What happens when you ask an AI to evaluate you? It calls you visionary. Impactful. Remarkable. And for about thirty seconds, it feels great, until you realize it has no idea who you actually are. It just told you what you wanted to hear.

That's fine for adults who know the difference. But millions of teenagers are having that same conversation every day, at the exact age when the answers are supposed to be shaping who they become.

In this episode, Darin unpacks a new Drexel University study showing that more than half of American teens now use AI companion apps regularly and that many of them feel trapped by attachments they can't explain. The issue isn't screen time. It's something deeper: a generation turning to algorithms for the connection, identity, and belonging that only real relationships can provide.

This isn't a technology lecture. It's a conversation about what intentional families can actually do; three practical commitments that make the real thing so present in your home that the counterfeit loses its grip.

Counterfeit Companions is one of the most important conversations happening in family culture right now. Don't miss it.

To order Darin's new book Parenting with Purpose, go to https://pentecostalpublishing.com/products/parenting-with-purpose-five-foundations-for-shaping-the-next-generation

Your family doesn't need more of your accomplishments. They need more of your eyes. In this episode, Darin breaks down the Three A's — Attention, Affection, and Availability — and why connection is marinated, not microwaved. A practical, honest conversation for every parent who wants to be more than just present.

To preorder Parenting with Purpose visit https://pentecostalpublishing.com/products/parenting-with-purpose-five-foundations-for-shaping-the-next-generation

If you would like a signed copy of the book please click here and make sure to include your address and email address: https://square.link/u/iPkuSJeR

Enjoy and thanks for listening.

~D

Why I Wrote Parenting with Purpose

The long days eventually give way to short years — and what we build into our children during the ordinary moments of life becomes the foundation for everything else.

In this episode, Darin Sargent takes you inside his brand-new book, Parenting with Purpose: Five Foundations for Shaping the Next Generation. From why he wrote it, to the honest reality of flawed families in Scripture, to the five foundational pillars that shape the hearts of our children — this is an episode for every parent who has ever felt like they were barely keeping up.

Darin walks through the Five Foundations: Loving, Learning, Living, Leading, and Launching a Legacy — and along the way, shares powerful stories from his own family, including the conversion of his grandfather Sid Sargent, the prayers of a grandmother that are still bearing fruit years after her passing, and the moment he walked his daughter down the aisle and released her into her future.

Whether you're knee-deep in diapers, navigating the teenage years, or watching your grown children find their place in the world — this episode will remind you that what you're doing matters, and that you are not just raising kids.

You're releasing legacy.

📖 Get the book: pentecostalpublishing.com