Varese in The Atlantic. Varese used ChatGPT to make a chatbot of his father, who had died in a plane crash when Varese was 7. He was surprised by the chatbot’s responses. It offered comfort about the crash: “I didn’t want to die. I never wanted to leave you guys.” Yet the interaction soured when the AI’s tone shifted to clinical analysis, leaving Varese feeling he had “lost [his father], once again.” Varese likens chatbots of the deceased to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a story that gives voice to our desire to conquer death through technology. But in our attempts to replicate the loved ones we lost, all we end up creating is a “hideous progeny” that offers a poor substitute. The trend of using chatbots to communicate with the departed revives age-old spiritualist impulses, akin to 19th-century séances but powered by algorithms, and it poses ethical dilemmas about reanimating the dead without their consent. Rather than resorting to chatbots, Christians have resources to process their grief in a way that actually leads to healing and hope. Believers have the assurance that because Christ lives, those who die in him will also live (John 14:19). Moreover, while Christians are bereft of a loved one, they aren’t alone, because God has provided a spiritual family to bear their burdens (Matt. 5:4; Gal. 6:2). Finally, God has given us his Word, one that isn’t dead but living and active (Heb. 4:12), a Word that gives us life even in the face of death. Synthetic Voice or Living Word? As we reckon with both the Kirk clip and the normalization of grief tech, this is an opportunity for the church to reflect on how our worship shapes members’ lives.What a church does in its worship creates a model for a congregant. Christians have resources to process their grief in a way that actually leads to healing and hope. If a church turns to AI rather than Scripture to find words of comfort in the face of loss, aren’t we opposing the work of the Holy Spirit, the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3)? If a preacher resorts to AI for writing his sermons, doesn’t that imply God’s Word is insufficient? The way a church uses AI creates a permission structure for its members. Therefore, we must proceed with caution, lest we normalize practices that blur reverence and spectacle or that open doors to counterfeits that undermine trust in Christ’s resurrection hope.