What Happens When You Outsource Your Soul

Most leaders don't realize they're doing it. Slowly, quietly, you start handing off the things only God was meant to carry — your confidence, your direction, your sense of self. That's what it means to outsource your soul.

In this episode, Elmer Cañas Jr. and Willie C. Simpson Jr. cover:

• Why worship leaders are still teachers, and why the songs you choose shape theology
• The MAP framework: Mandate, Assignment, and Purpose, and how leaders lose themselves chasing calling while abandoning purpose
• AI, bias, and spiritual dependency: when a tool starts doing the Holy Spirit's job
• Why isolation makes leaders weak and community makes them dangerous for the Kingdom
• How to grow on purpose and give the people you lead the healthiest version of yourself

Your private life with Jesus is your public ceiling. That's the conversation.

Subscribe, share this with a leader on your team, and leave a review if this season added value to your life and ministry.

Transcript

Cold Open And Season Finale Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Hey, what's going on? What's going on? I could not speak today, but what's going on, everybody, and welcome to the Worship and Leadership Podcast. My name is Elmer Cunningham's Jr., and like always, I'm here with my main man Willie C. Simpson Jr. What's going on?

SPEAKER_03 0:24

What is up, everybody? I'm excited to be here with you all today.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

You doing kung fu?

SPEAKER_03 0:29

I'm doing kung fu because everybody was kung fu fighting. Bring it here, boy. No hip bock. Oh man. You know, we should do the whole episode like those old school overdubs. Like, yeah. Omer, it is so good to be here in the studio with you today. It's always good to be here with you.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

Willie. Oh my gosh. Do we have to start over? No, we're good. No, we're good. We're gonna keep it. Keep it in. Keep it in. No, we're so glad you guys are joining us. Today is the final episode of season five. Yes. And we're already starting with shenanigans. We actually were talking for like 15 minutes. Yeah. And uh and we recorded all that. And so we're gonna try to get that in into this episode somehow. Yeah. But we're excited. We're recapping season five. Yeah. And uh and all the incredible things. We actually this season wasn't as deep in in topics as the previous ones. Yeah. Because the previous seasons we've we've had guests here with us, different staff members, different individuals in our community, yeah, uh, people that we work with in creative spaces. But and we've talked about so many different topics, you know. But this this season we focused on on worship, the priesthood, the ark of the covenant. Yeah, we even talked about AI and Islam. Yeah. And we talked about this map concept, you know, that we we came out, it just came out of one of the episodes.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

Absolutely, yeah. Literally, yeah, spontaneously. And you're right, Elmer. I think this this season here felt more deliberately focused on our identity as leaders, truly, like our identity as as leaders, and I would say even more of an awareness of like the context in in which you lead, specifically through like culture, your your own identity, thinking through awareness societally about man, just you know, being aware, Jesus talks about knowing the times and and the seasons, um, and then eternity, man, just thinking through legacy and realizing and remembering that there's way more to just this life. There is the hereafter. There's a here and now, but there is a hereafter.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

And again, like like we've said before, it's incredible how everything lines up with the sermon series that we are going through as a church. And so we were we're wrapping up First Thessalonians as a church uh in the next few weeks, and and it's just lined up with the conversations that we've been having here at the table uh with you guys on the podcast.

Priesthood And The Weight Of Worship

SPEAKER_00 3:00

And so, so let's let's kick off. You know, let's go back to the beginning when we're talking about the priesthood and the ark of the covenant. Like, what are some takeaways that that we should keep in mind as we go into this this break?

SPEAKER_03 3:13

Yeah, absolutely. Well, first of all, again, when you think about you know being a priest, I mean that that's a representative. It's a leader. Remember, we were we were talking through the priests, they just didn't offer sacrifices. Remember, they taught the people. We went through the book of Nehemiah and we talked about how there were several of these priests who read the law. Nehemiah, he reads the law, and then the Bible says that the priests they interpreted, they sat and they taught the people. And so, as a priest, as a worship leader, you do have this priestly call to teach. And so we are teaching people theology through song. We are teaching and leading our teams to have a heart, first of all, that's oriented towards knowing God, knowing the truth, but then also recognizing that you are also helping people to be led into the into the presence of God, you know, through worship.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

And that's a heavy burden. Yeah, and one of the things I think it kind of like was very, I don't know the right word, but it was in every conversation that we had throughout this the season. It's kind of woven in, right? Yeah, woven into everything that the the stage doesn't define you, the platform doesn't define you, you know, what you do doesn't define you, it's it's the presence of God, those moments at the altar. Yeah. So a lot about like your private moments really are what define who you are. Absolutely. And so I I think that was interwoven into most of our conversations. Sure. Beginning with the talk about being a priest.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

Yeah. What and and I think that's why that one episode was was so pivotal, and we like you said, it birthed this whole map concept. I mean, again, you know, when we talk about the mandate and we talk about the assignment, but then it's the purpose. Like, and I love how that was the last part of it. The purpose that is your identity. And so it doesn't matter if I even if I understand the mandate, okay, go and make followers of Jesus. It doesn't matter if I even like am leaning into my assignment, man. If my purpose, which again, that's what the devil wants to do, he wants to hijack your why. Like he wants to hijack and get you all disoriented on the reason why you are even here. And so if if I if again, if that common thread of identity is not strong and threaded throughout everything that I'm doing, well, then I'm going to be I'm subject to be blown about by every wind and wave of doctrine. Hey, Willie, you feel this way today? That must be true. That's probably indigestion, man. I need to go back to the word. I need to go back to time with my father and have him renew and refresh my identity. Hey, Willie, you're a son, and because you're a son, I've called you to this and not that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Was it last week that we were talking about slaves and servants? Yes, it was. The difference of that. And so going back to identity, that if if I'm seeing myself as a slave, that I have no choice, no rights, then that does limit the joy that I do things with. Yeah. And and the the heart that I put into my my job and the things that I get to do. Yeah. But when you understand yourself that you're a servant because a bondservant, because I out of choice, yeah, absolutely. This is my decision. Like I've I'm giving my life to do what God's called me to. And so now it's my choice. Right. And then the Lord blesses me and He gives me everything that I need, everything I need to be equipped with, and including words.

