Read Time: 5 min 55 sec | Reading Level: 7th Grade |
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─────── May 28, 2026 ─────── |
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Happy Thursday!
And happy summer ☀️ Whether you’re already enjoying a bomb pop by the pool or trying to finish the school year strong, we’re thankful to be part of keeping your family informed and focused on Christ. |
This week’s Decaf is brought to you by the Teach Me the Faith podcast and by The Voice of the Martyrs. |
Today’s story was taken from The Pour Over’s May 27th email and rewritten at a 7th-grade reading level. |
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.”
Thomas Aquinas |
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READ | REFLECT | RESPOND |
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TECHNOLOGY |
Tower of B-AI-bel |
The Pope has (lots) to say about AI. |
On Monday, Pope Leo XIV (that’s “14th” for the non-Roman among us) released a 42,300-word encyclical (think: a big essay about the Catholic Church’s views on an important topic). He called it “Magnifica Humanitas,” or “Magnificent Humanity.” It focused on humanity’s unique “capacity for relationship and love” in the AI era. |
Leo compared AI to the Tower of Babel from Genesis 11. Back then, humans tried to prove their power by building a tower to reach heaven and make themselves like God. The Pope asked AI companies to avoid making another Babelly Tower. Instead, they should build up the “common good.” |
Monday’s release date was purposeful because 135 years earlier, the previous Pope Leo (Leo XIII) wrote an encyclical on workers’ dignity during the Industrial Revolution. Machines were replacing people in factories, working conditions worsened, and family life changed. The latest Leo thinks history is repeating and sees a need to: |
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What do AI companies think? Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic (one of the world’s biggest AI companies), spoke before the pope’s speech at the Vatican (watch it here). He praised the pope’s ideas and said AI companies need “moral voices” to help value people over profits.
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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
As the world debates AI, it’s a good moment for personal reflection on technology’s effect on our lives, relationships, and habits. Whatever tools we use, we should use them wisely and in ways that increase the fruit of the Spirit in us. |
“Walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh… The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
Galatians 5:16, 22-23a (CSB) (read full passage) |
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READ | REFLECT | RESPOND |
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Ask your kids what they think about AI and the pope’s papers.
Begin the conversation with some questions. |
Have your kids used AI? What for? What do they like about it? What do they dislike? What makes them nervous about it? Excited? What do they think parents or teachers misunderstand about kids and AI?
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What do I want to make sure my kids (and I) know in light of this story?
AI makes (usually) correct, compelling information available in the blink of an eye. Those outputs have great uses… but when we make a habit of going to bots, there are side effects. A big one is that we start to value outcomes more than the often challenging process of getting there. It’s in that process that we grow, learn, and build character (James 1:2–5; Romans 5:3–4). |
AI reduces life to a sum of outputs. Are we guilty of doing the same thing as parents? |
It’s easy to focus on the outcomes of our kids’ lives: quick obedience, good grades, sports successes, etc. But we are called to make disciples of our kids, which means that their character and growth are more important than the outcomes they’re producing. |
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READ | REFLECT | RESPOND |
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Audit your family’s (or classroom’s) use of AI. What are your habits? Is the technology serving you, or are you serving it? Does anything need to change? Sharing your own experience with technology’s pros and cons could open the door for great dialogue.
Memorize James 1:2–4, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” (CSB).
Pray for good AI habits in your home and in our world: God of Wisdom, as our world rumbles with new power and opportunities from artificial intelligence, we ask You for wisdom. Give it to executives and elected officials to discern how technology can advance flourishing. Give it to individuals, families, and churches to use—and not be used by—these new tools. And may we always trust You as our ultimate source of wisdom. Amen.
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Want more prayers to help you see headlines from an eternal perspective? We’re piloting a text-delivered audio version of Praying the News! To listen and share your feedback, text PRAY to 71989. |
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How We’re Helping Our Kids Know the Bible
With Teach Me the Faith* |
Discipling your kids doesn’t have to mean adding one more thing to an already full day. |
Teach Me the Faith is a Bible memory podcast for kids and families. Each episode builds biblical understanding in a way that’s clear, repeatable, and easy for kids to grasp. It’s paired with resources that help parents disciple their kids through short, Scripture-based questions and answers—one verse at a time. |
It fits naturally into morning routines, car rides, or bedtime snuggle chats with no extra planning or prep needed. |
If you want a simple, effective way to help your kids learn what they believe (and why), this is a great place to start! Learn more today! |
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How We’re Supporting Persecuted Christians
With The Voice of the Martyrs’ Action Packs* |
Tens of thousands of Christians have been driven from their homes—with little more than the clothes on their backs—because of their faith. |
The Voice of the Martyrs is meeting them with immediate, tangible help. Action Packs deliver essentials like blankets, tarps, bedsheets, and soap. Family Med Packs include bandages, gauze, toothbrushes, and personal care items for those who’ve lost nearly everything. |
You can fill a pack yourself for as little as $10. Every pack is hand-delivered by VOM’s field staff in areas of the greatest need, reminding persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten. Provide an Action Pack or Family Med Pack today! |
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SPREAD THE WORD |
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