Podcast Summary: GPS: God. People. Stories.
Episode: From NASA to AI: A Tech Pioneer Wants to Glorify God
Host: Jim Kirkland, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Guest: Nick Skitland (Former NASA chief technologist, now with Gloo)
Date: April 1, 2026
Overview
This episode follows the remarkable journey of Nick Skitland—a kid from North Dakota who became a leading technologist at NASA and is now pioneering Christian engagement with cutting-edge tech, especially artificial intelligence. The show explores Nick’s experiences, his faith, his work at NASA, his shift to the Christian tech platform Gloo, and his perspectives on using technology responsibly to glorify God and benefit the Church. The episode also features classic commentary from Billy Graham on science, technology, and enduring spiritual truth.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Early Inspirations and Faith Roots
- Childhood in North Dakota: Nick grew up “only 20 miles from the Canadian border,” in a town of about 100 people, raised by his grandparents, who introduced him to church and to faith in Jesus (01:48).
- Formative NASA Dream: Watching the Challenger launch disaster as a kindergartner sparked both a respect for the risks of exploration and a lifelong interest in NASA.
- “We were watching a space shuttle launch... It was the first teacher launching into space on the Challenger... it stuck with me... I actually want to be part of working on the frontiers of technology, of human exploration.” — Nick (02:25)
2. Challenges Growing Up
- Unstable Home Life: Nick moved from stability with his grandparents to a transient life with his father, who struggled with sobriety (04:05).
- “I lived in campgrounds and halfway homes and didn’t really have a lot of stability... So for me, the church and my faith was something I could place my trust in.” — Nick (04:05)
3. College, NASA Career, and Living Faith at Work
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Engineering Education: Nick attended Valparaiso University, deepening his faith through Bible studies and friends (04:34).
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NASA Achievements:
- Trained astronauts, researched human performance in lunar conditions, and led innovative, participatory exploration projects (05:24, 05:52).
- “If you run a 5k on the moon... can your musculoskeletal system withstand that?... Very practical things that then feed into spacesuit design and lunar architectures.” — Nick (05:24)
- Involved citizens globally in NASA problem-solving (“participatory exploration”) (05:52).
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Faith as Missional Calling in Science:
- Nick was “bold and courageous” about faith at work, drawing curiosity from colleagues (06:24).
- “I got a message from a colleague... 'Tell me more about this Christianity thing... I’ve seen you kind of live out your faith at work and I’m curious.' ...it is an amazing missional opportunity.” — Nick (06:24)
- Some skeptical colleagues became believers because of his consistent witness (07:17).
4. Transition—A Call to a New Mission Field
- Crisis and Openness to Change: As his NASA career thrived, Nick sensed a call to use his expertise for something “greater,” especially among Christian ministries struggling with tech strategy (08:08).
- Family & Values Reflection: Values like “courageous convictions,” “irrational generosity,” and wanting to “have stories to tell” steered his openness to leave NASA (09:09).
- “I want to live out my courageous convictions. I want to have stories to tell. I want to be irrationally generous with my time and talent and treasure.” — Nick (09:09)
5. Embracing and Shaping AI in the Church
- Joining Gloo: Nick joined Gloo, a tech company serving the Church, particularly in AI innovation (09:54, 10:19).
- “I feel very convicted about AI in this AI moment... Who’s serving the church well when it comes to AI? Who’s on the frontiers of technology? And that was Gloo.” — Nick (10:19)
- AI—Tool or Threat?:
- The Church must proactively engage AI rather than be left behind (11:04).
- “We have a responsibility to shape technology so that we can be a voice in this generation... Society is going to normalize this experience [with AI] long before we’re comfortable with it as a church.” — Nick (11:04)
- AI is ethically neutral—a “hammer” that’s shaped by human intent (12:18).
- “Technology itself... is not good or bad. It’s like a hammer. You could use it to break a window or build a house. It’s the heart behind the hammer...” — Nick (12:18)
- Real dangers: AI as therapist, erotic or non-consensual content, “falling in love” with AI, and blurred human/machine lines (12:18).