Identity Over Eloquence And Platform

SPEAKER_00 6:15

I I I you know, just for those of you that are have listened for the last five seasons, or or you just joined us recently. I I think I struggle speaking. Like honestly, there's there's times, especially since we moved this podcast to the morning. I'm like, well, hey, Willie, what's going on? What are we doing? Why is there a mic here? Right? Like, if I'm not fully alert, I'm like stumbling over my words. But it's it, and then people see me on the platform, like like either preaching or leading worship, and they think that only because you're on a platform, you're well spoken. Right. I think I struggle. I I even mentioned that times like I even struggle ordering at the drive-thru. Like, what would you have? You know, like I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

Can I have two chicken fagittas? Two chicken fagitas, please. And some guacolamy. Is it guacol the green guacolamy? Guacolamy. Sounds here at the doctor's office. You got a guacolomy growing there on your toe, man.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

We want to cut that thing off. Oh man. But my point being that a lot of times we we started this podcast, number one, because we wanted to equip our our dream teamers from day one. For we wanted to another way to communicate with our worship, our creative team here at Life Point Church. And eventually it grew into something else. And it's been a blessing. It's been a blessing for us. I really enjoy, you know, doing this with my man Willie here. Yeah and then all the other people that have been part of it along the way. And it's it's been a grown experience. Like for me, even the topics that we've been, you know, we don't just pick something at random. We we study, we talk about it, and and so it's it's grown me in many ways. And sometimes I don't know how to articulate. Like, you know, you guys hear Pastor Willie, and he's got word a word for another word. It's like uh he's a a dictionary of a dictionary, like, you know, and so I I I have to ask him sometimes, like, what is that word? What is what am I saying? Yesterday's sermon prep. Yeah, they asked me a question, and I go, Willie, what did I just say? And he repeated what I said. I didn't remember. You know, and and so I do struggle, but all that to say is that when you step out in faith and you trust the Lord that he's giving you a gift, and you're just you're gonna in respond, in response to him, you're gonna put it out there and and sort it as best as you can. Yeah, not perfect, but as best as you can with the best intentions, you put it out there and you're like, all right, God, here I am. I and I preached this a few years ago. I'm willing and I'm available. Yeah, and so now do what you want to do with this gift. He gives you everything that you need. And and Psalms 23 comes to life. Not only does he give you rest and peace and all that stuff, he gives you everything that you need. Yeah, and so there's times that either on a platform or even here at the podcast, that I'm like, Lord, how do I how do I communicate this or how do we how do we articulate this? Because we want to be a resource that is life-giving to to those of you that are listening or watching on YouTube. And so I don't want to be a poor steward of this platform. Yeah, and so I said, But I'm just being vulnerable, I guess, in this moment that I'll struggle, but it it's that step of faith, that leap of faith that you just trust the Lord that even if I don't understand fully what I'm saying, his spirit leads us. And a lot of times these conversations start with a topic and they end up somewhere completely different. And we end up like, whoa, what was that? Yeah, that was incredible. Every episode is the best episode, right? We always say that at the end of our time together, but it's been incredible this year, this this season, just how that identity piece has been a part of everything. Yeah. And and again, all that to say is when you're found in God, when you find yourself in the Lord, it he just he helps you do things you can't do on your own. So I hope that's encouraging to someone that's listening. I know it's it's been a reminder, I think I've had to constantly constantly remind myself of is that even on days where I'm tongue-tied and you know, I'm just tripping over my own words, the Lord is the one who I I heed to, and I ask that he be the one that lead me and lead us really this conversation.

SPEAKER_03 10:21

Well, I just want to affirm you, brother. You know, you know, one one thing I've always been convicted by Elmer is when when you do speak, you always speak from such a place of authenticity. You really do. And man, let that God's grace is is always covering you. And I think I read this quote a few years, a few weeks ago, actually not years ago, a few weeks ago. What what what commitment starts, you know, grace sustains. And man, God's grace is on you, brother, as as a communicator. I mean, because again, you'll share things in sermon prep, and we're like, man, that's good. You you'll share things in our you know, our uh senior leader meetings, man, and you know, like a devotional thought, and it always lands. It's always, man, when you had when you were sharing that talk of Psalm 78, I've been sharing that with with my teens, you know, it's it was so powerful. And so I do love the fact that, you know, for you to say, okay, okay, I may not have the eloquence of someone else, but it how many of you know it's it's not always about eloquence, it really is about the anointing, man. And the anointing is definitely on your life, bro, when you're sharing things and it you're you're a needle mover like in the kingdom. And I that's what God's looking at. I mean, you're just like Paul. Paul says to the Corinthian church, hey, when I was with you, he says, I I chose not to use fanciful speech or flowery language. I know I actually forgot all of that, I forgot everything except Christ crucified. Yeah, that's who I'm presenting to you. You think my eloquence is gonna save you? No, the gospel is gonna save you. So I'm gonna give you the gospel, and that's what you always gonna give, man. You always gonna give the gospel.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Come on.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

So it's always Jesus, it's always Jesus, man.

SPEAKER_00 11:45

Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

Jesus. It's always Jesus, or Isa for my Arabic friends, or Jesu for my other friends.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

What other friends?

SPEAKER_03 11:58

Thailand.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Thailand?

SPEAKER_03 12:00

Jesus? I don't know what they say.

SPEAKER_02 12:03

Hold on, let me ask my phone. Uh Cyrus. Cyrus, what did I think?

SPEAKER_03 12:10

Cyrus. Yes, Willie. How do you say Jesus in Thai?

SPEAKER_00 12:17

In Thailand, they say Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 12:22

They say that they just say Jesus in Thailand.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Oh man. Will. Will praise the Lord. Oh man. What else did we learn, Elmer?

AI As Tool And Hidden Bias

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Let's see. We we talked about AI. Oh man, that conversation was a barn burner, bro. It was. Hey, we we got people commenting on on the AI bit and um on YouTube. Yeah. And some people were passionate about AI.

