Quality leaders empathize with their teammates, but struggling leaders use their teammates’ stories as a lead-in to tell their own stories. Don’t be a one-upper! Check out our full conversation about the power of a leader’s empathy.
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“Personal devotion to a friend or a pursuit means that they will always hold a place in our heart, even when other people and things occupy our attention. Personal devotion to Jesus means that we allow nothing to separate us from Him for a moment. To abide in Him and His love, to be kept by Him and His grace, to be doing His will and pleasing Him—this cannot possibly be an irregular practice if we are truly devoted to Him.” —Andrew Murray
“Let us all seek out the good points of our brethren, and consider them, that we may afterwards be the means of guiding them to those peculiar good works for which they are best adapted.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Hebrews 10:24
AI deepfakes are a very real and present concern. This is a long article from Fight The New Drug about how innocent photos and videos are being manipulated into sexualized content. Parents: “A practical rule: before posting, ask, ‘Could this image embarrass my child later, reveal personal information, identify their location, or be misused if copied?’ If the answer is yes, do not post it publicly.” This post also lists several resources to remove AI-generated photos and videos that have been shared online.
“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” —Charles Dickens
“Not all who wander are lost forever. By the mercy of God, even now, may your wanderer return home.” Jill Noble has encouraging words for parents who are praying for their prodigal child.
“Servant leadership is all about the person you serve. To grow in effectiveness, you must value what is valuable to that person. It is not enough to just ‘get better.’ We must get better in the areas that are important to the ones we serve. As a leader, do you possess what your team members need, specifically in the areas that can benefit your people?” —John Maxwell
“How many preachers mimic Achan with his stolen plunder? Contraband discourses, borrowed knowledge, unlawful paragraphs copied and pasted because a quick AI prompt was easier than doing the work themselves. To me, these have the glimmer of cursed objects, gold and silver under the ban. … What is a studied and well-expressed sermon built largely on the foundations of artificial intelligence? Is it not stolen plunder? What value is that orthodox teaching, conjured with a few keystrokes, when bereft of orthodox affection? Is this the blessing that Jacob wrestled all night for, the blessing that marked him the rest of his days? Men’s sacred trains of thought ought never run on AI search engines. There may be gold in their orthodoxy or oratory, but too often these are nuggets taken by the hand of laziness, inexperience, and lack of prayer. A lifetime of AI-produced sermons, Bible studies, and Sunday school lessons will not honor God and will end in defeat. … What is the point? Ministers must never replace their reliance upon God and His Spirit with any tools. The warrior of God does not trust in his spear or his chariots or his ChatGPT.” Greg Morse has more to say to preachers about the reliance on AI.
“The work of a Beethoven and the work of a charwoman become spiritual on precisely the same condition, that of being offered to God, of being done humbly “as to the Lord.” This does not, of course, mean that it is for anyone a mere toss-up whether he should sweep rooms or compose symphonies. A mole must dig to the glory of God and a cock must crow. We are members of one body, but differentiated members, each with his own vocation.” —C.S. Lewis, in The Weight of Glory
Craig T. Owens 