6. Innovating for Good: Hackathons and Bible Apps
- Faith-Driven Hackathons: Nick organizes events where technologists create tools to serve the Kingdom—last year, 700 people produced 97 projects (13:50).
- Innovative Bible App:
- Even well-worn ideas, like Bible apps, can be innovated—with immersive interfaces and AI-driven verse exploration (14:22).
- “Imagine if you could open your Bible… click on that verse and it would unfurl more context around it, and then you can engage with that chatbot… helping you understand that verse more. It’s incredible… Is it forming us in ways that the Holy Spirit only should form us? There’s a lot of questions...” — Nick (14:22)
7. The Importance of Presence
- Value of Relationships Over Devices: Nick emphasizes the need to “be present” in an age of digital distraction (15:45).
- “A significant theme... is the need to be present... sometimes that looks like putting down your phone, choosing not to be on in a meeting and to have… this really present conversation or experience with those that you love in your life.” — Nick (15:45)
8. Faith, Technology, and Exploration—Timeless Reflections
- Billy Graham Soundbites (1969):
- The perennial question: Will science or technology displace God? Graham says no—Christ remains the only answer to humanity’s deepest problems (18:23).
- “We should not forget the more important fact that man’s hardcore problems on Earth still exist... To these three basic problems that face mankind, only Jesus Christ can meet and solve them.” — Billy Graham (18:23)
9. Returning to the Moon: Theological Perspective
- Space Exploration as Stewardship: Nick sees the Artemis 2 mission as part of humanity’s “missional mandate to steward this creation well.”
- “I think that returning to the moon is just another example of humans participating in creation. We have a missional mandate to steward this creation.” — Nick (20:39)
- “Exploration is a big part of that, and I think that we’re going to explore the moon and Mars and continue out through the galaxy over time. And it’s all just part of that beautiful mandate that we have.” — Nick (20:39)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Bold Witness:
- “It is an amazing missional opportunity for me just to be myself in this world of really smart people, but also to be a Christian and to be completely okay with that.” — Nick (06:24)
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On AI as an Ethical Tool:
- “Technology itself... is not good or bad. It’s like a hammer... It’s the heart behind the hammer.” — Nick (12:18)
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On Exploration’s Deeper Meaning:
- “I think that returning to the moon is just another example of humans participating in creation. We have a missional mandate to steward this creation well.” — Nick (20:39)
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Billy Graham on Technology and Faith:
- “To these three basic problems... only Jesus Christ can meet and solve them... You today, in this scientific and technological age, can put your faith and confidence in Christ.” — Billy Graham (18:23)
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On Being Present:
- “A significant theme... is the need to be present. In an age where it’s kind of characterized by distraction, it’s so easy to pick up your device and to be on it.” — Nick (15:45)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Intro & Childhood Inspiration: 00:00–03:24
- Family Faith and Upbringing: 03:24–04:27
- NASA Career, Witness at Work: 04:27–07:30
- Transition and Calling: 07:44–09:54
- Discovering Gloo & AI’s Role: 09:54–12:18
- Hackathons & Bible Tech Innovations: 13:50–15:22
- On Being Present in a Tech World: 15:45–16:52
- Billy Graham’s Timeless Commentary: 18:23–19:58
- Reflections on Artemis 2 & Exploration: 20:39–21:34
Tone and Language
The episode maintains a warm, conversational, and reflective tone. Nick’s storytelling is open, humble, and encouraging, marked by a genuine desire to serve God through science and technology. Billy Graham’s clips provide a classic, authoritative spiritual perspective.
Takeaways
- Deep scientific pursuit can co-exist with active faith and can even reinforce spiritual understanding.
- Christians can (and must) play a central, positive role in the ethical development and application of technology—especially AI.
- Individually, we’re called to both innovation and intentional, relational presence.
- Humanity’s urge to explore—whether outer space or new tech—is, at its best, an act of participating in God’s creation and mission.
For more information or to listen to the episode, visit findpeacewithgod.net.