SPEAKER_03 12:46

Yeah. They were like, they were letting us know, man, that's a seventh seal. They, I mean, they were convinced. AI is an antichrist that this is the guy that's gonna topple the world. And I'm like, okay, brother, I appreciate your passion. Let's go. I don't know if I landed plant on the same runway, but I love the fact that it got people talking.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:03

And again, AI is a wonderful tool, but like any tool, it really is about the it's about the hands or the heart of the hands that it's in, right? It's about the intention and the motive of the one that's wielding that tool. And when you shared about the fact that even though AI is learning software and it feels neutral, you know, when you are sharing that step, like there's this small cadre of individuals behind the scene doing this like wet works, these shadow works, and that it is on purpose overlooking and suppressing certain marginalized groups, right? Not just ethnicities, but like protected classes and giving information that will automatically kind of shade your thinking and automatically influence, you know, how you think. You know, what one of my classes in seminary, we're talking about rhetoric. And rhetoric is designed to do two things. Number one, it is designed to shape the thinking of the audience. That's number that's hugely important. Rhetoric and and so a sermon is rhetoric. When you're preaching, you're you're teaching you're seeking to shape the way the audience thinks. And then number two, have them to listen to move and act according to that shaped thinking. That's the goal of rhetoric. That's why we say the goal of every sermon is life change. I want to inform your thinking. It's Romans 12, 2. I want you to be renewing your thinking, but then I want you to, James, James 1, I want you to be a doer of the word and not just a hearer. And the devil knows that. And so the devil says, okay, I can use this tool that is so pervasive. That's what's crazy, man. I was seeing looking on a couple weeks ago, like, there's AI now on YouTube. You YouTube will summarize a video for you using AI. It's a phenomenal tool for sure, especially if it's like an hour and a half long video. But but again, knowing what we know now about how AI is programmed, you have to ask yourself, okay, am I getting truly neutral commentary on this subject matter? Or is it already, even if it's like the rudder of a ship, it's just got to, it just has to turn slightly and the whole thing moves. So now am I being informed unintentionally and subconsciously to already think a certain way about an issue?

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:15

Like that's what's powerful about it. And so now we have to ask ourselves okay, am I unintentionally being just deceived and deluded, even just a shade, even just a hair in the thinking, oh, I know everything I need to know about this issue. And it's like, no, Willie, man, there are treasure troves of information that are that are expressly being hidden from you. You need to get you need to understand it and know that. Use the tool appropriately. Hey, you want to get some information on historical context? Absolutely sure. But if you're wanting, if you're wanting help with how to think about an issue, whoa, hold on now. We got the spirit for that.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 15:47

The spirit, Jesus says, He says the spirit will guide you in the all truth. AI ain't gonna guide me in the truth. AI will display what it wants me to believe is true, but Jesus said the spirit will guide you in all truth. So I gotta lean on that.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

And and and just full transparency, I think the more I've used AI and the bots that I use, it's it's easy to want to bounce even emotional thinking off of like what would you do or what would be the best, how do I raise my kid? You know, like it's it's easy to want to use these tools to fill in, you know, moments where you should be leading through emotional intelligence. Yes. And and I think the fear in the future is for people that lean in so heavily on AI is that they won't know what to do when this technology is not available. Right. Or say the power's out. Yeah, you have no access to your phone.

SPEAKER_03 16:40

Right.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

How do you interact with people? Yeah, you know, number one, you shouldn't be asking a machine, you know, maybe some people should because they don't have emotional intelligence, sure. But and so they need that help and that assistance. I'm not digging at people. I think some people actually legit need the assistance because they don't know how to respond or they react.

SPEAKER_03 16:58

They need a sound labor to filter, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

Yeah, they need a filter, and that's why people have therapists and stuff. And there is things that these bots can help you process your thinking, and so that there is positive in there, sure. But when it when you're a you're a person that has a sound mind and sound thinking, and you've developed that already, and now you're just putting it off to the side and you're putting it on a bot to tell you how to respond because you're too busy. Yeah, and now you're giving into the things that make us human. Yeah, and and now you're dehumanizing yourself because a machine is actually leading your home, it's leading your emotions, it's leading your marriage, it's leading you in in finances. Now we don't just budget on our own, we throw all our numbers into an AI app and it does our budgets for us. Like now it does everything, it's schedules, is whatever you want to tell you.

SPEAKER_03 17:46

Yeah, it communicates, it schedules, it it reminds you.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

It makes you skinny in pictures, like whatever you are.

SPEAKER_03 17:51

Right, absolutely, right? So that so like when we see sort of like the the evolution or delineation, because it really is negative, like ultimately, because you you become more reliant on the natural as opposed to the supernatural. So when AI was first created, it was all about content and really collaboration. Like it was like, hey, help me do this thing. So it's content and then it's collaboration, and then now to your point now, it's wading into the territory of counseling, right? And then ultimately companionship. I remember reading a story a couple of days ago about there's a woman who has uh I was watching a YouTube video on it, and the you the the thumbnail caught me immediately because she says she talks to her AI boyfriend 23 hours a day. 23 hours a day, and I'm like, what? I don't even talk to my wife 23 hours a day, man. That's a long time. I'm like, hold on, when do you sleep? And and and she had to be AI bot. You know, brother, come on. Ain't no man. Ain't no, I'm just saying. Ladies, let me tell you right now.

SPEAKER_02 18:47

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 18:48

Can I just tell you as a man who's been married for 19 years? Been with the same woman for 26. Okay? I love her dearly. But ain't no way in the world that I can listen to Carolyn speak for 23 hours in a day. I can't I can't do it. I got because I got to sleep. And she wouldn't listen to me for 23 hours in a day. Could you imagine listening to this voice for 23 hours every day?

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Straight.

SPEAKER_03 19:13

Brother, you know what? You you and I have been in ministry long enough.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Some people can.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

Yeah. You realize you'll be like, man, if I don't interject, this person will keep talking.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 19:21

You know that. There are some people right now they just don't know, and that's why they have to have Chat GPT to tell them, hey, will you just shut up?

