Deep Dive MKE

Guided by Grace: Diane's Story with Diane De La Santos

In this heartfelt episode, Diane De La Santos joins Art Serna, Jr. to discuss her personal journey, ministry work, and unique insights into serving others. Diane, who is the Social Enterprise Director at City on a Hill, reflects on her path to leadership from her beginnings as a single mother and suburbanite to an influential voice in urban ministry. They dive deep into the powerful lessons learned from Isaiah 58 and Ephesians 2:10, discussing how faith and patience play a crucial role in aligning oneself with God's purpose. Listen in as Diane shares incredible stories of resilience, hope, and divine intervention, demonstrating the impact of serving the needy and waiting on God's timing. This episode is a testament to the power of faith, love, and dedicated service. Episode Highlights: 14:09 - If you help people, too, by just being in a relationship with them, personal relationships are, I've discovered in the last few years, are more important than anything. Relationship first with the Lord and then with people around you, both those who are just a general community, those who are Christians, to encourage them, those who are the lost, to share with them the gospel, but not so much in words as in your actions. 28:17 - I often tell people that the best first thing to do is listen to that community because they know the problem. They know where they want to go. They know what the community needs. All the things you don't know. You may think you know it, but you don't know it till you listen to them, voice to ear and hear them share. 31:31 - The main thing that has given me hope is to see people respond when the need is presented to them in a biblical way with God's word to read for themselves. Don't listen to me. Read God's word. He'll tell you what he wants of you, and then listen to the people. And you will have a vision for the future that he wants for that community and that they want for their community. And you can be an advocate coming alongside in teaching. Contact Art Serna, Jr. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/utartserna/] COAH Website [https://cityonahillmke.org/]  Diane De La Santos LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianedelasantos/]

Revolutionizing Communities & Learning with AI

Dive into the transformative world of AI with Art Cerna and Elijah Low, author of the Amazon bestseller "Navigating AI With Faith." He sheds light on the staggering potential of AI to revolutionize cities and combat poverty. Discover how AI-driven tools like ChatGPT are offering step-by-step solutions and reshaping education, all while bridging the gap between communities. The conversation delves into AI's two-phase societal transformation and the imperative to equip individuals with ethical AI tools. Tune in to explore how City on a Hill is spearheading innovative programs and initiatives, including family mobility programs and business incubators, all centered around AI. This episode is a glimpse into the future, where AI empowers marginalized communities to chase the American Dream. Join the movement to harness AI for positive change. So, listen now and be part of the AI-driven transformation! Episode Highlights: 19:37 - Companies are going to hire people that can do the same job with AI, because they're going to be so much more productive. And then the second phase that's going to come is when they are going to use people to train the AI. They're going to work alongside the AI, then they're going to do what we call reinforce learning. They're going to tell the AI what it got right and what it got wrong. And over time, the AI will be good enough that they don't need to work alongside humans, they can work on their own. 27:41 - AI can do a better job than the second family with human consultants because the AI knows even more than a human consultant. So, the advice that this AI can give this kid in terms of everything from ideation, to protecting his idea, to bringing it to market would be so much more sophisticated than even the second family. And here's the great part, this AI is going to cost a fraction of the cost of what you pay a human consultant, and they do it at a 100x to 200x the speed. 30:57 - Being a learning partner to kids. And so, all of a sudden, it becomes an equalizer,  that even though you're a family that cannot afford one-on-one tutoring, all you need is access to an AI, and all of a sudden, your kid would have the same access or better than someone with one-on-one tutoring. Contact Art Serna Jr LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/utartserna/] COAH Website [https://cityonahillmke.org/]  Elijah Low Navigating AI with Faith [https://www.amazon.com/Navigating-AI-Faith-Introduction-anyone-ebook/dp/B0CBWG7887/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=fey5W&content-id=amzn1.sym.579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_p=579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_r=146-6834072-0664065&pd_rd_wg=eWyks&pd_rd_r=9e77ad7e-eb44-443f-9b4c-c37aa0f01e52&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahlow/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/authorelijahlow/]

Purpose-Driven Philanthropy: How Major Donors Can Transform Communities with Linda Maris

