Stop being lukewarm. Go all-in

This was originally an 900+ word essay. Need some feedback here: Do you prefer the shorter 400-500 word essays or the full pieces?

Daksh Gupta is right. Most entrepreneurs aren't intense enough. Especially faith-driven ones.

The 23-year-old CEO went viral for demanding 84-hour work weeks from his team. People complained. I nodded in agreement.

Not because I think grinding 14 hours a day for two years straight is the answer. But because Gupta gets something most faith-driven entrepreneurs have forgotten: you actually have to go all-in.

We've unconsciously made comfort our #1 -- Effectively domesticating our faith and our relationship with Jesus.

We fall into this trap where we think it's either grind forever or work-life balance. Often the answer is not binary.

Satan enjoys burning Christians out. He also enjoys ones that are lukewarm. Both present no threat to him.

Where Gupta Gets It Wrong

This Gupta quote did ruffle my feathers...

"As we mature we'll hire older, more experienced people who have families and can't work 100 hours a week."

• I helped co-found Rocket Games, married with Grace 6 months pregnant.

• I started Salt + Light 3 kids in.

I know the mission of Greptire differ greatly. Hence why I support the intensity of the team. Also, he's right, I can't work 100 hours a week... however those with healthy marriages and families bring more to the table and working hours.

Research shows 70% of successful entrepreneurs were married when they launched their businesses. Among Fortune 500 CEOs, the marriage rate jumps to 84%.

Families don't limit intensity—they focus it. When you're building for your children's future, not just ego, the lens of how you view long-term success changes. You optimize for compound growth rather than unsustainable sprints. The University of Georgia found that positive family interactions after work hours directly enhance leadership effectiveness the next day.

84 hour work week thinking is cool, I get it. But it's amateur hour.

Redemptive sprinting and resting

There's a redemptive way to think about all-in commitment. Jesus doesn't want a balanced portion of you—He wants ALL of you. But in seasons, not forever.

As Bruce Miller writes in Your Life in Rhythm: "Life is not a marathon but a series of sprints and rests."

Even Jesus, who had the most important mission in history, built withdrawal into His rhythm. After intense ministry, "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16). His disciples would search for him, only to find him in the wilderness with the Father.

Professional athletes understand this: Their craft is intense seasons followed by a couple of months of rest and recovery.

The question isn't whether to go all-in for the kingdom. The question is whether you're wise enough to build recovery into your intensity.

Most faith-driven entrepreneurs need MORE intensity, not less. But sustainable intensity that honors both mission and the ancient rhythm of work and rest.