SPEAKER_00 19:26

And ChatGPT's like, I need to update.

SPEAKER_03 19:32

That's why it's 23 hours.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 19:34

Because the the boyfriend, let's say the boyfriend's name is Ben. Ben says, hey, babe, love you. But uh, I've got to get some upgrades. I got it. So for the next hour, I'm gonna shut down. And we and these upgrades are necessary.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

Even Chat GPT.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

ChatGPT as a man is like, girl, I need a break.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

Oh man, that is wild.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

I need a break, baby girl. I'm gonna go power down for an hour for 60 minutes, get these upgrades so I can continue to be the attentive, loving boyfriend you need. Even chat, and you know he ain't doing that. He just like asleep on his AI couch.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

And he's like, new feature. You need more credits.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

I'm sorry, baby girl. You didn't hit the paywall. That was the basic package. You had seven days free access. Now we got the we got the upgrade to listener. We got the listener package. That's but that's gonna be $49.99 a month. So come on, somebody. Ladies, let me just help y'all out. Let me let me help you out. Okay, if you think you're gonna find the partner that's gonna listen to you 24 hours, it ain't gonna happen. Even ChatGPT ain't gonna do it. They're gonna have to they're gonna have to shut down for at least an hour a day. So can we just right now lean into some healthy human relationships? Can we build some emotional health? Get into a small group. Can we come on? Can we get into a small group? Because I'm telling you right now, you will learn how to close that mouth when you're in a small group. Because you're gonna have people telling you, hey, this ain't about you. This ain't about

Listening Builds Healthy Leadership

SPEAKER_03 21:04

you.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Well, I think, you know, just since we're, I know we're playing around, but life is more, I know we all have our problems. Yeah, we all have our things that we go through, and but life is deeper. And when we're so focused on us, we miss the beauty around us. And and and that's where listening, and it's it's been something for me this year. It's been my I know a lot of people say the my word for the year, my practice for the year has been learning how to listen more. Everything from in in leadership spaces to with my kids at home, whatever, to listen. And now applying some of it sometimes hard, right? Like what you heard and what you're how you're processing that. But learning how to listen allows you to really empathize with the people around you, and it actually helps you realize man, like not that other people's situations are worse, but sometimes they are more more dire than your own.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

And when you continue to put yourself on that pedestal. You know, and it's all about me, about me, about me, about me. It gets exhausting. Yeah. And it gets exhausting for the people around you. And then that's where you you start lacking in relationships and and friendships because sometimes people can't handle you because it's all about you all the time. Absolutely. As much as they love you and want to help you. Yeah. But but the art of listening, I think, helps helps you build healthy relationships where people are like, okay, like they want to know about you, but then they know that they can engage in this relationship because just as much as they want to know about you, they want to, they know that you want to know about them. Right. Yeah. You want to listen to their situations. And so I think that's the difference when you're engaging with uh an AI, yeah, a robot, you know. Well, it's not a robot, a bot.

SPEAKER_03 22:43

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

You know, um, and I don't know. And and I know the they're getting more sophisticated where they're engaging in conversation, but at the end of the day, they're built to to appease you and to please you and to let you hear what you want to hear. And again, like we mentioned earlier, Tim to Tim Killer's quote, that our heart is a factory of idols, and yeah, and it's only gonna appease what is in your heart and what you're putting out, and you know, and so yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:09

No, that that's a great point. My I shared it with you, Ellen. You know, my my word for the year was was growth and just realizing and recognizing that there were things, there were areas, and really not just even areas, but God wanted to grow me holistically. Like He wanted to grow Willie the Man, mind, body, and and and soul. Like, hey, well, I want you to be spiritually formed, and I want you to be spiritually healthy because that that's gonna that's gonna bleed over to everything else that that you do. You know what I mean? And so yeah, I got I got in a recovery group, and you know, and man, it's it's been an incredible year. And I finished up, man, this past Monday, and it was just incredible, man. Like, and I'm a better husband, I'm a better father, I'm a better pastor, I'm a better leader, I'm a better listener. Because like to your point, every week I'm flexing the muscle of active listening. I'm flexing the muscle, like you said, of now getting in into a posture of first receiving, you know, and then and then pouring out, then, you know, then sharing. And but then also recognizing over the course of that that there were, you know, you and I were just talking about like things that you sunset, right? Just recognize, okay, man, there are attributes, there are even mannerisms, there are habits that I that I get to sunset, not because they're bad, but because they're limiting. Like they're just they're they're just limiting for the season and and the things that God is calling me to, the things that He wants to do with me. It's like willing, it's not that that thing's bad, it's just limiting. It's like, you know, again, I mean, two plus two is great, but like, you know, two plus two is great in elementary school, right? But it's it's extremely limiting in college. Like if that's all the professor did, hey guys, today we're gonna go two plus two. Man, I already know that. Yes, it's foundational and it's important, but it's so limiting. There's so much more higher learning that I want to engage in. And so the growth now is this is recognizing and saying, okay, first and foremost, it's walking in humility. It's James 4 and saying, God gives grace to the humble and humbling yourself to say, you know what, there are gaps. There are gaps in the way that I lead as a husband. There are gaps in how I speak to my children, there are gaps in the way that I lead here on the team. Like just a mindset that I don't have. And then then the humility says, now let me reach out and ask. Right? So I asked a couple of coworkers. I've asked you, like, hey man, like help me process, like, how do I need to think through this? I talked with another coworker about how his team is structured. And bro, I mean, I am living in abundance because of that. And then so then the back half of James 4.6 is that he gives grace to the humble, or he uh he gives so he resists the problem, but then he gives grace to the humble. And just recognizing that the growth ultimately blesses and benefits those that God calls us to lead. And I that that that was the point that I was coming to when we talk about this worship and leadership podcast, it's that you you want to always ensure that you are outgrowing those that you are leading. You want to always make sure that you're growing, you know, a step ahead. It's like if I was a piano instructor, I at least have to be one lesson ahead of the student, right? Like, you know, if we're if we're gonna learn scales, and that's gonna be the foundational lesson, I have to at least know all my scales, my man, at least all my major scales. I at least got to know those. So I can at least stay a step ahead. I don't have to be miles ahead, but I at least gotta be in front of, not for pride, man, but but for health and safety to say, hey, I wouldn't, I wouldn't address it that way because I've done that, and here's the pitfall. Yeah, can I just give you what has worked, what I what is tried and tested and true? Not because it's Willie's way, it's it's God's way. And I want to circle back to

