35 - Curating Our Social Media Feeds

35 - Curating Our Social Media Feeds

In this episode, we talk social media feeds and algorithms, and how we as Christians should be more thoughtful of what we consume. David leads the discussion by taking the other CLC directors through the content of one of his workshops. Join us as we look at the menu of the restaurant "Healthy, Filling, Fattening and Harmful - Where we make the choice and we make sure you like it!"   TIMESTAMPS 1:30 - David's introduction to this workshop 3:30 - Why we talk about food before media feeds 4:40 - What's on the menu? PDF of David's mock menu summarized 10:07 - Approach of the workshop - music, teacher's example, & handout for discussion 11:35 - Examples of the four categories (Healthy, Filling, Fattening, Harmful) using music. 36:18 - David describes his process of self-filtering his YouTube channel subscriptions 44:38 - More examples of social media's potential for negative impact and predatory nature 53:13 - The potential danger of TikTok and Reels - aka short form videos 56:30 - Relevant scriptures and discussion questions. 1:02:24 - What is Good? 1:09:57 - Outtakes (aka. picking on John)   Click HERE for CLC resources [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12fZic8RVb7nAJJL6fY5p95RAaj080OUJ?usp=sharing] to present this workshop at your church or small group study. For more information on the Christian Life Commission visit our webpage [https://www.texasclc.org/] (texasclc.org), and follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TexasCLC] (@TexasCLC) and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/txclc/] (@txclc).

34 - Tech Savvy Churches (w/ Dave Lyons)

In this episode, we are joined by special guest Dave Lyons, the Texas Baptists’ director of support services and information technology. Dave shares his wisdom with us about ways for churches to be more secure and mindful in their use of technology. He also gives advice on how to care for and show appreciation to our church volunteers who help with using tech. TIMESTAMPS: 2:44 - Dave shares how God called him to serve in IT at Texas Baptists. 5:30 - Ever fallen for a phishing email or scam? 10:25 - What types of cybersecurity threats do churches face the most? 12:04 - What are some basic first steps churches can take to improve IT security? 18:19 - Why are churches so vulnerable to various cyberattacks? 20:25 - How are churches using new technologies well and how can they improve? 24:25 - How should churches think differently about the use of technology than a business? 28:27 - How can churches better support our tech teams and tech volunteers? 34:50 - What are easy steps for our smaller TXB churches to improve their use of IT? 40:15 - Why to avoid having financial/giving information on your church computer, but kept offsite. 42:48 - What else should churches prioritize? 47:03 - What advice do you have for churches to be cautious when upgrading technology? 51:51 - What is Good? 58:20 - Outtakes   Suggested Resources via Dave Lyons: * https://www.cisa.gov/audiences/faith-based-community [https://www.cisa.gov/audiences/faith-based-community] * https://enableministry.com/resources/ [https://enableministry.com/resources/] * https://www.guidestone.org/-/media/Landing-Pages/Property-and-Casualty/Cybersecurity-White-Paper.ashx [https://www.guidestone.org/-/media/Landing-Pages/Property-and-Casualty/Cybersecurity-White-Paper.ashx] For more information on the Christian Life Commission visit our webpage [https://www.texasclc.org/] (texasclc.org), and follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TexasCLC] (@TexasCLC) and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/txclc/] (@txclc).

33 - AI and the Church

In this episode, Katie guides our discussion on the nature of artificial intelligence (AI). We discuss its rapid evolution; focusing mostly on ethical implications, and the impact AI can have on human relationships and spirituality. We share from our own experiences with using AI, and encourage our churches to navigate its use thoughtfully. TIMESTAMPS: 1:40 - Introduction 5:18 - What is your familiarity with AI on a 1-to-10 scale? 9:24 - Traditional and Generative AI - What’s the difference? 13:20 - Artificial General Intelligence explained. 16:00 - What should we be concerned about with AI use and content? 26:44 - How prevalent is AI becoming? What makes it a spiritual issue? 38:50 - AI bots have a facade of neutrality. Why should we be aware of this? 46:27 - How is AI impacted by the fallenness of humanity? 51:10 - What principles can we use in our interactions with AI? 1:05:05 - Be looking for more resources on Faith & Technology from the CLC! 1:06:17 - What is Good 1:12:40 - Outtakes For more information on the Christian Life Commission visit our webpage [https://www.texasclc.org/] (texasclc.org), and follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TexasCLC] (@TexasCLC) and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/txclc/] (@txclc).

32 - How Churches Can Help Those with Porn Addiction (w/ Sam Black)

In this episode (after a brief introduction with Katie), David speaks to author Sam Black about his new book, “The Healing Church: What Churches Get Wrong about Pornography and How to Fix It.”  Sam shares about his work as the Director of Recovery Education at CovenantEyes and his years of experience helping those who struggle with addiction to pornography within the church, and his observations from seeing other ministries that do this work well. This book is a helpful resource for our churches, and we hope today’s podcast episode encourages you to pick up a copy, or at least to check out some of the other resources mentioned in our talk. Timestamps: 0:00 - Katie and David talk about the Texas Baptists new Resolution On the Pervasive Harm of Pornography in the Digital Age [https://issuu.com/texasbaptists/docs/2025_annual_meeting_second-day_bulletin?fr=sMTI5Yjg4OTM2NzA]. 10:12 - Sam Black shares about his work and ministry with CovenantEyes [covenanteyes.com]. 16:11 - Sam and David discuss the unique needs that Sam’s book meets, to equip pastors to address this topic well in their churches. 21:46 - Why are pastors reluctant to discuss this topic in a church setting? 28:10 - Why is accountability essential to recovering from addiction to pornography?. 30:50 - What are the characteristics of a healthy accountability group? 40:20 - What other resources does CovenantEyes provide beyond their accountability software? 49:28 - What online accountability groups are available for those seeking help but do not feel they can find it, primarily, within their home church just yet? 55:35 - What is Good? 59:03 - Outtakes For more information on the Christian Life Commission visit our webpage [https://www.texasclc.org/] (texasclc.org), and follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TexasCLC] (@TexasCLC) and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/txclc/] (@txclc).

31 - The importance of Religious Liberty

In this episode, the whole team is here to discuss the importance of religious liberty, which is one of our four public policy priorities. John Litzler leads us, as we talk about the current state of religious freedoms in America, recent court cases related to this issue, the importance of preserving religious liberty for all for the sake of the gospel, and examples of religious freedom violations abroad. Timestamps: 1:38 - Introduction: What is Religious Liberty/Freedom and where do we get the phrase “Separation of church and state”? 8:21 - Will religious freedoms in America increase or decrease in the next 5-10 years? 17:35 - The CLC weighed in on a religious liberty case in Texas (Perez v. City of San Antonio). 28:16 - Examples of and thoughts on RFRA (Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act) proposed "carveouts" by both the right and left. 36:36 - How is the quest for political power contrary to religious liberty? 42:35 - How can getting religious liberty right help us against trends of hyperpolarization? 49:50 - International examples of religious freedom violations we heard about from the Global Religious Freedom Gathering at DBU (October 20-21, 2025). 57:32 - What is Good? 1:06:00 - Outtakes For more information on the Christian Life Commission visit our webpage [https://www.texasclc.org/] (texasclc.org), and follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TexasCLC] (@TexasCLC) and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/txclc/] (@txclc).