10/22/2025
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…. Some of them are funny, some of them are insightful, and a few of them might make you flinch with a trace of conviction. Here are the best of the bunch. Enjoy!
- You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if your favorite hymn is “How Great I Am.” - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you bow your head to pray and begin with, “Dear Me…” - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you think the sermon was written
specifically to make you uncomfortable. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you measure the success of Sunday worship by
whether you liked the music. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if your prayers sound more like a grocery list than a conversation. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if “Thy kingdom come” quietly translates in your mind
as “My plans succeed.” - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you think God’s will is just a slightly improved version of your will. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you think humility is a spiritual gift you’ve already mastered. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you treat the church like a restaurant and the pastor like the waiter. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you can quote your favorite influencer/political pundit
more easily than Jesus. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you say, “God is good,” mostly when things are going your way. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you’ve never thanked God for something
that didn’t benefit you directly. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you want a Savior but not a Lord. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you like the idea of grace—as long as other
people don’t get too much of it. - You might be thinking it’s all about you...
if you believe Jesus came to make you comfortable,
not to make you new.
Archived Posts
What Jacob Marley Would Do,
If He Could Do It…
I thought about using the following for a benediction—since Jacob Marley was warning Scrooge about the danger of loving money and what it could buy. Ends up with the Cantata and everything else going on, I didn’t have the time. So here is what you might have heard if the sermon itself was 5 minutes shorter!
A Confirming Word on Old King Herod
I just want to echo what Rick said in his fine sermon yesterday (Nov. 23). Herod was a ruthless tyrant and skilled politician. When the Magi don’t report back to him, he decides to kill all the male children of Bethlehem under the age of 2. That’s one paranoid dude.
Power Without Conscience?
I ran out of room for this vignette in Sunday’s sermon. Remember the quote that could be the headline for Ahab and Naboth: “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The following reinforces that truth.
The Cars Are Looking for A King
I don’t have a thing to add to Pastor Jessica’s excellent sermon this last Sunday. The fable/parable she shared has been one of my favorites for all the lessons she pulled from it in her message. I was playing around with my friend Chat GPT and after several abortive attempts, we came up with the following modernized version of Judges 9:7-15.
The Lost Benediction
Depending on the length of the sermon, I try to add a little something extra in my benedictions. This week I wrote up a benediction but then realized we’d be singing and waving our umbrellas to some New Orleans jazz.
Change of Focus This Week
Instead of sharing with you about yesterday’s sermon I’d like to invite you to do some background reading for next Sunday’s “Only Murders in the Bible.” Seeing that it is All Saints Day this Sunday, we are going to look at the very first Christian martyr, Stephen.
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: "You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…."