Welcome to One Day Closer with Mark and Dave, where we are TESTIFYING TODAY that God DOES rekindle a spirit of Hope and Truth when we make our requests know to Him.

Today’s show was inspired AND is a true story of both heartache and victory, shared with my wife and I from some very close friends of ours. As is our custom here at One Day Closer, I asked if I could share their story with our audience, as I thought it was a story many would be able to identify with and draw peace from. I promised them both that I would protect the names and identities of both the innocent and the not so innocent characters of the story. I even sketched this dialogue out and ran it by them both to make sure I captured their story as accurately as possible… and with that, I received permission to share their story.

A story full of drama, the duties and challenges of caring for our aging parents, interacting with previous estranged siblings, tough decisions about when to step aside or not, how to execute the right next best decision, etc. Tough stuff that we can all identify with, or that we will eventually be faced with.

Here’s the net out or take away from pondering this testimony for over a week. Sometimes you have to ignore or disregard, the negative thoughts seeded by negative naysayers, and just trust God to show up and deliver the peace we all seek.

You have to trust that God WILL move on your behalf…once you take a few a steps to do the right thing…in faith…AND when you experience a blessing from God…that’s always worthy of sharing…either alone to the urinal or with a total stranger…don’t miss the opportunity to share the story forward. God can bless that exchange as well…AND He can put a cherry on top of that sweet moment just for fun.

Here’s what I mean. After the plates were cleared from a wonderful dinner-story with Glen and Barb, and we all pass on the dessert menu, Glen finishes their story with this.

“Dave this is the best part. So while Barb was still visiting with her mom for the second time…somewhere around the hour and a-half mark, I was thanking God for a second successful visit between my wife and her mother…I told God that the only thing that would make this trip better was to move mom to want to see me…the devil…even if it was just for a moment. An hour later…that is exactly what happened. When Barb exited the building she waved me out of the car. Mom then came out of the doorway, gave me a smile and I gave her a hug. I thanked her for seeing her daughter and she thanked me for bringing her down to visit. BAMM! Dave this trip was all about Barb and her mother…but God gave me something special as well.”

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This past Monday, Mark shared some enlightening news regarding Artificial Intelligence. I hope you listened to that show because it showcased a host of scams that are at play with this technology…scams that could wipe out your or your parents bank accounts simply because you or they didn’t know any better.

Whether you like it or not, AI is here to stay.

It should be noted from Marks show on the topic of AI, is that few CEO’s of AI companies are focused on “AI Guard Rails” to protect the public.

Which leaves us…the users of technology…to fend for ourselves.

Several of the clips Mark shared in episode 260 on AI showcased how the technology is being used to create video messages that appear to be your son or daughter in a tough spot, or held captive in a dark and scary room…telling you in their own voice…that they are in trouble and they need you to send money straight away. The video looks like your son or daughter and their voice certainly sounds like them, but it’s fake. So how can you discern whether the message is real or not?

Here’s our first TIP from a loyal and fellow listener of One Day Closer. He suggested creating a SAFE word and a DANGER word. This could be established with your kids as well as your parents or grandparents. The idea is a simple one but can be very effective. We’ve all seen an FBI show or a movie where someone goes under cover to infiltrate a mob Gand or a smuggling operation. The person undercover is usually wearing a wire and their colleagues in the van outside are listening closely for either the SAFE word or the DANGER (my covers been blown) word, which serves to deploy the calvery, breach the building and “get me out of here!”

Most of us normal folks don’t have these occupations and hence don’t need to think like this right? Think again.

Let’s say you get a video message. Your daughter is leaving you a desperate video message for help or money, but in her message she DOES NOT use the DANGER word or phrase. You’ll know right away that that is a scam, especially if you make it very clear from the start with your loved ones…why having this discussion about CODED Safe and Danger words is important. If they don’t use them…you will NOT be taking any action on their behalf.

Here’s a Universal Hand Signal for someone needing help. 5-4-0

It was developed several years ago but not everyone may know what it is. It was designed to help someone communicate without speaking, that they are in trouble, being abducted and need help. Most recently, I’ve seen commercials showing how this hand signal can be used by an abductee. The commercial shows a guy walking down a busy street holding the gals arm (obviously to keep her from running away). This leaves her other arm free to touch or slightly bump others as they walk by in the opposite direct. Once the abducted gal bumps you to get your attention to look back at her, she displays the following hand signal behind the abductors back. 5 = A full open Hand; followed by the number 4 = four fingers; followed by a closed fist. 5-4-0. This is the universal hand signal for someone asking for help. Teach this to your kids. If they do this enough when being abducted or they loose their voice, this simple hand signal could save their life.

Today’s show has been a Public Service Announcement intended to give you some ideas and tactics to protect yourself and love ones, young and old. I hope you share this show with your friends, family members and co-workers…basically anyone you know that you care about.

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Today Mark is going to give us some insight into how AI is being used to scam those unaware of its capabilities.

He'll explain what "Pose Matching" is and how it can be used to exploit the boomer generation and anyone else that is not made aware of the technology.

Join us today as we dive into the artificial world of future communications.

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