Are you worried about the future with AI and our next generation?
I recently had the opportunity to share my thoughts with a group of business leaders on this topic I've been thinking about a lot lately — how we can lead through uncertainty, especially with AI changing almost everything around us.
This talk was called "The Way" and it was built around Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Here's what I shared with the business leaders:
The Way
A couple of years ago I found myself wrestling with a question that I know many of you are wrestling with right now: We will be fine... but what about the next generation with AI and business shifts?
The world feels more uncertain than ever. Markets shift overnight, technology moves faster than we can keep up, and our kids and grandkids are stepping into a future that looks very different from the one we grew up in. As leaders, we're expected to cast vision and give direction, yet many of us privately wonder — how do we lead others when we aren't even sure what the future holds ourselves?
Here's what I've learned in my own journey. The moments when we feel most out of control are actually some of the best moments for us, because they force us to stop leaning on our own understanding and start relying on the Holy Spirit.
My first name, Derek, is Hebrew. It literally means "the way," "the path," or "the journey." It appears over 700 times in the Old Testament. When I learned that, it stopped me in my tracks because Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." So if Jesus is the Way, and my name literally means "the way," I started praying a prayer: "Lord, in what WAY do You want me to walk in with my work and in my leadership?"
That prayer became the beginning of looking at my life and my businesses in a new way. I actually had a dream of building something, like a website, that would cut through the AI noise and connect people with verified, trusted experts who actually knew what they were talking about in real estate. And in the middle of building this new site, life got crazy busy — managing our investment properties while Jessica opened her coffee and chocolate shop last year. Most days I feel like I'm still juggling more balls than I have hands. And that's when I learned to pray an honest prayer: "Lord, I don't have this figured out... but You do."
One of the hottest topics right now is AI and all the things it will do for us or how it will change business. I started running some "advanced" AI professional-grade tools every single day. And it is addicting and eye opening for sure. The productivity gains have been amazing....
But here's the truth I want to share with you: AI is a powerful tool — but it is not the answer. It is not God or a god. It is not a replacement for wisdom, discernment, or human connection.
AI can analyze data at lightning speed, but it cannot create real knowledge — it needs content and wisdom from people like us to even function.
AI can research, but it cannot replace the human action that happens at the end of the research loop. Someone still has to step in with relationship, care, and execution. Someone still has to be the connection to real value and reality.
That's where we come in as leaders who love Jesus. We get to be the knowledge source upfront that AI desperately needs and references. And we get to be the human hands and hearts at the end of the process — the ones who turn information into real Jesus-loving fulfillment of the need.
What stays the same
So as we move into this next way of doing business, here are a few things I believe stay exactly the same:
✅ Our first priority is still our relationship with Jesus.
✅ People still need real relationships and real trust with real people who care.
✅ Integrity, humility, and servant leadership have never gone out of style and will be even more important in the future.
✅ The Great Commission still calls us to make disciples, not just close deals. So we need to go make disciples.
✅ The next generation still needs to see us modeling what it looks like to walk with God in the middle of uncertainty.
What's changing fast
And here's what IS changing, fast — and we need to respond.
⚡ The speed at which decisions have to be made.
⚡ The volume of information we have to process every day.
⚡ The expectation that we will be available 24/7.
⚡ The need to be very intentional about creating margin in our already crazy-busy lives.
The good news is we don't have to figure this out alone. God is still good. He loves us more than we can possibly understand. And He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into this new season.
Hope for the next generation
When I think about the next generation, I'm actually full of hope. I believe they (our kids) are going to have tremendous value in the future — but it will look different.
They will find niches and specific ways to add value.
They will probably build more hands-on types of businesses. There will be a premium placed on real talent and genuine human interaction.
People will pay more — even if it's more expensive or time-intensive — to be talked to face-to-face by someone who truly cares.
They will crave real experiences: coffee shops, pickleball leagues, live theatre, community events — things that can't be replicated by a screen.
Just like every major shift in human behavior throughout history, we will adapt, we will grow, and we will expand. And our kids and grandkids will find their own WAY too — as long as we teach them to lean on the Holy Spirit the same way we are learning to do.
Isaiah 30:21 promises, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"
John 16:13 tells us the Holy Spirit "will guide you into all the truth." And Psalm 32:8 says, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."
Five things I'm teaching my kids
Here are five practical things I'm actively teaching my own five kids right now:
1️⃣ Pray bold questions to the Holy Spirit every single day — "Lord, in what way do You want me to walk?"
2️⃣ Look for niches and hands-on opportunities where real human connection makes the difference.
3️⃣ Document and share (online and in person) what God is teaching you — become the knowledge source that others (and even AI) will need.
4️⃣ Prioritize face-to-face time and real experiences with people — that's where the greatest value will be.
5️⃣ Trust that God is good and that He will always make a way, even when the path looks completely new.
A simple challenge
My simple encouragement is this: Take five quiet minutes this week and pray one bold question out loud:
> "Lord, what is the unique 'way' You want me to lead right now — in my business, in my family, and for the next generation?"
Write down whatever He brings to mind.
Then listen.
The same Holy Spirit who has guided me through every busy season is ready to guide you through whatever uncertainty is in front of you. 🙏
Blessings to you — and if you read this you are part of the solution!
Say Amen if you agree.
Derek