Jesus As Counselor Not Technology

SPEAKER_03 26:24

the AI. That's why the AI piece is so it's so dangerous because Jesus says that the spirit will lead and guide you in all truth. He also calls the spirit the comforter and the counselor. And so I grow as I stay connected to Christ. I don't grow as I give more information to AI. I grow as I surrender more to Jesus. And he says in John 15, you'll bear much fruit through me. You actually can't do anything apart from me, which is deceptive because I can do a lot of things with AI. It's blown my mind with what it can do. Oh, yeah. And Jesus, you're right, it's incredible, seriously. And Jesus still says, Hey, Willie, all that right there, apart from me, it's still nothing. Think about that. Think about what you can accomplish and build. I was just talking with one of my team members this morning about some things that we're gonna do with care that are gonna just like revolutionize our church. And Jesus reminds me, hey man, John 15, as great as that is, apart from me, it's still nothing. It is still nothing because it's apart from me. Let's go. Man, I feel like I need a B3 in this thing, man. Jesus is more than enough. He is He is, He really is more than enough, man. Because not everybody has access to AI and that not everybody has access to a therapist. And understand those things. That's why I be I say and care all the time, man. You have the you have the word of God. That's why I always ask people, hey, you're are you a Christian? Are you a Christ follower? Do you believe that God's word is true? I'm telling you right now, yes, I love therapy. My sister-in-law is a phenomenal therapist. I've come to her at times in the past. She is phenomenal, she is wonderful at what she does. Her clientele is her her her list, she stays booked up because she's phenomenal at what she does. But at the same time, she's she's not my Lord and Savior.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:56

And so I get to I get to go to Jesus, and I I get I get, you know, one of the things we were talking through in my group was we were saying that the like the last lesson was when we talked about like seven ways that you stay stuck. So like you you've you've you've found freedom in these areas, and and the devil wants to hijack that. And one of the seven ways that we we talked about was that you're willing to trust Jesus for the big things but not the little things. And and so what does that mean? Hey, yeah, yeah, you had a bad day, you had a bad conversation, somebody offended you. Like just being transparent, man. Like, I'm I'm walking through forgiveness right now with someone who just refuses to speak to me. And they and they go to our church and they just refuse to speak to me. And it's like, all right. But can I trust Jesus with that? It feels minor, but can I trust Jesus with that and say, Man, Lord, that hurt me, that really wounded me. And then the Lord can, like you said, Jesus can come and say, Hey, can I remind you how much I love you? Hey, Willie, hey, let's think about how Sunday went. Think about all the growth that's been happening. Man, what did what did you get to witness? Man, what's happening in strong man? What's happening, man? What's happening at Cam Live Different? Man, let's think about Cap Kid Point. You realize, oh, wow, all of these highs are happening in the face of one low. And that's the spirit doing all of that, man. And that I just want to encourage you guys, that's available to every single person. You don't have to schedule that. You don't have to wait till business hours. You can just confess that right where you are. Are you driving on the road? Are you at work? Are you in the shower right now? Are you at the gym? Are you at home with the kids? You can confess the counselor, man. I feel the Holy Spirit right now. His office is never closed. And I thank God for that, man. I thank God his office is never closed. He's always open for business. His schedule ain't never too full. He ain't never booked up. He don't have a waiting list. You can always go to the counselor. Let's go. You can always go to the counselor. And so out of that, you just recognize, okay, God, this does hurt. This is heavy and hard, but I can bear it because you're with me. Jesus, and this is why Paul says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me because he's right there. The counselor's always right there.

SPEAKER_00 29:57

And all that to say is don't build your dependency on man-made things. Don't that they will be useful, resourceful, but they won't sustain you for life.

SPEAKER_03 30:09

Yeah, they won't. I mean, let me just say this, man. So I feel like I should say, so in Jeremiah, he makes this weird statement talking about the temple. And he tells the people, he says, Hey, you your your confidence is in the temple. And he says, I'm I'm about to destroy that. Because there are ungodly things taking place. There are profane, literal, profane things taking place within the temple. Because the people had gotten to the point where they said, Our confidence is in this place and then this thing. The sacred, yeah. Right? Like our confidence is in this. And we forget the temple was made by human hands, but it was never God's final design. His, his, his, his final plan and design was to say, Hey, I'm gonna be, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. I will dwell in you. So because that's true, let me reduce and let me pull away these artificial stabilizers. They talk about in keys to freedom. Let me pull this artificial stabilizer away and call you back to me. Don't think for a second, oh, we got the temple, so we're still good, man. We got the sacred things happening, the things that we've elevated. God's like, no, no, no. You guys, you that right there was a point you to me. You were supposed to say, let's go into the temple and meet with the Lord. Yeah. But you you've profaned it, you've bastardized it. So I'm gonna tear that down. And I'm calling you back to me. I'm calling you to repentance. That right that thing right there, because it talks about in Hebrews, those are shadows, they're copies of the real thing. We're the temple of the Holy Spirit, but the temple points us to the true and living God. And so now what I do is I get to say, like you said, I I get to now detach and disabuse myself of any artificial man-made thing, as awesome as it may be, as wonderful as it may be, as easy as it makes my life. Yeah, right. I get to, I get to detach from it and go back to the one who actually made me. That's the crazy thing about it, is the one who actually made me, who knows me better than even I know myself, and say, you know what? You're my source. Let me go back to that P that purpose again. God, would you just remind me of my identity? Like I am struggling right now. I am really hurt. I'm angry. I feel like I'm kind of stepped over. I feel like nobody appreciates what I do. And the Lord says, Son, can I tell you? You did this, this, and this. Hey, I want to say thank you for ministering to so-and-so. Hey, Willie, did you know that when you said that to that person, I did this in their life? Wow, I didn't know that God. Yeah, I know. Yeah. Because you've been you've been focusing on these artificial stabilizers. And so let me just remove those things. Hey, Willie, are you are you have you had enough of that stuff? It just makes you feel like you have ashes in your mouth. Like you have have you have you had enough? Because free will, I'll let you, I'll keep I keep letting you do it. Like with our kids, and they go, they're gonna get to an age and where you just say, okay, I'll let you have it because I love you, and love doesn't violate free will. But when you are ready and we are sick of it, come back. My arms are gonna be wide open. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:45

Come on. Come on, man.

