By Lee Allen Miller
The sawdust on the floor of the Bethlehem scene is real. The donkey, borrowed from a farm off Highway 69, is certainly real. But if you look closely at the script for this year’s Christmas pageant—or the newsletter announcing it—there is a good chance a non-human hand helped write it.
It’s December in the Piney Woods. The air smells like woodsmoke and damp pine needles, and our calendars are filled with the timeless traditions that anchor us: candlelight services, parades on Main Street, and grandmothers guarding secret pecan pie recipes.
But this year, something else is sitting in the pew beside us. Artificial Intelligence.
Now, before you think I’ve gone and let Silicon Valley take over the sanctuary, hear me out. For the past few months, I’ve been watching a quiet shift in how our local non-profits, small businesses, and yes, even our churches, are operating. The tools have changed, but the mission remains exactly the same.
The New Stewardship
In East Texas, we talk a lot about stewardship. Usually, that means taking care of the land or managing our finances wisely. But in 2025, stewardship also means managing our time.
I spoke recently with a local community leader—someone who runs a charity that feeds hundreds of families across Angelina and Nacogdoches counties. Last year, she spent three days writing grant proposals and donor thank-you letters, pecking away at a keyboard while her own family ate dinner without her.
This year? She used an AI tool to draft those letters in 20 minutes. She spent the rest of that time actually delivering food and shaking hands.
That isn’t “robots taking over.” That is technology giving us our humanity back.
High Tech, High Touch
The fear, of course, is that we lose the personal touch—the warmth that makes Texas Forest Country what it is. We worry that if a computer writes the church bulletin, it won’t have the soul of the church secretary who knows everyone’s birthday.
And that is a valid fear. If we use technology to replace connection, we’ve failed. But if we use it to facilitate connection, we’ve won.
Imagine a small business owner on the loop. Instead of staying up until midnight trying to figure out social media algorithms to sell their Christmas inventory, they use a smart tool to schedule it all in an hour. That owner is now home, reading The Night Before Christmas to their kids.
The “Manger” represents the humble, the human, and the holy. AI represents the fast, the efficient, and the new. They seem like enemies. But let’s remember: even the Three Wise Men used the best astronomical technology available to them at the time to find their way.
Keeping it Real on Main Street
As we head into this final week before Christmas, my challenge to you is this: Don’t fear the future, but don’t surrender to it either.
Use the tools. Let the AI summarize the meeting notes. Let the software track the inventory. But when it comes time to shake a hand, look a neighbor in the eye, or wish someone a “Merry Christmas,” make sure it’s 100% you.
We can have high-tech tools in our pockets, as long as we keep traditional values in our hearts.
Join the Conversation
If you are a business leader, a non-profit director, or just someone who wants to understand how these tools can give you back more time for what matters, you don’t have to figure it out alone. We are launching the AI Collective Mastermind, a group dedicated to demystifying this technology for real-world application right here at home. We aren’t trying to build Silicon Valley in the Piney Woods; we’re trying to build better, more efficient businesses for our neighbors. Come learn with us at msgresources.com.
Merry Christmas, East Texas.
3 Ways to Use Tech for Good this Season
- The “Thank You” Draft: Use ChatGPT or similar tools to help you get started on thank-you notes, then hand-write the final version to add that personal touch.
- The Family Archivist: Use scanning apps to digitize those old Polaroids of Christmases past before they fade, ensuring the history of the Piney Woods survives for the next generation.
- The Smart Giver: Look for local charities that offer app-based recurring giving. It helps them budget better for the new year, turning your one-time gift into sustained support.
