New Vlog Entry, “Conversing with Chatbots?” by Stephanie Bennett

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In this entry. . . Today we talk a bit about the emerging trend to engage AI agents to fulfill our needs for companionship and counseling. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Digital Shepherd. Relating to a bot for help and support is clearly easier than using our interpersonal skills to engage with an actual person, but what are we editing …

Column entry, “From the Valley to the Summit,” by Chris Hamstra

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Column Title: Leadership Life Stories: Communicating and Leading through Your Story Column Entry: “From the Valley to the Summit” By Chris Hamstra, PhD, Davenport University Description: There is a power when people come together to share stories. As people of faith, the practice and process of storytelling helps us understand ourselves, our communities, and our organizations. When combined with leadership, stories provide examples …

Column entry, “The Value of Human Labor, the Challenges of AI, and the Image of God,” by Elizabeth McLaughlin

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Column Title: Communitas Column Entry: “The Value of Human Labor, the Challenges of AI, and the Image of God” Column Description: The term Communitas refers to an unstructured community of equal members often traveling from one place to another. Like the characters in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, we are fellow pilgrims on the road towards the Father’s house, following Jesus as …

Quote of the Week, Silence and Spiritual Discipline, St. Peter Damian

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Below is a quote from St. Peter Damian (1007–1072), a prominent 11th-century reformer and theologian known for his ascetic writings and deep reflections on monastic life. In his treatise Letter 28: The Book of Gomorrah, he writes: “The talkative man’s tongue is a sword that kills his own soul; silence, on the other hand, is the guardian of innocence and …

A Prayer to Call to Silence the Noise, by St. Anselm of Canterbury, 11th Century

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“Come on now, little man, get away from your worldly occupations for a while, escape from your tumultuous thoughts. Lay aside your burdensome cares and put off your laborious exertions. Give yourself over to God for a little while, and rest for a while in Him. Enter into the cell of your mind, shut out everything except God and whatever …

Quote of the Week, Speech as an Image of Mind, by St. Basil the Great

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“Speech is really an image of mind: so I have learned to know you from your letters, just as the proverb tells us we may know the lion from his claws.” –St. Basil the Great (Basil of Caesarea) (4th Century) Question for reflection: In what ways does Basil’s metaphor suggest that language reveals our soul?  Source: Letter 9 to Maximus …