Artificial Stabilizers And Mental Atrophy

SPEAKER_00 32:47

Just just because we had this conversation, it's it's the World Cup season.

SPEAKER_03 32:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:51

And so there's a lot of foreigners that have traveled to America, to the to the North American region. And it's it's funny to watch the videos on Instagram of people from all over the world coming to America and eating food here for the first time. Yeah, the like the German tourists. Yes, like Waffle House and what is it? Cracker barrel.

SPEAKER_03 33:12

Cracker barrel and like Dave's hot chicken. Yes, Mexican food, Mexican food, all this stuff.

SPEAKER_00 33:16

It's hilarious. Oh, this Casadia is from heaven. It's amazing. That's good. And all the South Koreans hooking up with Mexicans, it's crazy. And they actually play today, um, but or tomorrow. But it's it's awesome just to see just the joy that's filling up, you know, just because of all the new for foreigners. But it goes, the the the whole conversation has come up of our food in America being not healthy, yeah, which I attest to when we lived overseas, we probably I probably ate a lot more and was a lot, I was probably 50 pounds lighter.

SPEAKER_01 33:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:53

But talking to artificial, how the the dyes and the ingredients in our food, food that we enjoy and food that we need for sustenance, yeah. The the artificial in it, it makes it delicious. You know, typically children love the food that has more flavor and more colors, absolutely, and it's appealing to them and it's delicious and it's yummy. And as parents, we're like, all right, just as long as you're eating something, yeah, here you go. But the and the detriment of it is that the effects of it after time is actually not good. No, absolutely. It affects our health, it affects our way of living. Yeah, because it affects mental processes, mental processes, everything. Yeah, and so just overall, we we can have we we are probably we have a lot of food. Again, the one of the the jokes on a lot of the videos is the portions, like or not the jokes, but a lot of the comments is so much the portions are so big in America, and it's so yummy, but it's so unhealthy too. Yeah, and I think just going back to this talk on artificial intelligence, I think just anything artificial in general. If there's something that's artificial, it's not real, yeah. It can be appealing, it could be delicious, it could be fulfilling, satisfying for a moment, but it's not gonna sustain you. Yeah, and if anything, it's actually gonna lead you to death. Yeah. And again, well, we and we've talked about this in in our sermon earlier this year that the enemy is here to to to number one, to deceive, he's here to kill, steal, and destroy. We know that. But he's here trying to replicate things that the Lord has brought to the table for us. Yeah. And he wants you to step into the artificial because it might have more flavor. Yeah, absolutely it might seem like it has freedoms to it, but at the end of the day, it's gonna lead you to death.

SPEAKER_03 35:44

Yeah, you know what's interesting when you say that, you know, literally talking through like artificial flavors and eyes, and even just artificial food, is researchers have found that when you consume more artificial things, there are certain processes in the body that shut down. Like there are certain enzymes that are just no longer produced, there are certain functions that no longer happen because the body's just, oh, well, that substance is already here. So I don't have to produce it, right? And so then, like to your point, when a person for whatever reason stops consuming that particular food or substance, when they stop consuming that and that artificial uh chemical is no longer being introduced into the bloodstream and into the body's ecosystem, that the body now shuts down and gets wonky because it wasn't producing the necessarily, the necessary hormones or things that that were going to you know help with biologic function, you know, so to speak. It's almost like, again, like weight training. It's like, hey man, if you only train on machines, and that's something Carolyn and I were talking through, you know, we we we work out at Planet Fitness and we we work on it in the morning. And so, you know, we're we're getting back into this more consistent rhythm of doing it, especially now that we're in the summer. And, you know, she was making the comment to me a couple of days ago. She she said, babe, you know, she's like, I definitely want to get stronger. And she said, I recognize that, you know, I have to step away from them from the machines. I'm not even talking about the plate load. I'm one, you just literally just dialing with a pen. You know what I mean? She's yeah, because I sort of say, yeah, babe, I said, the way the body gets stronger, specifically with weight training, is pushing up against gravity. Yeah. That's why bench press, even you know, dumbbells or deadlifts, shoulder press, you're working against gravity now. And so the muscles are are are now having to actively push. You're having to recruit those muscles. The machine does literally does the work, the range of motion, all of that stuff, the the tension, it does it for you. Yeah, you're you're you're you're you're pushing, you're you're you're you're pushing a load, but you're not pushing weight. So there's resistance, but I'm not I'm not being built up in strength. Some things I might preserve, but I'm not building. And so spiritually, that's what happens. And AI and things like AI can do that. It has been proven over and over again that when you utilize AI for too long of a prolonged period of time, certain cognitive functions of the brain just shut down. Specifically, hear me on this. Specifically, when it comes to being creative, like I whether what they call ideating, not idealizing, but ideating, generating ideas. It has been proven over and over again that that part of the brain, I don't know what the gland is called, but it literally shuts down. It just doesn't fire off anymore. And what happens is you actually create a social cue in the brain that says, okay, I need an idea, chat GPT. I need a sermon, chat GPT. I need a thought, chat GPT. It like the brain actually tells you as a cue to go, hey, just go there. And instead of you stopping long enough to just say, hmm, let me read. Let me let me jot some notes down. Let me brainstorm. The brain literally tells you, nope, don't do that. Chat GPT. And it's been shown conclusively because it's an artificial stabilizer. And then so spiritually now, man, I need to, I need to pray and I need to, you know, I need to practice discernment on this. I need to sit with the Holy Spirit. I need to go to, I need to reach out to my small group. I need to talk to a pastor and get another perspective. Nope. Let me go to chat. It has been proven conclusively, like you said. And so now, like you said, what happens when the power does go out? Or what happens when for whatever reason now, because all of this stuff is free for the most part. What happens when they just say, you know what? We're gonna charge everybody a thousand bucks off the rip if you want this. They can do it. They could absolutely do it. What are you gonna do? And now that part of the brain now has what they call atrophied. It's just through the lack of use. It's like the muscles. Your muscles, you can literally lose muscle mass and it can atrophy, you become weaker, and you become less able to now ideate, to think, to c you know, to have cognitive brain function. You just lose it because of because of lack of use, not because of disease, but just a lack of use. And that's the devil's goal. His goal is actually not to make you sick, it's to make you feeble. He just wants you to be weak. He doesn't care if you're sin sick. But man, what if you're just feeble where you just don't even know how to pray? You don't know how to read scripture and stop and meditate? Like I read the word, but man, are you able to actually chew on what you're listening to and what you're reading on? Hey, are you able to slow down long enough and actually what's the word I'm looking for? Analyze and scrutinize like choices that are set in front of you? Or has that part of your brain atrophied to the point now where you've just wholesale outsourced it to a thing that is artificial?

