Jason Bender

Pastor @ Zao Church. Former tech executive and software engineer. Now building interactive faith-based digital experiences for the next generation.

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

@azhassan_ Hey Hassan! Checking in to see if you were going to share any of these shaders anytime soon. Working on a project and would love to learn more about how some of these are done!

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

@danielkorpai This is dope. Did you ever share any code on this?

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

@noppefoxwolf This is awesome! Any chance you’d share some code sample on how you achieved this?

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

@spreen_co This is sick. Any chance you’d share some code samples?

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

I find myself at a crossroads.

After 15 years in the tech industry building apps and leading engineering teams for multiple startups, a recent unexpected layoff has me asking “what’s next”.

While I’ve always aligned with the mission of the companies I’ve served, the underlying motivation has been the financial upside of those ventures. In this period of reflection, I’ve realized that the potential to hit an exit and get a windfall of cash has been behind years of long hours, endless travel, poor physical and mental health at times, and way too many missed family dinners or activities with the kids.

I’ve challenged myself to reassess my motivations and, for the first time in my career, align not to what I think has the biggest financial upside, but rather, to find a better family balance doing something more fulfilling.

If you’ve worked with me in the past, you probably know that I serve my local church as a volunteer. Faith is the cornerstone of my life and ministry has always been something I’ve been passionate about. For the last 5 years, I’ve been a volunteer production and creative director at Zao Church, helping run everything from social, brand, video, graphics, audio, lighting, and broadcast.

I always felt God was leading me towards full time ministry as the end goal, but I had convinced myself that it wasn’t feasible until after the windfall - otherwise how would I continue to cover the expenses I’ve accumulated as a tech executive?

It really is incredible the weight we give to the material things in our lives and the associated fear that we let lead us when something puts that balance at risk. I’m ready to lay that down. I’m ready to measure my success by the eternal impact I have on those in my community rather than the zeroes in my bank account. That mindset shift has come with a freedom and peace that I can only describe as God-given.

As for what’s next - I’ve accepted a part-time role with Zao Church to help continue to serve the Spicewood, TX and Lake Travis communities. I’ve also launched @churchqdesign (https://t.co/w0pBu3W4jC) to bring the creative resources and services I currently provide to Zao to other churches; with a mission to make great design accessible to every church. If you know a church that could use creative support, let’s talk.

The ending of my current chapter in tech is an opportunity for a new beginning and I am excited to step into this next chapter to see what God has in-store.

To everyone I’ve worked with over the last 15 years that I am lucky enough to call “friend” - Thank you. To every investor, advisor, mentor, leader, and peer that has encouraged and supported me along the way - Thank you. Through all the high-highs and low-lows, it is the relationships formed along the way that means more than any acquisition ever will.

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." - Colossians 3:2

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

Thinking about the powerful truth in this Billy Graham quote today—“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

Leadership is about serving others, not wielding power. Strength is for service, not status.

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

@aub @Mazzeo Hail Mary is great. Red Rising is solid. These are also worth a look:

The Fold by Peter Clines
Upgrade by Crouch
We are Legion (series) by Dennis Taylor
Anything narrated by Ray Porter

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

After all we've been through co-pilot, is this what you think of me?

[Aubrey @aub]

This past week at @newthing_co we launched Journey Thing - a multi-step augmented reality rewards experience. It went live to thousands of event visitors in Phoenix over the weekend and drove a ton of positive results for brands and visitors at Electrify Expo (North America’s largest EV show).

We’re looking forward to seeing it push even more results at the end of the month at EE Long Beach. 🙌

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

@_bryanmarley There is a better way! @thetrungvu is working on https://t.co/VqbKCehPaN to directly solve this problem. Worth checking out.

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

Influencing followers is addition; influencing leaders is multiplication.

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

Without hope in the future, we lack power in the present.

That’s the importance of vision.

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

Thanks @ZachJohnsonPGA for recognizing pops on stage. Stand up thing to do. Best of luck this week!

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

Today is a special day. This 30-second sound bite might not seem like much, but it represents the culmination of a lifetime of hard-work, dedication, and passion.

A simple thanks, the mention of a name, probably means little to the millions of viewers across the world who tuned into the Ryder Cup opening ceremony. But to those few who know what my father, Mike Bender, has pioneered, endured, developed, and contributed to the game of golf in his journey to reach this point, it's a proud moment.

I owe whatever success I've had in my short career to my father. He is the definition of leading-by-example. Growing up watching his unwavering work ethic, dedication to his craft, poise during adversity, love for his family, and his firm belief that if there is something worth doing, it's worth doing with 110% effort has shaped me into the person that I am today.

I'm proud of you Dad. I wish I was there in Rome with you to celebrate.

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

Not a fan of the click-bait title in the thumbnail, but this is a thought provoking conversation that is worth a listen. Mo says some crazy stuff in here, but much of his narrative is logical.

His exploration of the impact of AI and the potential risks aligns with what my assumptions have been - that the danger we face isn't the Skynet doomsday event we see in the movies, but rather it's more likely that mankind's greed is the real short term risk. We're more likely to misuse the power we've uncovered well before AI ascends to the point where it could be purely in control.

We've created an AI arms race. A race where we can't afford to slow down because if we do, the other guy will advance to a point where we can no longer compete. This is not only true on a geopolitical scale, but also at the business level. If your business isn't adopting AI, you're going to be fighting an uphill battle against those that are. Not in 10 years from now, but maybe in 10 months from now.

ChatGPT already has an IQ greater than 99% of humans. In a matter of months it could surpass the smartest human. What happens when it becomes many times smarter than humanity?

We're likely headed towards a singularity event - an event that we can't predict the outcome of because it's uncharted territory.

This will be interesting to observe over the next few years, on both a macro and micro level. Similar to how digital media ultimately led to us no longer going to Blockbuster or the record store, how will AI fundamentally change how we do life? Time will tell.

https://t.co/6fMmOpXvCG

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

@The_DailyAi @ElixonXH

[Jason Bender @TheCodeBender]

@The_DailyAi @CyberneticWhiz