Are you ready to explore the profound impact of legacy giving? In this special episode of the Deep Dive MKE podcast, host Art Serna welcomes Linda Maris, President of the National Christian Foundation in Wisconsin. With 15 years of experience at NCF, Linda is a seasoned expert in legacy giving. Discover the crucial role that well-structured estate plans play in leaving a lasting impact. Linda shares a poignant personal story that highlights the stark contrast between a well-drafted estate plan and a lack thereof. As America approaches a monumental wealth transfer, Linda sheds light on how charities can benefit by incorporating legacy gifts into estate planning. Learn how individual donors and volunteers can shape the future of cities, revitalizing communities. Uncover the transformative power of generosity and its profound spiritual implications. Join us as we navigate the journey towards crafting a meaningful legacy. Episode Highlights: 05:38 - It's real. It's called the great wealth transfer. And we started to hear about it 20 years ago and I didn't believe it at the time. It's like, how can they track it? How can they know the numbers? And now as we're closer to it, actually the train has left the station and they're pretty dialed into what's going to happen. 11:20 - At NCF, we talk about generosity during life so much and being generous and living that joyful, generous life and being good stewards of those dollars and how to structure those gifts. I think where we are behind a little bit is talking about being a good steward at death as well and doing the proper planning and ensuring success through an estate plan and to carry on that legacy after the parties are gone. 17:00 - The wealth we have here, even in Milwaukee where sometimes you don't see it and sometimes it looks like there's so much poverty, we have a lot of wealth here. And so, to figure out what that excess is and to give up that fear of, "I may not have enough or what if there's an emergency?" Contact Art Serna Jr LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/utartserna/] COAH Website [https://cityonahillmke.org/]  Linda Maris LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindamaris/]

Spreading Compassion with Kelly Eger

Meet Kelly Eger, Director of Compassion at The Ridge Community Church, a fearless leader with a love for adventure and camping. Kelly's journey started as a first-gen college student, co-founding a service-focused multicultural sorority. From running the church to building teams, Kelly's leadership blossomed. Though ministry initially hesitated her, divine reassurance led her to her role's success, enhancing both her family and work life. Kelly notes people's willingness to be part of solutions, needing a nudge beyond comfort zones. Ridge's Live Big campaign amplifies contributions to vetted organizations and stories, showcasing God's boundless generosity. She believes in tapping everyone's problem-solving potential, fostering teamwork. Mission trips taught her the universality of prayers regardless of financial backgrounds. Tune in to hear about Kelly's strategy, which involves input gathering, volunteer teams, and embracing failure as a learning curve. Surrounding herself with a supportive community has been pivotal. Get inspired by Kelly's motivating journey of compassion and change. Episode Highlights: 04:09 - Compassion at The Ridge is Jesus' love in action, and it's really my honor and my privilege to mobilize our people to selflessly serve the communities that we live in. I started in 2019. Literally, our Live Big series kicks off in November, and that was the same week that I started. So, it was like shrinking from a fire hose, which was an amazing blessing. 07:51 - I said no several times to God. I was working in the corporate world in sales, but serving, I would say as like a high capacity volunteer at my church, I remember probably, this may be two years before I started working at The Ridge, was really praying for my current role, my current job, to be able to lead a team. 14:15 - I think it's important to to point out that the typical attender at The Ridge is somebody who is a curious non-believer. So, we get a lot of individuals who are new to faith or coming back to faith. And so, the Live Big campaign that we do every fall hits on three components: give, love, serve. Contact Art Serna Jr LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/utartserna/] COAH Website [https://cityonahillmke.org/]  Kelly Eger LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-eger-mba]

From Volunteers to Transformative Changemakers with Bob & Brenda Drida

Step into a heartwarming tale of purpose and impact as we follow the journey of Bob and Brenda Drida, two dedicated volunteers who found their calling at City on a Hill. Find out how a simple mission week turned into a transformative experience that changed their lives forever. In this episode, Art explores the incredible story of Bob and Brenda, who became core volunteers at City on a Hill, dedicated to transforming communities. Hear about how a chance encounter at their church led them on a path of purpose, giving back to their own city, Milwaukee. Be moved by Brenda's personal connection to poverty, motivating her to make a difference in her own city. Witness Bob's deep emotions as he empathizes with struggling single mothers, driving him to show up and be present. Tune in and embrace the values of community and courage that drive this organization to uplift those affected by generational poverty. Discover how City on a Hill's outreach events and encounters open hearts and forge meaningful relationships. Learn how the R3 workshop fosters deeper conversations and understanding in building knowledge together when you tune in to this episode. Episode Highlights: 07:23 - I think the desperation, and I think it could bring out like if I would've had children in a real life situation, you would do pretty much anything to get food for your children or to protect them or whatever their needs were. You would do whatever it would take to get those needs met. 10:17 - First of all just trying to be a light for Christ, and I look at like what would I want? How would I want someone to be with me? I guess I just want to be loving and kind and sympathetic. I guess with the neighbors that come, I want to give that to them. 16:33 - I think the educational journey that you walk through, no matter what your age is, is very enlightening because we all have preconceived notions of how things go, how they should go, what we think should be done. But once you spend some time here, you understand that it took a while for it to get here to where we are at this place and a lot of work needs to be done and we can be helpful. But don't cast judgment if you don't really know what's going on, and that education was really eye-opening for us. Contact Art Serna Jr LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/utartserna/] COAH Website [https://cityonahillmke.org/]  Bob & Brenda Drida