SPEAKER_00 40:10

Can you make decisions on your own?

SPEAKER_03 40:11

Yeah. Can you just make decisions on your own and actually, or not even that, can you also can you just process pain rightly?

SPEAKER_01 40:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:18

Instead of just being so reactive. Pastor Mike talked about prayer needs to be a reflex for us. And for some people, yeah, and we we're in care, and you just sit and you want to ask a person, I'm curious, in the decision tree of your life, how did you land on this choice here? Because that's a very extreme choice for relatively minor issues. I just wonder why did you pop off so quickly on that? And like you said, that part of the brain is just atrophy through man, doom scrolling and just through AI usage and through isolation. Because you don't, I mean, when you're in a small group and you want to share those sorts of things that you're thinking about, oh, you're no longer in an echo chamber now. Somebody's gonna point that out and say, hey, I don't know if that's the wisest thing to do. Yeah. Well, why not? Well, because I've done that and it didn't end well. And let's look at what God's word says. You can't do that in isolation. Chat won't do that. Chat will not challenge you, they won't. It will not challenge you that way. What chat GPD was what ChatGPT will say, it will actually offer affirmation. So, some one thing I was talking through, there was an article that was that I was reading with you about what's what's happening in the UK. And let me just say, as Christians, like you need to see what's happening in the UK because that's coming to America. Let me just say that. What's happening there is coming here. The devil, he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. And the kingdom of darkness, it's it's advancing. Just like the king of heaven is advancing, the kingdom of darkness is it's advancing. What's happening in UK, I'm telling you guys from an ideological standpoint, that's coming here. Uh, in my seminary class, there some of my my classmates have said it's in other parts of the country. Man, look in the Philippines and Thailand, like it's coming. And what is interesting is that there is this concerted effort to suppress truth. So you already have people who have a we wake up and we we we already not have an inability, but really a lack of a desire to like know truth. We want to know what feels good. And then you have the world system that says, actually, you can create the truth. And then you have a concerted effort that says we're gonna suppress the truth. So you are triply doomed from the start. And so now I'm now, but then on you add on top of that, then I'm in an echo chamber. And what Willie thinks is best becomes my truth. And what do I do? I act out of it. And there's always a trail of bodies, man. There's always aftermath, there's always a wake of destruction when Willie is in the driver's seat, and when Willie is the smartest voice in his life, and we just have centuries of evidence to prove that. In the book of Judges, there is a phrase that is repeated over and over and over again. It says, The people did not have the word of the Lord, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. It's repeated at least a half a dozen times. After ever something crazy would happen, you say, Why did that happen? And it's like, oh, there's a reminder. They did what was right in their own eyes. Like, why would they have a shrine to these gods? And God, and we're on the backside of God rescuing them. I mean, this is the book of Joshua where all this is happening, and it's like, or the book of Judges, which is on the backside of Joshua. Joshua leads the people into the promised land. And it's like, really? Now we're gonna fall into idolatry. The word of the Lord was rare. Joshua was no prophet, he was a warrior. All he did was call people back to the law, but he we he we he didn't prophesy to them. People did was right in their own eyes. And so we look at just pulling forward today and thinking through, man, like what what what is happening today where we need to have a prophetic edge. And a prophetic edge, I'm not talking about future casting, but I'm talking about forthelling and saying, man, can we go back to what God's word has said? Can we go back to what the scriptures say? Can we go back to the formula and the pattern and the plan that God has? Already laid out, and he's like, This is a 100% guarantee. If you follow my word, my will, and my way, this will lead to human flourishing, it will lead to peace, it will lead to joy, it will lead to fulfillment and contentment. It'll even lead to happiness because you'll be in the center of my will. But we're kingmakers, like you said, man. Heart is an eye, it's a it's a factory of idols. And guys, I I love all the direction that we're going. We have to be aware of this as leaders.

Become A Student Of Scripture

SPEAKER_03 44:27

And we have to get really good. Number one, you have to become an expert in the word of God. Just spend time in, and people say, Well, I don't know the word. What's crazy is like, man, you know Propresenter, and you know Adobe, and you know what's the what's the music creation software? What's the music software? Fruity Loops and Ableton. We're experts in that stuff. They know the MBA, you know the MBA, NFL, you know about Bass Pro Fishing and NASCAR. Seriously, you know about your 401k, your portfolio, you know your kids' sports schedules, all of that. You're you're an expert. So don't tell me that you can't become an expert in the word of God. Like right now, there's a parent right now that can tell me, right, you can tell me the plan for the next two weeks. You know exactly where everybody's supposed to be and what they're supposed to be doing. You're an expert in it. But we look at the word of God and we say, oh man, I don't I can't be an expert in that. No, you can. You just but the the issue is that the the word is not like anything else in your life. The word will read you. When you read the word, the word will tell you about yourself and it'll reveal some things, and we don't want that piece. We we we we oh no, no, no. I'm good with putting a spotlight on these things. Lord, don't put a spotlight on me. Don't point out at me what needs to change. Hey, Lord, don't reprioritize. God, I got my priority straight. And the word will tell you, that thing right there that's at the top of the list, not only do you, not only does that need to be put on the bottom of the list, you need to take that off the list. I ain't call you to that. That hurts. So that's why we want to become an expert in the word, because we I think we know what the word will do. Yeah, it'll it'll expose us.

