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On The Rise: Will AI Kill The Sermon? + How to Avoid Being Overcharged and Chick-fil-A’s secret menu
Published 4 days ago • 4 min read
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week.
Today, some fresh insights from Tim Ferriss on how AI is already killing publishing and what it might do to other content (like sermons), also how to avoid being overcharged with dynamic pricing, and Chick-fil-A's secret menu.
What Will AI Do To Sermons?
An interesting/alarming analysis from Tim Ferriss on the future of content
What’s the future of preaching, podcasting and non-fiction books in the age of AI? I’ve always appreciated Tim Ferriss’ willingness to be a guinea pig and open up his analysis to the rest of us.
Bottom line? Tim’s sold millions of books, but since ChatGPT launched, his sales have been dropping.
Last year and this year, they've kind of spiraled into a free fall.
He doesn't think it's his books, but perhaps the industry.
Which raises some really great questions: if people are going to your sermons to get the three or four key insights, how long will it be, or has it already happened, that they will just turn to AI to get those insights?
If they're listening to your podcast and you just have a few key ideas you want to share with them, isn't it easier to just run your podcast through AI and get a few key highlights? Well, personally, I'm not sure running Atomic Habits or Winning the War in Your Mind through AI for highlights is best idea, because people are formed by longer arguments rather than bullet points or 400-word summaries, but this is a whole new era.
Tim says: “I’d rather write books for 10,000 people who are genuinely changed by them than crank out short-form videos for 10 million people who forget about them within days or minutes.”
Tim also notes that “the market for information is collapsing into the chatbot. The market for transformation—for sitting with one mind, at length, on a subject it has bled for—might just get smaller, weirder, and more interesting. I’d bet on it. In a way, we’re reverting to the earlier days of the Internet.” Think of the reels you send to friends. Or that summary of a YouTube video you asked Chat to do back in February. Was anyone deeply changed by them? Do you even remember what you consumed a month ago?
Didn’t think so.
Best book or message you’ve ever heard preached. Did that change you? Do you remember it? Thought so.
So rather than getting into the shallows with the rest of the world, go deep.
AI Always Answers, Sometimes God Doesn't
The discipleship crisis no one is talking about (yet).
That gap might be the biggest discipleship challenge your church hasn't named yet.
AI responds before you finish the question. God can stay silent for years. So what happens to patience, faithfulness, and endurance when your people can get instant, confident, conversational answers from an app on the drive home from church?
In anew blog post, I unpack why a predictable god isn't God (it's a product) and what countercultural leadership looks like in the age of artificial everything.
You probably heard about dynamic pricing, surge pricing, or other ways to get you to pay more than your neighbor or just because you happen to be in a certain zip code. Well, another name for that is surveillance pricing.
Delete Meis not a sponsor of this podcast, but it's one of the services I pay for because I'm a bit of a stickler on online privacy.
This is a helpful articleon how you can avoid being overcharged for anything from airline tickets to groceries when you're shopping on Instacart.
Whether you buy bananas or book an aisle seat, it shouldn't cost you more just because AI knows income bracket or zip code. Hopefully thishelps.
Spiritual curiosity is rising — especially among young adults.
The data is striking right now.
People who walked away from faith are asking questions again. But here’s the tension most church leaders feel: the curiosity is real, and your church isn’t quite sure how to meet it.
Alpha was built for exactly this moment. It's a free guide to lead a series of conversations so people can unpack the basics of Christian faith together — no pressure, just honest conversation over a good meal. Any church, any size, fully supported. Nothing to build from scratch.
If your church is ready to open a door for the people in your community who are searching, Alpha has a free 3-Step Launch Plan that shows you exactly how to get your first gathering off the ground.
I love Henry Cloud's work, and while everybody talks about boundaries, one of the most helpful books I've read in my time in leadership is Henry Cloud's "Necessary Endings." This is especially true for pastors who often struggle with how to say no or when to leave. Definitely worth a read.
So everyone's heard about the secret menu at In-N-Out Burger, but has anyone heard about the Chick-fil-A secret menu? This websitehas a few secret menus from some of the top fast food chains you usually visit, including Chick-fil-A.
Cheering for you,
P.S. Weekend Watching
Eric Peterson & Winn Collier
Required Listening: Eric Peterson and Winn Collier on Eugene Peterson's Battle over Not Losing HIs Soul, Workaholism, Bono and Celebrity, And the Tension Eugene Overcame to Create a Contemplative Life
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Carey Nieuwhof
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Don’t settle for an impact smaller than you’re called to make. It's time to unlock your potential and lead confidently into a future filled with growth — for yourself, your church, and your mission. Get access to some of my best leadership content, only published in my newsletters.