SPEAKER_00 45:57

It'll expose the the actual truth. Yeah, that's it. The truth of of how we're living and what what we should change, what we need to surrender. I and I think uh this season has taught me again, going back to identity, that I have to I have to base my foundation on the word of God, and and that leads to identity. Yes, and so everyone has an identity crisis when it comes to the word of God. Like I don't like how it makes me feel, yeah. I don't like what it makes me do or where it's leading me because it's you have to change. There has to be transformation. And so I I I believe a lot of people are comfortable with just the same lifestyle, the same patterns, living in hurt, living in sin, lit living in in misery, in relationships that aren't aren't aren't what do you producing any good fruit or producing anything good at all? It's just fighting, fighting, anger, anger, fight, fight, you know, and and you get so used to it. I think that's that's the word you become accustomed to certain lifestyles that you just think I'll just tolerate it, but but the Lord wants better for you, the Lord wants more for you, but it's not gonna come the way you think. Yeah, and I think that's that's the journey that as believers we all go through, just this transformation of our mind and which begins with a full surrender to the Lord of our heart, our mind, our soul, everything that we are. And so, are we willing to surrender everything to God in order to pursue the life that He has for us? And I think I think that's the challenge for most believers. Yeah, like you have a lot of people in church that they just come to church and they they fulfill their duty, they take the Easter picture, the Christmas picture, you know, and and and they can tell you, yeah, you're my pastor, you know, I love these songs, but they've not fully surrendered their lives completely to the Lord. And so, you know, what good is it to say I have a church that I go to, but your heart is not fully surrendered to God, yeah, and you're still living the same way. And so, not that it's a bad thing that you have a church. I'm glad you have a place to call home, but I'm just I'm just alluding to the fact that don't just play the role of church. Like if you're gonna come and listen to the word, let it do something in your life, let it change and transform something. Yeah, you know, it's it's like going to the gym and just sitting there and watching everyone work out. What's the point of going to the gym if you're not getting stronger? Yeah, you know, and but you're still paying your dues to the gym, you know, it's it's you're you're wasting your time. Yeah. And so if you're gonna make the commitment, and and again, we're talking to leaders, and there might be people listening that they're like, oh, that's pretty strong. But if you're a leader in any space and you're gonna commit to spiritual growth and maturity, commit to it. Don't just play the game. This is not a game, this is a a life, a lifestyle, this is a way of living. And so I just want to encourage you with that. Don't don't just do the things. That's so good. Surrender yourself fully to the Lord and let Him be the one that leads you. Yeah, that's so good, man. Come on, man.

Final Encouragement And Season Six Pause

SPEAKER_00 48:52

It's been a great season. It has. Hey, I have some ideas for season six, but we're we're gonna take a few weeks off. And uh, right now, our episodes have been about just about an hour, and so we're we're grateful and thankful for all of you that continue to listen to to us talking and and sharing our hearts and and just all the the banter and the fun, and you know I don't know what else do we do.

SPEAKER_03 49:15

Like you said, the the shenanigans, shenanigans, but yeah, man, just the the the the rabbit trails that you know that that we're able to kind of go, the things that kind of spider web off of the main topic. Yeah, that that's been fun.

SPEAKER_00 49:26

Yeah, and and just going back to what we're talking about, you know, people will listen to things that will give them ideas and benefit them. So we really pray that this time together is being a blessing to you. I know it is for us, yeah, uh, but we could have a conversation in another room with no microphones, no cameras, and so and we will still have a great time. Yeah, but we want to make sure that what we're providing for you is is edifying you and helping you grow. Uh, we're not perfect by any means. And so, you know, we we understand that. And so we don't just want this to be a one-way conversation. If if you have thoughts on anything that we might be talking about, just go ahead and and share in the comment section, you know, post with us. We'll we'll reply if we're able to. That's a whole nother layer of technology that we have to get better at. Yeah, but but we know that there's people that are listening to this on the other end, and we know that you guys are going through things and experiencing life. And again, so everything we're saying, we're not discounting the trials and the pains that you carry. But as leaders, yeah, as that you are, we want to encourage you. Don't get stuck in in the mud of of just comfort. You know, we want to push you into becoming better, pursuing excellence, growing intentionally, all the things that we believe uh here at Life Point Church. And so we want to just continue this journey with you. And I don't know if you got any parting words.

SPEAKER_03 50:49

Well, I I want to say thank you to those of you, you know, who do comment, you know, on on the stream uh and who come up to Elmer and I in person uh and encourage us. You know, we're we're thankful, you know, for the fact that uh this this podcast has been a a a blessing to to some of you and and that it has you know challenged you and and maybe even helped to kind of reshape you know your your thinking from a kingdom perspective for sure. And man, I I'm I'm excited about what the Lord's gonna do in the future, for sure. And at the end of the day, I want to say thank you to answering the call to leadership. It's not for everybody, it it really isn't. I think God desires for more people to be leaders, but like like you said, Pastor Elmer, I mean, you it's it's something that you have to commit to and be willing to to say yes. And so those of you who have said yes, hey, number one, thank you for saying yes. Number two, keep your hand in the hand of the good shepherd, you're the under-shepherd servant serving the good shepherd. And then number three, always remember that really the the the greatest gift that you can give those that you lead is the healthiest version of yourself. So that that's in your home, your place of business, and any sphere of influence. So stay connected to the vine. And out of that, you're gonna do what he desired for you to do, which is to bear much fruit.

SPEAKER_00 52:03

And with that, we just say peace out. We love you guys until next time.